Oakgrove Teaching School Consortium

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July 2016

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Oakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c t

By Alice Turner - Oakgrove School

Aim: To determine whether the Method of Loci can have a positive impact on retention of quotations as a part of closed book examination.

Procedure: The Method of Loci was explained as a memorisation technique before students were guided through the process in relation to the chapter of the text most recently studied.

Students first attained a secure comprehension of the chosen quotations ensuring meaning and vocabulary were fully understood within the context of the text.

Students then collaboratively identified a space/room within the school where they will ‘locate’ these quotations. (E.G. One corridor = 1 text with rooms forming logically ordered chapters.)

Within the room students were given a visualisation of the quotation and a ‘peg’ to ‘hang’ the visualisation on so the quotation was firmly situated on a permanent part of the room aiding successful recall.

Students were taken on a guided visualisation (always from left to right) engaging the senses fully in the images whilst linking them to the quotation. They then repeated the process independently mentally walking around the room and visualising the images.

Tests are used summatively at timed intervals to ascertain the efficacy of the method as well as quotations being learnt by rote to provide a control result.

Findings: The first set of results immediately after both the control method and method of Loci showed high scores that were comparable for both techniques. However over time the Method of Loci is resulting in slightly higher scores. Anecdotally some students are mentioning using their locations to retrieve or remember quotations within lessons. From written feedback this method appears to suit some students more than others.

Conclusion: Testing will need to continue in order to provide a bank of data to ascertain whether this method definitely provides clear benefits across the board, however, at this stage it appears to offer a viable alternative to those for whom more traditional memorisation techniques prove unsuccessful.

Criticisms: This method requires students to actively rehearse the guided visualisation independently which obviously cannot be controlled outside of the classroom. Those that do not rehearse the images outside of the classroom obviously will not benefit as much as those that do and may in turn skew results. In order to fully implement the technique and ensure all students actively rehearsed it would need quite a lot of classroom time.

Moving forward:

I will need to continue to record data as well as take anecdotal feedback in order to make tweaks or changes to the delivery of the method before offering the technique to other classes as a tool for memorisation.

Loci Method

of memory retention:

Oakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c tOakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c t

Aim: What impact does SNOT (Self, Neighbour, Other Teacher) and ISAS (Identify, State, Apply, Summarise) have on A-Level student’s ability to work independently and build their character.

Procedure: Use of SNOT/ISAS posters within W4.

Class 12B Law were encouraged to embrace the idea of independent thinking - when students ask questions, they were directed to SNOT to try this approach.

I used the ISAs technique for application questions to support exam technique.

Findings: SNOT - Students are more willing to try to find an answer themselves initially and also ask fewer questions in class as students embrace their own abilities and knowledge.

ISAS - PPE papers - those who have used a clear structure in exam scenarios appear to have scored well . Where structure is limited (I need to further embed this skill) grades are lower.

Conclusion: Students have embraced the jump from GCSE to A-Level and the need for resilience and independent thinking.

Those who are independently working on revision outside of lessons have scored high grades on PPE’s.

Criticisms: I need to give further focus on ISAS and the importance of structure in exams. In retrospect, I need to be even more overt in teaching students this technique.

Moving forward:

I will create an ISAS lesson focus for each unit section with a class based understanding on how ISAS works for them.

I will also breakdown ISAS for the Criminal Law and for negligence units.

By Vanessa Charman - Hazeley School

Independent A level learners:

Oakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c t

Aim: To explore the impact of peer and self-assessment on the quality of writing with Yr 7 English students.

Procedure: Students wrote their first paragraph, focusing on our success criteria: imaginative use of vocabulary (figurative language) and varied sentence structures. They self assessed their own work, identifying where they felt they had met the success criteria. Next, they took part in a peer-assessment activity where we first tried a Socratic circle method to share and comment on each others’ work, then moved on to try a speed dating set-up.

Findings: The Socratic circle wasn’t successful! Due to the nature of the task being to comment on writing, the students couldn’t actually see the work to be able to make valid comments. The speed-dating was effective in that students were able to take a close look at each others’ ideas, but the comments they gave relied on their own understanding of what success looks like, which I don’t think was secure with all of them at this stage. Where their understanding of the success criteria was good, the self and peer-assessment had a significant impact on the quality of their writing; it was more highly developed and used a more sophisticated range of vocabulary as a result of the process.Where there was little impact, it was because the earlier lessons didn’t prepare the weaker ones well enough to tackle and engage in the success criteria in a ‘real’ sense.

