Mentor materials
Instruction for memory
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: Worked examples
Focused development area
- Teacher identifies the key learning points to draw from the worked example and primes pupils to focus on these.
- Teacher models a worked example, narrating both the steps and the thought process behind them.
- Teacher supports pupils to remember and replicate the process, e.g. using concise steps and/or a mnemonic device.
Development area 2: Repetition and retrieval within a lesson
Focused development area
- Teacher has identified the key knowledge that they want pupils to understand and remember.
- Teacher refers and links repeatedly to key terminology in order to help pupils to understand it.
- Teacher plans opportunities throughout the lesson to create retrieval tasks that give pupils the opportunity to retrieve key knowledge and skills at strategic points throughout the lesson.
Example precise target: Teacher plans opportunities throughout the lesson to create retrieval tasks that give pupils the opportunity to retrieve key knowledge and skills at strategic points throughout the lesson
- Not doing it at all: Plan a task that prompts pupils to retrieve key knowledge and skills.
- Doing it but needs some improvement: Identify and plan opportunities throughout the lesson for pupils to retrieve key knowledge and skills.
- Doing it well and needs some stretch: Plan retrieval tasks that get pupils to retrieve key knowledge and skills once pupils have had a chance to forget the knowledge e.g. vary time between teaching and retrieval leaving smaller gaps after new knowledge or skills have been taught, as these are likely to be forgotten quickly.
Development area 3: Spacing and sequencing
Focused development area
- Teacher breaks down the key learning into steps and sequences the learning so that pupils acquire the most basic concept before encountering complexity over a series of lessons.
- Teacher spaces out the learning so that pupils have an opportunity to understand and revisit the basic underlying concepts before engaging with more complex learning.
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:
- Break complex material into smaller steps.
- Reduce distractions that take attention away from what is being taught.
- Balance exposition, repetition, practice and retrieval of critical knowledge and skills.
- Use modelling, explanations and scaffolds, acknowledging that pupils need more structure earlier in their learning.
Next, meet with your teacher to work through the ‘Feedback’ stage of instructional coaching.