reviewing continued...

3. Sharing/writing up learning intentions. Explicitly separate it from the context.

I haven't done this for the kids, only in my plans. Was discussing this with Heather last week (in assembly time, which is when we get an opportunity - on the weeks that she's in! - there really isn't that much time available, and to be honest there just isn't any to be found anywhere!) - she felt she hadn't really done this either - we were saying how, if the children have come up with the success criteria, then surely they must know what it is they are trying to learn. How much difference can writing it up make! However, I was sceptical about some of the other things in this which I've now tried and they made a huge difference, so I will make an effort to do this next term - I was thinking, perhaps as a heading to the success criteria, e.g: ''write a good imaginative story' - success criteria: good beginning, correct spelling etc...- then there can be no doubt about the connection between the SC and the Learning intention, and the context.

4. Asking children for success criteria just before they start to work and write it up.

Well, obviously we've been doing that, from all I've already said...although perhaps not 'just before'. I don't think that would have worked, not for the writing, or the wind chimes. Maybe it will work for other things...

5. At beginning of units of work, introducing the elements to be covered, involving children in some way.

Did this for the windchimes. The children came up with all the things we would have to do (look at windchimes, draw a design, practice skills, etc) with a little bit of guidance, so that they tied in with my plans! At any rate, they thought it was all their ideas! (Perhaps a couple of the P3's noticed I was leading the way slightly, they always notice everything like that!)
I don't think this would have worked for the writing so much, I mean, there weren't really elements, it was more a case of working through the success criteria, and improving each one. It wouldn't have helped, I don't think, to take one particular success criteria each week to work on, as every child started from a different place!

6. Extending 'wait time' to 5 seconds or more after asking children a question. Experimenting with hands up at the end of the 5 seconds or no hands up at all so that anyone can be asked for a response.

I think I've pretty much always done this (remember being told it in the PGCE at good old UEA when we did the 'black box' lecture!). I might try and do it in a slightly more structured way though, explaining to the children that I'm giving them thinking time - I don't often (although I do sometimes) do that. We've used talking partners a lot during 'thinking time' and that has worked pretty well, although for the P1's it doesn't seem that helpful at times, some older children encourage them to contribute and some don't - but then as the partners change often, I guess it's ok. I think the random choosing of partners has worked well for us, if the kids suspected I was choosing their partners we'd have tears instead of talking if they didn't like my choice!

7. Using normal voice for feedback about the learning intention and whispering other things.

You can't whisper in my class unless P4-7 are at gym/music, no one would hear you. (P4-7 are of course in the same position, they are no noisier than we are!) I tend not to feedback on other things anyway, unless it is behaviour related. Which it often is...

8. Saying that 'if it's making you think' it means that you are learning something new-making this a good thing!

I haven't tried saying this. I tend to be in the habit anyway of saying 'if it's too easy, you're not learning anything!' which I suppose is the same thing - although perhaps I ought to take the more positive slant on it!

9. Dabbling with self-evaluation.

We did this with the windchimes, as described before, and most children were pretty happy with their efforts, although all of P2 and 3 were able to say what they would do differently another time, which is obviously part of self evaluation. Also, as a class we were able to evaluate the skills we had learned/used, and say where else they might be useful. P3 have also been evaluating their own writing, which was particularly useful in the lead up to their level A writing tests, as they were able to make clear in their own minds the things they had to stay focussed on during the test in order to do well.

tbc