How EBC concepts support the delivery of
the Core Content Framework and
the Early Career Framework
The Science of Learning can help in delivering the Core Content (CC) Framework for teacher education and the Early Career (EC) Framework for new teachers. This resource explains how the professional knowledge outlined in these frameworks should be founded on an integrated understanding of learning processes. The resource provides examples of how the science can explain how and why the various approaches referred to in CC/EC frameworks can foster learning, providing a basis for critical reflection that supports their implementation and adaptation. The selection of statements is illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive.
Engage
Under Section 1 High Expectations, the Early Career/Core Content Frameworks state that “Teachers have the ability to affect and improve the wellbeing, motivation and behaviour of their pupils.” In other words, motivation is not something that is purely the responsibility of the child – it is something that teachers can foster. Understanding how the brain becomes engaged with a learning opportunity provides the insight required for developing and applying strategies that can bolster pupil’s motivation-
E1: Every brain is unique and students differ in how well they can control their attention and what engages their attention.”
Section 5 Adaptive Teaching emphasises that “Pupils are likely to learn at different rates and to require different levels and types of support from teachers to succeed” and that “seeking to understand pupils’ differences, including their different levels of prior knowledge and potential barriers to learning, is an essential part of teaching”. The EBC approach points to some of the ways in which children’s brains differ from each other and emphasises differences in pupils’ control of their attention – since this can be disruptive for their progress and for the for the progress of those around them
E2 An “approach response” in the brain can be stimulated by rewards such as praise and tokens acknowledging achievement, novelty, provision of choice and sharing attention.
When we begin to think about how pupils’ motivation is influenced by aspects of a task, this can provide insight for ensuring lessons and tasks engage students. For example, Section 2 How Pupils Learn suggests pupils should have “just enough support so that pupils experience a high success rate when attempting challenging work”. High success rates are, in themselves, an acknowledgement of achievement and will generate a reward response that helps maintain engagement. E2 suggests how, as part of the support, the teacher might include encouragement that fosters self-belief and allows anticipation that this achievement is imminent.
E3 Fearfulness can avert attention, and anxiety reduces the brain’s ability to process information.
Section 7 Managing Behaviour refers to developing a positive, predictable and safe environment for pupils (7:2). E3 provides insight into why this is important in terms of learning, and to help identify behaviours (e.g. inattentiveness, difficulty in accessing acquired learning) that might indicate that a child’s negative emotions are impinging on their education. E3 also provides a basis for understanding the importance of “building effective relationships” in which pupils’ feelings are “considered and understood” (7:5).
E4 The brain is “plastic“, and both teacher and student have an important role constructing its function, connectivity and structure.
E4 provides insight into how and why “Teachers can influence pupils’ resilience and beliefs about their ability to succeed” (7:4). Several successful interventions aimed at improving children’s resilience have focused on developing pupils’ understanding about the plasticity of their brains and the malleability of their abilities (Sarrasin et al., 2018).
Sarrasin, J. B., Nenciovici, L., Foisy, L.-M. B., Allaire-Duquette, G., Riopel, M., & Masson, S. (2018). Effects of teaching the concept of neuroplasticity to induce a growth mindset on motivation, achievement, and brain activity: A meta-analysis. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 12, 22-31. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2018.07.003
Build
Under Section 3 Subject and Curriculum, the frameworks indicate the way in which new learning must fundamentally build upon old by stating “In all subject areas, pupils learn new ideas by linking those ideas to existing knowledge, organising this knowledge into increasingly complex mental models”( 3:7).
Under Section 2 How Pupils Learn, the ECF/CCF frameworks refer to some key concepts involved in the building of knowledge and understanding, such as “working memory”, ”long-term memory” and “prior knowledge”. The EBC approach uses these concepts to explain how learning proceeds, offering insight into how and why different approaches and strategies may or may not be effective.
B1 to be meaningful and lasting, new knowledge must build on prior knowledge. A child’s developing brain requires more support in making connections to prior knowledge.
Under Section 2 How Pupils Learn, the ECF/CCF frameworks refer to prior knowledge playing “an important role in how pupils learn” and that teachers should link “what pupils already know to what is being taught (e.g. explaining how new content builds on what is already known)”. This idea of linking appears again in Section 4 Classroom Practice, where teachers are encouraged towards “explicitly linking new ideas to what has been previously studied and learned”. The EBC concepts emphasise how the ability to make such links improves with development, helping to explain why younger learners often require more scaffolding to do so. Under Section 4 Classroom Practice, the need to monitor prior knowledge is referred to in the statement ”Questioning is an essential tool for teachers; questions can be used for many purposes, including to check pupils’ prior knowledge, assess understanding and break down problems” (4:6).
B2 Clear, concise instruction and minimizing distraction can aid communication and student understanding of new knowledge by reducing unnecessary load on working memory.
Under Section 2 How Pupils Learn, the ECF/CCF frameworks explain the difference between working memory and long-term memory (2:3) and how “Working memory is where information that is being actively processed is held, but its capacity is limited and can be overloaded.” (2:4). This is echoed by B2, which applies to concept to explain the value of clarity, conciseness and minimization of distraction in terms of working memory.
