Remote Learning - How to encourage peer interaction in Google Classroom - Ian Stonnell

At Denbigh we do not do 'live' lessons in the way they are portrayed in the media. Rather we take a synchronous approach were we post resources on Google Classroom, including pre-records, set tasks and then watch the work come in to give feedback on. During this time we are available to answer questions submitted via email or through the Classroom comments section. This approach has the advantage of allowing students to get the work done at their own pace and even go asynchronous if needed.

However, the issue with this approach can be the lack of peer interaction. This is quite a concern as the EEF found that during remote learning periods, peer interactions helped to improve motivation and led to better outcomes. This probably makes a lot of sense after all for many subjects peer interaction, though debate and discussion, is often the lifeblood of a lesson that characterizes deep learning and understanding. 

The loss of peer interaction is inherently de-motivating and can limit pupil progress.

The question is how can we bring back some of this peer interaction into our current model of remote learning? In this blog we will look at a few ways that teachers have been attempting to do this using Google Classroom. If you have any other ideas please get in touch and let me know! 

1. Using the 'Announcement' feature to encourage discussion in History
In this example Sana Tariq encouraged peer interaction by using an announcement to pose an open question assessing prior knowledge about the Crusades. Students responded rapidly through the lesson hour. During this time Sana responded to comments, checked misconceptions, issued praise and asked further developmental questions which encouraged students to conduct their own research on the topic. 

In total 41 comments were made and students certainly got a good feel for other students being present in the classroom working toward the same learning goals.

2. Using the 'Question' feature to encourage debate in RE
When setting assignments Google Classroom offers a 'question' feature. It is a wonderful way to encourage general discussion and debate in an online setting.

An example of how to set up a debate question on Google Classroom.

When you set a question it creates what is essentially a message board, where students can answer the question and also reply to other student's answers. It also places the teacher as a moderator who can equally engage with discussion, adding comments, responding to comment and adding further questions and so on, as well as have the ability to delete comments and mute students if needed (this feature is available throughout the Google Classroom - just click on the 3 dots next to any comment). 

Last week the whole RE department used this approach in a year 7 debate about the nature of evil and suffering. This generated some passionate arguments and top quality work, largely due to the genuine peer interaction that was offered. 

3. Sharing documents to enable peer marking in English 
Finally, in English they have been using peer marking as a way of encouraging student interaction. Using the sharing settings on any document, a student can give access rights to one of their peers allowing them to make comments and suggestions which can be reviewed by the class teacher.

An example of peer marking in year 11 English.

Considering the benefits of encouraging peer interaction I hope you give one of these strategies a go. You could possibly do it as a review activity for the learning students have engaged in so far, I know that's what I am going to. 

Thanks to all the teachers who have contributed to this week's blog! 

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

Remote Learning in Practice - Tom Davies - Production Studies

In this week's blog take a look at this superb pre-recorded video lesson from Tom Davies in year 8  production studies. Once you've had a watch have a read of some of the key takeaways and considerations and see if you agree. 

Thanks to Tom for being a top level legend for sharing! 💪

Key Takeaways:

• In this example there are clear expectations of the desired learning outcomes including the process of how the students can meet them.
• Students are encouraged to review previous learning before engaging in new learning.
• Task modelling - the task is clearly modelled and scaffolded giving students the best chance of completing the final task well. 
• The use of 'PAUSE, REPEAT, REVISE' - what a great practice that we could all add to our pre-recorded lessons!

Feel free to copy and paste this image into your pre-recorded lessons.

Further considerations for all based upon this example:

• Avoid overload - particularly the setting of extraneous tasks. The requirement for note taking in this example is an extraneous task as it does not add to the learning, it just adds a process. The only task that really matters is the final worksheet where valid assessment can take place - as such, in this remote learning environment it may be better to remove the note taking element. We should all consider what tasks we may be asking students to complete that are actually not really contributing to learning and consider removing them. 
• Streamline the quantity of new knowledge delivered. In this example both celebrity endorsements and shocking images are discussed. It may be wise to consider focusing only on one area to avoid overload and maximise the chances of longer term memory and recall.

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

Effective Remote Learning - Ian Stonnell

Remote learning is the new norm. For staff at Denbigh and across the country, classrooms have gone online. The challenge is now how we can engage, enthuse and support all students to continue learning despite this virus' best efforts to disrupt us. We have to believe that this is possible.  

