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Module 3: Pedagogy and Practice

Week 1: Adaptive Teaching

This week focused on adaptive teaching, exploring the differences between adaptive teaching and differentiation as well as introducing useful tools to support adaptive practice.

Evidence and Research:

Explore with your ECT the evidence and research they have engaged with this week.  You may want to frame your discussion using the following questions:

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  • What do you understand adaptive practice to be?

  • How is it different to differentiation?

Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:

The ECT was invited to select two tools that support adaptive practice and trial them in their teaching across the week.  You may want to explore these tools and how they used them to support adaptive practice with them using the following questions:

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  • What two tools to support adaptive practice did you choose?

  • How did you use these in practice?

Reflection and Discussion

Invite the ECT to go on to reflect about the impact of the tools in supporting adaptive practice.

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  • What are your reflections about how the tools you used in your teaching supported adaptive practice?

  • What would you change about your practice moving forwards?

Week 2: Exposition & Introducing Abstract Concepts

This week focused on exposition as a pedagogical strategy and how this strategy can support the teaching of abstract concepts.  The ECT explored techniques to support exposition to support the teaching of abstract concepts and they identified this within their own teaching as well as their colleagues'.

Evidence and Research:

Explore with your ECT the evidence and research they have engaged with this week.  You may want to frame your discussion using the following questions:

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  • What do they understand 'exposition' to be?

  • Why is this a useful strategy in teaching and learning?

  • How can you support the learning of abstract concepts, especially for learners with autism?

Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:

The ECT was invited to observe the teaching of colleagues and using a check-list (in the reflection and discussion section).  You may want to discuss with them what they saw during their observations, using the following questions:

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  • What techniques did you see that supported the learning of abstract concepts?

  • How impactful were they?

  • What challenges did the teachers face?

  • Are there any techniques you observed that you will take into your own practice?

Reflection and Discussion

The ECT was asked to consider the exposition techniques they used to support the delivery of abstract concepts.

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Pop in to their lesson and complete the evaluation form (right).  

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Discuss this in their weekly meeting.

Week 3: Scaffolding and Modelling

This week focused on using modelling and scaffolding within teaching to support effective adaptive practice. The ECT revisited what modelling and scaffolding are and what these might look like in their classroom whilst also having the opportunity to experiment and practice some different techniques.

Evidence and Research:

Discuss with your ECT what they understand the role of modelling and scaffolding to be within their teaching.  You may want to ask the following questions to frame your discussion:

  • How can modelling and scaffolding support your teaching and also support your ability to adapt your teaching to meet the needs of your pupils?

  • How can modelling take place?

  • How might you scaffold learning?

Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:

The ECT was invited to experiment and practice modelling and a chosen scaffolding technique this week.  

Discuss with your ECT the approaches to modelling and scaffolding that they chose to practice and why they chose these.

Reflection and Discussion

Invite your ECT to reflect upon the modelling and scaffolding that they experimented with, and practiced this week.  You may find the following questions useful to support this discussion:

  • How did the modelling you chose to practice support learning?

  • What worked well?

  • What would you do differently in the future?

  • How did the scaffolding technique you chose work?

  • Did it enable your pupils to access learning?

  • What would you do differently in the future?

  • How might you further embed modelling and scaffolding within your practice to support adaptive teaching?

Week 4: Metacognition

This week revisited the concept of metacognition and explored its meaning and role within effective pedagogy and practice.   The ECT explored the importance of developing metacognitive and self-regulatory skills not only to support learning but also as important skills for modern life.  The ECT applied this learning to practice using scaffolding and modelling to support pupils in developing their metacognition.

Evidence and Research:

Explore the ECT's understanding of metacognition and the importance of developing metacognitive and self-regulatory practice for learning and for preparing pupils for modern day life.  You may want to ask the following to scaffold your discussion:

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  • What do you understand metacognition to be and why is it important to develop metacognition in our pupils?

  • How does metacognition support pupils' learning?

  • Explain some of the strategies that can be used specifically to help autistic learners.

Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:

The ECT focused on developing metacognition by applying the following process and relevant questions to a specific learning activity.

(Queens University, Canada, n.d)

(Bhatta, 2021)

Invite them to explain how they planned the activity/learning to build metacognition.  You may want to ask:

  • What activity or learning were you undertaking?

  • How did you plan this activity?

Reflection and Discussion

Ask the ECT to reflect upon the activity/learning.  You may find the following questions support the reflective discussion:

  • How did the activity go?

  • What were the challenges you, or the pupils faced?

  • What were the positives of using this approach?

  • Did you use any of the strategies that support autistic pupils in developing metacognition?  

Week 5: Questioning

This week focused on questioning and took a slightly different approach to previous learning by splitting the learning into three 'CPD sessions' on questioning with application activities as well as some reflection and review for each of the sessions.

