Written by Emily Player (D/T GTP The Voyager Academy.
Who is it for? This is an idea for all teachers at KS3 interested in developing group work. All teachers
- especially those with a passion for creating stimulating learning environments
- interest in building ‘engine rooms’
- open to new approaches for student thinking
Outline of the idea
For my action research project I am focusing on improving student attainment in DT though literacy. This topic appears to be quite narrow however it is guiding down the route of questioning and thinking. The question I keep asking myself is; How do we get students to fully engage in a topic but also retain that information? As a DT teacher the emphasis appears to be on exam results at GCSE however the practice of my research will hopefully have a huge impact on the controlled assessment and general working in the classroom.
This book not only inspires through cleverly written experiences it also demonstrates;
- Real life situations from teachers and students
- Statistics on the learning power mind
Ideas for you to use within the classroom to turn it into a ‘mind gym’
How it worked
This research has so far encouraged me to be more reflective within the plenary of each lesson, to fully understand what the students have taken in and retained.
I have been using shared resources from ‘School Centred Initial Teacher Training’ (SCITT) trainees such as interactive power points and cue cards.
Next steps
Implement a ‘question wall’ into my classroom. This can be added to by teachers and students and reflected upon during the lessons.
Appoint a class room monitor to record who asks questions and how much time is taken up with ‘teacher talk’
Student questionnaire based on their opinion about learning; Favoured methods of learning, tasks that have been particularly memorable and which method they believe will be most successful when it comes to holding information.
http://www.guyclaxton.com/blp.htm
SCITT resources