Banishing quiet classrooms:pupils talking teachers listeningteachers talking across phases

Tim Nelson and Julie Roberts

Gateshead LA

What the workshop intends to do …• Show how to develop pupil voice so

that as learners pass through the system, their voice is not lost.

• They do not become passive. • Discuss developing dialogue to give

them the skills they need to be involved in learning.

The cross-phase action research project

• Used AfL as the focus but then narrowed this down to investigate the use of dialogue within the

classroomand its impact on pupil learning

• To look at developing a commonality of approaches

The cross-phase action research project

• National Strategy funded pilot• Started in January 2007• Involves one secondary and five of

its primary feeder schools• Set up 2 networks : Head teachers

» Teachers• Each network met at least twice a

term.• Builds on work already going on in the LA

Project outcomes: Pupils talking teachers listening

• Pupils’ improvement in the quality of discussion, extended answers and pupils ability to build on

each others answers• Improvement in the quality of written work• More pupils participating (particularly

secondary)• Pupils talk in depth with confidence in the

primary school• Pupils in Year 7 need support to talk in the

same depth with a new set of people

I hope we will discuss our learning when we move to our next school. It would

be sad if we didn’t because we share ideas and that helps us to see

where we need to improve so we just get better and

better.

Project outcomes:Teachers talking cross phase

• Teachers in triads benefited from working closely to share ideas and information

• They observed how different strategies opened up dialogue in the classroom

• The project had provided a focussed opportunity to develop links with primary colleagues

• Good relationships are being established• Teacher observations had raised

expectations about what pupils were capable of achieving.

Students’ movement from one school to the next, and the impact on their learning, has been a concern for many years.

Ruth Sutton

‘Cross phase collaboration between teachers and

partnerships between schools are difficult concepts to put into action. Primary and

secondary education phases are separate rather than a continuum,

with a different initial training, teaching methods

and support network.’

(Martin,2007)

Drive

Colgate

Roman

Road

Lingey

House

White

Mere

Heworth

PurposeTo contribute to raising attainment in English, Mathematics, Science, ICT and DT by strengthening:

•Transfer and transition between and within schools and settings particularly focussing on the continuity of learning•Use of assessment data to set learning targets for all pupils•Pupil ownership and involvement of their own learning•Parental involvement at points of transition and transfer

Developing a commonality of approaches using AfL

SC Feedback Peer and Self Assessment

Dialogue

The cross-phase action research project

• Who are involved? Primary: 3 year 5, 1 year 2

1 year 6 Secondary: English, Maths, Science, ICT & DT

• How did it work? Teachers were sub divided into cross phase

triads. Each half term organised lesson observations of all in their triad.

1st Feb

Teachers TLC

13th March

Teachers TLC

April /May

Teachers TLC

June/July

Teachers TLC

Visit each others class

within triangle

Visit each others class

within triangle

Visit each others class

within triangle

Individually identify on where your class is and

where you want them to go next

Develop strategies to move the children on

Integrate strategies seen from elsewhere and continue to develop children’s skills

Compile range of evidence to show how children have developed

20th March

Headteachers TLC

April/May

Headteachers TLC

June/July

Headteachers TLC

Consultant visit before 6th March

Consultant visit Consultant visit

Principles

• Networking• Collaboration• Enquiry• External input• Leadership• Integration and management

mechanisms• Focus and purpose

Common and differences Triad 1

• *Routines linking peer and self-assessment back to success criteria;

• *talking partners, • *‘no hands’, • *looking at learning

objectives and creating success criteria.

Triad 2• wait time’ • focussed questioning• the inclusion of all

childrenTriad 3• open questioning.

Triad 1• *levels • *self-esteem issues • Triad 2• Feedback Triad 3 the use of lolly sticks • to encourage  talking partners in groups  teacher and pupil talk pupils giving detailed

explanations  opportunities for reflection  the use of success criteria self assessment and

explanations• good independent dialogue

used by pupils without the teacher

Reviewing the range of strategies used

• Insert 32 strategies here.

Commonality of principles applied

•Vocabulary•Developing some common

learning routines such as talking partners

•Developing extended answers and quality dialogue

Talking Partners

Randometer

Wait timeAsk a friend -

millionaire

Pounce, bounce, bounce

No hands up

Outcomes: Pupil voice and personalised learning

1. Developed talk in learning through on going conversation at different levels

• Learner with learner• Teacher to learner• Learner to teacher• Teacher with teacher

Outcomes: Pupil voice and personalised learning2. Focused upon anomalies in learning practice

and disjointed structure of pupils’ learning journey;

3. Talk between pupils and their teachers helped to personalise learning;

4. Talk between teachers helped to develop commonality of AfL principles and vocabulary;

5. Learners became more confident;6. Improved the quality of work and learning;7. Aroused interest and engaged pupils far more

in their learning and for longer.

Headteacher outcomes• Primary school headteachers’ felt that the project

was going well and had raised the profile of AfL, although an emerging issue was the difficulty of embedding AfL across a school.

• One school used a teacher involved in the project by encouraging other staff to observe the successful strategies in practice and to observe their impact on pupils.

• All agreed that the project was timely.• The focus on questioning and dialogue fitted in

with other key messages on developing speaking and listening.

• Project had highlighted for some schools the need to further develop dialogue.

What is still to come?

• Expanded to include 8 Primary feeder schools • Continue to focus on developing pupil dialogue

in the classrooms• Teacher observations will continue this term• Develop strategies for feedback, peer and self

assessment• Build the work into structures within schools/

departments• Lesser experienced/ ‘harder to move’ staff could

perhaps be invited into the project as a method of implementing more effective CPD

• Including a focus of the impact of the work on ‘vulnerable students’ in the transfer process.

• Exploring parental involvement

‘It now takes a bit more time to get something, whereas in the past it

had taken no time to get nothing.’

Gary Secondary