Training session 8 - Implementing change: Prepare
Induction tutor materials
Duration: 90 minutes
Outcomes
- Reflect on the progress made so far to identify a specific area where they could implement change, and the extent to which they’ve engaged critically with research: discussing evidence with colleagues to make evidence-informed decisions on what to implement.
- Learn that the term ‘active ingredients’ refers to the essential principles and practices that underpin a strategy or approach.
- Identify strategies early career teachers (ECTs) wish to trial in order to implement change, develop their practice and identify their desired outcomes.
- Identify any gaps in knowledge or skills ECTs have in implementing this change, considering areas for professional development and where they could collaborate with and seek support from colleagues.
- Assess the positive and negative impacts that implementing this change would have on the ECT’s workload and wellbeing.
Preparation
These resources provide information to support the session plan options below:
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): Putting Evidence to Work – A School’s Guide to Implementation
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) blog: Understanding the relationship between implementation and professional development
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): Improving Behaviour in Schools
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): Feedback
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) blog: Retrieval practice: a game of ‘hide and seek’
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): Metacognition and self-regulation
Before this session takes place, early career teachers (ECTs) should have the following.
- Exposure to key knowledge from ITT Core Content Framework on relevant sub-standards.
- School input as needed.
- Relevant conversations with colleagues.
Session structure:
Welcome and recap (10 minutes)
Provide a relevant recap on previously taught content. Set up the norms for this session.
Understanding the active ingredients (30 minutes)
You could:
- revisit the term active ingredients and develop ECTs' understanding of this concept
- explain that active ingredients are the essential principles that help us understand what strategies work
- reflect on how active ingredients are the activities and behaviours they will be able to observe (for example, for example, if they were to implement retrieval practice to improve memory, you would expect to see within a medium-term plan what knowledge would be retrieved)
- explore how knowing the active ingredients helps to structure, communicate and monitor the implementation effectively
- ask ECTs to practise and receive feedback on the active ingredients that might help to address the prioritised problem
Developing an approach (40 minutes)
You could:
- help ECTs to identify the active ingredients that would help them to develop their practice and solve the problem they have identified
- discuss what approach they might use to help overcome that problem (for example, identifying practice as a way of helping pupils remember)
- encourage ECTs to consider the underlying cause of their problem and identify alternative approaches that could be used (for example, breaking down knowledge further)
- explore implementation outcomes and provide ECTs with an opportunity to practise and get feedback
Action planning and next steps (10 minutes)
Provide ECTs with time to consolidate and reflect on the learning from the session. Teachers could be encouraged to identify specific steps they will take next to implement their learning.
Related ECF strands
ECF 'Learn that' statements covered:
None.
ECF 'Learn how to’ statements covered:
Develop as a professional, by:
- 8b. Strengthening pedagogical and subject knowledge by participating in wider networks.
- 8c. Seeking challenge, feedback and critique from mentors and other colleagues in an open and trusting working environment.
- 8d. Engaging critically with research and discussing evidence with colleagues.
- 8e. Reflecting on progress made, recognising strengths and weaknesses and identifying next steps for further improvement.
Manage workload and wellbeing, by:
- 8o. Collaborating with colleagues to share the load of planning and preparation and making use of shared resources (such as textbooks).
- 8p. Protecting time for rest and recovery.