TS
CLASS BOX ONE
Class ops GO LOCO
Written and developed by Tony Stephens
Contents 1. Introduction Underpinning skills and strategies that will support and promote the GO LOCO model 2.
Assessment for learning
3. 4.
Stretch and challenge Differentiation
5. 6.
Accelerated learning Active learning
GO LOCO 7. 8.
Install Music
9. 10.
Story Options
11.
Characters
START Level 1 – Knowledge - Known facts & terms Level 2 – Understanding and comprehend Level 3 – Apply and demonstrate Level 4 – Analyse and evaluate Level 5 – Create or synthesise
12.
Save game
13.
Credits
Introduction I love a good teaching model and am guilty of fully embracing most that come along: Learning styles, Multiple Intelligences, Accelerated learning, Quantum learning, right or left brain, Bloom’s taxonomy, N.L.P and the list carries on. I have always looked at myself as a bit of a magpie, so it hasn’t surprised me that I have used lots of snippets, tips and ideas from most of the mentioned theories and models and lots more from other sources, to create the GO LOCO model. Whilst teaching on a teacher training course, I am often challenged, or should I say, the theories and models are challenged, by the cohort of teachers I have in the lessons and lectures. Many believed we need to look afresh at how technology may have altered the way we think and potentially learn. I’ve noticed the pace at which learners interact and communicate is a lot faster than I remember (Though I am getting older).There has been some interesting recent studies that show changes in brain pattern behaviour that have occurred through use of computers or gaming devices. I’m not about to go into an academic essay on teaching and learning and the effects of technology in the 21st Century. That would take far too long! However I will throw my two pennies worth in and say it may well be changing the way we think and it is changing education and the way learners want to learn. Let’s try to give them a bit of what they want and a model to teach from that allows them to know the format and gives teachers a guide to ensuring all learners are engaged, challenged and learning.
I want this to be a practical and easy to use guide to the model. I guess what I have done, like so many before, is link several ideas together to create a new model or approach for teachers to work from. I’ve given suggestions on activities to use and also highlight where and when to use stretch and challenge, assessment for learning and differentiation. So how can I create a new and engaging way to approach teaching and learning in the 21st century that allows the learners of today some affordance to the structure and process of their learning whilst also keeping the traditional pedagogy of teaching and learning fully embedded within the model? I had to pose some questions: What is it that most engages the youth of today? Answer: Technology and gaming. How do they use technology and gaming? Answer: All the time on a variety of platforms. How could I use this to approach teaching and learning in a classroom environment? Could I create a game that can be used in the classroom? No, this wasn’t what I was looking at doing. There are many gaming companies that are embedding history and factual information into their games: Assassins creed, Mind craft and Call of duty to name a few. Also, there are learning games aimed at early years to higher education on the market and being incorporated into learning environments. So, this isn’t what I want to do. This isn’t to say that these games and new technology can’t be woven into the model that I am suggesting, on the contrary, I would actively promote the use of games and technology in education and within this model.
I have had the pleasure and joy of observing many tutors from a variety of teaching backgrounds and subjects. Whilst observing game design lessons, it suddenly hit me: the actual format of a game and how we are now hardwired to know and expect certain things to happen and in a certain order. The more we played the game the better we got. I’m getting more intrigued and the cogs are turning. The lesson was looking at how gamers like to have an easy win at the start of a game in order to: 1. Establish the rules and actions used in the game. 2. Learn the basic moves that will be needed during the game. 3. Give an idea of the story and what the objectives are. If only we could treat the learning process as a game and make it as enjoyable and as second nature as possible? We definitely learn more when we are having fun. Traditional pedagogy of teaching and learning mixed with the platform gaming format, sounds fun!
Surely I could synthesis this into how we might approach a lesson?
G.O L.O.C.O The following model is based around platform games and has incorporated within it Blooms taxonomy to promote stretch and challenge and differentiation, Hattie’s and William and Blacks theories and studies on assessment for learning as well as some collaborative and independent learning strategies taken from The Teachers Tool Kit by Paul Ginnis and Teaching Today by Geoff Petty. They are signposted as to when, where and what strategies could be used at the various stages or levels. You and your students will be familiar with the ideas and structures that are drawn from gaming and are in the blue print of many young learners, and not so young learners, in the 21st century. The GOLOCO model allows the learners the affordance they need to understand their own learning and to take control of their own progress and development.
This teaching model was developed by Tony Stephens and is aimed at giving teachers and students a lesson structure that will promote and develop independent learners. Many of the strategies have been passed on by experienced educational theorist and practitioners. The underpinning skills are research based and supported by evidence from case studies from around the world.
Many thanks to anyone who has ever worked with me, trained me, taught me or passed on tips and strategies. I do listen and take it in, much of it will be in this guide in some way or another. All the best, Tony.
