VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

SEPTEMBER 2015

The FE Toolkit:
A Magazine for Grade 1 Teachers
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING (AFL)
SPECIAL Aristotle
FEATURES
ASSESSMENT 1 ‘We are what we
CORNER

NATIONAL 2
repeatedly do. Excellence
CONFERENCE
then, is not an act, but a
IMPLEMENTING
AFL
3
habit’.
THE NEW OFSTED 4
FRAMEWORK

THE ASSESSMENT 5
Assessment for Learning or Formative
WHEEL Assessment?
SELF- 9 The literature tends to use these terms interchangeably (see Wiliam,
ASSESSMENT 2011, pp39-40 for an exception to this). The underlying principle is that
assessment is undertaken during the learning process to give students
and teachers an idea about how well the student is doing. The outcome of
the assessment helps the teacher decide how to adjust their teaching to
IN-FOCUS better meet learner needs.

John Hattie, in Visible

Learning 2009, argues that
effective feedback to
students MUST contain the
following three ingredients:
 An understanding of the The Mid-Unit Assessment
desired goal
Waiting till the end of the unit to assess students may
 Evidence about their
present position in
not help you identify misconceptions or difficulties that
relation to that goal students have, and by this time it is too late!
 Guidance on the way to
close the gap between the  Include a short assessment half-way through your unit.
two  Ensure that the questions are ‘BIG’ questions — ones that
It should: are pivotal to the unit, and which underpin the student’s
 Focus on what is being future knowledge development.
learned (success criteria)
 Put time aside in your scheme of work for re-visiting and
 Occur as students are reflecting on the assessment outcomes.
doing something
 Give information on why  Concentrate on ‘finding faults and fixing’ for every student.
criteria met/ not met  Give each student a target to work towards.

www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 2

NATIONAL FE CONFERENCE 2016 Who is Lord Adonis?

Join us at this year's National FE Conference, hosted by

Newbubbles Ltd. Another dazzling gala of speakers from the world
of politics, academia and the FE community.
The UK’s most talked-about FE Conference
Lord Adonis was Tony Blair’s
Chief Education Advisor and
served in Labour’s policy unit
1998-2001 and became
Head of Policy, Prime
Minister’s Office, in 2001-3.
He almost single-handedly
created the Schools Academy
System, which continues to
be a significant government
priority under David
Cameron.
A fierce critic of
comprehensive schools, he
saw these as emblematic of
the culture of low
expectations and standards
that he felt bedevilled
children’s state education.
From a working class
background himself, before
escaping to boarding school
on a state scholarship and
then to Oxford, Adonis
wanted the same opportunity
for all working class children,
and set the seeds for the
+VAT gradual dismantling of
comprehensive schooling as
we know it. A highly
controversial figure, he now
turns his attention to the
plight of the FE sector. For
many, it could be an
uncomfortable ride!

Speakers
The list of speakers at the
Newbubbles 2016, National
Conference on 24th March
2016 is another Who’s Who
of the FE sector:
 Dr Jonathan Tummons
 Richard Moore HMI — Senior
OFSTED Inspector
 Richard Atkins, Principal—
Exeter College
 Dr Matt O’Leary
 Helen Groves
 Dr John Lea (AoC HE Project
Manager)
 Dr Jim Crawley - Chair,
Teacher Education in Lifelong
Newbubbles Ltd is proud to join forces with FE Week as Learning (TELL)
our media partner for this year’s conference.  Jay Stewart - Gendered
Intelligence

