When you observe lessons analysing what teachers do, it’s phenomenal just how many techniques are deployed at different phases of a lesson or running in parallel at any given time. I’ve written about lots of these details over recent years – I like to get into the details. Here’s a round-up of 10 – each one of which warrants attention and focus in a CPD or coaching process as people build up and hone their repertoire of go-to techniques:
1. Signal, Pause, Insist
Everyday Routines. Classroom dialogue and behaviour management, hand-in-hand.
I’ve often felt that it is helpful to link behaviour management techniques to learning routines so that the behaviour routines have an explicit purpose and, at the same…
2. Sustaining Attention
Five ways to: Sustain Student Attention
Five Ways. A series of short posts summarising some everyday classroom practices. In order to learn new conceptual ideas and new skills, we need…
3. Modelling
The art of modelling… it’s all in the handover.
Some of the most interesting discussions I’ve had with teachers in recent times have been about the challenge of making modelling work so that students…
4. Explaining
Great Lessons 6: Explaining
At the core of a great teacher’s skill-set is the ability to explain the concepts, theories and techniques that make up their subject. On the reputational scale,…
5. Checking for Understanding
Five Ways to: Check for Understanding
Five Ways. A series of short posts summarising some everyday classroom practices. In Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, he stresses the vital importance of Checking for Understanding.…
6. Cold Calling
Cold Call Forensics: purpose; spirit; details.
I probably discuss cold calling more than any other teaching technique. I think this is because I feel it makes a very big difference when it has become…
7. Think Pair Share
Think, Pair, Share Forensics.
Think Pair Share is a powerful and important technique that should probably play a key role in every teacher’s repertoire. It’s the key to giving every…
8. Mini Whiteboards
THE Number 1 Bit of Classroom Kit: Mini-whiteboards
At KEGS we have made it possible for every teacher to have a set of mini-whiteboards or ‘show-me boards’ in every classroom, as featured in a recent newsletter. …
9. Retrieval Practice
10 Techniques for Retrieval Practice
Image Credit: https://emptechgroup.com/the-internet-of-things/ I’ve written about retrieval practice several times in other posts but here I just want to make it easy to lay out various alternative…
10. Feedback as actions
#FiveWays of Giving Effective Feedback as Actions
If teachers are going to have a significant impact with the feedback they give, it needs to lead to improved outcomes for students. I am increasingly convinced…
And finally – here’s what it looks like put together:
Responsive Teaching in action: An idealised sequence.
There is no simple formula to teaching well – but there are lots of strong principles that underpin the decision-making processes teachers undertake in any given lesson.…
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