Mentor materials
Classroom talk
Select a development area
Consider the development areas for this topic (below). Then make a note of the area you plan to zoom in on and when you plan to visit so you can observe your teacher in this area. Familiarise yourself with the focused development areas. You will select one later when you observe your teacher.
Development area 1: Positive habits for classroom talk
Focused development area
- Teacher establishes and communicates clear expectations for how pupils are to behave during classroom discussions.
- Teacher explains and models the habits of an effective whole-class discussion.
- Teacher supports all pupils to maintain effective habits of whole-class discussion.
Example precise target: Teacher explains and models the habits of an effective whole-class discussion
- Not doing it at all: Plan and deliver an explanation for pupils that states what they should do during a whole-class discussion e.g. watch the person speaking, listen and think about what their response will be.
- Doing it but needs some improvement: Plan and deliver a model to pupils that shows them what they should be doing during a whole-class discussion e.g. modelling the level of attentiveness to the person speaking and thinking aloud the thought process pupils might have in deciding if they want to agree, challenge or build on another pupil’s response.
- Doing it well and needs some stretch: Plan and deliver an explanation of a memorable framework for whole-class discussions that captures the habits of effective whole-class discussion and model how it should be used.
Development area 2: Pair talk
Focused development area
- Teacher ensures pupils are equipped with the knowledge and support to engage in meaningful pair talk that moves them towards a particular learning goal.
- Teacher clearly articulates what pupils need to be discussing during pair talk and what they are expected to be able to feedback on afterwards.
- Teacher gives clear instructions so pupils begin and end paired discussion in the most efficient way.
Development area 3: Group talk
Focused development area
- Teacher ensures pupils are equipped with the knowledge and support to engage in meaningful group talk that moves them towards a particular learning goal.
- Teacher gives pupils manageable, specific and sequential instructions about what the group discussion will entail and the conditions in which the group work will be carried out.
- Teacher purposefully circulates to gauge when to provide guidance or scaffolds and when to stretch pupils.
Observe
Consider the following questions based on a short (approximately 15 minute) observation of your teacher.
What was your teacher’s previous target? Are they meeting it? How do you know?
Thinking about the development area you have selected for this topic, what is your teacher already doing well in this area? Which focused development area best aligns with what your teacher needs to get better at? What one precise target (bite-sized action) might you work with them on during your mentor meeting?
Reminder: You can choose to stick with this previous target if they have not made enough progress. When moving on to a new precise target, you can select one from the table above or, if this doesn’t fit your teacher’s needs, you can write your own.
How will you model the target to your teacher to show them what good looks like? What questions will you ask to check your teacher understands the model? For example, ‘How it is different from your current practice?’ and ‘What impact might it have on your practice and pupils?’
Reminder: Your model should help your teacher develop their ability in some of the following:
- Ensure pupils have relevant domain-specific knowledge, especially when being asked to think critically within a subject.
- Consider the factors that will support effective collaborative or paired work.
- Provide scaffolds for pupil talk to increase the focus and rigour of dialogue.
- Give manageable, specific and sequential instructions.
- Model and require high-quality oral language, recognising that spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing.
Next, meet with your teacher to work through the ‘feedback’ stage of instructional coaching.