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 3

FIVE STRATEGIES FOR AFL Implementing AfL

In ‘Embedded Formative Assessment’, Dylan Wiliam (2011) sets out five strategies that Wiliam (2011) explains how to
describe the practice of assessment for learning: implement his five strategies in
the following way:
1. Success Criteria: How do students
come to find out what they are doing
and where they are going? Wiliam’s
‘learning intentions’ seem very close
to what FE teachers understand
‘learning outcomes’ to be, and he
makes the following observation:
don’t be over-prescriptive, ensure
sufficient generality so that learning
can be transferred to similar tasks,
focus on the process of learning (e.g.
skills, thought processes) rather than
content, and use the vocabulary of
the discipline whenever appropriate,
not a dumbed down or ‘student-
friendly version. Activities: (i) have
students (in pairs, small groups)
review samples of student work and
discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of the samples; (ii) have
students discuss exemplars, and to
deduce why these are considered as
such.
2. Teacher Tasks: It is essential that
teachers explore students’ thinking
before assuming that students have
understood something. Asking ‘Big’
questions can tell a teacher whether
it is a prudent to move on to the next
stage of the syllabus or whether a
topic will need to be re-visited. Some
knowledge provides the foundation
for later learning, so ‘Big’ questions
are used to test ‘bedrock knowledge’.
Key Study: Inside the Blackbox Activities: (i) random-nominated
questioning; If a student says ‘don’t
know’, get answers from the rest of
In 1998, Professors Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam the group, and go back to the original
wrote a celebrated article entitled: “Inside the Black student and say ‘Which answer do
you prefer?’; (ii) Think-Pair-Share -
Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom the teacher poses a question or
Assessment” that highlighted the importance of using loaded statement ‘Russia was the
cause of World War I’ and students
formative assessment (AfL) techniques to improve discuss in pairs and small groups
learner achievement. before being engaged by the teacher.
Feedback: Praise effort and relative
Note: assessment becomes formative when it is used Paul Black Dylan William distance-travelled, not absolute
to help teachers make changes to their instructional performance against an expected
standard, avoid grading where
practice to better support learner needs. possible, use comment-only
feedback, ensure feedback is action-
driven leading to an improvement
Main Findings: (the +1 effect), teach students how
to give each other feedback.
 Conventional marking strategies provide limited useful guidance on how work can be improved.
Peer Learning: Peer-to-peer tutoring
 Teachers (Black & Wiliam focused mostly on schools) did not regularly share advice on how to use can be as powerful as 1:1 tutor
formative assessment methods . instruction (Wiliam, 2011). Two key
features are necessary: group goals
 Using formative assessment (AfL) methods can boost performance by more than one GCSE grade and individual accountability (Slavin
et al, 2003). Activities: (i) peers
or improve the rate of learning by more than 25% (effect sizes of between 0.4 to 0.7). scrutinise each other’s work before
 Formative methods raise overall performance and especially for low achievers. submitting it; (ii) peers evaluate each
other’s work by giving ‘two stars and
 Grading / giving marks does not support student improvement. For many students, grades simply a wish’; (iii) Groups of students set
each other end-of-topic questions.
reinforce a self-view of low ability, which causes de-motivation, lowered self-esteem and inhibits
future learning. Grades only work for students who get good grades! Self-Assessment: Some research
(e.g. Fontana & Fernandes, 1994)
 In classrooms with a culture of grading, students tend to avoid difficult tasks and are less likely to shows that self-assessment can
volunteer to answer questions or take roles with additional responsibilities. double the rate of learning. Students
are motivated by goals that are
 It is better to have frequent short tests than infrequent long ones. specific, within reach and offer a
challenge. Activities: (i) Traffic Lights -
What I Know Well (Green), What I
On feedback, Black & Wiliam (1998, p7) offered the following advice: Can Almost Do (Amber), What I Need
Help With (Red); (ii) Paraphrasing -
“feedback to any [student] should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with advice on one minute summary, the top 3
what he or she can do to improve, and should avoid comparisons with other [students]” points, the muddiest point, Journal -
Q: How I have developed today.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 4