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING As you would have noticed, assessment is used during all the stages in the G.O.L.O.C.O model. It is essential for learners to know how they are progressing. Just as in gaming, if you see no progress in a game, the result is usually, you give in. A lot of what gets in the way of learning is down to lack of self-confidence, self-expectations and obstacles we throw in the way ourselves. Build a safe and trusting learning environment, where assessment and identifying areas to develop are fully embedded and part of the learning process. We must give as much feedback as we can on how learners are progressing and also on how they can improve. Diagnostic assessments are crucial in finding and fixing areas to develop. Getting things wrong is how we find out how to do them right and improve. Don’t be frightened of wrong answers or how learners may interpret information given to them. See these opportunities as learning stages and a way of getting the learners to really understand the content of the topic or subject being taught. Looking at the research and work of John Hattie and also research carried out by William and Black, we can see the true importance of getting assessment right and ensuring learners understand the assessment process and the importance of it on their own development. We, in the west, have been predominantly obsessed with what is called the right answer syndrome, the result of this is often superficial learning. Learners may well be able to get through the end or course exam, but lack the skills to the transfer these skills into other environments. Many countries in the Far East have worked on promoting the diagnostic or find and fix model of assessment. This has encouraged independent leaning and problem solving skills from their learners, leading to deeper leaning and the ability to synthesis their knowledge into other situations.
STRETCH AND CHALLENGE The model incorporates opportunities to help students to challenge themselves and stretch their learning. This is gradual and very clear for learners to see. Hattie recognises through research the importance of learner having high expectations of themselves. If they exceed their own expectations they will learn to raise their own aspirations and progress further than they would if it were left for teachers to set the levels for them. For some learners, working in groups and actively engaging can be the stretch and challenge they need, for others it will be academic abilities they need to stretch and challenge. Some may be both. Whatever the area identified, it is important to get the students to recognise their own development and push themselves further to achieve and succeed. Looking at the theories and models of Bloom and the follow up work of his student Anderson, we can incorporate their taxonomy into the level stages of the GO LOCO model. Allowing all learners to go through the levels and use the higher order thinking skills. Some may think that stretch and challenge should be at the end of the lesson, where, at best, an additional piece of work is given to the learner to complete. Not so, there are lots of opportunities to stretch and challenge learners right throughout the lesson. Indeed, all learners should have the opportunity to be stretched and challenged in the lesson, not just the brightest. I would still advocate a stretch and challenge activity for the quickest learners at the end of the lesson, and this model gives some guidance on the sort of activities or tasks to use. Whatever happens it is important not to make this into extra work, almost a punishment. Make it fun and a reward to get to the end. We can challenge learners without giving them additional work to do.
DIFFERENTIATION A word banded about during almost every CPD day I have attended. Meeting the needs of learners is imperative in achieving true differentiated learning. Teachers can look at this as additional work but it can be the other way round if approached right. Knowing your learners is essential, and when I say knowing them, I mean knowing them: what is their favourite music, game, food? What ethos do they live by? What is their home life like? We can go a whole year of teaching students and not know these answers. Take time to really know the learners and they will help with differentiating themselves. An open and honest learning environment helps learners to trust in the group and the teacher. Show genuine interest in learners and they will repay this with openness and actively being involved in the learning. It’s not rocket science, Look in the mirror and say you like yourself. How did it make you feel? The Pygmalion effect = you need to believe what you say, find something about the learner that you like. There is always some good in all of us. (Don’t waste this power, it can weaken with over use!!) Differentiate the task Knowing the learners and their skills and abilities will guide you in choosing tasks that suit their skills and maximise their success. I have highlighted differentiation opportunities and strategies in the level stages. Differentiate the learners Identify leaners skills and knowledge, then ensure there is as even a spread as possible of learners in groups. Peers support is the best and will get more results if nurtured and encouraged in lessons.
ACCELERATED LEARNING „My personal belief is that human hidden reserves are endless. However, science has reached an understanding that they are far larger than currently realized.“ Prof. Dr. Georgi Lozanov
It sounds like some sort of scientific research that some educators may find daunting and possibly leave well alone. I would encourage all teachers and educators to understand the uses of accelerated learning, The strategies they are already using, without knowing it and also how they can begin to consciously embed accelerated learning strategies into all their lessons. Some of the research around this area has been included in the book and there are augmented links to presentations and techniques used. Experiential learning and suggestology are models and theories that I have drawn from and encourage all teachers and educators to research and understand. Georgi Lozanov: Suggestology Suggetology is a foreign language teaching approach based on the power of suggestion. Georgi Lozanov's (1926-) idea for this theory was largely based on investigations that he conducted as part of his work as a psychologist. Suggestology makes use of the physiological state of "paraconsciouness" as a venue through which a foreign language may be taught at an accelerated rate. This is based on the idea that when one's inhibitions are lowered, one has a greater opportunity to "absorb" and retain more information that might otherwise be harder to acquire in a normal foreign language learning environment.
