JANUARY 2025 ISSUE 1
Welcome to “Ignite”, a publication dedicated to weaving together research, practice, and reflection to enhance classroom teaching and learning
In each edition, we will explore evidence-based strategies, share practical tips, and reflect on their application in real-world classrooms This space is designed for teachers who are committed to professional growth and eager to collaborate with others to improve student outcomes
Milly Williams is responsible for T&L Innovation and is Head of Religion and Philosophy at KGS She is particularly interested in cognitive science and helping students to study more effectively She is currently completing her Certificate in EvidenceInformed Practice with the Chartered College of Teaching
Our opening series focuses on foundational practices that are crucial for effective teaching and learning These first three posts explore strategies for enriching vocabulary instruction, harnessing the power of modelling, and fostering metacognitive skills Through these threads, we aim to provide insights and tools that can be readily applied across subjects and age groups
At the end of each edition, we will highlight interesting wider reading as well as further CPD and membership opportunities
Sean Healy teaches English at KGS He is interested in how students develop their academic literacy and oracy and how this helps to enhance their writing and transferable skills for the future He is also interested in the impact of whole school wider reading on students' learning
William Nolan teaches Classics and is particularly interested in developing student metacognition and applying pedagogical research in the classroom
Milly Williams - Teaching & Learning Innovation and Head of Religion and Philosophy
Extensive research and ongoing discussions continue to explore the key factors that drive students to embrace and sustain meaningful learning Ryan and Deci (2000) ask whether external motivators like rewards and sanctions can hinder internal motivation Alternatively, Jovanovic and Matejevic (2014) suggest that a certain amount of extrinsic motivation may be necessary to sustain satisfaction and enjoyment in an activity over time These questions remain highly contested, with ongoing research examining what fuels student motivation for sustained academic growth
This article argues that intrinsic motivation is central to cultivating a love of learning in students, not just achieving exam success It also asserts that appropriately challenging homework can provide the ‘pleasurable rush of solving a problem’ (Willingham, 2009), serving as a key catalyst for deeper and lasting engagement with learning
One well-established factor in self-motivation is students’ perception of their own competency (Ryan and Deci, 2000) Echoing the Rosenthal Pygmalion effect, when students believe (or are led to believe by their teachers) that they can succeed, their motivation is heightened Homework offers valuable opportunities to challenge students and build their confidence, showing trust in their abilities and reinforcing their potential
It gives teachers the freedom to assign creative, challenging tasks that extend beyond the curriculum, engaging students in ways that promote deep thinking rather than simply completing tasks for the sake of it
Stepping into the teacher’s shoes: Sixth formers could create a revision lesson or activity for younger students, consolidating their own knowledge while stepping into the role of a teacher
Exploring big ideas: Younger students might read brief extracts from complex texts, such as Plato’s Republic, using guided questions to explore big ideas about democracy
Critical conversations: Watching a TED Talk or reading an engaging article, with the follow-up task of discussing it with someone at home – the current euthanasia debate is a gift for any philosophy teacher setting homework
These assignments not only deepen understanding but also cultivate critical thinking and encourage students to view learning as an ongoing, confidence-building process And whisper it, but these ‘inherently interesting’ ((Ryan and Deci, 2000) homework tasks might even be fun!
If a key driver of self-motivation is students’ belief in their potential, that belief is strengthened when teachers show genuine enthusiasm for the subject As Mark Roberts highlights in Boys Don’t Try (2019), sharing your depth of knowledge, the joy of reading widely, or the excitement of mastering a challenging skill can be contagious, drawing students into the material with genuine curiosity. When teachers convey their passion for a topic, it signals to students not only its value but also the belief that they, too, can engage with it deeply Tom Sherrington further emphasises the importance of creating an environment of ‘awe and wonder’ (2017), where the material whether it’s a mathematical breakthrough, a historical event, or a beautifully crafted poem sparks excitement and discovery Students thrive when teachers demonstrate mastery of their subject and the ability to bring it to life, motivating them to approach their homework with confidence and curiosity.
When students believe in their abilities, they are more motivated to push themselves, and homework plays a crucial role in this by providing meaningful challenges As Willingham observes (2009), true satisfaction and joy come from grappling with and overcoming difficult tasks Teachers are key to igniting this motivation sparking curiosity and fuelling a passion for deep thinking and highlevel challenge
Jovanovic, D , & Matejevicb, M (2014) Relationship between Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation for Learning – Researches Review Procedia – Social and Behavioural Scienes 149: 456-460
Ryan, R,& Deci E (2000) Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being American Psychologist 55 (1):68-78
Willingham,D (2009) Why Don’t Students Like School?