THE NEW OFSTED FRAMEWORK 2015 Embedding AfL

Zita Lysaght’s (2015) paper

“If education is the key to unlocking the entitled ’AfL for Self-
Regulation’ surveyed the
well-being and prosperity of our nation, assessment practices of 476
then our future success rests in the teachers in Irish state
education.
hands of great leaders”.
Criteria: Sharing Learning
Intentions (Outcomes) &
Michael Wilshaw, Chief Inspector Success Criteria
The Future of Inspection: Understanding the Changes, June 2015 Most Embedded Practices:
 Learning intentions are
shared with students in a
A Summary of the Changes: ‘user friendly’ way, for
example by asking them to
 Inspection frameworks for schools, colleges, independent providers and early years have been guess ‘what happens next’
harmonised into ONE single framework.
 Inspection handbooks will be written for each sector and contain the detail and context (i.e. age
 Students are reminded about
the links between what they
range) that inspectors and practitioners will be working to. are learning and the ‘big
 A greater focus on leadership and management. picture’.
 The return of ‘capacity to improve’ as a key index of ‘college effectiveness’.  Success criteria are
 An even greater emphasis on college self-assessment and accurate reporting of performance. differentiated to students’
 A stronger focus on the ‘student experience’. needs (e.g. individually
tailored goals or objectives).
 An increased emphasis on safeguarding and the extent that curriculum provision is meeting
employer needs. Least Embedded Practices:
 Four instead of three key aspects, and re-jigged so that they appear in the following order in the
inspection report: (1) Leadership & Management (2) Teaching, Learning & Assessment (3)  Students are given
responsibility for checking
Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare (4) Outcomes for Children & Learners. their learning against the
 Judgements of Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare will include for information on success criteria of lessons
student progressions (e.g. into employment, HE, higher FE etc). It will also be specifically focused (e.g. using learning logs or
on: (1) emotional welfare (2) physical well-being (3) healthy eating (4) moral development (5) checklists).
PREVENT - avoiding radicalisation.  Prompts used by teachers to
 Good and outstanding providers will be subject to shorter inspections (2 days for FE providers) remind students of learning
and led by an HMI. intentions / success criteria
 The presumed standards for each provider is GOOD, but If the status of the college is judged as during class (e.g. using
WALT— We Are Learning To;
being higher or lower than GOOD, inspectors may call in a larger team for a full inspection. Rapid or WILF— What I Am Looking
improvement or rapid decline will be triggers for a large-scale inspection. For). These can be posed as
 Subject Sector Areas (SSAs) will no longer be graded. Instead, grades and inspection summaries questions to learners: e.g. at
will be given to: (1) 16-19 study programmes (2) adult learning programmes (3) apprenticeships the start of exercises—‘What
(4) traineeships (5) provision for learners with high needs (5) provision for full-time 14-16 year Are We Learning Here?’ and
olds. then later ’What Are You Still
Looking For?’
 7 out of 10 inspectors will be leaders working in the FE sector (in theory!).
 Whilst every effort will be made to ensure that inspectors have subject-specific knowledge of their Criteria: Providing Feedback
inspected area, this is no longer a guarantee! (Then again, to what extent was this the case
anyway?) Most Embedded Practices:
 Feedback to students is
focused on learning
intentions (outcomes) and
success criteria
 Teacher-made tests are used
diagnostically to identity
strengths and learning
needs.

Least Embedded Practices:

 Feedback given utilises
previous student
achievements and progress
in class.
 Close-the-gap feedback (for
skills, knowledge, attitude) is
used to set actions for
improving.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 5

THE ASSESSMENT WHEEL

Tully (2015) has adapted Wiliam’s 5 AfL criteria to produce an assessment wheel which identifies 3 common assessment
practices that teachers can employ to implement each of the criteria into mainstream practice:

The choice of AfL methods is not

exhaustive, and indeed the AfL wheel
is designed so that it can be adapted
to each organisation’s specific
learning context.

Adapted from an idea by

David Sladkey (2013)

© Paul Tully 2015

Drop Us A Line!
If you would like more information or
direct trainer input about how to
employ the Assessment Wheel in
your organisation, please e-mail
Emma Jackson at:
[email protected]

A Great CPD Tool

AfL Card Template
The Assessment Wheel can be used as
a CPD tool for both individual teachers
and teaching teams.
 Copy the template opposite and use
one for each teaching week or
teaching month.
 Each time one of the activities is used
in class, colour in the white segment.
Over a period of time, it is possible to
track how teachers/ teaching teams
are using AfL techniques in their
classrooms (score = number of
shaded areas).
 You might use one card per class, per
week, for an end of topic, or a mid-
year / end-year self-assessment.
 For CPD managers and Teaching
Managers, compare individuals,
courses and departments at strategic
points in the academic year to health-
check your AfL delivery.
 For teachers looking to improve from
grade 3 to grade 2 or grade 1,
especially when student progress is an
issue, the AfL wheel is an excellent
way of diagnosing and improving AfL
teaching strategies.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 6

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING ACTIVITIES

8 Assessment for Learning Tasks to Get You Thinking!

Medal & Mission Loaded Questions

Aim: A process for extending and challenging the learner Aim: A stretch & challenge questioning technique that
to make improvements to their skills and knowledge checks and reinforces understanding of vocabulary
 Ensure task goals are clear and understood by the student.  Loaded questions is a phrase coined by Tully in 2012.
 When the student has completed the task, ask them to self-  When the teacher asks a question, the student is asked to
assess against the task criteria. include specific vocabulary or concepts in their answer. It
 Teacher feedback should acknowledge competent works on the principle that mastery of vocabulary = richer
performance (medal) . subject understanding .
 Teacher feedback should include an action for improving  The teacher poses a question and then asks the student to
their task performance (mission). use X, Y or Z in their answer. If the answer is only partially
given, another student ‘tops up’ with a new ‘loaded’ answer.

