A Selection of Practical Strategies Mentioned in the Toolkit

The following practical strategies are referred to in the papers indicated. In some cases the technique is explained; in others it is suggested as a topic for follow-up.

Strategy	Issue Paper
BEM principle A visual display above eye level and clearly visible can improve retention by 70%.	Accelerated Learning
Simple non-verbal encouragement (smile, thumbs-up etc) Circle Time and Golden Rules	Behaviour
Ask pupils to respond in unexpected ways – eg “Write a poem about a triangle” or “Draw a picture of the poem you’ve read”	Challenge
Rainbow Groups Snowballing	Cooperative Learning
Use pictures, diagrams, objects to stimulate pupils with visual learning style List key words, technical terms, common instructions and display these	Differentiation
The Madeline Hunter model Scaffolding	Direct Teaching
The articulation of feelings within the classroom	Emotional Intelligence
Attention-diffusion-attention	Ethos
Pupils to comment on feedback	Feedback and Marking
Pupils need a map of the whole course	Flexible Learning
Take-up time	Formative Assessment
Boys tend to find kinaesthetic approaches effective, eg. role-play and Drama Boy-girl pairing	Gender
“Challenge Bags” of demanding tasks	Gifted and Talented Pupils
SWOT analysis Mnemonics Brain Gym PCP Circle Time	Learning to Learn
Questions to help children gain metagognitive control	Learning Difficulties
Use music to create a working mood appropriate to the activity Affirmation wall	Learning Environment
Learning style surveys	Learning Styles
‘Hook’ what is to be learned to existing experience or knowledge	Motivation
Multiple Intelligences “centres” in the classroom	Multiple Intelligences
Pupils write down their own criteria (individuals/pairs/groups?) prior to task Traffic Lights KWL approach, in which pupils write down what they Know about a topic (or think they know), what they Want to know and, later, what they have Learned.	Peer/Self Assessment
Carousel	Planning
Open/closed questions Bloom’s Taxonomy Question Wall and Question Box Set homework of returning the next day with a question	Questioning
‘Achievement’ days or weeks Visualising- ‘What will this work look like when I hand it in?	Self-esteem
The SQ3R process Highlighting, underlining, using colour, noting key words etc	Study Skills
SMART targets	Target Setting
Verbal Football	Teaching Approaches
Six Hat Thinking Method Mind mapping	Thinking Skills
“Buzz group” activities	What Makes a Good Teacher?

The key AifL formative assessment areas are Questioning, Feedback, Peer Assessment and Sharing Criteria. The following table suggests specific strategies which might be useful in developing these four areas.

Questioning

No hands up / Group response

Wait time / Thinking time

Think-Pair-Share

Change the 80/20 balance

Use numbers to add challenge (eg “Can you give me three examples of….?)

Opportunities for pupils to formulate questions

Good question stems - Why does….? What if….? How would you….? Could you explain…..?

See, for example, papers on Questioning, Formative Assessment, Thinking Skills

Feedback

Don’t give pupils marks/grades

Comments: What you are doing well + How you can improve

Oral feedback when returning work, during plenary sessions or while pupils are working

Praise to criticism ratio: 4:1

Self-correction

PCP: Praise - Constructive feedback - Praise

See, for example, papers on Target Setting, Formative Assessment, Self-esteem

Peer Assessment

Opportunities for pupils to reflect

Peer marking or response partners

Groups questions

Traffic lights

Correction codes

Personal targets - non-competitive

Small group work

Self-evaluation

Jigsaws

Modelling

Graphic organisers

See, for example, papers on Target-setting, Formative Assessment, Self-esteem, Ethos

Sharing Criteria

Teachers share aims with pupils

Pupils aware of what makes a good piece of work

Pupils deciding criteria for assessment

Knowing criteria, pupils can Support, Assess and Challenge each other

Review pupil understanding/skills every lesson

Connect with prior knowledge, at the start of the lesson

Carousel

Rainbow groups

Regular review of what has been taught

See, for example, papers on Accelerated Learning, Formative Assessment, Learning to Learn