Induction tutor materials
Training session - modelling collaborative work effectively
Duration: 75 minutes
Session objectives
Learn that:
- 4.9. Paired and group activities can increase pupil success, but to work together effectively pupils need guidance, support and practice.
Learn how to:
Stimulate pupil thinking and check for understanding, by:
- 4o. Considering the factors that will support effective collaborative or paired work (for example, familiarity with routines, whether pupils have the necessary prior knowledge and how pupils are grouped).
- 4p. Providing scaffolds for pupil talk to increase the focus and rigour of dialogue.
How to prepare for the session
Read the ECT’s self-study materials for this topic.
Session structure:
Introduction to the session (5 minutes)
Explain that this training session builds on knowledge developed through the self-directed study materials and mentor sessions. It also builds on the learning they completed in Year 1, particularly how pupils learn.
Factors that will support effective collaborative work (30 minutes)
Explain that this session builds on the previous session’s focus on success criteria. It provides an opportunity to recap and deepen understanding, particularly how to teach routines for group work.
Ask ECTs to work in groups to script a routine for effective collaborative work. They should use the knowledge they’ve developed around effective routines to support them.
Ask ECTs to share their script with another group. The group should provide critique and feedback on the following:
- is the routine clear?
- if I was a pupil, would I understand what’s expected of me?
- if I was a pupil, do I understand how I will be judged for my performance in the group?
You can share this exemplar routine: - outline the task, especially what pupils need to produce by the end - outline success criteria - identify group roles - identify how long pupils have to complete the task
Scaffolding pupil talk (35 minutes)
Share this quote:
"Psychological research, increasingly supported by neuroscience, demonstrates the intimate and necessary relationship between language and thought, and the power of spoken language to enable, support and enhance children’s cognitive development."
(Alexander, 2018)
Ask ECTs to discuss the following questions. It would be helpful to scaffold the talking task to model effective practice. For example, use think-pair-share and sentence stems.
A) What do you understand by this statement?
For example, that pupils learn to write well through high-quality classroom dialogue.
B) What role does talk play within your classroom?
C) What is the importance of scaffolding?
For example, novice versus expert: if we want pupils to speak very well with sophisticated language, we need to support them to get there.
D) What strategies have you used to scaffold pupil talk?
Ask ECTs to read the following extract of a lesson observation write up from a Year 5 literacy lesson:
In the lesson, the pupils have been reading ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ and learning about life as an evacuee during World War 2. Pupils have just finished the part where William returns back to Mr Tom having been to visit his mother in London. Pupils are asked to discuss in pairs their thoughts and feelings. The teacher provides the following things to all pupils to scaffold discussions:
Sentence stems, for example: This part of the book made me feel...because...
A list of banned words, for example ‘sad’.
Before setting the pupils off to begin discussions on their own, the teacher asked pupils to contribute some more challenging vocabulary that could be used in the discussions. Pupils contributed words like:
- lonely
- desolate
- debris
- tranquil
When pupils contributed less sophisticated language, the teacher encouraged them to think of a different word and invited the other members of the class to help.
There is a Stage 2 EAL pupil in the lesson. This pupil is supported through the use of a more detailed speaking frame with some pictures attached to it.
Ask ECTs to work in pairs or groups to discuss:
- how do the scaffolds provided increase the focus and rigour of dialogue?
- are there any other kinds of scaffolds that could work well here?
- what are the implications for your own practice?
Examples of other kinds of scaffolds include:
- rally robin or ping pong: in pairs pupils discuss a topic, talking one at a time in turns
- pairs squared: pair the learners, then pair the pairs
- guided discussion: pupils are provided with a set of discussion cards; the first pupil takes a card, reads the question aloud and answers it; then the next pupil does the same, and so on
- jigsaw: something like a word, an answer, or a paragraph is split up into parts by the teacher, and the pupils must work together to piece it together
- paired heads together: pupils work individually, then they huddle together to improve each other’s answers
- response chips: pupils are given a set of response chips which say things like ‘paraphrase’, ‘encourage’ or ‘add an idea’ which they use during the discussion
- round robin: pupils take it in turns to speak
(Adapted from: Cooperative Learning: Quick Reference Guide of Kagan Structures)
Ask ECTs to work in groups to plan an activity for a lesson which uses scaffolded pupil talk.
It could be helpful to group ECTs into subject or phase groups.
ECTs should decide:
- what is the activity?
- what scaffolds are they going to use?
- what do the scaffolds look like?
- why are they going to use them?
Lesson ideas:
- exploring a piece of fictional writing in English
- effects of the Boxing Day Tsunami in geography
- causes of the Wall Street crash in history
- solving equations within maths
- photosynthesis in biology
- food chains in primary science
Planning for action (5 mins)
Ask ECTs:
- what will you now do differently in your practice?
- what will you put into action in your lessons?