A, B, C, D ‘Might’
Aim: A self-assessment activity in which students use A, B, Aim: A questioning technique designed to encourage more
C or D to denote their understanding of a new concept students to participate in the answer
 A keyword, concept, topic or question is provided to students.  When questioning, insert the word ‘might’ to give students
 The A, B, C, D prompt is now provided on which students self- greater opportunity to think and explore possible answers.
assess their understanding of this item (A - I could teach  Example: ‘What is the meaning of democracy? ‘ becomes
others about; B - I know something about; C - I know a little ‘What might the meaning of democracy be?’
about; D - I know nothing about.  The first question infers a single answer known by the
 It might be a way of streaming a specific exercise or better teacher whereas the second is inherently more open and the
still, a way of getting the As to explain what they know to student feels on safer ground when giving an answer.
everyone else (peer coaching).

Exemplars ‘Question Time’

Aim: To help students identify outstanding practice in their Aim: Often referred to as ‘student questions’, this exercise
discipline requires students to set questions for each other
 Collect together examples of good practice from a previous  Idea 1: Set pairs of students a piece of academic reading and
student year (get consent first & remove names). then devise 5 questions that their partner must answer.
 Idea 1: Ask current students (individually or in pairs) to  Idea 2: Get groups of students to develop test questions for
highlight those areas that mark the assignment out as an end of topic review, and then run it as a whole-class quiz.
outstanding and draw up a checklist of good practice.  Idea 3: Introduce a ‘question box’ into each lesson and
 Idea 2: Ask students to discuss what good practice might spend the last 5 minutes getting students to write down one
look like first, devise checklist and then apply to exemplar, question they want the teacher to cover next time.
and add to checklist anything that the exemplar illustrates.

‘Big’ Questions Comment-Only Marking

Aim: A questioning technique that is used at crucial check Aim: To provide students with a focus for making progress
points along the lesson/ topic to confirm progress that doesn’t involve awarding grades
 A Big Question is a pivotal question, one in which students  Grades reward or punish student egos — they rarely lead to a
must be able to answer before progressing to the next stage commitment by the student to improve.
of the lesson or topic (Dylan Wiliam calls these ‘hinge
questions’). Multiple choice questions are one way of posing  Spend as much time commenting on the skills required to
effective ‘big’ (hinge) questions. produce the work as you might on the content.
 It should take students no longer than 2 minutes to answer  Include two questions for students to engage with -
and no more than 30 seconds for teachers to analyse. questions to clarify, to challenge or to prompt more detail.
 Students are asked to explain any incorrect responses.  Use a marking key with symbols to denote areas for ‘fixing’.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 7

WHOLE-CLASS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES Spot-Quizzes

In 1996, the celebrated
educationalist Bruce
Tuckman wrote an
influential paper entitled
‘Using Spotquizzes as an
Incentive to Motivate
Procrastinators to Study’.
Tuckman defines a spotquiz
as a mini-test, composed of
5-7 questions that is set for
students at the beginning of
each lesson. The spotquiz
Testing Individuals as a Whole Group
covers material from the
previous session (or
sessions) to which the
current lesson is related.
The term ‘procrastination’
often refers to people who
think of reasons not to do
something. In this case, it
refers to students who resist
Names From A Hat Traffic Light Cards or reject the need to take
control of their own learning
(self-regulation). This may
have several causes: low
self-belief in one’s
capability, external factors
impinging on the student,
apathy induced by a habit of
blaming others for one’s
current situation, or low
motivation due to the lack
of an immediate reward for
engaging in learning.
Thumbs Up — Raffle Tickets
Tuckman found that
Thumbs Down teachers who use regular
spotquizzes with high
procrastinators (in college
students) increases student
motivation, desire to
achieve and actual
performance to a much
greater extent than the
setting of homework
assignments.

Tuckman summarises by
One Sentence Random Number
saying: “For those students
Summary Picker who have a marked
(www.classtools.net) tendency to procrastinate,
incentive motivation would
appear to provide the
needed inducement to self-
regulate. Regular testing of
assigned material appeared
to be a necessary stimulus
for causing serious and
timely studying by those
students who, when on their
own, have a marked
Post-It Notes Mini-Wipeboards tendency to procrastinate”.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 8

PEER ASSESSMENT Try This!

