Primary Teacher Education Programmes

Primary Teacher Education Programmes

(BA PTS/PET and PGCE)

Good Practice in School Experience:

2014-2015

for student teachers

Contents

Section / Page reference
Foreword
Exemplar Training Plans / 3
4-5
Completing University school experience documentation
· Lesson Planning and Group Assessment
· Assessment Proformas
· Pupil Profile
· Intervention Time
· Weekly Mentor Meeting Log
· Standards Tracking Document / 6
7-9
10-16
17
18-19
20-23
24-26
Appendix
Contains all proformas / 27

Foreword

This Primary School Experience Good Practice Guide has been compiled to give student teachers the opportunity to draw on models of best practice in order to make good or better progress whilst on school experience.

The guide draws on the work of a number of university tutors, external examiners, partnership colleagues and student teachers, for which we are very grateful to them for their generosity.

The sections in the guide are:

1. Exemplar Training Plan

2. Completing University school experience documentation

· Lesson Planning and Group Assessment

· Assessment Proformas

· Pupil Profile

· Intervention Time

· Weekly Mentor Meeting Log

· Final Assessment Review

We will be reviewing this booklet on an annual basis and adding further guidance as it becomes available and would be very happy to receive your feedback and other examples of good practice that it would be useful to include.

Please contact Wayne Stallard, Coordinator for School Partnership at ; Carole Bignell. Coordinator for BA PTS/PET at ; or Christopher Shelton, Coordinator for Primary PGCE at .

Exemplar

Training

Plans

Introduction

We refer to ‘the training plan’ as the target setting that you undertake throughout the course. Targets are milestones that measure where on the learning journey you are and it is therefore imperative that all targets are SMART. Below is a brief guide to writing SMART targets

1. Specific (exactly what?)

‘I want to get better at English’ à ? writing à ? grammar à using capital letters at starts of sentences

Specific Targets provide:

A clear outcome / A clear range / A clear situation or purpose
I will be able to
Use / Capital letters for people’s names / For the members of my family
Read / The front page of the newspaper / To summarise the news
Add / Three two digit numbers / To work out hours I have worked

2. Measurable (how will you know?)

‘I want to be able to make assessment’ à I will be able to maintain assessment records for 4 children.

3. Achievable (but challenging)

I want to finish the course ready to take up the post of head teacher.

This isn’t really feasible after 120 days in school. What can you manage by the end of the programme? à I want to achieve the grade of ‘high level’ at my final FAR

4. Relevant (and realistic)

Goals and targets need to be relevant to:

· you and your particular needs

· your aspirations and long-term goals

· the agreed learning aim

· the learning environment

Is it something you will realistically be covering in your course?‘ I will accurate assess 4 children’s reading levels by the 4th week of the school experience and set SMART targets for each child to ensure they make good progress.

5. Time-bound

By when? Establish when the target will be achieved by (that is challenging, but realistic). It could be end of the course, half way, or relate to an appropriate point during the school experience. ‘I want to be able to model clearly the methods of adding 2 digit numbers à by week 4.

Summary of Priorities for School Experience

These must be discussed with your mentor and link tutor.

Area
(e.g. behaviour management) / Specific Target
(What do you want to achieve over this school experience?) / Planned Actions
(What are you going to do to help you meet the target?) / Date Completed
S3: Ensure good subject knowledge in Mathematics / To develop an understanding of appropriate pitch for the pupils I teach and use this to inform planning by the mid-point of school experience. / - Prepare for teaching mathematics though reading curriculum documents and researching the pitch and expectations for maths activities for my base class year group
- Observe how class teacher pitches lessons for all ability groups and discuss this.
- Teach a sequence of 3 maths lessons and evaluate how well activities are pitched
- Ask class teacher for informal feedback as to how well lessons are pitched. / Read Y4 maths expectations
5.10.13
Observed maths lessons – 23.10.13
Taught sequence of lessons 14.11.13
S7: Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment / To develop a range of behaviour management strategies to ensure that I create a productive learning environment by the mid-point of school experience. / - Discuss school behaviour policy and strategies with mentor
- Observe class teacher and other teachers focusing specifically on the behaviour management strategies they use.
- Identify 3 strategies to trial and evaluate in my next lessons
- Ask class teacher for informal feedback regarding my use of these behaviour management strategies. / Discussion and observation completed 14.10.13.
Trialled strategies and acted on feedback
15.11.13
S6: Make accurate & productive use of assessment / To engage with school assessment practices and create opportunities to assess pupils’ work against benchmarks in order to inform my own teaching and ensure children progress effectively. / - Discuss school assessment frameworks with mentor
- Work alongside class teacher to use the school grading descriptors to assess pupils’ work in English, Maths and Science.
- Agree next step targets and how these will be monitored
- Class teacher to give feedback on accuracy of assessment judgements and appropriateness of targets. / Work assessed and targets set
20.11.13
Progress monitored
15.12.13