Conclusion: When used to support thorough teaching/understanding of success criteria, peer and self-assessment is invaluable. However, I feel I rushed the earlier lessons, so not all students were secure with what excellent looks like, so the value in taking part in self/peer-assessment was undermined for these students.

Criticisms: The group I chose did not respond well to the added use of camera technology for teacher reflection, so I will need to select a different group moving forwards. The foundation for peer/self-assessment wasn’t strong enough for all concerned, so this would also need addressing in future trials.

Moving forward:

Moving forwards, I will try this again, without using the cameras, so students are not aware of the ‘experiment’ involved and don’t act differently. I will also need to ensure that the success criteria are entirely ‘owned’ by all students, prior to delivering the intervention of the peer/self-assessment.

I would also like to explore the role of ‘cooperative learning’ in improving students’ reading abilities.

Peer Assemssment: to further progress in writing skills

By Charlotte Hawker-Smith - Oakgrove School

Oakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c t

By Emma Johnston - Oakgrove School

Aim: To introduce Accidental Learning opportunities into year 9 lessons to see if it improves student’s engagement and relationship with Drama.

Procedure: Following the Hywell Roberts model for accidental opportunity in lessons.

Unit: Family Portrait, looking at families and how they are compared to how they seem on the inside. It’s already quite a student lead unit, so in hindsight might not have been the best one to start with.However - it has been challenging to amend lessons to ensure the lure is engaging and developed each lesson and to ensure that the student enquiry is genuinely student lead and not just a rehearsal time following on from teacher-led introductions etc. The whole lesson needs to be student led.

Findings: 9G4 - Taught the lesson as is planned on our central system for Drama. Naturally an explorative lesson but the student outcomes didn’t actually determine the next half of the lesson. Technical issues with IRIS meant there was a slow start to the lesson - meant they were initially disengaged with the content and more interested in IRIS. Once we started with the actual lesson - the hot-seating didn’t generate very much information. There was a lack of engagement from some groups who didn’t have the picture to help them create a character. The statements that were created were generic and based on the examples that I gave them; one or two words were changed or the examples were put into their own words rather than their very own findings.9F4 - Taught a lesson with accidental opportunities - same strategies/similar tasks to the original lesson but the next steps weren’t pre-prescribed. They were taken from the work they had created. Brought out a confidence from students I wasn’t expecting. They liked their ideas being used to further the lesson. For some though - who are usually confident, they didn’t like the idea of getting it wrong - or relying on a guess. It must have sparked an unexpected interest for some as they started asking about GCSE drama on the way out - considering changing their options in light of that lesson. If we did that earlier in the year would our GCSE intake improve?

Conclusion: For lively students that don’t mind making mistakes - it is fantastic. However for students that feel more comfortable with direction and clear requirements, it actually lead to behavioural issues. Tasks were too broad and meant they gave up before they had even started; could lead to disengagement with drama for different reasons. Bigger picture - need to start providing students with open plans/purpose for the lesson - so they have some direction for progress. I’ve now put a bigger picture display in my classroom where mini whiteboards have been stuck on the wall and an open objective will be placed there for students to refer to. E.g. - To explore family arguments from different perspectives using role-play and cross cutting - then at the end of the lesson students reflect on what they learnt whilst doing that. Hopefully there will be some learning accidents on the way to exploring the bigger picture of the lesson.

Criticisms: Planning - Creating accidental opportunities feels quite alien - planning a lesson with big what if gaps and no idea where it might lead. It will take some time to work out how best to ‘plan’ said lessons. Finding lures - A lot of pressure to find a brand new lure for every single lesson, started trying to force lures to work. Could it be that the introductory lesson has the key lure and that is what draws students into the unit; we could keep coming back to the lure and exploring a different part of it with each lesson. Could then introduce smaller stimuli to support the topic’s lure? My own confidence to go off plan - a genuine accident can only occur naturally—I think there were a couple of times watching the footage back, where I could have gone further off plan and created on the spot accidents. I didn’t do that because I wanted to get to the part of the lesson where I had planned for the accident to happen.

Moving forward:

To start to explore the effects of accidents in Y7 lessons. Higher year groups are so used to very structured lessons and are naturally nervous to take risks in fear of getting it wrong. Look to see which units are extremely structured and which could benefit from some more open exercises/tasks? If we could eliminate the fear of going wrong/looking silly then maybe engagement and accidents would follow on as they move up the school? Also - taking me off plan! In ear coaching perhaps? Could other teachers ask me to explore something they have seen that I haven’t?