Pinkett, M & Roberts, M (2019) Boys Don’t Try? 7-23
Sherrington, T (2017) Teaching to the Top: Attitudes and strategies for delivering real challenge
Boxer, A (2021) What is the best way to motivate students in your subject? Impact Journal
Sean Healy - Teacher of English
All of us are teachers of reading and vocabulary. It is one of the main ways that our students learn and engage with the ideas in our subjects In his useful book, Closing the Vocabulary Gap (2018), Alex Quigley draws attention to three different types of vocabulary we teach and encounter each day:
Tier 1 - Spoken language;
Tier 2 - High frequency in written texts; and
Tier 3 - Subject-specific/academic vocabulary
It is a crucial role of ours to help students leave school not just with excellent academic outcomes but being able to write, speak, and think like a literary critic, historian, geographer or chemist
A student with a significantly larger ‘word hoard’ from wider reading, independent study, and excellent teaching can then acquire even more knowledge as well as excel across multiple subjects How can we then embed this in practice?
We can and should encourage wider reading with subject-specific lists Beck and McKeown (2018) found in their study that providing several contexts for the new words and developing inlesson activities that require students to process the meanings of words in deep and thoughtful ways were crucial to achieving a higher level of
understanding I have found this to be most effective when questioning students on subjectspecific terminology and creating tasks where they then must apply these terms (usually through quizzes and hands-down questioning before application in writing) They then need to see several examples of these terms used in different ways
Another means by which we can stretch and enhance students’ use of language is, of course, through classroom dialogue A recent research study by Addis (2024) found that emphasising the validity of student interpretation through dialogic discussions in an English Literature A Level scheme of lessons on Tess of the D’Urbervilles helped students to grow in both confidence and proficiency Once students have been taught targeted subject-specific vocabulary, they then need to enact this in classroom dialogue that demonstrates the ‘merging of teacher and student world views’ (Gutiérrez et al , 1995)
Finally, the enhancement of student vocabulary is about equipping them with a richer language to both acquire more and think more deeply There is, of course, the need for direct instruction of vocabulary (Rodgers, 2022) and as creative and skilled practitioners of our subjects, we would want to avoid simply teaching students ‘esoteric literary terms’ (Eaglestone, 2021) if we weren’t putting them in a variety of contexts and allowing students to apply them to their thinking
When contextualised and executed well, explicitly teaching academic vocabulary can be liberating and inspiring for students As a lecturer at university once said to me, ‘ we are all in the same boat, it’s just that we have been on this journey for longer: that’s the only distinction’
When students engage with and acquire this love of language in our subjects, they will then thrive at university and beyond when engaging with academic writing
Addis, V (2024) Dialogic discourse for formative assessment and feedback in A-Level English Impact Journal
Beck, I L , McKeown, M G , Hunton, J , Sealy, C , & Thompson, S (2018) Deepening knowledge through vocabulary learning Impact Journal
Eaglestone, R (2021) Powerful knowledge, cultural literacy, and the study of literature in schools
Gutiérrez, L M (1995) Understanding the empowerment process: Does consciousness make a difference? Social Work Research, 19(4), 229–23
Quigley, A (2018) Closing the Vocabulary Gap Routledge
Rodgers, J (2022) Implementing high-quality teaching of disciplinary vocabulary Impact Journal
Showing how the Sausage is made: Modelling and metacognition in the KGS Classroom
William Nolan - Head of Classics
Modelling is presenting an approach or finished product to students that they can imitate or learn from to achieve better outcomes
Modelling can be:
Presenting a finished product, produced by a teacher or a student, to a class. This can be done when work is set or when providing feedback This product could be produced at a high, medium or even low level The product can then be broken down and analysed to allow students to appreciate why the desired learning outcomes are achieved This product is preprepared
Presenting a worked example of a process, particularly one which involves equations, problem solving or writing This is most often done using a whiteboard while the teacher explains the steps which they take to solve the problem or achieve an objective. This can be preprepared or produced in the moment
This second approach links closely with metacognition – thinking about thinking
Students are more likely to reflect on their own thinking processes when they have seen the processes of an expert or peer
Modelling should be a part of our everyday classroom practice (Bell 2021), and the scholarship recommends modelling thought processes where possible and ensuring that models of finished products are fully explained to students
Here are some key takeaways from pedagogical scholarship on modelling:
Consistent modelling of metacognitive behaviour does more to improve student thinking skills than focus weeks and workshops (Jerstice 2022)
Teachers should model deliberate reflection through self-explanation while facing challenges and taking risks (Jerstice 2022)
Live modelling means being vulnerable and abandoning the persona of the expert but setting an example of mistake-making resilience in the face of a live challenge can model the same invaluable learning behaviours in students (Jerstice 2022)
Thinking aloud while problem solving provides essential cognitive support to students (Rosenshine 2010)
Providing a prompt, modelling to guide practice and supervising independent practice is a procedure that can be used for many tasks. (Rosenshine 2012).
Improving capacity for metacognition is an effective way to maximise student outcomes (Sutton Trust -EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit 2014) and teachers modelling their thought processes can support this. (Sherrington 2019)
Not providing enough worked examples adds to cognitive load and leaves students feeling unsure of procedures (Sherrington 2019).
