Research and Practice Summary

Case Studies

You have seen these case studies before: they explore how four teachers – improving their practice and without adding to their workload – conducted their own practitioner inquiries into developing quality pedagogy and making productive use of assessment.

You can read back to Weeks 3 or 5, if you want to remind yourself of the issue they wanted to tackle and the alterations to their practice that they implemented.

Here we see the inferences they make from the range of evidence they collected. We also begin to see the range of impacts the inquiries have had upon them personally: on their beliefs, workload and relationships with colleagues.

When reading these case studies, you will need to take account of your own pupils’ characteristics, the context of your classroom and the nature of the material that you are teaching.

Case study A: Grouping pupils effectively

Andy’s approach to grouping pupils effectively in Year 1

Andy devised this evaluative question:

• how can I use group activities over two half-terms to improve the engagement and attainment of my Year 1 pupils?

After making small adjustments to his inquiry to account for pupils’ feedback, he was able to draw these insights from the deliberate evidence:

• his pupil grouping interventions have largely been effective
• a small number of the mixed attainment groupings have proven problematic
• by repeatedly making his intentions clear, he has been able to ‘bring the children with him’ on this journey to helping them to work productively with any of their peers
• by using the same method every literacy lesson for a term, extending this to numeracy after one half-term and switching between mixed and near attainment groupings, he has given the children many opportunities to practise working with others, and therefore to get better at doing so over time
• several of his pupils have become much more confident in working with a wider range of peers
• his TA, who had been working in Key Stage 1 for many years, feels the class have made much faster progress than other classes she has known From the wider emergent (overhead and unexpected) evidence, Andy made these inferences:
• he overheard his pupils say things like ‘I used to not like working with X, but now I like it’ – the new pupil grouping is having the desired effect
• his Year 1s overall made unexpectedly rapid progress with the accuracy of their mark making. The new pupil grouping improved the pupils socially and in their written literacy

The impact the inquiry has had on Andy’s beliefs and professional relationships

The inquiry involved Andy working more productively with his TA. He is now much firmer in his belief that:

1.1 Teachers have the ability to affect and improve the wellbeing, motivation and behaviour of their pupils.

1.3 Teacher expectations can affect pupil outcomes; setting goals that challenge and stretch pupils is essential.

4.1 Effective teachers can transform pupils’ knowledge, capabilities and beliefs about knowledge.

4.7 High-quality classroom talk can support pupils to articulate key ideas, consolidate understanding and extend their vocabulary.

4.9 Paired and group activities can increase pupil success, but to work together effectively pupils need guidance, support and practice.

5.5 Flexibly grouping pupils within a class to provide more tailored support can be effective, but care should be taken to monitor its impact on engagement and motivation, particularly for low attaining pupils.

7.6 Pupils are motivated by intrinsic factors (related to their identity and values) and extrinsic factors (related to reward).

8.7 Engaging in high-quality professional development can help teachers improve.

Case study B: Modelling and scaffolding

Vashti’s use of modelling and scaffolds to support writing in Year 4

To ensure she was developing her practice effectively, Vashti devised this evaluative inquiry question:

• how can I use ‘speaking sentences’ well, over the space of two terms, to reduce the prevalence of basic errors in written literacy among pupils with a Speech, Language and Communication Need (SpLCN) in Year 4?

After making small adjustments to her inquiry because her pupils were still often mis-spelling high frequency words, she was able to draw these insights from the deliberate evidence:

• drawing conclusions about what pupils have learned by looking at patterns of performance over a number of assessments. For example, appreciating that assessments draw inferences about learning from performance
• 5 of the 6 target SpLCN pupils have made significant progress in the summative writing assessment
• providing sufficient opportunity for pupils to consolidate and practise applying new knowledge and skills
• several pupils are able to describe how they have benefited from using the laminated sheet and the speaking activity to organise their thinking and their writing

Reflecting on her findings, Vashti drew the following interim conclusion for her own teaching:

• classroom talk, combined with scaffolding resources, can be a powerful driver for improving written literacy among pupils with SpLCN in Year 4

She realised that she should continue with this approach to supporting her pupils’ writing, but keep a careful eye on the successful use of the scaffold, so her pupils could still succeed when she withdrew it.