Under Section 4 Classroom Practice, the ECF/CCF frameworks states “Effective teachers introduce new material in steps, explicitly linking new ideas to what has been previously studied and learned.” (4:2) and that “Guides, scaffolds and worked examples can help pupils apply new ideas, but should be gradually removed as pupil expertise increases”. The EBC approach, as presented in the accompanying videos, explains these practices in terms of concepts such as prior knowledge and working memory, providing a working model of how learning occurs that provides insight into a broad range of strategies.
B3 Our Mirror Neuron System helps us read each other’s minds. We communicate understanding and emotions (e.g. confidence and enthusiasm) both consciously and unconsciously.
Under Section 1 High Expectations, the ECF/CCF frameworks states that “2. Teachers are key role models, who can influence the attitudes, values and behaviours of their pupils”, “3. Teacher expectations can affect pupil outcomes….”. “4. Setting clear expectations can help communicate shared values ….” and “5. A culture of mutual trust and respect supports effective relationships.”
B3 deepens this understanding to provide insight into why and how “attitudes, values and behaviours” can become transmitted, even unconsciously. This emphasises the importance of teachers’ confidence and enthusiasm, and how “Secure subject knowledge helps teachers to motivate pupils and teach effectively.” (see 3.2, Section 3 Subject and Curriculum in the frameworks)
The Build concepts also help to understand how and why other “how to” examples provided in frameworks can be effective and may also sometimes fail. For example, under Section 2 How Pupils Learn, the frameworks discuss how teachers should break “ complex material into smaller steps (e.g. using partially completed examples to focus pupils on the specific steps).” By explaining this strategy in terms of working memory capacity, it is possible to approach the issue of how small steps should be. The answer may vary according to the development of the child (in terms of working memory capacity), the complexity the information, the provision of strategies that scaffold working memory (such as the teacher’s provision of written/visual guidance or notes to refer to, and the encouragement of student strategies such as showing working).
Consolidate
Under Section 2 How Pupils Learn, the Early Career/Core Content Frameworks refer to how practice helps to “consolidate material and helps pupils remember what they have learned”. In other words, newly learnt material must undergo further processing in the mind/brain if it to be retained in the longer term, and a range of teaching approaches exist that can help foster this type of processing.
C1 Rehearsal of freshly-learnt knowledge and understanding causes it to become automatically accessible. This frees up the brain’s limited capacity to pay conscious attention – ready for further learning.>
Under Section 2 How Pupils Learn, the frameworks draw attention to how regular purposeful practice aids memory and “strengthen recall”. The EBC concepts and associated materials deepen understanding of the effects of practice, highlighting how it releases the valuable working memory capacity required for further learning. This interrelates two themes that commonly occur in the frameworks (practice and limited working memory). This explains why “effective teachers introduce new material in steps” (see Section 4 Classroom Practice). A staged approach allows new incoming information to be rehearsed, making it more automatically accessible and less dependent on working memory. This helps prevent working memory overload when further new material is presented. If new material is presented too rapidly, the limit on working memory makes it impossible for a pupil to consciously process it. This understanding also aids insight into how to increase the rate at which pupils can progress through content by, for example, being encouraged to actively process new information as they proceed, aiding consolidation (see C2 below).
C2 Applying knowledge (especially in new situations), linking between different representations of it, enacting, discussing or expressing it in new forms – all help us store knowledge in different ways – making it easier to recall and use it.
C2 encourages teachers to think about a range of teaching approaches in terms of generating multiple representations of the same piece of knowledge in the brain, i.e. describes the impact of such approaches on how the knowledge is stored. This helps understand why and how “Worked examples that take pupils through each step of a new process are also likely to support pupils to learn” (under Section 2 How Pupils Learn). This understanding can be crucial to successful implication of worked examples since it suggests the examples might need to be sufficiently diverse to ensure multiple representations of the concept are generated.
C3 A good night’s sleep helps us attend to today’s learning but also makes yesterday’s learning more permanent.
The importance of sleep for learning is not directly recognised by the ECF/CCF frameworks. However, under Section 4 Classroom Practice, the frameworks state that “Explicitly teaching pupils metacognitive strategies linked to subject knowledge, including how to plan, monitor and evaluate, supports independence and academic success”. Learning very much depends on having sufficient quality sleep. Therefore, it might be assumed that teachers should encourage pupils’ to take account of sleep when planning their learning, in terms of scheduling homework, leisure activities and bedtimes.
The Consolidate concepts also help to understand how and why other “how to” examples provided in frameworks can be effective and may also sometimes fail. For example, under #Section-4, the frameworks discuss how teachers should combine “a verbal explanation with a relevant graphical representation of the same concept or process, where appropriate”. This would be supported by the science of learning, but a scientific understanding of how this strategy might work (see C2) also points to the need for pupils to make links between these representations. Also, given that a child’s brain is still developing (B1), the science suggests some support may often be required in this respect.
Under Section 2 How Pupils Learn, the frameworks discuss how teachers should be able to deconstruct lesson planning. Key to such analysis is an understanding of the processes the lesson plan is intended to foster. For example, the design of “practice, generation and retrieval tasks that provide just enough support so that pupils experience a high success rate when attempting challenging work” include an understanding of engagement (e.g. reward response from high success rates), the building of knowledge (e.g. support such as simple guides that scaffold limited working memory) and consolidation (e.g. tasks designed to generate multiple representations).
Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework
Section 1
High Expectations
(Standard 1 – Set high expectations)
1. Teachers have the ability to affect and improve the wellbeing, motivation and behaviour of their pupils.
2. Teachers are key role models, who can influence the attitudes, values and behaviours of their pupils.
3. Teacher expectations can affect pupil outcomes; setting goals that challenge and stretch pupils is essential.
4. Setting clear expectations can help communicate shared values that improve classroom and school culture.
5. A culture of mutual trust and respect supports effective relationships.
6. High-quality teaching has a long-term positive effect on pupils’ life chances, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Communicate a belief in the academic potential of all pupils, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to set tasks that stretch pupils, but which are achievable, within a challenging curriculum.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Using intentional and consistent language that promotes challenge and aspiration.
• Creating a positive environment where making mistakes and learning from them and the need for effort and perseverance are part of the daily routine.
• Seeking opportunities to engage parents and carers in the education of their children (e.g. proactively highlighting successes) with support from expert colleagues to understand how this engagement changes depending on the age and development stage of the pupil.
Demonstrate consistently high behavioural expectations, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to create a culture of respect and trust in the classroom that 10 supports all pupils to succeed (e.g. by modelling the types of courteous behaviour expected of pupils).
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Teaching and rigorously maintaining clear behavioural expectations (e.g. for contributions, volume level and concentration).
• Applying rules, sanctions and rewards in line with school policy, escalating behaviour incidents as appropriate.
• Acknowledging and praising pupil effort and emphasising progress being made.
Communicate a belief in the academic potential of all pupils, by:
• Using intentional and consistent language that promotes challenge and aspiration.
• Setting tasks that stretch pupils, but which are achievable, within a challenging curriculum.
• Creating a positive environment where making mistakes and learning from them and the need for effort and perseverance are part of the daily routine.
• Seeking opportunities to engage parents and carers in the education of their children (e.g. proactively highlighting successes).
Demonstrate consistently high behavioural expectations, by:
• Creating a culture of respect and trust in the classroom that supports all pupils to succeed (e.g. by modelling the types of courteous behaviour expected of pupils).
• Teaching and rigorously maintaining clear behavioural expectations (e.g. for contributions, volume level and concentration).
• Applying rules, sanctions and rewards in line with school policy, escalating behaviour incidents as appropriate.
• Acknowledging and praising pupil effort and emphasising progress being made.
Section 2
How Pupils Learn
(Standard 2 – ‘Promote good progress’)
1. Learning involves a lasting change in pupils’ capabilities or understanding.
2. Prior knowledge plays an important role in how pupils learn; committing some key facts to their long-term memory is likely to help pupils learn more complex ideas.
3. An important factor in learning is memory, which can be thought of as comprising two elements: working memory and long-term memory.
4. Working memory is where information that is being actively processed is held, but its capacity is limited and can be overloaded.
5. Long-term memory can be considered as a store of knowledge that changes as pupils learn by integrating new ideas with existing knowledge.
6. Where prior knowledge is weak, pupils are more likely to develop misconceptions, particularly if new ideas are introduced too quickly.
7. Regular purposeful practice of what has previously been taught can help consolidate material and help pupils remember what they have learned.
8. Requiring pupils to retrieve information from memory, and spacing practice so that pupils revisit ideas after a gap are also likely to strengthen recall.
9. Worked examples that take pupils through each step of a new process are also likely to support pupils to learn.
Avoid overloading working memory, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to take into account pupils’ prior knowledge when planning how much new information to introduce.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to reduce distractions that take attention away from what is being taught (e.g. keeping the complexity of a task to a minimum, so that attention is focused on the content).
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Breaking complex material into smaller steps (e.g. using partially completed examples to focus pupils on the specific steps).
Build on pupils’ prior knowledge, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to sequence lessons so that pupils secure foundational knowledge before encountering more complex content.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to identify possible misconceptions and plan how to prevent these forming.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Encouraging pupils to share emerging understanding and points of confusion so that misconceptions can be addressed.
• Linking what pupils already know to what is being taught (e.g. explaining how new content builds on what is already known).
Increase likelihood of material being retained, by:
• Observing how expert colleagues plan regular review and practice of key ideas and concepts over time (e.g. through carefully planned use of structured talk activities) and deconstructing this approach.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to design practice, generation and retrieval tasks that provide just enough support so that pupils experience a high success rate when attempting challenging work.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at: •
Balancing exposition, repetition, practice and retrieval of critical knowledge and skills.
• Increasing challenge with practice and retrieval as knowledge becomes more secure (e.g. by removing scaffolding, lengthening spacing or introducing interacting elements).
Avoid overloading working memory, by:
• Taking into account pupils’ prior knowledge when planning how much new information to introduce.
• Breaking complex material into smaller steps (e.g. using partially completed examples to focus pupils on the specific steps).
• Reducing distractions that take attention away from what is being taught (e.g. keeping the complexity of a task to a minimum, so that attention is focused on the content).
Build on pupils’ prior knowledge, by:
• Identifying possible misconceptions and planning how to prevent these forming.
• Linking what pupils already know to what is being taught (e.g. explaining how new content builds on what is already known).
• Sequencing lessons so that pupils secure foundational knowledge before encountering more complex content.
