Summer week 2

Mentor materials

Observation discussion - implicitly and explicitly teaching vocabulary

Practice focus

Interaction:

Observation

Outcome:

To have planned for and practised implicitly and explicitly teaching vocabulary.

Stimulus

In your last mentor session, you supported your teacher to plan to develop pupils’ vocabulary. This week you should observe them developing pupils’ vocabulary implicitly and/or explicitly.

What you look for may vary depending on the phase that your teacher teaches. There, suggested focuses have been separated into ‘Early Years’ and Primary and Secondary’.

Early Years

When observing your teacher, consider whether they use elements of Sustained Shared Thinking:

tuning in
showing genuine interest
asking children to elaborate
recapping
giving their own experience
clarifying ideas
using encouragement to extend thinking
suggesting
reminding
asking open questions
encourage pupils to respond in full sentences (although not included in Sustained Shared Thinking, this is a good way to develop pupils’ language)

Primary and Secondary

When observing your teacher consider whether they:

Model using the word multiple times throughout the lesson.
Provide examples of what it means (in relation to the subject they are teaching if the word has multiple meanings if different subjects).
Provide pupils with an opportunity to practice using the vocabulary independently, in pairs or in groups.
Have vocabulary on display to support pupils using it if appropriate.
Hold high expectations, ensuring pupils use that vocabulary when they speak or write, correcting pupils where necessary.

Praise, probe and set precise actions

The following practise should be focused around the outcomes of the probe and precise actions, so that it is specific to your teacher’s developmental needs. However, below are some practise ideas based on the online study content to support you if needed.

Plan and practice ideas

Work with your teacher to plan and practise teaching vocabulary implicitly and explicitly. You may wish to focus on one or two of the areas outlined above.