Mike Gershon’s Assessment for
Giving another student feedback on their work is not easy. It needs to be Learning Guide (2013) offers
approached with care and delicacy. These peer assessment guides have been teachers a smorgasbord of peer
adapted from www.teachingessentials.co.uk — they provide a useful rubric for assessment techniques:
conducting peer assessment. Envoys: Divide the class into
groups and give each one a
separate set of resources and
topic to prepare. Groups elect
envoys to work around the other
groups teaching them the topic
they have prepared in their own
group.
Peer Observers: With group
activities, nominate a member
from each group to act as a peer
observer. Give them a brief and
a simple checklist to structure
their observations, and then ask
them to feedback on what the
see and hear - if you want
feedback on specific skills or
discussion points, make these
part of the checklist. Ask
observers to give feedback to:
(i) the group (ii) the whole class
only; (iii) both the group and the
whole class. You can also ask
observers to set goals for each
group member.

It’s No Democracy!
Dylan Wiliam (2011) makes
it clear that it is the teacher’s
given responsibility to set the
Sentence Stems: Students will need guidance on how to peer assess another criteria for the student’s
student’s work. Follow this simple framework — again, adapted from an idea at success—it is not for the
students to dictate this. He
www.teachingessentials.co.uk. You can get students practising how to use these writes: “It is important to
sentences in a mock peer task as a way of getting them into the habit of giving note that developing
each other feedback. learning intentions and
success criteria with
students is most definitely
not a democratic process.
The teacher is in a privileged
position with respect to the
subject being taught and
knows more about the
subject than the students
do, and it would be an
abdication of the teacher's
responsibilities to let
whatever the students feel
should be valued be adopted
as the learning
intentions” (Wiliam, 2011,
Embedded Formative
Assessment, p59). Wiliam
does however state that
discussion is crucial -
allowing students the
opportunity to talk to the
teacher and to others about
the meaning of the criteria is
essential in the process of
clarifying their understanding
of what is expected.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 9

SELF-ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES Work on Improving!

Does it make a difference

whether feedback is given
orally or in writing?
Boulet, Simard & De Melo
(1990) compared three
groups of Canadian music
students learning to write
their major scales.
Method:
Each group did not differ
from the other in terms of
Adapted from www.teachingessentials.co.uk musical knowledge &
previous achievements.
Self-Assessment and Peer Marking: Practical Strategies Group 1 - given written
 Students are given sheets outlining criteria for a task and then apply these. feedback, a list of
weaknesses, and a work
 Students write down their own criteria (individuals/pairs/groups?) prior to task. plan
 Students (individuals/pairs/groups?) make presentation to class and invite comments. Group 2 - given oral
feedback on the errors made
 Teacher and student mark work independently - each proposes three amendments; they plus a chance to work on
discuss the proposals. improvement in class
Group 3 - given no feedback
 A poster of self-evaluation questions can be put on the classroom wall.
Results:
 Students do a test and make up an answer key (in a group) >>> other students use the Group 2 scored significantly
answer key >>> discussion between students using key and those who made it up. more highly on a re-test of
their major scales than
 Whole class or large group together - students present a piece of work for comments. either Group 1 or Group 3
 TRAFFIC LIGHTS: ( Peer-Assessment ) Students read each other’s writing and apply Conclusion:
colours: green means explanation better than assessor’s; amber means it’s of similar Giving the feedback orally or
quality; red means assessor feel his/her answer is better. Then discussion of differences in writing is far less
important than giving
 TRAFFIC LIGHTS: ( Self-Assessment ) Pupil reads questions and marks each one red, students an opportunity in
amber or green. Green means that pupil is confident; amber means uncertain; red class to use the feedback to
means that help is needed. improve their work.
 Documentation given to students to record progress against established criteria.
Including All
Throwing questions out to
the class is a favourite way
of testing student
understanding. But rather
than accepting the first
available answer as an
indication of what has been
learned, get into the habit of
getting a number of answers,
always checking with others
whether they agree or
disagree before revealing the
actual answer.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 10

