Torchlight

The Queen Elizabeth Academy

TORCHLIGHT

Retrieval Practice: Theoretical and Practical.

September 2020 Issue 1

Contents 1 A message from Neil

2 What do you call a teacher without a classroom?

Emma Hopkins 3-4 Interleaving our way to success‌ Steph Badham 5 TQEA Teaching and Learning Principles: Reflections Molly Heath 6-7 Game changer: Knowledge Organisers Michaela Bennett 8 MOT YOUR MCQ Durrington Research

9 Igniting the Fire Lauren O’Brien

Hello

From our Head The start of September has been……unprecedented for all of us. We have been inundated with government messages and guidance. We are focused, quite rightly, on safety requirements. The media are saturating us with R rates and local restrictions.

Despite all of this some things have not changed. First of all that what happens in the classroom are the most important moments that happen in any given day. That high quality teaching ultimately is still the aspect of a child’s life that is transformational. That a good teacher lasts long in the memory and will forever be eternally remembered by a child.

Teaching is the best job in the world. Seeing the lightbulb switch on as pupils finally understand deeply the concepts and knowledge that you have been skillfully planning is deeply rewarding.

The great teachers and practitioners will attest that they learn their trade by developing all the time and seeing other teachers’ ideas and work. Torchlight magazine is one important aspect of TQEA’s work in developing one another and sharing our best ideas.

I hope you enjoy this issue and all that will follow. It is stunningly presented with superb articles. It will be great to see all of us contribute to future issues and try new ideas as a result.

What do you call a teacher without a classroom?

Emma Hopkins – Assistant Principal Well it is the start to a new academic year and term. However, it is unlike anything we have ever experience whether you have been teaching 2 or 20 years.

Welcome to the new academic year!

Being a teacher for this past year has been a challenging and strange experience for many. The lack of face to face contact with our students was very much missed, but for the safety of our students it was the right course of action. But finally we are back! The day has come when our students have been coming through the gates and we have regained that contact we have all been missing.

The ‘new’ normal way of working and teaching has meant we have had to adapt the way we do things in education. But the main thing about us teachers is that we are very much use to change. So of course, when it was announced we would return to school at full capacity back in June, teachers showed the same kindness, resilience and desire to carry out their duty and give our students the very best education we could in the circumstances we found ourselves in. I have never been more proud to be a part of the this profession. The next few months will challenge the way we work but I know as a team we will do the very best to educate our students.

In the short amount of time I have been a part of the TQEA team this could not be more true from all the staff here. Amongst the bubbles, entrances, resource trays and book quarantines you have all taken it in your stride and made sure it was the best start for the students with smiles and an a can do attitude. This term has been the start of the next chapter for TQEA and brought new exciting changes to the school and already I am proud to say I work at TQEA. Torchlight will continue to showcase the exciting work that is going on across our academy.

So, grab a tea, sit back and enjoy this feast of teaching and learning excellence at your own leisure.

Interleaving our way to success…

One of the biggest challenges teachers are faced with on a daily basis is getting their students to retain not only the most recent knowledge but that which has been taught months or even years before.

Steph Badham – Head of English Even the most basic concepts sometimes seem a struggle for students to recall when the likes of friends, TV and social media interfere with memory storage and consolidation. So how do we get them to stay switched on? According to Taylor and Rohrer (2010), ‘Interleaving is a learning strategy that involves switching between topics and ideas, and which has been shown to improve long-term learning relative to blocking study of the same idea or topic.’

Interleaving is something that the English department have been able to successfully implement into the Y11 curriculum over the last few years. We divide each week so that students spend 2 lessons focused on Literature and 2 lessons focused on Language which enables them to regularly practice and engage with material related to each qualification. We are fortunate in that the skills for each are easily transferable so we are provided with plenty of opportunities to continually consolidate and build upon student knowledge. For example, when we explore the presentation of a character in a Literature text, we are also teaching students how to evaluate, a skill which is assessed in Paper 1 of their language qualification.

We felt that the beginning of a lesson was an ideal opportunity to interleave content and we did this in two ways: Through ‘Motivational Monday’ we began the week by exposing students to short bursts of fiction and non-fiction texts identical to those found in the Language exam. This increased their familiarity with the types of subject matter they might be asked to write about at the same time as allowing them to strengthen their reading skills. For the remainder of the week, students completed a 5-a-day starter activity which focused on retrieving key knowledge about the Literature text they would go on to revisit in the next half term. This process identified gaps in their knowledge which in turn informed planning, removed the need to reteach retained material and allowed us to focus more heavily on developing their ability to answer exam questions. The low stakes nature of the 5-a-day starters also eliminated the threat of failure and promoted engagement and healthy competition.

Interleaving our way to success‌ Homework, if planned effectively, can also be utilised to interleave the coverage of particular topics. In English we have created homework booklets which focus on a different aspect of the course to that which is currently being studied. To facilitate students in handling the switch between topics, homework tasks have been deliberately designed to be challenging yet manageable; in the Autumn term for example, students are required to complete 200-word challenges inspired by their Literature texts but focused on practising their Language skills. This short burst of writing allows them the opportunity to consolidate their knowledge of characters and themes as well as the conventions of different text types.