• Encouraging pupils to share emerging understanding and points of confusion so that misconceptions can be addressed.
Increase likelihood of material being retained, by:
• Balancing exposition, repetition, practice and retrieval of critical knowledge and skills.
• Planning regular review and practice of key ideas and concepts over time. •
Designing practice, generation and retrieval tasks that provide just enough support so that pupils experience a high success rate when attempting challenging work.
• Increasing challenge with practice and retrieval as knowledge becomes more secure (e.g. by removing scaffolding, lengthening spacing or introducing interacting elements).
Section 3
Subject and Curriculum
(Standard 3 – ‘Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge’)
1. A school’s curriculum enables it to set out its vision for the knowledge, skills and values that its pupils will learn, encompassing the national curriculum within a coherent wider vision for successful learning.
2. Secure subject knowledge helps teachers to motivate pupils and teach effectively.
3. Ensuring pupils master foundational concepts and knowledge before moving on is likely to build pupils’ confidence and help them succeed.
4. Anticipating common misconceptions within particular subjects is also an important aspect of curricular knowledge; working closely with colleagues to develop an understanding of likely misconceptions is valuable.
5. Explicitly teaching pupils the knowledge and skills they need to succeed within particular subject areas is beneficial.
6. In order for pupils to think critically, they must have a secure understanding of knowledge within the subject area they are being asked to think critically about.
7. In all subject areas, pupils learn new ideas by linking those ideas to existing knowledge, organising this knowledge into increasingly complex mental models (or “schemata”); carefully sequencing teaching to facilitate this process is important.
8. Pupils are likely to struggle to transfer what has been learnt in one discipline to a new or unfamiliar context.
9. To access the curriculum, early literacy provides fundamental knowledge; reading comprises two elements: word reading and language comprehension; systematic synthetic phonics is the most effective approach for teaching pupils to decode.
10. Every teacher can improve pupils’ literacy, including by explicitly teaching reading, writing and oral language skills specific to individual disciplines.
Deliver a carefully sequenced and coherent curriculum, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to identify essential concepts, knowledge, skills and principles of the subject.
• Observing how expert colleagues ensure pupils’ thinking is focused on key ideas within the subject and deconstructing this approach.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues the rationale for curriculum choices, the process for arriving at current curriculum choices and how the school’s curriculum materials inform lesson preparation.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Providing opportunity for all pupils to learn and master essential concepts, knowledge, skills and principles of the subject. •
Working with expert colleagues to accumulate and refine a collection of powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations and demonstrations.
• Using resources and materials aligned with the school curriculum (e.g. textbooks or shared resources designed by expert colleagues that carefully sequence content).
• Being aware of common misconceptions and discussing with expert colleagues how to help pupils master important concepts.
Support pupils to build increasingly complex mental models, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to revisit the big ideas of the subject over time and teach key concepts through a range of examples.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how they balance exposition, repetition, practice of critical skills and knowledge.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at: •
Drawing explicit links between new content and the core concepts and principles in the subject.
Develop fluency, by:
• Observing how expert colleagues use retrieval and spaced practice to build automatic recall of key knowledge and deconstructing this approach.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Providing tasks that support pupils to learn key ideas securely (e.g. quizzing pupils so they develop fluency with times tables).
Help pupils apply knowledge and skills to other contexts, by:
• Observing how expert colleagues interleave concrete and abstract examples, slowly withdrawing concrete examples and drawing attention to the underlying structure of problems and deconstructing this approach.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Ensuring pupils have relevant domain-specific knowledge, especially when being asked to think critically within a subject.
Deliver a carefully sequenced and coherent curriculum, by:
• Identifying essential concepts, knowledge, skills and principles of the subject and providing opportunity for all pupils to learn and master these critical components.
• Ensuring pupils’ thinking is focused on key ideas within the subject. •
Working with experienced colleagues to accumulate and refine a collection of powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations and demonstrations.
• Using resources and materials aligned with the school curriculum (e.g. textbooks or shared resources designed by experienced colleagues that carefully sequence content).
• Being aware of common misconceptions and discussing with experienced colleagues how to help pupils master important concepts.
Support pupils to build increasingly complex mental models, by:
• Discussing curriculum design with experienced colleagues and balancing exposition, repetition, practice of critical skills and knowledge.
• Revisiting the big ideas of the subject over time and teaching key concepts through a range of examples.
• Drawing explicit links between new content and the core concepts and principles in the subject.
Develop fluency, by:
• Providing tasks that support pupils to learn key ideas securely (e.g. quizzing pupils so they develop fluency with times tables).
• Using retrieval and spaced practice to build automatic recall of key knowledge.
Help pupils apply knowledge and skills to other contexts, by: •
Ensuring pupils have relevant domain-specific knowledge, especially when being asked to think critically within a subject.
• Interleaving concrete and abstract examples, slowly withdrawing concrete examples and drawing attention to the underlying structure of problems.
Develop pupils’ literacy, by:
• Demonstrating a clear understanding of systematic synthetic phonics, particularly if teaching early reading and spelling.
• Supporting younger pupils to become fluent readers and to write fluently and legibly.
• Teaching unfamiliar vocabulary explicitly and planning for pupils to be repeatedly exposed to high-utility and high-frequency vocabulary in what is taught.
• Modelling reading comprehension by asking questions, making predictions, and summarising when reading.