The practice of Suggetology is controversial and has not gained widespread popularity. Some foreign language educators disagree with the approach of Suggestology because they claim that putting students in a vulnerable state of paraconsciousness is immoral. Lozanov, Georgi. Suggestology and Suggestopedy. Innovative Approaches to Language Teaching, ed. by Robert W. Blair, 146159. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers. There are lots of other strategies that can be employed to promote accelerated learning: Use music, drama, storytelling, collaborative learning, problem solving, role play, case studies, colours, visual displays, water and even super foods shouldn’t be totally ruled out as having benefits to learning and absorbing and retaining more information.
Let’s get going then, the learners are arriving to the lesson or in the gaming world are installing the game. A little bit of wait time, maybe time for an advert or two? I look at this as the starter activity, we’re waiting for the game to load, for those of you who remember the spectrum and commodore computers and games, and it can take a while! However for today’s gamers it’s a lot quicker. The starter should be a short activity that either gives some affordance to the lesson direction or promotes thinking and problem solving. As in many games, the install period gives various options and maybe even short games for the gamer to do whilst they wait for the game to load or in our case for the rest of the class to arrive and settle. It’s best to have a variety of starter activities but also keep it to a minimum as you want to establish routine and for learners to create pathways in their brains that will lead to leaning. I would suggest having six to 12 starters to choose from for the whole year. You can jumble these up and use them as and when the situation requires.
I have listed my 12 favourite starters for you to use but by all means find your own that suit your learners and your style: Reading activity – give short pieces of text, ask learners to identify key words in the text. Get them to write any new words onto the white board at the front of the class. Picture alphabet – show an image and ask learners to write as many words as they can that they think might relate to it. Boggle – word game – create as many words using the given letters. Puzzle – lots of puzzles out there – towers of Hanoi, word puzzles or match stick puzzles, research and source from the internet. Thunk question –The Book of Thunk questions. Loads of inspiration. An example of a Thunk question might be: If we doubled the size of house bricks, would it take half the time to build a house? Look at modern art – this gets people thinking outside the box. A bit of a gym session for the brain. Show a modern art picture and ask the learners to give it a name. Search activity – give coordiates to a map or place in the room and have a question, picture or word. The learners have to first find the hidden clue, then guess what it is linked to. Quote – use a quote that links in with the lesson and ask the learners to identify what or how it might link. Picture jigsaw – give a small jigsaw picture of an image used in the lesson. Ask the learner to complete it then discuss what it might be connected to.
Augmented starter – give learning tablet to learners on entry, ask them to use augmented images to research the lesson topic – choose
an engaging and interesting video for it to make it fun for the learners. Curiosity items – give intriguing or curious items for learners to look at – even have a table with a few so they can move over to the table and be mobile whilst looking. I-pad activity – use an app game that fits in with the lesson content – this is great for getting learners to the lesson early! Yes that’s right, EARLY!!! There are loads of educational app games on the market and available for free. Starter generator – link to starter generator power point – I have attached an augmented reality link to the starter producer for you to browse and identify your favourite starters.
We wouldn’t go on a run without warming up our muscles, so why would we expect our brains to be able to jump straight into learning at the snap of our fingers? Warm the brain up and get it into the right frame to learn. Don’t warm it up and it may as well be asleep!
The best music to use for this is an instrumental piece, though this is entirely up to the tutor and learners to decide. The important thing to remember is to use the same music at the start and end of the lesson. This lets the students know it is starting and also it’s the end of the lesson. Again we are now all hardwired into knowing this instinctively. Try it out in your next lesson, pick a piece of music, play it at the start and when you have finished. No more awkward ends to the lesson and you even find learners stay longer in the lesson, even when you want them to go!!!
Like any game, it is important to get the title and score music right, this is just as important in a teaching environment. The power of music has been acknowledged for many years now. In some communities such as the Japanese and Chinese cultures, it has been highly regarded for thousands of years. There has been endless research into the powers of music on healing and now learning has emerged as a receptacle for the world of music and sound. Baroque music has been used in many classrooms to get students ready to learn and even listen to the music whilst the learning is taking place. The Mozart effect is one theory that has stayed and seems to have some validity. I have tried playing Mozart to year 10 students from inner city Birmingham, and guess what? Yes, that’s correct, they didn’t like it. Don’t get stuck on the music, try to find a modern piece, even a rap piece of music. I wouldn’t suggest Killing in the name of or any that are too hyper. There is plenty of new music that learners will like and can be used to good effect. List of music to use stranger on the shore – summer holidays enya music – I like it. mozarts piano concerto for two in D major Happy Contemporary accelerated learning music http://www.stevenhalpern.com/prod/music-forlearning/musicforacceleratedlearning.html It is also important to pay attention to what is chosen for the main credits and end music. This again depends on the lesson and learners.