The prospect of interleaving so much content at once can feel daunting to both staff and students but it has been pleasing to see just how much of a positive impact it can have on learning. A strong curriculum focused around sequential learning will successfully enable interleaving to be executed effectively into the structure of a course and lead to improved knowledge retention.

According to Rohrer (2012), ‘interleaving can help [students] to see the links, similarities and differences between ideas more easily’ which is essential if students are to fully appreciate the bigger aims of the curriculum they receive. The next steps for the English department will be to concentrate on ensuring the KS3 curriculum effectively introduces students to the key knowledge and concepts they will build upon at KS4 so that interleaving can become embedded and routine for all year groups.

Further Reading:

https://www.jonathanfirth.co.uk/blog/interl eaving-using-it-in-the-classroom https://www.the-learning-agency-lab.com/the-le arning-curve/what-is-interleaved-practice-andhow-it-works

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/blog /tes-maths-pedagogy-place-interleaving

TQEA Teaching and Learning Principles Reflection so far‌ Molly, as a Teach Firs trainee teacher has made several vital reflection below about her first experience in the classroom and how the six principles have guided her practice during the first few weeks of her teaching career.

Molly Heath

High Expectations As a trainee teacher I have found the use of high expectations crucial as a starting point to each of my lessons. I have ensured I have outlined my expectations to the class and I have been trying to utilise the behaviour policy when needed. In order to reinforce the high expectations, I am going to use the strategies of positive framing and rehearsing routines..

Routines I have found that it is crucial to establish clear routines with pupils at the start and that they respond better when something is familiar. Going forward, I am going to try and be as consistent as possible with my routines. I plan to observe experienced teachers within the school in order to see which routines work well.

Subject Mastery During my first few weeks at TQEA, I have been able to observe very knowledgeable, experienced teachers who have really mastered their subject. I feel that this really impacts a teachers' confidence and the ability to inspire the pupils. I plan to continue to observe the experts in the science department as well as developing my own subject knowledge through wider reading around the curriculum.

Responsive Teaching Responsive teaching is something that I am still developing as I get to know the pupils in my classes. I have found it challenging to cater to all of the individual needs of the pupils.

However, I have been active in observing classes where I have seen responsive teaching in the form of extension tasks, positive encouragement, modelling and differentiated tasks.

Feedback

During the current circumstances, I have found it a challenge to give individual feedback as it is not possible to circulate the room. However, I have been giving verbal feedback during my lessons by praising the good work and setting follow-on questions. I also plan to use the walkthrough strategy of whole-class feedback in the coming weeks

Making it Stick

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During my first few weeks, there has been a huge emphasis on Do Now activities, as a strategy of 'making it stick'. I have been using Do Now activities at the start of my lessons and I feel that they are an effective way to revise previous learning and check pupils' understanding of other areas of the curriculum.

Game Changer: Knowledge Organisers Michaela Bennett – Head of Art

In Art, I have been developing knowledge organisers that support each unit of work for both Key Stage 3 and 4. More recently, I have been considering how I could now use these to support learning through the use of retention strategies. When researching this, I came across a practitioner called Andy Tharby. He considers the use of retrieval practice through the introduction of knowledge organisers and offer clear and practical advice to support the implementation of them within the classroom.

In order for your knowledge organisers to be successful, departments and teachers must be very clear about their purpose and how to use them effectively. Used well, a knowledge organiser can support students in grasping the foundational concepts that will pave the way for future learning. Used badly, then it simply becomes another thing that is glued neatly into the back of an exercise book and forgotten about. Once the most important facts and concepts have been taught, the knowledge organiser can be used as the basis for retrieval practice. The act of dredging up knowledge from memory, or retrieving it, increases the likelihood that it will be remembered next time, and the harder it is to recall this knowledge, the more powerful the effect.

There is not a one size fits all approach to knowledge organisers as each subject area should find a way that best suits their subjects discipline. It does often help to see examples of how other subject areas design their organisers however; sharing good practise. In the Art Department I have considered the most significant learning that I want students to be able to recall and understand and this is the information that I have included on the Knowledge Organiser. I have also used the PiXL unlock vocabulary and listed the relevant Tier2 and Tier 3 vocabulary that will be taught in lessons. At KS3, for example, the vocabulary can be used to support students’ independent response when completing either self/peer assessment and when using subject specific terminology to describe or annotate art work. I have also completed spelling tests with students as a way of embedding the word and created Literacy Matters worksheets which asks students to visually identity a word and its definition through the use of visual clues.

“Knowledge organisers should summarise and condense all the most vital, useful and powerful knowledge on a single A4 page. They are supposed to be a simple tool that provides clarity for both the students and teachers”

Things to consider when designing your knowledge organisers to support retrieval practice: 1. Design the knowledge organiser in a way that makes quizzing easy. For example, make sure that key words and definitions are in separate boxes so that children can cover them up and test themselves.

2. Retrieval practice needs to be cumulative.

Don’t just test something once and assume it has been learnt for ever. Make sure that key concepts from the knowledge organiser are repeatedly tested and that the questions are reworded and rephrased so that students have to think carefully about the answers.