• Promoting reading for pleasure (e.g. by using a range of whole class reading approaches and regularly reading high-quality texts to children).
• Modelling and requiring high-quality oral language, recognising that spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing (e.g. requiring pupils to respond to questions in full sentences, making use of relevant technical vocabulary).
• Teaching different forms of writing by modelling planning, drafting and editing.
Section 4
Classroom Practice
(Standard 4 – Plan and teach well structured lessons)
1. Effective teaching can transform pupils’ knowledge, capabilities and beliefs about learning.
2. Effective teachers introduce new material in steps, explicitly linking new ideas to what has been previously studied and learned.
3. Modelling helps pupils understand new processes and ideas; good models make abstract ideas concrete and accessible.
4. Guides, scaffolds and worked examples can help pupils apply new ideas, but should be gradually removed as pupil expertise increases.
5. Explicitly teaching pupils metacognitive strategies linked to subject knowledge, including how to plan, monitor and evaluate, supports independence and academic success.
6. Questioning is an essential tool for teachers; questions can be used for many purposes, including to check pupils’ prior knowledge, assess understanding and break down problems.
7. High-quality classroom talk can support pupils to articulate key ideas, consolidate understanding and extend their vocabulary.
8. Practice is an integral part of effective teaching; ensuring pupils have repeated opportunities to practise, with appropriate guidance and support, increases success.
9. Paired and group activities can increase pupil success, but to work together effectively pupils need guidance, support and practice.
10. How pupils are grouped is also important; care should be taken to monitor the impact of groupings on pupil attainment, behaviour and motivation.
11. Homework can improve pupil outcomes, particularly for older pupils, but it is likely that the quality of homework and its relevance to main class teaching is more important than the amount set.
Plan effective lessons, by:
• Observing how expert colleagues break tasks down into constituent components when first setting up independent practice (e.g. using tasks that scaffold pupils through meta-cognitive and procedural processes) and deconstructing this approach.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Using modelling, explanations and scaffolds, acknowledging that novices need more structure early in a domain.
• Enabling critical thinking and problem solving by first teaching the necessary foundational content knowledge.
• Removing scaffolding only when pupils are achieving a high degree of success in applying previously taught material.
• Providing sufficient opportunity for pupils to consolidate and practise applying new knowledge and skills.
Make good use of expositions, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to use concrete representation of abstract ideas (e.g. making use of analogies, metaphors, examples and non-examples).
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Starting expositions at the point of current pupil understanding.
• Combining a verbal explanation with a relevant graphical representation of the same concept or process, where appropriate.
Model effectively, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to make the steps in a process memorable and ensuring pupils can recall them (e.g. naming them, developing mnemonics, or linking to memorable stories).
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Narrating thought processes when modelling to make explicit how experts think (e.g. asking questions aloud that pupils should consider when working independently and drawing pupils’ attention to links with prior knowledge).
• Exposing potential pitfalls and explaining how to avoid them.
Stimulate pupil thinking and check for understanding, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to consider the factors that will support effective collaborative or paired work (e.g. familiarity with routines, whether pupils have the necessary prior knowledge and how pupils are grouped).
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to provide scaffolds for pupil talk to increase the focus and rigour of dialogue.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Planning activities around what you want pupils to think hard about.
• Including a range of types of questions in class discussions to extend and challenge pupils (e.g. by modelling new vocabulary or asking pupils to justify answers).
Plan effective lessons, by:
• Using modelling, explanations and scaffolds, acknowledging that novices need more structure early in a domain.
• Enabling critical thinking and problem solving by first teaching the necessary foundational content knowledge.
• Removing scaffolding only when pupils are achieving a high degree of success in applying previously taught material.
•Providing sufficient opportunity for pupils to consolidate and practise applying new knowledge and skills.
• Breaking tasks down into constituent components when first setting up independent practice (e.g. using tasks that scaffold pupils through meta-cognitive and procedural processes).
Make good use of expositions, by:
• Starting expositions at the point of current pupil understanding.
• Combining a verbal explanation with a relevant graphical representation of the same concept or process, where appropriate.
• Using concrete representation of abstract ideas (e.g. making use of analogies, metaphors, examples and non-examples).
Model effectively, by:
• Narrating thought processes when modelling to make explicit how experts think (e.g. asking questions aloud that pupils should consider when working independently and drawing pupils’ attention to links with prior knowledge).
• Making the steps in a process memorable and ensuring pupils can recall them (e.g. naming them, developing mnemonics, or linking to memorable stories).
• Exposing potential pitfalls and explaining how to avoid them.
Stimulate pupil thinking and check for understanding, by:
• Planning activities around what you want pupils to think hard about.
• Including a range of types of questions in class discussions to extend and challenge pupils (e.g. by modelling new vocabulary or asking pupils to justify answers).
• Providing appropriate wait time between question and response where more developed responses are required.
• Considering the factors that will support effective collaborative or paired work (e.g. familiarity with routines, whether pupils have the necessary prior knowledge and how pupils are grouped).
• Providing scaffolds for pupil talk to increase the focus and rigour of dialogue.
Section 5
Adaptive Teaching
(Standard 5 – Adapt teaching)
1. Pupils are likely to learn at different rates and to require different levels and types of support from teachers to succeed.
