Task: You have a group of students who need to learn to

ride a bike.Plan a 15 minute lesson which

provides challenge.

Students• 1 student fell off previously and does not

want to ride again• 5 can ride a few metres• 5 students have never sat on a bicycle

before

Session Objectives

• To develop new strategies to challenge all students within your lessons.

What is stretch and challenge?‘Stretch and challenge’ is perhaps first best defined by what it is not. The idea here is not to focus solely on G and T students by simply adding an extension task to your lesson. What ‘stretch and challenge’ aims to do is provide a level of challenge for all students/groups of students in a lesson so that the work they are presented with pushes them yet is still accessible – a perfect storm of good learning attitudes/skills and challenging work, leading to even better learning attitudes and more highly developed skills. If the level of challenge is too low for students then this is likely to lead to boredom and apathy. If you pitch the level of challenge too high then this can lead to student anxiety. A simple example might suffice to illustrate.

What is stretch and challenge?

1. Tasks are appropriately challenging2. Teacher input is minimised3. Classes have the necessary learning skills /

attitudes / habits4. Clear and worthwhile goals5. Feedback is immediate (not always reliant on

teacher feedback – high-calibre PA/SA)6. Passion and variety

Large LearningLarge Learning-What is it?Large learning is any activity in which we specifically require our students to make their thinking transparent as they work. Put learners into small groups, give them flip chart paper and ask them to organise and record their thinking processes on these during the activity. This technique enables learners to compare how their own thinking differs from the thinking of others, and to examine why that might be. The divergence in thinking might well prompt learners to consider other points of view. It also gives the teacher immediate feedback about how the class is really progressing and which learning gaps still remain.

Large Learning• I wanted a set 2 Year 10 class to be able to approach an exam

question independently and in a more resilient way. • We had not looked at any essay planning or essay questions

before. • In pairs, students wrote an essay question in the middle of a

large sheet of sugar paper. They had to read the question and write down any ideas or any questions or problems they had about this question (therefore making their thinking skills transparent). This included questions such as: How do I write an introduction? How many points of comparison should I include? How should I write about….

• I collated the questions but did not tell them anything. • Then, they had to talk through these questions and work out

how they might answer them.

Creating dilemmas (Using PMI tables)Creating dilemmas –What is it?This task challenges learners to think more deeply about a specific issue. Ask students to come up with three to five plus and minus points and two or three interesting points around a particular issue. This framework will force learners to think more deeply about the issue. You could also ask groups to consider only one aspect of the issue (P, M or I) and then bring them together to debate the pros and cons. At the end of these activities, you can get the learners to record their points on a PMI template which will provide them with a summary that can be used to write an essay.

‘Something Old, Something New’Considering how he feels and what’s happened to him, should

he just leave?Plus Minus Interesting Points

‘Something Old, Something New’Considering how he feels and what’s happened to him, should

he just leave?Plus Minus Interesting Points

Doesn’t have to suffer the changes and stresses of staying (we know from his past he doesn’t cope well with this.)

He loves her-he should marry her if he wants to.

Will they ever truly be happy if they are so different?

Being in her country he realises he doesn’t really know her as well as he thought so he’s better off ending things now.

She’s trying to help him fit in and doing her best to. He has a duty to stay and marry her.

Does she do enough to help him try to feel like less of an outsider?

Their cultures are too different to make this work.

He is learning new things about her-this shows how interesting she is as a character and how interesting their lives could be together.

Will her family be too much of a strong presence in the marriage, therefore ruining it?

He’s been hurt in the past and he should avoid this again.

He has given up on things in the past-he shouldn’t do this again.

Do they really love each other or do they love that they are different?

Therefore we are have decided to experiment with a challenge card system to enable students to be in control of their own individual learning .

Their purpose is to encourage progression through explanation of key points, which students can use in their own time or when they have completed a task during a lesson

The cards are intended to empower the individual with choosing their own routes according to their own level and requirements.

In languages there is a new focus on grammar in the new 9-1 GCSE mark scheme and so in response to this need we have tried to think of ways to support and teach our students earlier down the years to be more grammatically confident.

We are trying to show links to the new 9-1 GCSE criteria to explain their importance and highlight how they can benefit the students in the long term.

Hier il pleuvait j’ai bu de la limonade au café à Kent. Demain s’il fera chaud je vais écouter de la

musique…Demain je vais faire mes devoirs, je déteste ça mais après je vais manger des frites. Je l’adore

7–8 ● Some variation of grammatical structures, occasional complex structure● Produces frequently extended sentences, well linked together● Generally accurate language and structures, including successful references topast, present and future events; occasionally errors occur that hinder clarity ofcommunication

In GCSE a piece of work, which is 80-90 words, will score 20 marks.12 for content8 for accuracy and linguistic knowledge

This example shows evidence of

Challenge cards 4-11

J’ai joué au foot mais je déteste le foot car je crois que c’est affreux et ennuyeux.

J’ai un chien…….. Je pense qu’elle est mignonne

10–12 ● Communicates information relevant to the task with expansion of key points andideas● Effective adaptation of language to narrate, inform, interest and give convincing personal opinions● Frequent examples of creative language use to express individual thoughts andideas; a variety of vocabulary and expression, some examples of uncommonlanguage● Appropriate use of register and style throughout with minimal inconsistency

Challenge card 1

Set class task completed? What can I do now?

Can I learn some different opinions?