Accidental learning:

Oakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c t

for teacher reflectionUsing IRIS:

Aim: To promote achievement of SEN children in KS2.

Procedure: We have 5 teachers currently on board to use IRIS teacher reflection technology mainly in Maths and English. We want to see if there are learning strategies we could change/implement in order to help these children. How do they learn best? What are effective questions for them? What scaffolding do they need? Do environmental factors affect their learning?

Findings: Staff started by videoing trial lessons and introducing the children to IRIS. Once the novelty had worn off the children relaxed and forgot about the cameras.

As a staff we still need to discuss our findings and ways forwards together.

Moving forward:

Teachers to plan a series of 3 lessons all using IRIS.1. Getting children used to it2. Trial at camera positioning3. Record ‘lesson’ Sharing some ‘key moments’ with the group of children and using this to plan their next learning steps.

By Lyndsey Loy - Monkston Primary School

Conclusion: Identifying areas we can use it for in school • Appraisals• Observations• Self evaluation• Sharing best practice• NQT/ITT training

Criticisms: Some children take longer than others to relax into the sessions.

The cameras can be temperamental and not always work effectively.

Oakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c t

Homework investigation:

Aim: To investigate the impact of auditory background noise on the behaviour, focus and progress of students in the classroom.

Procedure: In order to investigate the area, I chose four distinct musical styles to play during classwork periods (classical, pop, rock, Irish folk music). The music was played at audible but not too high a level (partly to not annoy my colleagues next door!) so that the students could combine focus and listening rather than overtly being distracting. The same music was played over a two hour period and was contrasted with another set of the same level directly afterwards, without the music, which acted as my control group.

Findings: Other than my own observations and the evidence from IRIS, I took feedback from the students on their opinions of the impact of the music on their learning. From this (although at this point the Irish folk music has yet to be tested) my initial findings have shown the classical music had the biggest impact on levels of focus and task commitment.

Conclusion: It is early days still to reach concrete conclusions. The indicator so far shows that classical music would be the best however, context would be important in terms of the learning objectives, style and content of the lesson in terms of which would be best for a wider audience.

Criticisms: If I were to start again, rather than playing the music only during work periods, I would have continued to play it during the whole lesson, also using it through oral feedback/questioning sessions as well. Increasing the exposure to the music for longer periods may have changed some of the viewpoints received.

By Iain Findley - Oakgrove School

Aim: Building character across the school.

Procedure: Research a range of approaches to instil character, building student leadership approaches.

Research and hone nature of the project considering learning and pastoral approaches to teaching.

Findings: Listening skills have provided a keen focus. Often students fail to hear or are passive. Teach social strategies for successful learning conversations e.g. listen and ask questions based on what you have heard.

Conclusion: Building listening, co-operation, resilience from Year 7 is crucial for embedding strategies as normal practice through the school. Identify different aspects of character that needs working on.

Criticisms: More research to look at psychology of social interactions. Look at case studies in other schools where independent learning has been the focus.

Moving forward:

Attend character conference run by Guy Claxton on 21st March.

Use workshops to feedback to staff in school and aid character projects.

Building character:

By Lesley McKenzie - Hazeley School

Oakgrove Teaching

School Consortium

E x c e l l e n c e , I n n o v a t i o n , R e s p e c t

Aim: To explore the impact of philanthropy on building character

PlannedProcedure:

• Gage attitudes with ‘The Hazeley £1 Challenge’

• Generate pilot group of current Year 7’s and current Year 13’s (based on disaffected/under confident students)

• September 2016 - Begin HCS (Charity Club)

• Questionnaires (self-perception) - What is character?

Emerging Projectsfrom Hazeley School:

Aim: To investigate whether taking part in group cohesion activities will have an impact on the respect that peers have towards each other. To see whether there is a correlation between Year groups.

PlannedProcedure:

4 Observation groups: Year 8/9/10/6th form.

• Students complete a preliminary questionnaire reflecting on respect (the level of respect they have/feel that they get from others

• Students complete a series of 5 group cohesion sessions where they develop team working skills away from their initial peer groups

• Students complete the same questionnaire as at the start • Comparasions are made between the first and latter and verbal questions are asked to target specific students who rate low at the start of the sessions

By Claire Griffiths - Hazeley School