2. Seeking to understand pupils’ differences, including their different levels of prior knowledge and potential barriers to learning, is an essential part of teaching.
3. Adapting teaching in a responsive way, including by providing targeted support to pupils who are struggling, is likely to increase pupil success.
4. Adaptive teaching is less likely to be valuable if it causes the teacher to artificially create distinct tasks for different groups of pupils or to set lower expectations for particular pupils.
5. Flexibly grouping pupils within a class to provide more tailored support can be effective, but care should be taken to monitor its impact on engagement and motivation, particularly for low attaining pupils.
6. There is a common misconception that pupils have distinct and identifiable learning styles. This is not supported by evidence and attempting to tailor lessons to learning styles is unlikely to be beneficial.
7. Pupils with special educational needs or disabilities are likely to require additional or adapted support; working closely with colleagues, families and pupils to understand barriers and identify effective strategies is essential.
Develop an understanding of different pupil needs, by:
•Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in supporting pupils with a range of additional needs, including how to use the SEND Code of Practice, which provides additional guidance on supporting pupils with SEND effectively.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Identifying pupils who need new content further broken down. •
Making use of formative assessment.
• Working closely with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and special education professionals and the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) under supervision of expert colleagues.
Provide opportunity for all pupils to experience success, by:
• Observing how expert colleagues adapt lessons, whilst maintaining high expectations for all, so that all pupils have the opportunity to meet expectations and deconstructing this approach.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to balance input of new content so that pupils master important concepts.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Making effective use of teaching assistants and other adults in the classroom under supervision of expert colleagues. Meet individual needs without creating unnecessary workload, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how they decide whether intervening within lessons with individuals and small groups would be more efficient and effective than planning different lessons for different groups of pupils.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Making use of well-designed resources (e.g. textbooks).
• Planning to connect new content with pupils’ existing knowledge or providing additional pre-teaching if pupils lack critical knowledge
• Building in additional practice or removing unnecessary expositions.
• Reframing questions to provide greater scaffolding or greater stretch.
Group pupils effectively, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how the placement school changes groups regularly, avoiding the perception that groups are fixed.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how the placement school ensures that any groups based on attainment are subject specific.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Applying high expectations to all groups, and ensuring all pupils have access to a rich curriculum.
Develop an understanding of different pupil needs, by:
• Identifying pupils who need new content further broken down.
• Making use of formative assessment. • Working closely with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and special education professionals and the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Using the SEND Code of Practice, which provides additional guidance on supporting pupils with SEND effectively.
Provide opportunity for all pupils to experience success, by:
• Adapting lessons, whilst maintaining high expectations for all, so that all pupils have the opportunity to meet expectations.
• Balancing input of new content so that pupils master important concepts.
• Making effective use of teaching assistants.
Meet individual needs without creating unnecessary workload, by:
• Making use of well-designed resources (e.g. textbooks).
• Planning to connect new content with pupils’ existing knowledge or providing additional pre-teaching if pupils lack critical knowledge.
• Building in additional practice or removing unnecessary expositions.
• Reframing questions to provide greater scaffolding or greater stretch.
• Considering carefully whether intervening within lessons with individuals and small groups would be more efficient and effective than planning different lessons for different groups of pupils.
Group pupils effectively, by:
• Applying high expectations to all groups, and ensuring all pupils have access to a rich curriculum.
• Changing groups regularly, avoiding the perception that groups are fixed.
• Ensuring that any groups based on attainment are subject specific.
Section 6
Assessment
(Standard 6 – Make accurate and productive use of assessment)
1. Effective assessment is critical to teaching because it provides teachers with information about pupils’ understanding and needs.
2. Good assessment helps teachers avoid being over-influenced by potentially misleading factors, such as how busy pupils appear.
3. Before using any assessment, teachers should be clear about the decision it will be used to support and be able to justify its use.
4. To be of value, teachers use information from assessments to inform the decisions they make; in turn, pupils must be able to act on feedback for it to have an effect.
5. High-quality feedback can be written or verbal; it is likely to be accurate and clear, encourage further effort, and provide specific guidance on how to improve.
6. Over time, feedback should support pupils to monitor and regulate their own learning.
7. Working with colleagues to identify efficient approaches to assessment is important; assessment can become onerous and have a disproportionate impact on workload.
Avoid common assessment pitfalls, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to plan formative assessment tasks linked to lesson objectives and think ahead about what would indicate understanding (e.g. by using hinge questions to pinpoint knowledge gaps).
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to choose, where possible, externally validated materials, used in controlled conditions when required to make summative assessments.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Drawing conclusions about what pupils have learned by looking at patterns of performance over a number of assessments with support and scaffolding from expert colleagues (e.g. appreciating that assessments draw inferences about learning from performance).
Check prior knowledge and understanding during lessons, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to structure tasks and questions to enable the identification of knowledge gaps and misconceptions (e.g. by using common misconceptions within multiple-choice questions).
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Using assessments to check for prior knowledge and pre-existing misconceptions.
• Prompting pupils to elaborate when responding to questioning to check that a correct answer stems from secure understanding.
• Monitoring pupil work during lessons, including checking for misconceptions.
Provide high-quality feedback, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how pupils’ responses to feedback can vary depending on a range of social factors (e.g. the message the feedback contains or the age of the child).