The challenge of delivering effective remote learning
Often teachers may feel that with remote learning we have to think about teaching and learning differently. Well that is not the case, the process of learning works in exactly the same way online as it does in the classroom - students need to have some form of instruction (linked to prior learning); create some evidence of learning; and then receive some feedback - this cycle is as effective online as it is in the classroom. However, we have to acknowledge that students are in a new learning environment - their homes - which can create significant barriers to their engagement. 

High impact teaching is the same inside the classroom as it is online. Credit @ImpactWales

Avoid overload, engage through feedback and monitor engagement

To overcome these barriers one of the first considerations is to make sure that the work we set is achievable by avoiding overloading students with either too much new learning or too many tasks. If there is sure way to discourage students, it is to swamp them, which will lead to cognitive overload and ultimately very little learning. To do this, we as teachers and subject leaders need to consider how we can break down our curriculums into smaller bitesize chunks of key learning and provide resources that students can review and repeat in good time. In addition to considering what work we set, we also need to consider our expectations on completion - students' lives at home are varied and unknown to teachers, this means when setting deadlines we have to have a degree of flexibility in our expectations. There is nothing worse than an email inbox full of demands for incomplete work to make anyone feel stressed overwhelmed.

Another consideration is feedback. A key reason why students disengage is because they may feel that their own teachers are not engaging with them in their learning. A regular dialogue needs to exist. This could be as simple as ensuring work is acknowledged and marked where relevant, and that a teacher is also available to support. Regular feedback makes doing the work worth it and will encourage students to engage further.

Finally we need to monitor engagement. At Denbigh we are introducing a whole school approach involving the taking of online registers as well as individual subject teachers monitoring engagement using a centralized system. This in turn can support a coordinated approach to promoting engagement by identifying disengaged students and supporting them to get into the learning routines they need to be successful. 

Some furthers considerations here come from the Education Development Trust via @ImpactWales

What should a typical remote learning experience look like?
At Denbigh students can typically expect the following:

1. Teacher instruction: A pre-recorded video summarising the desired learning outcome followed by the delivery of content. This could include other resources such as a GCSEPod or web based reading etc. (5-20 minutes)
2. A task to elicit evidence of learning: This could be a Google assignment or quiz, or another online activity set through an approved VLE. During this time the teacher is 'live' on the Google Classroom to respond to questions. (10-30 minutes)
3. Feedback. Students should have work acknowledged and marked accordingly. Feedback can be given individually or as a class. At Denbigh we are also able to give verbal feedback through Google Classroom using mote. 

To demonstrate this further have a look at my example of remote learning from year 9 Psychology where hopefully you may see some of these principles in action.

Conclusion

Although subjects may approach remote learning differently and not all remote learning will look exactly like this, we should all stick to the basic principles of teaching and learning. We must also see this current situation as a great opportunity as, if we get this right, when our students return they will be self sufficient, resilient, independent learners, who will prosper in the classroom. Let's get it right.

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

Further Reading:

• What's working well in remote education - Department of Education
• Remote Learning: Live or offline, cover the basic elements - Tom Sherrington
• Best practice in pedagogy for remote teaching - Ed Tech Hub

Live Lessons - What are they and how do I run one at Denbigh? - Ian Stonnell

At any point in these winter months we may be told to self-isolate. A positive test in our household, a notification from the NHS Covid-19 app or a call from test and trace could result in the instruction to self-isolate. If this happens to us, and we are otherwise healthy, the expectation for teachers is to continue to work from home and also deliver live lessons.

What is a live lesson?

A live lesson is delivered online by a teacher who is self-isolating to students who are in school. For a lesson period the teacher should be available to deliver parts of the lesson through Google Meet or a pre-recorded video and be available to communicate with a cover supervisor and students through Google Classroom. 

Setting up a live lesson

The day before you teach a live lesson you should be informed by the cover supervisors who will be taking your lesson (if this does not happen you should set cover as normal - see FAQ). Once you know who is going to cover your lesson it is your responsibility to invite them to a Google Meet. 

To do this you need to create a calendar event. Go to your Google Calendar, click create, then set the time and date of the meeting, invite the relevant cover supervisor and then make sure you click 'Add Google Meet video conferencing'. Save this and then you meeting is arranged.

You should also ensure that you invite the cover supervisor into the relevant Google Classroom were you can set the instructions for cover as well as any work that you want your class to complete. Please note you should still send in a cover lesson template to provide a back up.

What should a live lesson look like?