From the wider emergent (overhead and unexpected) evidence, Vashti made these inferences:

• she overheard several of the non-SpLCN pupils, but who also have other additional needs, say that the ‘speaking sentences’ approach made them much more confident when writing – the approach can work with all pupils who have additional needs
• unexpectedly, the oracy of the SpLCN pupils also improved markedly over the period – scaffolds which reduce basic errors in one area of literacy may also have a similar effect in others

She inferred that this was because she had learned better how to:

• model and require high-quality oral language, recognising that it underpins the development of reading and writing. For example, requiring pupils to respond to questions in full sentences, making use of relevant technical vocabulary
• teaching different forms of writing by modelling planning, drafting and editing
• use modelling, explanations and scaffolds, acknowledging that novices need more structure early in a domain
• provide sufficient opportunity for pupils to consolidate and practise applying new knowledge and skills
• provide scaffolds for pupil talk to increase the focus and rigour of dialogue

The impact the inquiry has had on Vashti’s beliefs, workload and professional relationships

The inquiry involved Vashti observing three colleagues. She is now much firmer in her belief that:

3.10 Every teacher can improve pupils’ literacy, including by explicitly teaching reading, writing and oral language skills specific to individual disciplines.

4.1 Effective teachers can transform pupils’ knowledge, capabilities and beliefs about knowledge.

4.4 Guides, scaffolds and worked examples can help pupils apply new ideas, but should be gradually removed as pupil expertise increases.

4.7 High-quality classroom talk can support pupils to articulate key ideas, consolidate understanding and extend their vocabulary.

5.1 Pupils are likely to learn at different rates and to require different levels and types of support from teachers to succeed.

5.3 Adapting teaching in a responsive way, including by providing targeted support to pupils who are struggling, is likely to increase pupil success.

8.7 Engaging in high-quality professional development can help teachers improve.

She has also saved on her workload because she has learned that:

5.4 Adaptive teaching is less likely to be valuable if it causes the teacher to artificially create distinct tasks for different groups of pupils or to set lower expectations for particular pupils.

Case study C: Making marking manageable

Louise’s new approach to marking in Secondary History

To ensure she was developing her practice effectively, Louise devised this evaluative inquiry question:

• how can I implement codes and verbal feedback well, so that my Year 9 History pupils are able to correct misconceptions and make progress, and I am able to reduce the amount of time I spend marking?

Louise noticed that some of her pupils didn’t seem to understand how they were supposed to respond to the coded feedback.

After making small adjustments to her inquiry she was able to draw these insights from the deliberate evidence:

• reduce the opportunity cost of marking by using codes and verbal feedback
• she was able to cut the marking time for a set of books from 2 hours to 30 minutes
• her two Year 9 classes (one experimental, one control group) achieved a very similar distribution of scores in a summative written assessment
• her pupils in the experimental group had not encountered any significant problems as a result of the new way of marking
• give whole-class feedback so they know what they need to do to improve and have the time to do it
• she practised giving whole-class feedback, having created a standard slide, which reminded her to give specific feedback and 15 minutes a lesson to do it

Based on these findings, Louise made the following tentative claims from her inquiry:

• using codes/verbal feedback does not detrimentally affect pupil progress, compared with a standard written marking approach
• on average, using codes/verbal feedback saves the teacher about an hour a week, per teaching class, compared with a standard written marking approach
• having reviewed her practice in this way, she will use this insight to now apply the same principles of verbal feedback and minimal marking to her Year 7 and Year 8 classes, while monitoring the impact of that on her pupils and herself.