Like any game it is important to know what the end goal is, whether it be: rescuing the princess, destroying the enemy, creating a virtual world or building a virtual empire. This stage is linked to the lesson and course objectives. Great attention needs to be paid towards the lesson objectives or the story as we call it in this model. Learners need to understand and know what they are expected to do. If you have ever tried to have a go on one of your children’s games at home, you’ll know the importance of knowing what is expected. I am often shouted at for getting it totally wrong and in the case I’m referring to, getting shot within 10 seconds of starting the game. Even though I find it amusing at my child’s frustration with my incompetence, I cannot help but think how learners might feel during a lesson if they don’t really understand what they need to be doing. It’s like sending someone on a journey with a map but not telling them the final destination or where X marks the spot. If we can get the learners into a good habit of breaking down learning objectives and analysing them, this will aid the learning progress and ensure all leaners are informed and engaged, and directed to where they need to go.
There are lots of ways of introducing and looking at lesson objectives: 1. Set own lesson objective – what do they think they will learn? Show them the lesson objectives or theme of the lesson/lecture. Next, get them to write their own lesson objective. 2. Share the objectives around the small groups – get them to analyse the objective and share their thoughts with the rest of the group. 3. Group discussion of lesson objectives – use Socratic questioning to probe and get learners thinking. 4. Tutor informs on the lesson objectives then checks with directed questions. This is the traditional way and more than likely the way most teachers or educators might approach this stage of the game. 5. Students set goals after looking at objectives. Stretch and challenge students to set their own goals, these could be: work to a better time limit, keep work area tidy and create less waste, communicate more with peers, ask more questions in the lesson. A great technique I learned from a medical researcher was to make this into a competition: who can ask the most intriguing or probing question during the lesson or lecture. Recognition of some sort is given to the one the class feels was the best question. 6. Display the lesson objectives throughout the lesson. This is very important. It acts as a reference for both the learner and teacher. Any late arrivals can see what the lesson theme is and also it can be ticked off as the lesson progresses. Learners seeing progress keeps them more engaged in the lesson and their learning.
Clearly articulate learning goals. Students will be more motivated to work if they know what goals they are working towards. Thus, it is a good idea not only to articulate goals for the course, but also for specific lectures, discussions, and assignments. For example, before beginning a lecture, an instructor might write on the board the skills, knowledge, and perspectives students will gain that day (with appropriate effort), using concrete, student-centered language—for example, “When you leave today, you should be able to debate the pros and cons of a single-payer health plan; apply a particular economic framework to make predictions about interest rates; identify, illustrate and compare three theoretical approaches in child development.” Articulating learning goals is important for a variety of reasons, but it plays a key role in motivation by showing students the specific value they will derive from a particular course, unit, or activity. Show relevance to students’ academic lives. Students will be more motivated to work hard if they see the value of what they are learning to their overall course of study. Consequently, it is important to explain to students how your course will help prepare them for subsequent courses (e.g., a mathematics professor might help to motivate psychology students by explaining how the math skills they learn will help them in quantitative courses for their major). This gives students a better appreciation of the combined value of the courses they take and lets them see how each contributes to their overall education. It is also helpful to point out when students are learning skills that will help them later in the same course—especially when the material is difficult and potentially frustrating (e.g., an instructor might help encourage students who are struggling with a concept by saying, “This is a difficult idea, but a crucial one, and you’re going to be very glad you learned it when we begin …………………………………………..)
Demonstrate relevance to students’ professional lives. Students are more likely to exert effort in a course if they anticipate an eventual payoff in terms of their future professional lives. Consequently, instructors can enhance motivation by linking their course content to students’ intended professions, pointing out how the skills and knowledge students are gaining in class will help them after they graduate. An information systems instructor, for example, can motivate students to learn information systems principles by pointing to real-life database failures that resulted when these principles were not applied. A theatre instructor might motivate acting students to study Shakespeare by explaining how a rich understanding of a play’s context will contribute to their understanding of character. It is especially important to highlight the professional relevance of higher-level skills such as quantitative reasoning, public speaking, persuasive writing, and teamwork, because students do not always recognize their importance in the work world.