3. Use knowledge organisers to support selfchecking after completing a task.

4. Teachers can use knowledge organisers for on-the-spot questioning. Hold your knowledge organiser in front of you and use it to ask students quick fire questions.

This takes no planning and provides a great way to help them to automatise their knowledge.

5. Students can highlight what they know on the knowledge organiser to gauge their learning and track their way through the curriculum. You could even collect these in and then use this feedback to help you to plan future lessons and revision sessions.

6. Use the same knowledge organiser for all students but differentiate delivery. It is important that all students are challenged to learn everything on the knowledge organiser. Remember, that many students will learn far more than that specified on the knowledge organiser.

7. Do not allow students access to knowledge organiser when they are tested. Retrieval practice must come from memory, not notes in an exercise book.

8. Do not test everything at once. Break it up and test it bit by bit. Make sure they achieve success on these tests as this will breed confidence.

Further reading and further reference on this subject can be found in the book ‘Making Every Lesson Count: Six principles to support great teaching and learning (Making Every Lesson Count series) by Shaun Allison and Andy Tharby’..

An MOT for your MCQ

At a time of blended learning in schools. Multiple choice questions can provide an effective method of assessment to measure student's knowledge gaps. Writing effective MCQ can positively increase the value of learning. However unlike what many think MCQ are very difficult to construct and get right.

ASK A QUESTION

GUIDELINES

1. Use letters rather than numbers 2. Use vertical formatting 3. ‘Distractors’(incorrect answers) should be broadly similar answers

1. Should not be trivial content 2. Don’t waste their time on nonsense 3. Don’t include unnecessarily hard vocabulary unless this is being tested 4. Don’t include deliberately tricky or opinion-based questions

STEM QUESTION CONTENT

CONTENT OF THE ALTERNATIVE

1. It should be meaningful 2. It should be motivating for students 3. It shouldn’t contain irrelevant information 4. Don’t make it negatively phrased

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE

Blog: Time to increase the quality of the multiple-choice questions you use!

https://evidencebased.education/increase-qualitymultiple-choice/ ,

Using online quizzes to check and build understanding

https://my.chartered.college/2020/03/using-online -quizzes-to-check-and-build-understanding/

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The Key is the correct answer The two others are incorrect answers Having a choice of three is best Alternatives should be similar in content 5. Each incorrect answer should point you towards a misconception 6. Don’t give greater detail in the correct answer.

Igniting the Fire Lauren O’Brien – Head of Maths

Teaching mathematics for several years, I have experienced many different styles of assessments, teaching styles and new “fads” that promote student progress, but over time they are superficial and do not in practice develop student’s retention skills. The one consistent feature is that students do not like tests.

Specifically, students do not like “high-stakes” testing, so by embedding effective retrieval practices into our maths lessons, more commonly know as “low-stakes, high impact” testing both teachers and students will benefit. Low stakes testing will typically have 5-10 questions that students are attempting in every single lesson, as a maths department we are looking at developing these as our “Do Now” tasks. These questions will be based on prior learning from earlier in the year or previous years, providing opportunities for interleaving practises.

To ensure that this style of testing has a positive impact on students' retrieval and retention, students will mark their own question and the marks are not recorded, but also modelling and discussing the answers so that students have immediate feedback. To develop my own understanding and develop my practise further, I found that Mr Barton Maths Blog highlights the benefit and claims that students’ “love them” and describes these tests as "learning events". This blog also directed to the research paper “ Ten Benefits of Testing and their Application to Educational Practice” by Henry L. Roediger III, Adam L. Putnam and Megan A. Smith. This paper outlines the 10 benefits of testing, but each point is evidence with the research to support each claim. Throughout each section evidence for increased testing and the impact that it has on long-term retention, which reinforces the positive impact of the “low-stakes, high impact” testing. The importance of retrieval practise is summed up beautifully in the quote taken from this research paper “We have reviewed 10 reasons why increased testing in educational settings is beneficial to learning and memory, as a self-study strategy for students or as a classroom tactic. The benefits can be indirect— students study more and attend more fully if they expect a test – but we have emphasized the direct effects of testing. Retrieval practice from testing provides a potent boost to future retention. Retrieval practice provides a relatively straightforward method of enhancing learning and retention in educational settings.”

As a maths department we are taking this approach to our “Do Now” tasks, where students will be required to revisit and recall on prior learning. It is an expectation that students will complete this in silence and for students to be doing this independently, this is key in supporting them retrieving content from their long term memories which will therefore allow them to make more progress compared to other methods of testing.

Although I have found that low stakes quizzing supports pupils understanding and retrieval practise, that an emphasis can be placed on success in the test such as achieving full marks. The research suggest that even unsuccessful tests can have a positive impact as the benefits of testing are not just attributed to the test in isolation and are not limited to successful retrieval. Modelling and explaining the answers is an essential aspect of these low-stakes testing providing pupils with immediate feedback, in addition to interleaving opportunities will have a positive impact on long-term memory.

As a department, we need to give pupils immediate feedback and use the opportunity to address any misconceptions that arise, rather than just reading the answers and moving on without any explanation.