TLC 2 Developing Understanding

After choosing 3 of the 'developing understanding' tools in TLC 1 to apply in their lessons, staff were asked to reflect on the tools they had chosen and the impact this had had on developing their learners understanding. Staff shared great evidence of good practice. 

We then took a deeper look into the importance of questioning to developing students understanding. A video was shown which looks into different styles of questioning.

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/questioning-in-the-classroom

As a group we discussed how staff could encourage students to formulate and ask their own questions, as a means of mediating their own learning. The video was followed by sharing 2 blog posts on effective questioning to develop understanding.

We looked in detail at the blooms question matrix and how this could be used to formulate higher order thinking questions to students. Staff used their blooms question matrix to decide if certain questions were low or high order thinking questions, through an engaging kahoot.

Finally staff were given 4 further ideas that they could trial before the final TLC. They were then given some time to plan how and when they would use 1 or 2 more strategies within their lessons, focusing on developing understanding.

Roz and Nat

TLC 2 Collaborative Learning

After the success of the collaborative challenge in TLC 1 we thought we would begin the session in a similar way. The task involved a selection of Country Dingbats that people had to work out in their triads. As this session was about how we make collaboration effective we assigned roles to people in each team.

• Creative thinker (They were the only person allowed to see the dingbats)
• Writer (Their task was to fill in the answer sheet)
• Communicator (Their role was the go between and the coordinator of the teams' strategy) 

Each member of the triad had a turn at each role so that the task was shared out fairly and that each person got to practice each skill.

After engaging with the task and discussing why assigning roles helped the effectiveness of collaboration we spent sometime reflecting on the group work we had tried since TLC1. We started this by sharing what we ourselves had done as TLC leaders.

To continue with the theme of making collaboration effective the triads were asked to produce a success criteria that could be used with any age, ability of subject.This prompted a good discussion on what is important and of high priority for effective collaboration.

Finally individuals were given some time to use everything we have done in the previous TLc sessions to make a resource or plan a lesson that they would deliver before TLC 3 focusing on effective collaboration.

TLC 1: Student independent learning

During our first TLC we started by brainstorming some ideas which promotes student independent learning in addition to some of the pros and cons behind using such teaching strategies.

To gain a further understanding and to help illustrate the flipped classroom and in-class flip we watched an example of this from a relevant YouTube video which supported the previously read research behind a flipped classroom.http://youtu.be/hhq3Yn_QgIA

 We then used current research from a number of blog posts to collate our thoughts behind a flipped classroom which allowed colleagues to gain an idea of how a flipped classroom could be successfully implemented.

From gaining an idea behind a Flipped classroom we then started to plan ideas to introduce this teaching strategy in a lesson before the next TLC using a Pick and Mix style in class flip guidance learning mat. Colleagues were then able to start to plan which class, when and what they will do as part of a flipped classroom trial.