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to scaffold self-assessment by sharing model work with pupils, highlighting key details.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to ensure feedback is specific and helpful when using peer- or self assessment. And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Focusing on specific actions for pupils and providing time for pupils to respond to feedback.
Make marking manageable and effective, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to record data only when it is useful for improving pupil outcomes.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues to develop an understanding that written marking is only one form of feedback.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to identify efficient approaches to marking and alternative approaches to providing feedback (e.g. using whole class feedback or well supported peer- and self-assessment) and deconstructing this approach.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Using verbal feedback during lessons in place of written feedback after lessons where possible.
• Reducing the opportunity cost of marking (e.g. by using abbreviations and codes in written feedback).
• Prioritising the highlighting of errors related to misunderstandings, rather than careless mistakes when marking
Avoid common assessment pitfalls, by:
• Planning formative assessment tasks linked to lesson objectives and thinking ahead about what would indicate understanding (e.g. by using hinge questions to pinpoint knowledge gaps).
• Drawing conclusions about what pupils have learned by looking at patterns of performance over a number of assessments (e.g. appreciating that assessments draw inferences about learning from performance).
• Choosing, where possible, externally validated materials, used in controlled conditions when required to make summative assessments. Check prior knowledge and understanding during lessons, by:
• Using assessments to check for prior knowledge and pre-existing misconceptions.
• Structuring tasks and questions to enable the identification of knowledge gaps and misconceptions (e.g. by using common misconceptions within multiple-choice questions).
• Prompting pupils to elaborate when responding to questioning to check that a correct answer stems from secure understanding.
• Monitoring pupil work during lessons, including checking for misconceptions.
Provide high-quality feedback, by:
• Focusing on specific actions for pupils and providing time for pupils to respond to feedback.
• Appreciating that pupils’ responses to feedback can vary depending on a range of social factors (e.g. the message the feedback contains or the age of the child).
• Scaffolding self-assessment by sharing model work with pupils, highlighting key details.
•Thinking carefully about how to ensure feedback is specific and helpful when using peer- or self-assessment.
Make marking manageable and effective, by:
• Recording data only when it is useful for improving pupil outcomes.
• Working with colleagues to identify efficient approaches to marking and alternative approaches to providing feedback (e.g. using whole class feedback or well supported peer- and self-assessment).
• Using verbal feedback during lessons in place of written feedback after lessons where possible.
• Understanding that written marking is only one form of feedback.
• Reducing the opportunity cost of marking (e.g. by using abbreviations and codes in written feedback).
• Prioritising the highlighting of errors related to misunderstandings, rather than careless mistakes when marking.
Section 7
Managing Behaviour
(Standard 7 – Manage behaviour effectively)
1. Establishing and reinforcing routines, including through positive reinforcement, can help create an effective learning environment.
2. A predictable and secure environment benefits all pupils, but is particularly valuable for pupils with special educational needs.
3. The ability to self-regulate one’s emotions affects pupils’ ability to learn, success in school and future lives.
4. Teachers can influence pupils’ resilience and beliefs about their ability to succeed, by ensuring all pupils have the opportunity to experience meaningful success.
5. Building effective relationships is easier when pupils believe that their feelings will be considered and understood.
6. Pupils are motivated by intrinsic factors (related to their identity and values) and extrinsic factors (related to reward).
7. Pupils’ investment in learning is also driven by their prior experiences and perceptions of success and failure.
Develop a positive, predictable and safe environment for pupils, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to respond quickly to any behaviour or bullying that threatens emotional safety.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Establishing a supportive and inclusive environment with a predictable system of reward and sanction in the classroom.
• Working alongside colleagues as part of a wider system of behaviour management (e.g. recognising responsibilities and understanding the right to assistance and training from senior colleagues).
• Giving manageable, specific and sequential instructions.
• Checking pupils’ understanding of instructions before a task begins.
• Using consistent language and non-verbal signals for common classroom directions.
• Using early and least-intrusive interventions as an initial response to low level disruption.
Establish effective routines and expectations, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how routines are established at the beginning of the school year, both in classrooms and around the school.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Creating and explicitly teaching routines in line with the school ethos that maximise time for learning (e.g. setting and reinforcing expectations about key transition points).
• Reinforcing established school and classroom routines
Build trusting relationships, by:
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues effective strategies for liaising with parents, carers and colleagues to better understand pupils’ individual circumstances and how they can be supported to meet high academic and behavioural expectations.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Responding consistently to pupil behaviour.
• Engaging parents, carers and colleagues with support (e.g. discussing a script) from expert colleagues and mentors both in formal and informal settings.
Motivate pupils, by:
• Observing how expert colleagues support pupils to master challenging content, which builds towards long-term goals and deconstructing this approach.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how experienced colleagues provide opportunities for pupils to articulate their longterm goals and helping them to see how these are related to their success in school.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to support pupils to journey from needing extrinsic motivation to being motivated to work intrinsically.
Develop a positive, predictable and safe environment for pupils, by:
• Establishing a supportive and inclusive environment with a predictable system of reward and sanction in the classroom.
• Working alongside colleagues as part of a wider system of behaviour management (e.g. recognising responsibilities and understanding the right to assistance and training from senior colleagues).
• Giving manageable, specific and sequential instructions.