GO TO Challenge card 1Using more opinions• read and complete the tasks in your book.

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I learn step 4 with the past tense?

Can I learn how to use reflexive verbs in the past?

Can I learn how to use different subjects with the past tense?

Can I learn some adverbs?

Can I learn some different linking words?

Can I learn the start of the past tense.

Can I learn some step 3 with the past tense?

Can I learn the next step in the past tense ?

GO TO Challenge card 8Using ‘he’,’she’, ‘we’ ‘they’ in the past • read and complete the tasks in your

book.

GO TO Challenge card 9Using reflexive verbs: se laver = to wash oneself, in the past• read and complete the tasks in

your book.

GO TO Challenge card 2Recognising and using adverbs• read and complete the tasks in your

book.

GO TO Challenge card 3Recognising and using different linking words• read and complete the tasks in your

book.

GO TO Challenge card 4Avoir and the past• read and complete the tasks in

your book.GO TO Challenge card 7Using irregular verbs in the past • read and complete the tasks in

your book.

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work? Can I add an

example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

GO TO Challenge card 5etre and the past• read and complete the tasks in

your book.

GO TO Challenge card 6Putting Er,ir,re verbs into the past• read and complete the tasks in

your book.

Set class task completed? What can I do now?

Can I use the past tense?

GO TO Challenge card 10Using all elements in a paragraph• read and complete the tasks in your book.

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I learn how to say ‘would’ (conditional tense)?

Can I learn some idioms?

Can I learn how to use different subjects with the conditional tense?

Can I learn the perfect infinitive and the present participle?

Can I learn the imperfect tense ?

Can I learn the future tense.

Can I learn how to use irregular verbs in the future?

Can I learn how to use different subjects in the future ?

GO TO Challenge card 17Using ‘he would’,’she would’, ‘we would’ ‘they would’ • read and complete the tasks in your

book.

GO TO Challenge card 18Using expressions/sayings e.g. it’s raining cats and dogs• read and complete the tasks in

your book.

GO TO Challenge card 11How to say: ‘after having (done)’ and ‘having (done)• read and complete the tasks in your

book.

GO TO Challenge card 12How to say ‘I used to’ ‘I was …ing’• read and complete the tasks in your

book.

GO TO Challenge card 13How to say ‘I will’• read and complete the tasks in

your book.GO TO Challenge card 16e.g. I would eat/ I would go/ I would work • read and complete the tasks in your

book.

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work? Can I add an

example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

Can I add an example to my work?

GO TO Challenge card 14Using ‘he will, she will, we will, they will• read and complete the tasks in your

book.

GO TO Challenge card 15Putting aller and other irregular verbs in the future eg I will go• read and complete the tasks in your book.

Challenge Card Number 1

Upgraded opinions:The following opinions can be used to give your opinion in a more sophisticated way:

Je pense que = Je considère que = Je crois que = J’estime que = A mon avis = Selon moi =

1. Where can you find these expressions in the class room?2. What do they mean?

Challenge Card Number 1b

Upgraded opinions:The following opinions can be used to give your opinion in a more sophisticated way:

Je pense que = I think thatJe considère que = I consider/ feel thatJe crois que = I believe thatJ’estime que = I reckon thatA mon avis = in my opinionSelon moi = according to me

1. Where can you find these expressions in the class room? On the table mats/ in the clear plastic wall mounted holdersExample:

J’habite dans une maison jumelle. C’est une grande maison . J’aime ma maison parce que c’est moderne.

I live in a semi -detached house. It is big, I like my house because it modern. This could be made to sound more sophisticated by using upgraded opinions:

J’habite dans une maison jumelle, j’estime que c’est une grande maison, j’aime ma maison parce que à mon avis c’est moderne.

Activity: Can you make the following sentence more sophisticated?

J’ai un frère et une soeur, ma soeur est sympa mais je n’aime pas mon frère parce qu’il est agaçant

Challenge QuestionJake: How does the poet use form to convey her ideas? How does the use of form affect our interpretations initially?

Sophie: Consider the opening of the individual stanzas. What impact do they have on the rest of the stanza?

Riodhna: Examine the poet’s use of rhythm. How does this compare to his other poems?

I used the questions above to challenge specific students based on their targets from a recently assessed piece of work. It was clear from my marking that these students had grasped the key ideas of the poems we were looking at and now needed to consider layers of meaning. I have also started to use post-it note questions during a lesson as I circulate to encourage more challenging response, pick up on misconceptions etc.

Stretch and Challenge Strategies

In groups of 4, you will circulate around the room reading and discussing a range of different strategies. Consider the following questions as part of your discussion:1. How do I support students when they are struggling with

challenging tasks?2. How do I ensure that challenge becomes the status quo in my

lessons?3. How do I account for the fact that students need to be

challenged at an individual level?4. How do I motivate my students to accept tough challenges?5. Which teaching strategies will allow challenge to come to life

in my classroom?

Stretch and Challenge Strategies

What strategies do you employ already?

How could you apply some of these strategies to your own lessons?

Teaching and Learning Pledge

One idea I will trial after this workshop will beI will measure the success of this strategy by / through

Task: You have a group of students who need to learn to ride a bike.

Plan a 15 minute lesson which provides challenge.

Students• 1 student fell off previously and does not

want to ride again• 5 can ride a few metres• 5 students have never sat on a bicycle

before

Is there another strategy you could use now in this lesson?