Video introduction

Watch the video.- The video outlines what you will cover in this Block.

Video transcript

In Year 1, you completed Block 3 ‘Developing effective classroom practice

‒

teaching and adapting’. We focused on pedagogy and what it means to be an ‘effective’ teacher. You spent time in that Block learning about evidence-informed classroom practices such as breaking down material into small steps, high-quality expositions and scaffolding. You also learned about adapting your teaching practice ‘in the moment’ so that all of your pupils can learn and make progress.

You have had a whole year to embed these skills and no doubt you will have had many successes. Becoming an effective teacher takes time and it is important you continue to practise and improve these core techniques. 

This Block aims to enhance your understanding of ‘effectiveness’ by moving beyond this repertoire of techniques, where you were mainly focused on your own actions as teacher and how they correspond with your pupils’ learning. 

First of all, we broaden the range of ways you engage with pupils beyond ‘a pupil’ and ‘the class’ by considering how you can effectively group your pupils to maximise learning and progress. Group and pair work can be an important strategy to help pupils learn and it is likely that you already make use of these types of collaborative activities in your teaching. In this Block we will consider

how

to make these activities truly effective, and in particular how to avoid common pitfalls such as wasting learning time, pupils losing focus or becoming disruptive and –

most importantly –

how to make sure they are actually

learning through these activities. 

There is considerable evidence to support the idea that pupils working collaboratively can improve outcomes. Beyond this, there are many other benefits to be had from pupils working together –

they get an opportunity to develop social skills and learn from one another. However, doing this effectively takes skill and this Block will provide you with techniques you can use to ensure the collaborative work you ask pupils to do is high quality. 

We will also consider what influence you can have on learning outside of school through homework. We’ll consider the evidence in this area for pupils of different ages and think about the type of homework which actually leads to educational gains. 

You will also look at how to adapt your teaching ‘in the moment’ ensuring that you meet the needs of your pupils without creating lots of unnecessary extra work for yourself. You are also encouraged to be more alert to the impact the actions you take have on your pupils. By the end of this Block, you will have covered all of the foundations which you need to be an effective teacher.