| How do teachers’ assumptions about pupils affect their learning? |
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Research taster
Assumptions about what pupils can achieve inevitably affect learning outcomes.  Taking time to identify and recognise any assumptions that you make about your pupils, can help you to discover how you can lift barriers to pupil learning.
Your evidence
You might like to explore the assumptions that you hold about the children you teach by: • choosing a number of pupils from your class (2-3); • asking a colleague to sit in on the role of the teacher and you as a pupil; • asking questions about your culture, your values, interests, likes, dislikes and friendships, you may find you understand more than you thought you did. You can then reverse roles to give your colleague the same opportunity. Moving forward This activity should give you a better idea about the assumptions that you hold and gaps in your knowledge about these particular pupils. You could build on this in depth exploration to identify the assumptions that you have about all the pupils in your class. You could give them a questionnaire asking them about their ideas and attitudes towards learning. You might even ask them to help in designing the questionnaire so that pupils see that their input has value. This could be an interesting way of challenging and reflecting on your assumptions.  Find out more You can find out more about the inclusive school practices project at: http://www.tlrp.org/proj/phase1/phase1asept.html Find out more about teacher’s perspectives at: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/research/themes/leadership/ThuJul291445142004/ Find out more about children’s perspectives at: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/research/themes/pupil_voice/1138789/ |
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