DIFFERENTIATED ASSESSMENT– AN ASSESSMENT MATRIX

One of the many benefits of attending a Newbubbles training event is that delegates get to work on and
takeaway new tools and activities for immediate use in their classroom.
Delegates attending our ‘Bringing Theory Alive’ event in 2014 used a differentiation matrix comprising two
categories of task (a) the task content (e.g. speaking) and (b) the task structure (e.g. pair). Putting these
together in a grid allows teachers to unlock their creative thinking and generate an incredible range of exciting
and novel activities / assessment tasks that can be used to deliver any topic. A ‘must-do’ for those difficult or
sticky curriculum areas that are giving you cause for concern!
This is a great teaching team exercise for your in-house CPD day - Why not give it a go?
Health & Safety is the theme here, a common section of the syllabus in many subjects, but traditionally tired and
uninspiring. It doesn’t have to be this way — as our delegates soon found by collaborating together to create this health
& safety activity-assessment grid - 24 new, interesting and inventive tasks that can be deployed in any health & safety
session whatever the subject!

Health & Safety — Activity & Assessment Matrix

In the Spotlight — ‘Big Questions’

Dylan Wiliam (2011) highlights the use of BIG questions as Devise these questions before your course has started!
essential tools for finding out what students have learned.
Example Question: after teaching students about global warming, a teach-
Procedure: The Multiple Choice Method er might ask: “What can we do to preserve the ozone layer?” and offer the
 The teacher asks students to hold up one, two, three, four or students five alternatives:
five fingers according to whether they think the answer is A, B,
C, D or E (requiring every student to engage in this process, to A. Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by cars and factories
think about the question and give a response). B. Reduce the greenhouse effect
 If every student has responded correctly, the lesson moves on; C. Stop cutting down the rainforests
if not, the teacher revisits the topic in new ways. D. Limit the numbers of cars that can be used
 If there is wide variation in answers, students teach each other E. Properly dispose of air-conditioners and fridges
until everyone knows why one answer is correct (peer learning)

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 11

AFL AND METACOGNITION: Two Processes

What is metacognition? Connie Malamed in the
eLearning Coach, identifies two
Most teachers are aware that if learners reflect on processes that support
how they learn, they become better learners. The metacognition:
ability to think about one's thinking is what
1) the knowledge of cognition
neuroscientists call metacognition.
2) the regulation of cognition.
Metacognition is not a ‘scientific’ or educational fad
- it plays an important role in everyday life. As 1. Knowledge of cognition has
students gain awareness of who they are, what they three components:
like, who they admire, what they feel vulnerable to,  knowledge of the factors
etc, this ‘inside’ knowledge of their own mental that influence one’s own
state starts to influence and drive their future performance;
decision-making. Metacognition therefore has a  knowing different types of
profound impact on how students think about their strategies to use for
world and how they prepare to learn. learning;
 knowing what strategy to
When teachers cultivate students' abilities to reflect use for a specific learning
on, monitor, and evaluate their learning strategies, situation.
students become more self-reliant, flexible, and
productive. Students improve their capacity to weigh Each of these three areas need
to be actively considered in
choices and evaluate options, particularly when answers are not obvious. When students
schemes of work.
have difficulty understanding, those who have had practice developing their metacogntive
skills come to rely on their reflective strategies to diagnose and fix difficulties. 2. Regulation of cognition
involves:
Strategies for Developing Metacognition:
 setting goals and planning;
 The classroom climate is marketed as a ‘growth climate’ where everyone can do well.  monitoring and controlling
 Past schooling achievements, especially where students have not done well, are consigned to the learning;
past.  evaluating one’s own
regulation (assessing results
 Effort is praised and rewarded rather than absolute performance.
and strategies used).
 Take time at the end of a challenging task to explore what ’confused’ students.
 Teach students about their brain, their memory and the importance of practice in learning new To what extent are these three
things. areas explicitly featured in your
scheme of work?
 Make students aware that learning something new is tough and does cause anxiety, but this is
both natural and temporary.
 Provide opportunities to reflect on (1) key parts of the course (2) how learners are feeling about Using ‘Wrappers’
learning and (3) what learners are doing to learn new things. The question stem: “How has my
thinking changed about [X] changed since the beginning of the course” is particularly useful. In Edutopia, Marilyn-Price
 Ask learners to keep simple learner logs or records of how they are learning. Mitchell defines a a "wrapper"
as a “short intervention that
 Set learners tasks with moral dilemmas that require them to engage in discussion and challenge surrounds an existing activity
their own biases and belief-systems. and integrates a metacognitive
 Asking learners to ‘think aloud’ and report how they are approaching a task (including problems). practice”.
Before a lecture, for example,
Action Learning Sets - Planning for Reflection Time give a few tips about active
listening. Following the lecture,
ask students to write down
Action Learning Sets (ALS) three key ideas from the
 are small groups of students lecture.
who come together in a Afterward, share what you
discussion to reflect on one believe to be the three key
or more key aspects of their ideas and ask students to self-
learning. check how closely theirs
matched your intended goals.
Procedure:
When used often, this activity
 Use once per half-term, set not only increases learning, but
an hour, ask students to plan also improves metacognitive
for 4 x 15 minute questions monitoring skills.
the week before, and ensure
at least two are on how the https://www.edutopia.org/users/
student is learning. Images or marilyn-price-mitchell-phd
journals can be effective
preparation aids for ALSs.