Highlight real-world applications of knowledge and skills. One effective way to harness student motivation is to have students apply what they are learning to real-world contexts. For example, a marketing professor might use a real-world industry case study to give students practice applying marketing principles to complex, contextualized problems. Similarly, in an information systems course, the instructor might assign a service-learning project in which students must build a database for a non-profit community organization. This kind of task allows students to work within authentic constraints, interact with real clients, and explore possible
professions. Such assignments may also create possibilities for future internships or jobs. All of these factors are likely to increase student motivation. Even in courses that are more theoretical than applied, instructors can convey the relevance of course content simply by pointing out its significance in the real world. For example, a mathematics professor teaching optimization might point out that financial institutions use optimization techniques to maximize trade efficiency. Connect to students’ personal interests. Motivation is often enhanced when instructors connect course material to students’ personal interests. For example, a chemistry professor might link a lesson on chemical transformations of carbohydrates to students’ interest in cooking. A history instructor might motivate interest in colonial history by showing how it helps to explain contemporary geopolitical conflicts or environmental problems. Similarly, well-constructed courses that tap into issues that are important to students (e.g., The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Philosophy and the Matrix [a popular film], The Statistics of Sexual Orientation) can capitalize on students’ motivation without sacrificing intellectual or disciplinary rigor.
Allow students some degree of choice. One possible way to enhance student motivation is to allow students to choose topics for papers and projects that connect the course content to their outside interests and passions. For example, a physics instructor might allow a student who plays different sports to do a project comparing the spin, rotation, and acceleration of differently shaped balls. A history instructor teaching about immigration might allow students to write about their own family’s immigration experience in relation to the course content. However, while flexibility and choice can be motivating, it is also important to recognize that weighing and choosing among alternatives requires cognitive effort and can create an extra burden for students. Thus, instructors might want to provide a restricted set of options and sufficient time to choose among them. This can enhance motivation without overwhelming students with too many choices. Show your own passion and enthusiasm. Your own enthusiasm about the course content can be powerful and contagious. Even if students are not initially attracted to or interested in the material, by clearly demonstrating your own enthusiasm, you can often raise students’ curiosity and motivate them to find out what excites you about the subject. This can lead them to engage more deeply than they had initially planned and to discover value they had overlooked. I know I said I liked escapology but …… How tight should we do this?
This stage of the model looks at the options in the lesson, by this I mean: 1. Functional skills – what functional skills are used in the lesson? There will be opportunities to identify any functional or core skills being used during the lesson. We can either: write them on the board prior to the lesson starting; discuss them with the students at the start and add them or add them as we progress through the lesson. 2. Equality and diversity – how can we identify areas for E&D in the lesson? You would have given this some thought prior to the lesson and may well have lots of suggestions. Let the learners identify their own connections to E&D in the lesson, give them direction if needed. Has the lesson given thought to equity for all in the lesson? Have all learners got the same opportunity to engage and participate? Are there opportunities to look at other cultures that are connected to the lesson topic? We must ensure we connect to the meaning and link to what the lesson themes are. It’s not just about bringing in a samosa if it’s Diwali, even though I love Indian and Asian food. O’ go on then, bring them in, I do like my food.
3. Stretch and challenge – Write your own learning objectives but also ask learners to write what they want from the lesson. Also look at asking learners to set individual personal goals. 4. Employability skills – How does the work or topic link into future employment skills they will need? A lot of what we read in the story section relates well with the options stage. If we can get learners to connect the options to the lesson theme the achievement and engagement will fall naturally into place. The need for learners to connect what they are learning the reality of their lives and future careers and work is vital. This stage of the model need to get learners to focus on the various elements. What skills will be used in the lesson? Get the students to help identify these, we often write down the skills used for them, this may be fine with some groups, but no matter what the level, it is essential to their development and learning that they understand how the skills are linked into their own lives and work. It is through them seeing the links that they become intrinsically motivated to participate and learn.
The way in which the model works is on a collaborative learning basis that shrinks to paired work then finally to individual work. Just as in games we can look at choosing a character or equipment needed. Learners will engage more if they are given or choose task or roles to do. This can also be a good stage to differentiate the learners and giving them roles that will stretch and challenge as well as offering opportunities to achieve. Giving learners roles within group work is essential and ensuring the activity has ground rules is key for group work to be productive. Any group work needs to be facilitated and monitored to ensure all learners and participating and the groups are working well together. The introduction of a student classroom assistant can work really well in helping to monitor and manage this process. I have observed many a practical lesson where a student manager has been selected to help facilitate this and it works really well. Not only does it develop work skills but also communication, leadership and organisation skills to name a few.
The concept and theories around experiential learning are also key to the GO LOCO Model. Some call it active learning or learning by doing.
Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand"
There are lots of teaching and learning activities that will engage the learners and also ensure they are working collaboratively, problem solving and also actively engaged in the material being taught. I have noted a few activities down for you to try. There are many more out there and I would encourage you to research or even experiment with your learners to develop your own versions: Market place Jigsaw Silent sentences Artist’s easel
KNOWLEDGE This needs to be a quick win and an introduction to the skills and knowledge needed in the lesson. Look at super Mario and how the game starts. We don’t go straight to the complicated big jumps and difficult levels, we start with an easy jump and a few obstacles. Enough to give us the basic skills needed further on in the game. Likewise with the lesson we give students the opportunity to gain knowledge of the concepts or objectives in the lesson and key skills they will need.
Differentiate This is facilitated through randomly chosen small groups in the classroom. The group roles will need to be guided at first by the teacher. This will get easier over time and the learners will eventually select their own roles for the group work stages as they will be aware of their own strengths or areas they might want to develop.
Assessment for learning We ask learners to evaluate and self-assess themselves on the lesson objectives or subject knowledge at the start, which is at this stage of the lesson. They have just had a quick win and should now the lesson objectives and what they need to do in order to succeed. There are several ways in which we can do this: 1-10 time line – 1 = no knowledge = 10 = expert knowledge – get the learners to rate themselves 1-10 on how they feel or the level of knowledge they have on the given subject. Starter for 4 – questions = give a selection of questions and ask students to write down on a simple table how many they can answer. Name
Start of End of lesson lesson Abdul Haque 1 Sarah McMillan 3 Colin Dunn 1 Sami Parandeep 0 Shannon Connor 2 Get them to record the questions they couldn’t answer and you can use these to infill missing knowledge by asking them to research and feedback via the course Moodle site or learning app such as Socrative or Edmodo. This allows instant feedback and for you to get them used to learning out of the classroom. Number of fingers in the air – 1 = not sure – 5 = completely understand. K.L.W – know (what they know at the start – learned (what they have learned)– What they want to know more of.
Examples: Recite the safety rules for ………………. List all the types/parts/ of ……………… Quote prices from memory to a customer. Recall –
any information you already have on this subject t or topic.
Outline –
the main themes of today’s objectives
Reproduce – what you remember form ………. ? State –
any known information on the history of ………………….
Proper use – what/where might we use ………… Students are more likely to retain information if it is needed for a specific task and linked to relevant information. Do your questions in this area allow students to link aspects of knowledge necessary for the task? Key Words:
Describe what you see... What is the name for… What is the best one… Where in the book would you find…
defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states
What are the types of graph… What are we looking for? Where is this set? Knowledge is the perception of the agreement or disagreement of two ideas—John Locke (1689) BOOK IV. Of Knowledge and Probability. An Essay: Concerning Human Understanding.
UNDERSTAND The next level needs to be slightly more difficult, though still not too challenging as to put the learners off the game. Again they are placed into small collaborative groups. This time the groups are differentiated by learners knowledge and understanding of the lesson outcomes and objectives. Also take into account skills the group may need to function and be productive, such as: organisation skills, leadership, note taking, presenting and communication skills. We are asking the groups to demonstrate their understanding using various activities that help to show this, often using some sort of assessment tool or activity that will help learners to show their understanding of the topic. Understanding: Comprehending the meaning, translation, interpolation, and interpretation of instructions and problems. State a problem in one's own words. Differentiation: Look at differentiating the learners by giving roles in the group work and active learning stage of the level. We can use the results from the measuring learning tools to identify what learners need to be in what groups. As I stated, try to aim for as even a matched groups as possible. Don’t put all the smart students together and try to ensure the gender of the groups is even as well.
Assessment for learning strategy: Question wall – students use posits to pose questions they want further answers for.
Work in their groups identify key questions they may all have. Write these down and ask the class. Use Socratic questioning to probe their answers and get others to challenge or support and extend on the answers. Add to the measure learning tools from level 1 assessment for learning. Starter for 4 – revisit the starter for 4 activity and get them to see if they can answer any more of the questions. K.L.W – (what they know at the start – learned (what they have learned)– What they want to know more of. You can use this as you progress through the lesson and ask learners to input the new knowledge as they progress through the lesson. Name ………………………………. date ……………………. What I know
What I have learned
subject…………………… What I want more of
EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRA\TING ACTIVITIES Understand Paraphrase – the themes from the play Romeo and Juliette Explains – the ways in which oil is processed Estimate – the given time allocated to perming hair. Give an example – how health and safety is adhered to at work Interpret – todays lesson objectives and how they link to the course. Translate an equation into a computer spreadsheet. Explain in one's own words the steps for performing a complex task. Rewrite the principles of test writing. Comprehension questions require the students to process the knowledge they already have in order to answer the question. They demand a higher level of thinking and information processing than knowledge questions. How do you think… Why do you think… What might this mean… Explain what a spreadsheet does… What are the key features… Explain your model… What is shown about… What happens when…
Key Words: Comprehends, converts, clarify, compare, defends, discuss, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalises, gives an example, infers, interprets, outline, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, restate, summarises, translates
APPLY AND DEMONSTRATE Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand" Learners are now placed into pairs in order to reduce the shared input and challenge their understanding by giving them tasks that require them to apply the skills or knowledge they have been learning in the lesson. Applying: Use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. Applies what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in the work place. Questions in this area require students to use their existing knowledge and understanding to solve a new context. They demand more complex thinking. Students are more likely to be able to apply knowledge to a new context if it is not too far removed from the context with which they are familiar. Take care and thought in giving learners activities they can connect with and is suitably challenging for them.
