To enable differentiation and promote active learning

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Teaching is what teachers do to help students learn and the effectiveness of teaching is evaluated by the quality of the learning so enabled.

These sessions focus on helping classroom teachers improve their teaching of academic and vocational subjects so as to enable more effective learning. For a particular focus on embedding the teaching of generic skills such as basic skills and key skills please click on 'Core capabilities and essential skills' in the menu on the left. All of the strategies identified in this section will be greatly enhanced if there is also a focus on the teaching and learning of generic skills.

Underpinning these sessions is the concept of responsiveness. The responsive teacher ensures all students have an opportunity to contribute, has a repertoire of methods available to respond to different learning purposes and contexts, recognises and takes account of differing learning strategies and needs and can use what students already know to move them on to new knowledge and skills. The responsive teacher is continually learning, learning about the students, about the topics being taught, about how best to enable the learning of those in the class.

The sessions focus planning around four key areas:

• Purpose – helping staff to identify clear learning outcomes
• Strategy – identifying appropriate methods to enable learning
• Outcome measures – identifying how they will know when students have achieved outcomes or how well they are progressing towards them
• Review – helping staff use their evaluative skills to build on what went well and identify what needs improvement

• Curriculum design and lesson planning with a particular focus on identifying unifying strands in schemes of work, on opportunities for developing students’ understanding and use of relevant conceptual vocabulary, on the effective use of learning outcomes in lesson plans, on maximising formative assessment opportunities, on providing time for learning conversations with individuals and groups and on planning to be responsive with the associated need for flexibility as required.
• Generating an atmosphere conducive to learning. This emphasises the importance of responsiveness to group and individual needs and focuses on how to ensure that the group dynamics support learning. It refers not only to individuals learning but to the classroom as a learning organism. There is also a focus on helping staff to judge when it is appropriate to deviate from planned activity.
• Increasing the repertoire of teaching methods linked to different contexts and learning purposes. These include strategies for:
  • facilitating effective discussions
  • teaching concepts and theories
  • teaching skills
  • helping students link theory to practice and link knowledge to application
  • using students’ existing knowledge and experience
  • harnessing the talent in the classroom
  • group work
  • assignment led learning
  • using games and role play
  • using ILT including video, smart boards and the internet
• Formative assessment strategies that enable students to receive on-going feedback on their progress with help to improve.
• Evaluation. How to develop the skills of reflective practice so as to be able to continually improve one’s own skills. [This aspect is an application of learning conversations to improving professional practice. Please click on 'Learning strategies' to read more about this approach.]