Showing and working through another example is the best approach when students are struggling with concepts or independent work (Sherrington 2019)
Producing exemplar answers (even if you do not share these with students) is “the single most important step in preparing to teach ” (Lemov 2021)
Models provide clear examples of excellence and provide students with something concrete Modelling and “externalising your cognitive strategies through think-alouds” helps students to develop their own metacognitive skills (Clark 2024)
Making deliberate mistakes in worked examples can stimulate discussion about misconceptions and lead to deeper understanding (Clark 2024)
“I do, we do, you do” is an approach that allows students to become more independent but starts with teachermodelled processes (Clark 2024)
Students can be given examples of weak and average answers to consider, alongside excellent answers (Bell 2021)
Using worked examples reduces cognitive load by setting out key steps (Bell 2021)
By studying worked examples prior to tackling new problems, students tend to perform better in test conditions (Hattie and Yates 2014)
Success criteria without a model does not provide enough of a framework for students to produce top level outcomes (Allison and Tharby 2015)
Model answers benefit students most when they are dismantled and discussed aloud (Allison and Tharby 2015)
Live writing models can be intimidating but modelling aloud the choices we subconsciously make as experts (especially with vocabulary and when proofreading) can be illuminating for students (Allison and Tharby 2015)
When crudely implemented, modelling can be tantamount to spoon-feeding, with the teacher doing more cognitive work than students It is crucial that models are either worked through or properly dissected and discussed (Allison and Tharby 2015)
Produce bespoke models as part of feedback process to allow student engagement with other ways of solving problems or expressing ideas These can then be addressed in a worked example in class (Allison and Tharby 2015)
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To gain insight into how modelling supports learning, 42% of KGS students (387 out of 919) completed a survey Their responses revealed several interesting trends:
Model answers vs success criteria: 55% of students favoured being given model answers before completing an assignment, compared to 45% who prefer success criteria
Older students are more likely to favour model answers (Years 1-3: 53%; Years 4-5: 56%; Sixth Form: 59%)
Teacher-written vs peer examples: Students slightly preferred being given a perfect model answer written by a teacher (55%) over being given an example of a good, but not perfect, answer written by a fellow student (45%) All year groups were consistent in this opinion Approximately half of students still favoured using a peer ’ s work, even if it is not perfect
Using student work: 90% of students were in favour of their work being shared anonymously with future cohorts
Exemplar preferences: 80% of students prefer “excellent” examples, while 45% find “weak” examples more helpful than “good” ones (43%)
Timing of models: 54% of students favour receiving model answers and exemplars before completing a piece of work, with roughly 26% favouring being given model answers as part of the feedback process
Older students, particularly Sixth Formers, increasingly value model answers as part of their feedback (Years 1-3: 20%; Years 4-5: 31%; Sixth Form: 43%)
Teacher explanations: Students rated the effectiveness of teachers explaining why a top mark answer was so successful at 4 26/5, and modelling problem solving on the board, explaining their thought processes at each stage, at 4 47/5
From both research and student feedback, several key strategies for effective modelling emerge:
Present worked examples before independent practice and revisit them if students are struggling
When providing model answers, present an excellent example, written by either the teacher or a student, but ensure they are dismantled and explained aloud, emphasising why the work is successful
Adapt the use of models to students’ preferences - while younger students favour model answers before completing a piece of work, older students benefit from model examples as part of feedback
Model metacognition by talking through your thinking
Allison, S and Tharby, A (2015) Making Every Lesson Count - Six Principles to Support Great Teaching and Learning London: Crown House Publishing
Bell, M (2020) The Fundamentals of Teaching: a 5 Step Model to Put the Research Evidence into Practice London: Routledge
Clark, J (2024) Teaching One-Pagers: EvidenceInformed Summaries for Busy Educational Professionals Hodder Education
Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2014) The Sutton Trust-Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit [online] Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation org uk/educ ation-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit?cost=0 4 [Accessed 2 Nov 2024]
Hattie, J and Yates, G (2014) Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn London: Routledge
Jerstice, M (2022) Do as I do: Modelling selfregulation to Promote Learning: My College [online] My College Available at: https://my chartered college/impact article/do-as-ido-modelling-self-regulation-to-promote-learning/ [Accessed 2 Nov 2024]
Lemov, D (2021) Teach Like a Champion 3 0: 63 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College 3rd ed Newark, United States: Jossey-Bass
Rosenshine, B (2012) Principles of Instruction [online] American Educator Available at: https://www teachertoolkit co uk/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/Principles-of-InsructionRosenshine pdf [Accessed 2 Nov 2024]
Sherrington, T (2019) Rosenshine’s Principles in Action Suffolk: John Catt Education
What is the best way to group students?
The relationship between student perceived ability and the impact of feedback
Adam Boxer talking about motivating students in your subject
Applying the science of learning in the classroom
A discussion about when we might use guided instruction, and when less guidance might actually be useful
The 15th Festival of Education | 3-4 July 2025
As you will see from the articles, a number of cited sources are from ‘Impact’, the award-winning termly T&L journal from the Chartered College of Teaching Membership of the CCT gives you access to all current and past editions, as well as access to webinars, CPD videos and online courses. If you are interested, please do have a look at the website or talk to Sean or Milly for more information Membership – chartered college