Apply activities list Apply Classify – all the main components used in ……………………. Produce – a mind map that shows all the elements of …………… Relate – how the objectives connect to the information given. Solve – the problem given using the skills and knowledge learned Use a manual to calculate an employee's vacation time. Apply laws of statistics to evaluate the reliability of a written test. Differentiation The learners are working in pairs at this stage of the lesson. Place them in pairs and really give it some thought on who works with who. It can be useful to think about behaviour management at this stage and ensure any challenging learners are near to where you can see and keep a watchful eye on them. The learners are going to be applying the learning from the lesson to a given task. I have suggested some activities and key words to use at this level.
Assessment for learning. Peer or self-assessment. It is a good idea to give assessment criteria or a rubrics check sheet for learners to use. This gives them clear guild lines to work from. This is an excellent stage to introduce diagnostic feedback and medal and mission feedback. Hattie has highlighted the importance of feedback and how peer learning can increase achievement levels in learners.
Quizzes can be used to good affect at this stage: Socrative – app – a quick quiz or general open question regarding an open answer from the learners. This works with smart phones or tablets, but can also be used with conventional PC’s. Quick off the draw – 10 questions and three packs. Three teams challenge to see who can answer all the questions first. Have a runner to collect one question at a time. As soon as they record the answer, the next person runs to collect the next question. First to finish. Then check the answers. Team quiz, fastest to the buzzer – what it says on the tin. Use a selection of questions to check to see if the knowledge has sunk in.
Key Words: Applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates, discovers,employ, manipulates, modifies,model, operates, predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses, Organise.
ANALYSE AND EVALUATE The next level takes the students to working independently and requires them to analyse and evaluate what they have been working on. This provides the teacher with a reliable and valid assessment of the learning and can identify more clearly the areas some learners may need additional input.
Analysing: Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Distinguishes between facts and inferences.
Analyze
Evaluate
outline
rank
contrast
criticize
diagram
defend
identify
critique
differentiates
conclude
infer
predict
Analysis Examples: Troubleshoot a piece of equipment by using logical deduction. Recognise logical fallacies in reasoning. Gathers information from a department and selects the required tasks for training. Analysis questions require students to break down what they know and reassemble it to help them solve a problem. These questions are linked to more abstract, conceptual thought which is central to the process of enquiry:
Separate…(e.g. fact from opinion) What is the function of… What assumptions are being made… What is the evidence… State the point of view… Make a distinction… What is this really saying?
Key Words: analyses, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, separates
Evaluating:
Make judgments about the value of ideas or
materials. After the learners have analysed their work get them to evaluate it. Evaluate Examples: Select the most effective solution. Hire the most qualified candidate. Explain and justify a new budget. Evaluation questions expect students to use their knowledge to form judgements and defend the position they take up. They demand very complex thinking and reasoning. Which is more important/moral/logical… What inconsistencies are there in…
Key Words: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates, evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, supports
What errors are there… Why is…valid… order important?
How can you defend…
Why does it change?
Why is the
Differentiate We want all leaners to get to this level and understand the importance of analytical skills and evaluation the process or content. Some may well be more skilled in this area and others may have lots of development opportunities. In Bloom’s taxonomy, we often think of the higher order thinking skills as being reserved for the more gifted or academic learners. Not so, if we were to offer a choice to a toddler and ask them what their favourite toy is and why they like it, would they be able to answer? Yes. Then why would we think our learners wouldn’t be able to evaluate and analyse? They can and do all the time, it’s up to us to help them to recognise this and promote their comprehension. Assessment for learning Self-assessment is used for the learners on level 4 – we want them to develop and stretch their understanding of themselves and how they feel they need to improve. By doing this we are promoting and encouraging true independent learners. Try using augmented reality links and e-learning tablets that engage the learners and save the tutor time. The use of smart phones and learning tablets can aid this in a very effective and engaging way. Augment a correct worksheet or exemplar of the work being carried out. Ask the learners to check and correct their own work.