There was a lot for the ECT to work through this week, therefore part of the topic of questioning will continue into Week 6.

This week focused on daily and monthly review questioning and effective verbal questioning.

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The 3 PD sessions are available on the Newingate School Professional Development and Learning Platform.  You may find it useful to complete this PD alongside the ECT.

Evidence and Research: Daily and Monthly Review Questioning

Re-visit Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction with your ECT and discuss how they are engaging with this evidence to inform their practice:

In addition to engaging with two professional development sessions on questioning (which are also available on the Newingate Staff Professional Development and Learning platform).  The ECT took a look at the following:

Screenshot 2024-01-05 at 08.50.57.png

With a focus on questioning discuss with your ECT the role of questioning within teaching and learning.  You may wish to frame your discussion by using the following questions:

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  • What does the Science of Learning and the Learning Sciences research tell you about pupils and learning?

  • Is there anything within this research that surprised you?  Why?

  • What do you feel are the key factors that link to motivation to learn from this research?

Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:

Explore with the ECT how they will apply their learning to their practice.  You may find the following questions frame this discussion:

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  • What impact has the Science of Learning and Learning Sciences research had upon your thinking?

  • What do you feel you do well within your current practice?

  • What area/s do you need to/want to develop?

  • How do you plan to develop these areas?

Reflection and Discussion

The ECT observed another colleague (or chose to be observed by another colleague) with a focus on the conducting of daily review questioning. The ECT had a template to complete to guide their observation.  Discuss this observation with your ECT, using the following questions as a guide:

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  • What methods did the teacher use for daily review?

  • How did the teacher differentiate and adapt their daily review questioning?

  • How did the pupils respond?

  • What will you take into your own practice?

Evidence and Research: Verbal Questioning

The ECT watched two videos this week which focused on verbal questioning as well as PD session 2.  Discuss what the ECT has understood with regards to the importance of verbal questioning and what makes verbal questioning effective.

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You may find these questions support this discussion:

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  • What do you understand to be the role of verbal questioning within the teaching and learning process?

  • What do you understand to be the important components or approaches to verbal questioning?

Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:

Explore what key aspects of their learning, the ECT will apply to their practice.  The following will help to frame this:

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  • Based upon the two videos you watched (Dylan Wiliam and Hayes Teaching and Learning) and the PD session (2), what key elements will you take into your own practice?

  • What do you feel you already do effectively?

  • What will be your area/s of focus?

Reflection and Discussion

The ECT observed another colleague (or chose to be observed by another colleague) with a focus on verbal questioning. The ECT had a template to complete to guide their observation.  Discuss this observation with your ECT, using the following questions as a guide:

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  • Had the questions been carefully planned and crafted?

  • Were the questions used appropriate for the purpose?

  • Did you see examples of question basketball?

  • Were pupils given thinking time?

  • What will you take into your own practice?

Week 6: Questioning (part 3) & High Quality Teaching

This week the ECT engaged with the final of the three professional development sessions on questioning which focused on written questioning as well as summarising what constitutes high quality teaching, particularly for pupils with SEN.  This week drew upon the learning from this module and synthesised this to exemplify how each of the key elements work in harmony to support high quality teaching and learning.

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This week is also likely to be the week that a formal mentor observation takes place.

Evidence and Research: Daily and Monthly Review Questioning

Invite the ECT to share their learning from this week.  You may find the following questions support your discussion:

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  • What have you learnt about developing written questions?

  • How might you apply this to your teaching in an SEN setting?

  • What are your thoughts about the place of extension tasks?  

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The ECT will have been introduced to the cycle for high quality teaching and learning:

As them to explain how they understand this cycle, and the other elements of effective pedagogy that underpin this cycle.

Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:

The ECT chose a lesson to carefully prepare written questions for.  To do this they drew from their learning and also had the following two resources to support this process:

Invite the ECT to explain how they approached the planning for the written questions.  You may wish to ask the following:

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  • How did you approach the planning of the written questions for this lesson?

  • What learning did you draw from?

  • Did you utilise any of the 12 Teacher Toolkit questioning strategies?  Why did you choose this strategy?

  • Did you utilise the question matrix in developing your written questions?  If so, tell me how you used this and how it supported the writing of the questions.

  • How did you adapt your teaching for your pupils?

Reflection and Discussion

You may have observed the ECT teaching the above mentioned lesson, or another chosen lesson this week.  Invite the ECT to share their reflections on these lessons.  You may find the following questions frame this discussion:

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  • Which reflective framework did you use? Why did you choose this framework?

  • What are your reflections using the chosen framework?

  • What are your key areas for development moving forward?

  • What support will you require to develop in the aforementioned areas?

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