From the wider emergent (overheard and unexpected) evidence, Louise made these inferences:

• she overheard several high prior attaining girls in her experimental Year 9 class say that they preferred the new form of feedback, because they received it much more quickly. Pupils don’t necessarily ‘miss’ having their work marked all of the time
• she overheard a few pupils in her control Year 9 class say they heard what she was doing in her other class, and ‘why can’t we have that?’ Verbal and coded feedback might be popular with pupils
• expectedly, she saved time on marking. Unexpectedly, she used that gained time to prepare better lessons. Reducing unnecessary marking can have an overall positive impact on her teaching

She inferred that this was because she had learned better how to:

• focus on specific actions for pupils and provide time for pupils to respond to feedback
• appreciate that pupils’ responses to feedback can vary depending on a range of social factors. For example, the message the feedback contains
• use verbal feedback during lessons in place of written feedback after lessons where possible
• reduce the opportunity cost of marking. For example, by using abbreviations and codes in written feedback

The impact the inquiry has had on Louise’s beliefs and workload

She is now much firmer in her belief that:

4.1 Effective teachers can transform pupils’ knowledge, capabilities and beliefs about learning.

6.1 Effective assessment is critical to teaching because it provides teachers with information about pupils’ understanding and needs.

6.4 To be of value, teachers use information from assessments to inform the decisions they make; in turn, pupils must be able to act on feedback for it to have an effect.

6.5 High-quality feedback can be written or verbal; it is likely to be accurate and clear, encourage further effort, and provide specific guidance on how to improve.

8.7 Engaging in high-quality professional development can help teachers improve.

She has also saved on her workload because she has learned that:

6.7 Working with colleagues to identify efficient approaches to assessment is important; assessment can become onerous and have a disproportionate impact on workload.

Case study D: Questioning

Mo’s use of direction and elaboration to improve questioning in GCSE PE

To ensure he was developing his practice effectively, Mo devised this evaluative inquiry question:

• how can I best adapt the way I ask questions, implemented every lesson for one term, to improve the quality and amount of talk among Pupil Premium girls in Y11 GCSE PE?

After extending his approach to his other classes, he was able to draw these insights from the deliberate evidence:

• include a range of types of questions in class discussions to extend and challenge pupils
• he saw much more evidence of high-quality questioning in his second filmed lesson
• all 16 pupils were asked a question at some point in the lesson
• prompt pupils to elaborate when responding to questioning to check that a correct answer stems from secure understanding
• all were asked follow-up questions to help them elaborate on their thinking
• there was a change in the books of the Pupil Premium girls during the inquiry period. Their written responses were far more articulate and well-structured, reflecting the discussions they had had in class
• provide appropriate wait time between question and response where more developed responses are required
• all were given sufficient wait time
• the pupils liked the fact that he gave them time to prepare an answer before calling on them

Based on this, Mo made the following tentative claim from his inquiry so far:

• responsive questioning is a useful tool for improving the quality of talk and writing among Pupil Premium girls in Year 11 GCSE PE

And because he had developed his questioning practice to this extent, Mo decided to apply the same approaches to his other classroom-based lessons.

From the wider emergent (overheard and unexpected) evidence, Mo made these inferences:

• he overheard pupils outside of his focus group comment on his new approach to questioning. ‘Sir makes us think much harder these days’ – this approach can work for all, not just some, pupils
• a colleague in the staffroom told him he had heard about Mo’s approach to questioning, and asked for more information. Doing an inquiry about an aspect of teaching can improve collaborative relationships with colleagues
• the Pupil Premium girls also improved with their practical PE work. Although tempted, Mo could not infer from that that his approach to questioning improves their sporting skills

He inferred that this was because he had learned better how to:

• plan activities around what you want pupils to think hard about
• contribute positively to the wider school culture and develop a feeling of shared responsibility for improving the lives of all pupils within the school

The impact the inquiry has had on Mo’s beliefs and professional relationships

The inquiry involved Mo watching videos of his lessons with an Assistant Headteacher. He is now much firmer in his belief that:

4.1 Effective teachers can transform pupils’ knowledge, capabilities and beliefs about knowledge.

4.5 Explicitly teaching pupils metacognitive strategies linked to subject knowledge, including how to plan, monitor and evaluate, supports independence and academic success.

4.6 Questioning is an essential tool for teachers; questions can be used for many purposes, including to check pupils’ prior knowledge, assess understanding and break down problems.

4.7 High-quality classroom talk can support pupils to articulate key ideas, consolidate understanding and extend their vocabulary.

8.7 Engaging in high-quality professional development can help teachers improve.

With regard to professional relationships, Mo has also learned that:

8.3 Teachers can make valuable contributions to the wider life of the school in a broad range of ways, including by supporting and developing effective professional relationships with colleagues.