CREATE We’ve got to the boss level. If we get here in any level game we are doing well and have a good grasp of both the skills needed in the game and also the outcomes of the game. Even though this is the most difficult part of the game, we all want to challenge the boss and beet it. Learning will be no different: This is the stretch and challenge level, too often stretch and challenge has been see as just giving additional work sheets to do. Top truly encourage students to want to stretch themselves we must make this activity both mysterious and interesting. It should almost be a reward. Creating: Builds a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.
Create categorize modify design plan revise actualize
Examples: Write a company operations or process manual. Design a machine to perform a specific task. Integrates training from several sources to solve a problem. Revises and process to improve the outcome. Synthesis questions demand that students combine and select from available knowledge to respond to unfamiliar situations or solve new problems. There is likely to be a great diversity of responses. Propose an alternative… What conclusion can you draw… How else would you… State a rule… How do the writers differ in their response to…
Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells, writes
Differentiate: Learners are working independently, though the end product may be varied and at different levels. Relook at the start goals or objectives set by the learners. Have they achieved them? What could they do to ensure they do achieve? As so the cycle continues, use the areas they identify themselves as their next learning goal. Assessment for learning Self-assessment is used for the learners who reach level 5 – we want them to develop and stretch their understanding of themselves and how they feel they need to improve. By doing this we are promoting and encouraging true independent learners. Add to the measure learning tools from level 1 assessment for learning. Starter for 4 – revisit the starter for 4 activity and get them to see if they can answer any more of the questions. K.L.W – (what they know at the start – learned (what they have learned)– What they want to know more of. You can use this as you progress through the lesson and ask learners to input the new knowledge as they progress through the lesson. Name Abdul Haque Sarah McMillan Colin Dunn Sami Parandeep Shannon Connor
Start of lesson 1 3 1 0 2
End of lesson 3 4 3 3 4
The end of the game or lesson, we need to save what we have done. We want to recap what we have been learning and identify the areas that need more input. Plenary activity is used at this stage Also the use of exit tickets is encouraged. Use Socrative teacher/student – pose a question and leave it as an open ended answer. These can be checked before the next lesson and used as starters or assessment for learning. Moodle - create an area to use as a forum for the group. Encourage learners to access the moodle page out of the lesson. Get them to leave feedback and comments. Too often, learners can leave a lesson and not give the content any further thought. For true learning to take place, they need to be asking questions and giving valid and rich feedback. Post it notes – ask learners to write questions on post it notes and then read out to garner the group’s thoughts and answers. This needs a bit of time given at the end of the lesson, group discussions can over run so take care to manage this. Question wall – ask learners to write questions on the given question wall. The tutor can read these and recap any missing knowledge for the students at the start of the next lesson or even via moodle or an app such as Edmodo. Evaluation sheets (paper based or online) some excellent online evaluation forms can be used or just revert to paper based. Try to do this anomalously as it allows for greater trust and openness from the learners.
Music As a nice touch and to encourage that feeling of a learning community, we use the students’ names on a rolling credits (like in a film, this allows students to know it’s the end) played at the end of the lesson and using the same music as you played at the start of the lesson. This can be chosen by the learners and changed each week. Even turn this into a reward system that is awarded to the learner who has shown good application in the lesson or has been chosen by their peers for whatever criteria you, or they, wish.
I hope this gives you a few ideas and you’ll be able to use this model in your own teaching and learning. I will be developing a website on which you’ll be able to give feedback on how well the model works and whether the learners and learning has developed.
Now you can all GO LOCO and have a go at planning using this guide and model.
Level key words Appendix 1.
Knowledge
define describe examine identify indicate know label list match name outline recall recognize record relate reproduce restate select show state
Comprehension Application Analysis Evaluation Synthesis choose act analyze appraise adapt cite administer appraise assess arrange convert apply assess collaborate articulate defend change break down compare assemble describe collect calculate conclude collaborate detect compute categorize contrast combine discuss construct classify criticize communicate distinguish control compare critique compose estimate convert contrast describe consolidate explain demonstrate debate discriminate construct extend derive deduce estimate create generalize develop describe evaluate design give examples diagram detect explain develop identify discover diagram interpret devise infer employ differentiate judge establish locate estimate discriminate justify explain paraphrase facilitate distinguish measure formulate predict generalize elicit rate generate recognize help examine reconsider incorporate rephrase illustrate extrapolate reflect initiate report implement identify relate integrate restate interpret illustrate summarize intervene select manipulate infer support justify summarize modify inspect validate manage operate question verify modify perform recognize organize practice reflect plan predict relate predict prepare select prepare present solve propose produce sort reflect provide systematize relate regulate tabulate revise schedule test summarize share synthesize show tell solve write use