IntroductionIt was clear in the early autumn term that most pupils in my current class were lacking in confidence in English. Further, they had a limited understanding of the standards required at GCSE to achieve their MTGs of C-A. They offered very little orally and wrote unstructured, often inaccurate and usually undeveloped responses. The class dynamic was influenced by certain key individuals whose expectations and standards were low. Without wishing to lower standards or expectations but recognising some pupils neither liked English nor thought they could do it well, I set about trying different strategies to motivate and engage. Given the changes planned for GCSE English from 2015, I also wanted to explore how pupils will respond to the bar being raised. How do you motivate apathetic pupils whilst maintaining very exacting standards?

Different methodsImproved direct instructionI adjusted how I gave instructions to this class. I no longer made assumptions that they knew the basics and broke all instructions down with an emphasis on key words, repeating instructions, pupils summarising instructions, peers giving instructions, etc. Feedback and Growth MindsetI increased the quantity and quality of feedback both oral and written with greater response time, repeating tasks, returning to basics and restricting praise to effort not attainment.Metacognition and Challenge of GoalsWhen giving instruction, I asked pupils to explain the short and long term purpose of goals of the task, helping them to understand how each strand of learning connected and attempting to achieve better progression. MotivationI tried more writing on tables (essay planning, note taking), using i-pads to take pictures as creative response to poems, more kinaesthetic approaches (paper chains, paper model essays), music in lessons, more media and images

[English] TEP 2015

Conclusion and implications for the school/dept.Most pupils have made definite progress but not as much as is required for all to achieve or exceed minimum targets. Rather than trying to keep very high expectations, I have had to adjust my approach with the class and now expect less of them than I did at the start of the TEP. In order to motivate them or to rebuild their confidence, I have had to reconsider the level of challenge, the exemplar work shared with them and considerably slow down the pace of learning. Breaking things down into chunks and making all learning very visible has felt forced and patronising, with negative impacts noticed in some pupils. Much more focused exam preparation including constantly returning to the same skills, such as language analysis and summary, has, counter-intuitively, not led to better exam results. The class still lacks motivation and are too passive.

As the department plans for the new GCSE, some challenges still face us:• the tension between preparing for exams and

the enjoyment of the subject;• meeting the raised expectations of the new

GCSE, especially in terms of SPAG accuracy;• adequately preparing pupils at KS3 for the

quantity and quality of work at GCSE level, especially in extended writing;

• addressing passivity, lack of engagement and the ‘good-enough mentality of some

Outcomes (so far)• The class has not yet risen fully to the challenges set. I

have kept the level of challenge sufficiently high and my expectations have not dropped, but this has been met by resistance from pupils and parents.

• Sharing models of A* and A writing has not had the desired effect of encouraging pupils to push themselves. Rather, they have expressed concern that the work is beyond them and they are not capable of achieving at the very highest level.

• Motivating pupils by attempting more accessible, fun , creative approaches has not led to improved outcomes either. The quality of the outcome has been no better than more traditional approaches. Pupils have engaged slightly more in the tasks but not challenged themselves.

• More direct instruction and slowing down the pace has led to mixed outcomes. Some pupils feel patronised, others feel they are achieving even less. One of the main issues has been that certain individuals choose not to listen and as a result instruction, no matter how given, is not followed.

• Conscientious pupils have continued to be conscientious no matter what approach I have tried. Their confidence has not improved, however. They still conceive English ‘to be hard’ and that they are ‘no good at it.’

• Mock exam results were disappointing.

My next stepsOf course I will persevere with this class. I need to find new ways to make some of them care enough to put in much more effort or to help those currently working hard to channel their efforts in better ways and to believe they can succeed. My next challenge is greater personalisation and to find the one thing in each of them which might make the difference. I have begun to spend more time one to one with individuals but still want to see how to get them collectively to achieve (quality first teaching) without the need for intervention outside of the classroom.

Raising expectations and challenge for all: searching for motivation

ResearchI wanted to use different strategies based on proven impact: low cost (time and money), high impact. Much of my reading was based on Hattie’s Visible Learning but I was also mindful of approaching any strategies with a note of caution (see David Didau (What every teacher needs to know about the Effect Size, Teach secondary issue 4.2). Based on Hattie’s Effect Size (ES), I focused on Improved direct instruction (ES 0.82), feedback (ES 1.13), challenge of goals (0.52), and questioning (Es0.41) but also wanted to use audio-viusal aids though these alone may have limited effect (ES 0.16). In addition, developing metacognition (EEF +8months) was part of my planning. Alex Quigley (Above and Beyond, Teach secondary 4.2) also informed some thinking on planning, monitoring and evaluating – slow down, break down. Common sense but worth applying for this class especially.