Strategies that has been tried and tested in schools over several years and have made the greatest impact when implemented are;
- making sure the learning objective of a task is clear
- separate the learning intention and success criteria from the task instruction
Success Criteria
The purpose of Success Criteria is to make the chn absolutely sure of what is in the teacher's mind as the criteria for judging their work. Sometime students can be invited to help create the Success Criteria. Remember to tell the students how this is relevant to them, how it will be useful in the future. Display the Learning Intention and Success Criteria visually. If possible get students to read aloud.
Impact on Children
- children are more focused
- quality of work improves
- behaviour improves as task focus increases
- chn have greater ownership
- chn are automatically self-evaluative
Student Self-Evaluation
'Unlocking' chn's thinking and raising their self-esteem;
- 'I'm really pleased you've noticed you're stuck. I need to find out what you need and then you'll be able to learn something new'.
- 'Well done - if you are finding it hard, you are learning! Let's find out how you can be helped with that learning'.
- 'It's great that you are finding that difficult - see if you can tell me what it is that I need to help you with, so that you will be able to learn something new'.
- 'I'm a bit worried that you're finding it too easy. I'm pleased with what you have done so far, but unless you are finding this more difficult, you're probably not going to learn something new'.
Chn seem to have been liberated when they realise that tchrs welcome hearing the difficulties they are experiencing because the difficulties signal what needs to happen to enable them to learn more. Sts enjoy finding out that other chn have the same thoughts, problems and successes.
Feedback
Various feedback studies have found that feedback is most useful when it focuses on the LI of the task rather than on other features. Don;t give feedback on spelling if the LI is to add more description.
The best feedback is done face-to-face but written notes commenting on progress against the LI and hints on how to improve are most useful when face-to-face is not possible. If tchrs are not noticing good effort chn can become disheartened and give-up.
First highlight three success phrases then follow with 'closing the gap' prompts;
1) reminder prompt - 'Say more about how you feel about this person.'
2) scaffolded prompt - 'Can you describe how this person is a good friend'? or 'Describe somethings that happened which showed you they were a good friend'. or 'He showed me he was a good friend when ... (finish this sentence).
3) example prompt - Give sts option of 2 words or phrases and say 'Choose one of these or your own'.
'The test of a successful education is not the amount of knowledge that a pupil takes away from a school but his appetite to know and his capacity to learn. If the school sends out chn with a desire for knowledge and some idea of how to acquire and use it, it will have done its work. Too many leave school with the appetite killed and the mind loaded with undigested lumps of information'. Abbott 1999
Ipsative referencing - st's attainment is measured against his or her previous attainment, particularly when it is referenced to the individual student's targets.
Targets
Targets need to be visible whilst chn are working eg flap in the back of the work book. Sts need to be told what it means to meet a target eg. 'You've met your target when you and I believe you will always be able to do that thing. A target needs to be quantified by a number of letter eg.
- try to use 'but' and 'then' in between some of your sentences
- do not use a rubber for the next five pieces of writing
- remember to have 'b' and 'd' around the right way.
Questioning
Questioning is a good strategy to encourage sts to think more deeply about a subject.
- invite students to elaborate ... 'Say a little bit more about ...'
- echo ... 'So you think that ...'
- non-verbal invitations ... eye contact, tilt of head nod ...
- make a personal contribution from your own experince ... 'I remember when ...'
- clarify ideas ... 'I can tell that is the case because ...'
- make a suggestion ... 'You could try ...'
- reflect on topics ... 'Yes, I sometimes think that ...'
- offer information or make observations on a topic ... 'It might be useful to know that ...'
- speculate on a given subject ... (encourages sts to explore ideas and understand that uncertainty is part of the process).
Raising Students Self Esteem
Chn should know that learning is a continuum on which we are all placed and that, given enough time and input, anyone can master. One perceived problem is that learning is linked to the rate in which learning takes place. Sts assume someone who catches on quickly has a greater ability.
The problem with external rewards as sts are encouraged to strive for the reward not intrinsic success. Written comments have been found to be more beneficial.
Sts often prefer to be praised in private. Praise should be directed towards the confidence to keep trying, the willingness to keep trying alternative ways to process information and to the correctness of the performance ... 'You're really great because you have come to understand how to do these problems correctly.'
'Where the classroom culture focuses on rewards, "gold stars', grades or place-in-the-class ranking, then pupils look for ways to obtain the best marks rather than at the needs of their learning. The reported consequence is that where they have any choice, pupils avoid difficult tasks. They also spend time and energy looking for the 'right answer'. Many are reluctant to ask questions out of fear of failure. Pupils who encounter difficulties and poor results are lead to believe that they lack ability, and this belief leads them to attribute their difficulties to a defect in themselves abut which they cannot do a great deal. So they 'retire hurt', avoid investing effort in learning which could only leas to disappointment and try to build up their self-esteem in other ways. Whilst the high achievers can do well in such a culture, the overall result is to enhance the frequency and the extent of underachievement. What is needed is a culture of success, backed by the belief that all can achieve.' (Black and William, 1998)
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