Mentor materials
Prior knowledge
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: Understanding pupils’ prior knowledge
Focused development area
- Teacher checks for pupils’ prior knowledge before introducing new information.
- Teacher addresses gaps they find in prior knowledge before introducing new information.
- Teacher uses information about pupils’ prior knowledge to ensure they introduce new learning in a manageable way.
Example precise target: Teacher checks for pupils’ prior knowledge before introducing new information
- Not doing it at all: Plan and deliver a question(s) that enables you to check for pupils’ prior knowledge.
- Doing it but needs some improvement: Plan and deliver a set of question(s) that enable you to check for gaps in pupils’ prior knowledge.
- Doing it well and needs some stretch: Plan and deliver a set of questions that enable you to check pupils’ prior knowledge including any gaps they may have. Explain the link between the prior knowledge pupils have and the new material being introduced.
Development area 2: Activating pupils’ prior Knowledge
Focused development area
- Teacher designs a task to activate pupils’ prior knowledge.
- Teacher checks for pupils’ understanding of the links between their prior knowledge and new information, addressing confusion.
Development area 3: Addressing gaps in pupils’ prior knowledge
Focused development area
- Teacher plans to explicitly address gaps in prior knowledge before introducing the new learning.
- Teacher ensures pupils no longer have gaps in prior knowledge before introducing the new 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:
- Take into account pupils’ prior knowledge when planning how much new information to introduce.
- Link what pupils already know to what is being taught.
- Encourage pupils to share emerging understanding and points of confusion.
- Plan to connect new content with pupils’ existing knowledge or provide additional pre-teaching if pupils lack critical knowledge.
- Structure tasks and questions to enable the identification of knowledge gaps
Next, meet with your teacher to work through the ‘feedback’ stage of instructional coaching.