Using the Framework of Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills to Raise Attainment PrintEmail

Heard it all before?

Speak to any teacher and sooner or later you are sure to hear at least one of the following: ‘We do the work for them’; ‘I’m sick of spoon-feeding’; ‘They can’t think for themselves’; ‘We hold their hands’; ‘I just can’t motivate them, I honestly don’t know what to do!’
Does it all sound familiar? Of course it does. But if we do nothing to intervene then active teaching and passive learning styles will continue to prevail.

Solutions

This INSET uses the QCA framework of personal, learning and thinking skills as the starting point for a broader consideration of active learning styles and techniques. Through the exploration of engaging starter activities and lesson development ideas, the overall aim is to provide both teachers and students with the necessary tools to improve student motivation and promote enthusiasm for learning; to nurture deeper understanding of ideas and concepts, which in turn will raise attainment.

Price reduction for half day or twilight session.

COURSE OUTLINE
Coffee and registration

Session 1 (9.00 – 10.15): Context of the Day

• The QCA Framework of Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills
• The 7 Dispositions for Effective Thinkers

Kinaesthetic, Visual and Competitive Strategies: 12 Ideas

•Skittles
•Quiz Quiz Trade
•Wipe Out
•Find and Organize
•Reverse Millionaire
•What if?
•Picture Puzzles
•The Odd One Out
•Headline and Caption It
•Cropping Activities
•Wipe Out
•Key Word Triangles

Session 2 (10.15 – 10.45): Approaches to Text 1 - Getting THEM to do the work

•Dripping Umbrellas: How ‘fragmenting’ a text can benefit the learner

Session 3 (11.00 – 12.00): Approaches to Text 2 - Getting THEM to do the work

Effective thinkers: characteristics and how to nurture creative thinking in the classroom

•The AUC Principle: Thinking Tools for Discussion
•WOW Moments: Guiding their thinking in order to generate wider reading and more research
•Crucial Lines: How value judgements can be used to nurture deep thinking and motivate learners
•The Knickerbocker Glory: Filling them up with knowledge – thinking about the learning process

Session 4 (13.00 – 14.00): Approaches to Images – Getting THEM to do the work

•Back-to-Backs: Exploring descriptive skills to develop deeper understanding
•The Collective Memory: A group approach to processing diagrams
•Dubbing: Using key vocabulary to explain processes, ideas and concepts
•Context Grids: Making effective use of images to explore connections and processes

Session 5 (14.00 – 15.00): Working in Groups – Why it is all the rage

•Assigning Roles: How to promote collaborative responses
•The Magnifying Glass: ‘The Withholding Principle’ as a motivating tool
•Technology: Reflecting on whole school approaches

(Please note: all materials shown through the LCD projector are available on a CD-r)