Research Taster

Good talk happens when you help make learning explicit and organise a clear sequence of tasks, each of which builds on and develops the previous activity.    Each activity can then deepen pupils’ understanding of the element that came before it.  In lessons that improve the quality of pupils’ talk, they:

·         discuss and refine their own ideas about quality

·         apply these principles to a piece of work

·         use their new understanding about judging quality to re-assess their own work.

Such exchanges between pupils, and between you and your pupils, can help to build a shared understanding of what constitutes a quality product or a good answer.

Your evidence 

You might like to choose three or four recent lesson plans and review the extent to which a) the sequence of tasks built on and developed the previous activity; and b) your pupils developed their understanding of quality criteria as a result of the activities.  You could then compare your planning with that of a colleague, examining the similarities and differences.

(Adapted from an activity on the Reflective Teaching website at: http://www.rtweb.info/ch09/ra9-3d.html)

Moving forward

Would you find it helpful to work with your colleague to plan sequences of activities for three or four lessons in different curriculum areas that are clearly designed to deepen your pupils’ level of understanding? Would it be helpful to observe each other using these plans in class and to give each other feedback about the kinds of exchanges that take place between your pupils and between each of you and your pupils?

  Find out more

You can find out more about making good talk happen from the TLRP Learning how to learn project website at: http://www.tlrp.org/proj/phase11/phase2f.html

You can find out more about putting AfLin to practice on the GTC’s Research of the Month website at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/policyandresearch/research/ROMtopics/afl/

You can find out more about how working collaboratively with colleagues can help you to change your practice on the GTC’s Research of the Month website at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/policyandresearch/research/ROMtopics/cpdrom/