A live lesson does not require the self-isolating teacher to be visible for the entire lesson. Below is a simple infographic on what a good live lesson can look like:

The first part of the lesson does require the self-isolating teacher to be visible. At this point the lesson objectives should be shared and direct instruction can take place. This could be reviewing previous learning followed by delivering new knowledge or modelling a skill. Please note that this can be done live or through a pre-recorded video. 

Once direct instruction has taken place students can then engage in an activity. Ideally this would be set up as an assignment in Google Classroom, however it could be a task set that students can complete in exercise books or using another online resource. During the activity the cover supervisor will monitor the behavior for learning and the self-isolating teacher need not be visible.

If the task has been set on Google Classroom, the teacher can monitor the activity and if desired can provide live feedback and respond to student questions or enquiries from the cover supervisor.

Once the task is completed the teacher can then provide feedback. This feedback could be based on work completed in the Google Classroom or through a pre-prepared exemplar. Either way, the feedback should summarize the desired learning outcome.

Depending on the length of the task set you may want to set up a follow up activity following a similar method.

Summary

Evidently there will be a great deal of variation between live lessons delivered in different subject areas, the key thing is to make it simple and achievable for both you as a teacher, the cover supervisor and the students. Following this guidance will help you deliver a successful live lesson if ever you are required to self-isolate. Below are some FAQs that may also support in your delivery of live lessons. If there are further questions please do not hesitate to email me. 

FAQs

Why do I need to be seen in a live lesson? Can't I just set an Oak academy lesson? 

Evidence suggest that students engage with their class teacher far more effectively than with people they are unfamiliar with. A live lesson with you at the helm will support students make progress and as such would be the ideal way to deliver lessons whilst self-isolating.

Can I speak to students?

No. When you deliver a live lesson you will not be able to see or hear students. Behavior for learning will be in the hands of the cover supervisor. You can communicate with students through the Google Classroom and also instruct the cover supervisor to ask questions on your behalf through e-mail or the Google Classroom.

What if I have childcare issues whilst self isolating which prevent me from delivering a live session?

If you are unable to deliver a session live you can pre-record any direct instruction in advance using software such as Screencastify or Loom and share this with the cover supervisor. You should still be contactable by the cover supervisor through Google Classroom or e-mail.

What if I become ill when I am self-isolating?

If you become ill whilst self-isolating you should inform cover of your illness and set cover as normal. You are not expected to deliver a live lesson. 

What if I am self-isolating but have not been informed by cover who is covering my lesson?

This may happen for a variety of reasons that are beyond the control of the cover supervisor. In this case set cover as normal. As an ideal you can still share recordings of direct instruction and set and monitor work through Google Classroom. You should still be available during that lesson hour in case any communication comes your way from a cover supervisor. 

What about Chromebooks?

Ideally you would want to use Google Classroom to deliver a live lesson - In year 8, 9, 10 and soon to be 7, the majority of students have chromebooks. If you require additional chromebooks they should be booked in the normal way and the cover supervisor should be informed of this when you submit a cover template. In year 11 where students may not have chromebooks the work you set through the Google Classroom may have to reflect that limitation. 

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

VLOG#3 - Using Rubrics to improve marking and feedback - Ian Stonnell

Let's be honest, marking has always been a drag for teachers. Going through books, deciphering the handwriting, giving meaningful comments... it could all take an age. The impact of this incredible effort has also always been a debatable one. I know, from personal experience as an RE teacher, that once I've completed a piece of marking the impact it has on many students is negligible, especially considering the amount of time between them doing the work and then me getting it back to them.

Is there a better way? 

Well yes. Marking using Google Classroom.

In GCSE RE we have put a great deal of effort into the use of  assignments on Google Classroom - we have used them both in the classroom and remotely. Now, with the introduction of the rubric tool, a revolution is taking place. It is now possible to mark work and give feedback so quickly and efficiently that our marking has becoming a powerful tool with meaningful impact. Have a watch of this video to see how we have designed and used a rubric to improve our marking and feedback.

What do you think of that? Is it something that could work in your context? Consider that using this system means marking can be done anywhere, anytime without the need to go near (or carry) a pile of exercise books, and that the feedback is quick, legible and easy to act upon. There's got to be a way you can use it!

Below is another video with a brief guide on how to make a rubric.

Obviously traditional marking will have it's place (for now). We still want students to complete written work and we will still need to mark this work - and in some subjects requirements are different. Nevertheless, the direction of travel, particularly in light of Covid-19, is that digital learning is the future, and that includes digital examinations. Get ahead of the game and start to experiment with rubrics.

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD