Teaching and Learning

As a thinking school, our teaching and learning strategy is rooted in metacognition and metamemory.

What is metacognition?

From the Education Endowment Foundation:

Metacognition and self-regulation approaches support pupils to think about their own learning more explicitly, often by teaching them specific strategies for planning, monitoring and evaluating their learning.

· Metacognition is the learner’s ability to be aware of, reflect on, and direct their thinking.

· Self-regulated learners apply metacognitive strategies to their learning. They demonstrate self-regulation by managing their motivation, thoughts and behaviour to set goals, monitor working, reflect and review progress.

A Whole Trust Approach

Our knowledge-engaged curriculum is facilitated by teachers delivering high quality provision through the 7 Principles of Thinking, Teaching and Learning. Supported by the work of Allison and Tharby (Making Every Lesson Count), Centralised Pedagogies provide the framework for our approach to teaching and learning.

Metacognition: So that students intentionally employ, engage, monitor and adapt their internal mental processes to support learning

Metamemory: So that students are aware of and can control their memory operations

Subject Knowledge: So that students and teachers have high expectations of what they can achieve.

Explanations: So that students acquire new knowledge and skills.

Modelling: So that students know how to apply the knowledge and skills.

Questioning and Responding: So that students are able to think hard with breadth, depth and accuracy.

Feedback to Feedforward: So that students think about and further develop their knowledge and skills.

What does that look like in the classroom?

All of our lesson follow a subject specific version of the structure below.  Students are presented with new information in small steps following an ‘I do, we do, over to you’ model.

 

Part of the lesson

What does it look like?

Why do we do it?

Do Now

A silent retrieval based starter task which students are able to complete from the moment they come in to the room.

Allows students to recap key knowledge and prepare for the lesson ahead.

It also allows for a consistent start to lessons across the College.

Learning Goal

A single and challenging learning goal that frames the learning for the lesson and includes two different levels of challenge

This ensures that all students are able to aim for their best and shows a commitment to high expectations.  All students have the same learning goal and are supported to meet it.

Questioning

We use ‘Cold Calling’, where students are selected by their teacher to answer questions.  Students are supported to get the right answer, but it’s not about the answer it’s about explaining what they think.

This ensures that as many students as possible are thinking deeply about what they are learning.

It also builds a classroom culture that we are all able to contribute and that the learning journey is as important as the final answer.

Modelling

We use the ‘I do, we do, you do’ approach to modelling, where students are gradually given more responsibility for answering questions independently.

This means that we present information in small steps, supporting adaptive teaching and ensuring that students understand the material they are being taught.

Think, Pair, Share

Students are given time to think, then pair with the person next to them before sharing ideas across the class

All students are thinking and getting used to discussing ideas with others.

Challenge Zone

Students working hard, in silence, on an extended independent piece of work as appropriate to the subject and stage.

This allows students to apply and deepen their learning within lessons, giving them a sense of purpose and achievement. This is designed to be the most challenging part of the lesson.

DIRT

This stands for dedicated improvement and reflection time.  Students work in green pen to improve their work.

This ensures that the feedback look has been closed and that students act on the feedback they have been given.

Exit Ticket

The exit ticket relates directly to the learning goal, takes around 5-10 minutes and is completed silently and independently.

This allows students and their teachers to know if they have met the learning goal, and to adapt future lessons to ensure success.

 

What is a Thinking School?

 

A Thinking School is unique in their focus to share with your child the tools to become a life-long learner, and to develop the best possible habits for success in life. It is an educational community which involves both students and staff learning how to think reflectively, critically and creatively. A Thinking School is more than just a title, to become one the school has to earn the Thinking accreditation from Exeter University.

We want every student in our schools to be inquisitive and confident in themselves. Our thinking toolkit is how we support them through this journey. These tools are used in tandem with an approach to teaching that instils a growth mindest and ‘can do’ attitude. Through their time in a Thinking School, students will develop the right habits to ensure they are successful throughout education and beyond.

For more information visit Thinking School, Brixham College

 

Thinking Tools and Strategies

Thinking Maps

Thinking Maps are eight graphic organisers that foster students’ abilities to see connections across their studies and encourage lifelong learning. Taken together they form a visual language of learning that is shared by staff and students.

Thinking Maps - A Guide

Thinking Hats

Thinking Hats provide a practical method of directed cognition. Each of six distinct types of thinking are represented by a different coloured hat. When an individual is ‘wearing’ a specific hat they focus their thinking in the associated manner. Consequently the method helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved.

Thinking Hats - A Guide