visit us at www.newbubbles.com
 A Newbubbles Publication

THE FE TOOLKIT Page 12

Workshop Suggestions for Quality Managers Feedback: Tips

In 1996 Pat Tunstall and
© Paul Tully 2015 Questions for teachers to ask students as they Caroline Gipps developed a
circulate workshops, studios and laboratories. typology of teacher feedback by
recording and classifying the
Early Walks: Teacher sets task(s) and circulates feedback given by teachers to
What will you be doing first? Talk me through…? their students. They classified
feedback as either:
What do you anticipate to be the biggest challenge?
How have you planned to do this? evaluative – involving a value
judgment
or
Mid-Task Walks: Teacher is aware that students are
working at different paces and complexity. descriptive – describing what
What next? What else could you do? Why did you…? the student said or did, and
If X happened, what then? Have you tried…? providing guidance for
improvement.

Final Walks: Teacher inspects final products Evaluative feedback involves a

How did you find…? How does this compare to…? judgment by the teacher based
What did you enjoy the most? Any surprises when..? on implicit or explicit norms.
Where was it most difficult? What did you do to…? Evaluative feedback may take
the form of:
 Approval: “That’s a good
NEWBUBBLES CPD EVENTS: 2016 essay.” “You’ve done well.”
 Disapproval: “That’s not good
enough.”
Newbubbles — Experts in Further Education!  Reward: Gold stars
OFSTED Ready
 Punishment: “Write it out
Date Event Location Trainer again.”

Descriptive feedback:
15.10.15 Achieving Grade 1 in Employability Skills* Croydon Bradley Lightybody
 focuses on identified learning
Lesson Observation & Feedback Skills: The New outcomes and makes specific
20.10.15 Croydon Bradley Lightbody reference to the student’s
Common Inspection Framework 2015*
achievement.
Achieving Grade 1 in Equality, Diversity & Welfare: The
10.11.15 New Common Inspection Framework 2015*
Watford Trevor Gordon  looks towards improvement.
An example of descriptive
12.11.15 Achieving Grade 1 in English & Maths* Manchester Terry Sharrock feedback:
 “That’s a good introduction
19.11.15 Outstanding Assessment Practices* Manchester Andry Anastasiou because you have covered
the main points we discussed
Achieving Grade 1 in Leadership & Management: The at the beginning. Now …
24.11.15 Watford Richard Moore HMI which points do you think you
New Common Inspection Framework 2015*
should expand on?”
26.11.15 Achieving Grade 1 in Motor Vehicle* Croydon Dave Baber
An emphasis on evaluative
Embedding Stretch & Challenge: Practical Approaches feedback can affect how
01.12.15 Portsmouth Tony Davis students feel about themselves.
for FE Teachers*
It can make the good students
feel better (and possibly
03.12.15 Supporting Learners with Mental health Difficulties* Croydon Gareth Cronin complacent) and the less able
students feel worse (and the
08.12.15 Achieving Grade 1 in Hospitality & Catering* Croydon Richard Moore HMI more sure that they will never be
able to succeed).
*Cost of this event is £169.00 + VAT Most teacher feedback
To book yourself onto an event, please e-mail [email protected]. interactions observed by
Tunstall and Gipps were at the
If you can offer a training specialism and your background is in further education, we would like to talk evaluative end of the
to you. E-mail us at [email protected]. continuum.

Ask teachers to:

Further Reading Next issue ...  Describe the actual

performance
 Encourage the student to self-
How to Use Assessment assess their performance
for Learning Embedding English Skills against the standard
expected
Mike Gershon (2013)  Set an improvement action

visit us at www.newbubbles.com