COMPLETING UNIVERSITY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTATION

Introduction

The documentation generated by school experience is vital evidence for accurately reflecting your achievement and progress in meeting the Teachers’ Standards (2012) to a good or better standard.

Documentation is used by:

· The mentor, link tutor and student teacher to monitor progress and set targets during school experience and to complete a comprehensive final profile at the conclusion of the school experience;

· The student teacher’s academic adviser in university to help devise strategies to meet the targets set, develop expertise and to provide accurate and comprehensive information for a reference;

· The student teacher’s host programme, to track progress over time

· The receiving teacher on the next school experience to plan the training;

· By internal Quality Assurance Team (QAT) and external (external examiners and Ofsted) QA to ensure standards are being maintained and improved across the partnership;

· By anyone investigating a complaint related to a school experience.

Guidance on using the Lesson Planning and Evaluation Form and Group Assessment

The following notes give you some guidance on how to fill in the University lesson plan and the kinds of things your mentor and link tutor will expect to see. The form can be accessed electronically at http://www.chi.ac.uk/department-education/school-partnership-office/primary-school-experience. Remember this plan could be used for a single lesson or a short sequence of related lessons.

Date: 27/06/14 / Time: 14:00-15:00
Class/Set: Middle ability English group Y3 / Number: 28 children
Lesson subject/topic focus:
English: writing instructions
Target for student teacher:
What target will I be focussing on within this lesson?
S2 / S4 - Develop confidence in modelling writing in front of chn using a ‘thinking out loud’ approach. (NB: Ensure that you link this with the teachers’ standards) / Target achieved within this lesson? ü or x
Learning objective(s) (with reference to relevant curriculum documentation – only 1/2 key objectives per subject being taught):
What do I want the children to know or be able to do by the end of the lesson?
NC Yr3 – Writing – Composition / Vocabulary and Punctuation
Write non-narrative texts using structures of different text types: to write clear instructions (for the children’s morning routine to help the new supply teacher who will be teaching us tomorrow)
Success criteria:
How will I know this has been achieved? (you many use child-friendly ‘I can…’ statements here):
All children:
· I can sequence the instructions chronologically (in time order).
· I can begin each instruction with a bossy verb.
Most children:
· I can begin some sentences with a time connective e.g. first, next, when you have rolled the dice…
· I can remember to follow the time connective with a comma.
Assessment evidence:
How will I gather evidence of pupil achievement? (e.g. observation of pupils, peer-assessment against success criteria, self-assessment against success criteria, marking of work).
I will work with red group in guided writing using the success criteria as an assessment checklist. The TA will do the same with blue group. All children will complete self-assessment checklists at the end of the lesson. Green and yellow groups to photocopy whiteboards.
Pupils’ prior experience and learning:
In light of the LO(s) and/or success criteria, what do the children in this class already know or what are they able to do?
Previous lessons have taught about bossy verbs and chronology and all children have had opps to read instructions as part of shared reading and give oral instructions to a partner in PE lessons. Today’s lesson is the children’s first experience of writing instructions.
Teaching and learning activities:
Timings
14:00
14:05
14:10
14:20
14:25
14:50 / What teaching strategies and activities will I use?
(highlight/underline your key teaching strategies throughout the lesson e.g. explain, ask key questions, model, demonstrate, recap in a mini-plenary, use play/the learning env as a prompt)
· Introduce chn to context/reason for writing as above
· Using photographs of chn engaged in morning routine activities (e.g. hanging up coats) work as a class to sequence the photographs (focus LA chn).
· Using one photo orally model how to turn recount into instruction e.g. ‘I hung up my coat’ becomes ‘hang up your coat’
· Model on whiteboard how to write instructions referring back to success criteria as an aide memoire e.g.
1. Hang up your coat and PE bag.
· Shared write second instruction (lunch box) using chn’s contributions for spelling, punctuation and bossy verbs
2. Put your lunchbox on the lunchbox trolley.
· TA to work with blue group (LA) to begin writing instructions in guided write using photo prompts.
· Teacher in shared writing with remaining chn to model how to uplevel one of the pair’s instructions by adding a time connective and comma e.g. When your lunchbox is put away, place your water bottle in the table crate.
· Explain task: With a partner, work on a mini whiteboard to draft the rest of the instructions to go with our photographs. Remember to check against the S/C.
Plenary. Briefly model as recap how to check writing against success criteria through peer marking and golden lines. Collect and display instructions ready for supply teacher tomorrow. / What will the children/other adults do at key points in the lesson? How will I ensure that all children are able to access, participate and succeed in all parts of the lesson?
(NB: Use colour coding to help track your profile children)
· Chn to use photo of sitting on carpet with a book to give oral instruction to a partner. Repeat with another picture. Scaffold LA chn (including Gill) with a verb cue card (e.g. Get…). Children for whomEAL to sit with partner fluent in English as 'talk' partner. TA to check children's understanding using picture prompt cards/prompt cards with key vocabulary.
· Chn to discuss sentence with partner to orally rehearse ideas prior to shared write.
· Remaining chn to work with a response partner and mini whiteboard to draft the next sentence (water bottle in crate on table).
· TA to model for all of blue group how to use the verb flashcards to scaffold oral instructions prior to the writing of each instruction. Ensure that Gill does not copy others but attempts to construct her own sentence.
· Red gp (MA) with teacher
· Green and yellow groups with partner
Children to work in pairs to peer mark and identify two stars and a wish in peer marking comment.
Subject specific vocabulary:
Is this new or familiar vocabulary for the children?
Imperative (bossy verb)
Chronological (time) order
Time connective / Resources/ICT:
Photographs of morning routine
Mini whiteboards and pens
Task explanation cards and success criteria checklist on tables
Verb flashcards for blue group
Lesson adaptation:
Do I need to make any special provision with regard to health & safety? ü or x and detail as necessary
Assessment of pupil learning and implications for future planning:
Have I gathered and (where appropriate) attached evidence of pupil attainment/achievement? (This might include photographs, annotated work, teacher/TA post-it notes, group assessment sheets).
See group assessment sheets
As a result of this, for which children do I need to tailor teaching in the next lesson? (Consider individuals and groups of children who have exceeded or not met the learning objective/success criteria and list initials/future actions below).
TA indicated that Gill has been able order the instructions with the help of pictures. She is begin to orally rehearse sentences but is still a little confused about describing what she did and instructional language. Wayne will also need to support to be able to write instructional sentences and not descriptive. Next lesson they will need further adult support, possibly using pictures and shorting prepared sentences and matching.
Petra and Sam need to secure the use of commas after the time connective. They will be give early morning activities to secure this.
Evaluation of trainee learning as a result of teaching this lesson: final school experience students may choose to annotate this plan rather than complete the questions in detail below.
In light of what I now know about the pupils’ learning in this lesson:
What was successful in my teaching? Why was it successful? How do I know?
Modelling – I clearly demonstrated how to change a descriptive sentence into an instruction. It was successful because I had already planned which sentences to model and this meant that the majority of the children were able to apply this during the main task. Evidence can be found in the children’s work.
What was unsuccessful in my teaching? Why was it unsuccessful? How do I know?
Formative assessment – this meant that two members of my focus group did not fully achieve the learning outcomes. In future I will need to monitor all members of the group carefully in order to intervene earlier.
What target would I set for myself that I will carry forward to future teaching? You may need to continue with your target as previously
S2 Use formative assessment to ensure all children make good progress.