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  • Support for early career teachers
  • UCL
  • Year 1: First half-term: enabling pupil learning

    • Self-Study Activities

    Review: 15 mins

    Read the research and practice summary on this week’s topic. As you read, reflect on:

    1. the practices that you are already doing well
    2. the practices you are doing some of the time, but could do more of/more consistently
    3. the practices you do not use in your teaching yet

    As you work through the activities in this week’s self-directed study session and mentor meeting, aim both to refine and extend what you already do well, and to build your skill and confidence in using practices which are not yet a regular part of your teaching repertoire.

    Plan and Theory to Practice: 30 mins

    1. Reflection

    Use the research and practice summary for this week to reflect on the pupils you teach. If you teach more than one class, choose just one as the focus for this activity.

    As you review your pupils, consider these questions:

    • how would you describe this class overall in terms of their resilience, self-regulation and motivation? Try to be clear about (a) what you can observe and (b) the conclusions you draw from these observations
    • what variation exists within the class? Are there pupils who present quite differently to their peers? What implications might this have for teaching and learning?
    • what groups are there within the class in which pupils have similar characteristics relating to resilience, self-regulation and motivation? How might this influence your approaches to teaching this group?

    2. Practical exercise

    Now select two pupils from the class who especially interest you. You might want to focus on one who you feel is particularly flourishing and one about whom you have some more concerns. Write a short description of each pupil. The purpose of this activity is to encourage you to consider in some detail how your pupils vary as individuals and how this has implications for your teaching.

    As you draft each description:

    • think about what you have observed about this pupil in relation to their resilience, self-regulation and motivation
    • include relevant information that you know about the pupil – such as details they have told you about themselves, or which you have gained from liaising with parents, carers and/or colleagues
    • include hypotheses about how what you observe and know influences the pupil as a learner
    • consider how this pupil may experience learning in your class. For example, to what extent do they have the opportunity to experience meaningful success? Are they able to express their long-term goals and see how their learning helps to work towards these goals?

    3. Independent planning

    Use your learning from this session so far to identify opportunities for you to intervene in meaningful ways with one or more of your pupils to influence positively their resilience, self-regulation and motivation. Make a note of these strategies, which could be targeted at an individual, group or whole-class level.

    You will review and develop these strategies in your mentor meeting this week in preparation for trying them out in your teaching.

    Next Steps: 5 mins

    Bring your descriptions and notes from this session to your next mentor meeting. Be ready to discuss your ideas for intervening with pupils with your mentor.