• Checking pupils’ understanding of instructions before a task begins.
• Using consistent language and non-verbal signals for common classroom directions.
• Using early and least-intrusive interventions as an initial response to low level disruption.
• Responding quickly to any behaviour or bullying that threatens emotional safety.
Establish effective routines and expectations, by:
• Creating and explicitly teaching routines in line with the school ethos that maximise time for learning (e.g. setting and reinforcing expectations about key transition points).
• Practising routines at the beginning of the school year.
• Reinforcing routines (e.g. by articulating the link between time on task and success).
Build trusting relationships, by:
• Liaising with parents, carers and colleagues to better understand pupils’ individual circumstances and how they can be supported to meet high academic and behavioural expectations.
• Responding consistently to pupil behaviour.
Motivate pupils, by:
• Supporting pupils to master challenging content, which builds towards long-term goals.
• Providing opportunities for pupils to articulate their long-term goals and helping them to see how these are related to their success in school.
• Helping pupils to journey from needing extrinsic motivation to being motivated to work intrinsically.
Section 8
Professional Behaviours
(Standard 8 – Fulfil wider professional responsibilities)
1. Effective professional development is likely to be sustained over time, involve expert support or coaching and opportunities for collaboration.
2. Reflective practice, supported by feedback from and observation of experienced colleagues, professional debate, and learning from educational research, is also likely to support improvement.
3. Teachers can make valuable contributions to the wider life of the school in a broad range of ways, including by supporting and developing effective professional relationships with colleagues.
4. Building effective relationships with parents, carers and families can improve pupils’ motivation, behaviour and academic success.
5. Teaching assistants (TAs) can support pupils more effectively when they are prepared for lessons by teachers, and when TAs supplement rather than replace support from teachers.
6. SENCOs, pastoral leaders, careers advisors and other specialist colleagues also have valuable expertise and can ensure that appropriate support is in place for pupils.
7. Engaging in high-quality professional development can help teachers improve.
Develop as a professional, by:
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to engage in professional development with clear intentions for impact on pupil outcomes, sustained over time with built-in opportunities for practice.
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring on the duties relating to Part 2 of the Teachers’ Standards.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Strengthening pedagogical and subject knowledge by participating in wider networks.
• Learning to extend subject and pedagogic knowledge as part of the lesson preparation process.
• Seeking challenge, feedback and critique from mentors and other colleagues in an open and trusting working environment.
• Reflecting on progress made, recognising strengths and weaknesses and identifying next steps for further improvement.
•Engaging critically with research and using evidence to critique practice.
Build effective working relationships, by:
•Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how experienced colleagues seek ways to support individual colleagues and working as part of a team.
• Observing how expert colleagues communicate with parents and carers proactively and make effective use of parents’ evenings to engage parents and carers in their children’s schooling and deconstructing this approach.
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to work closely with the SENCO and other professionals supporting pupils with additional needs, including how to make explicit links between interventions delivered outside of lessons with classroom teaching.
• Discussing with mentor and expert colleagues how to share the intended lesson outcomes with teaching assistants ahead of lessons.
• Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring in how to ensure that support provided by teaching assistants in lessons is additional to, rather than a replacement for, support from the teacher.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Contributing positively to the wider school culture and developing a feeling of shared responsibility for improving the lives of all pupils within the school (e.g. by supporting expert colleagues with their pastoral responsibilities, such as careers advice).
• Knowing who to contact with any safeguarding concerns and having a clear understanding of what sorts of behaviour, disclosures and incidents to report.
• Preparing teaching assistants for lessons under supervision of expert colleagues.
Manage workload and wellbeing, by:
• Observing how expert colleagues use and personalise systems and routines to support efficient time and task management and deconstructing this approach.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues the importance of the right to support (e.g. to deal with misbehaviour).
• Protecting time for rest and recovery and being aware of the sources of support available to support good mental wellbeing.
And – following expert input – by taking opportunities to practise, receive feedback and improve at:
• Collaborating with colleagues to share the load of planning and preparation and making use of shared resources (e.g. textbooks).
Develop as a professional, by:
• Engaging in professional development focused on developing an area of practice with clear intentions for impact on pupil outcomes, sustained over time with built-in opportunities for practice.
• Strengthening pedagogical and subject knowledge by participating in wider networks.
• Seeking challenge, feedback and critique from mentors and other colleagues in an open and trusting working environment.
• Engaging critically with research and discussing evidence with colleagues.
• Reflecting on progress made, recognising strengths and weaknesses and identifying next steps for further improvement.
Build effective working relationships, by:
• Contributing positively to the wider school culture and developing a feeling of shared responsibility for improving the lives of all pupils within the school.
• Seeking ways to support individual colleagues and working as part of a team.
• Communicating with parents and carers proactively and making effective use of parents’ evenings to engage parents and carers in their children’s schooling.
• Working closely with the SENCO and other professionals supporting pupils with additional needs, making explicit links between interventions delivered outside of lessons with classroom teaching.
• Sharing the intended lesson outcomes with teaching assistants ahead of lessons.
• Ensuring that support provided by teaching assistants in lessons is additional to, rather than a replacement for, support from the teacher.
• Knowing who to contact with any safeguarding concerns.
Manage workload and wellbeing, by:
• Using and personalising systems and routines to support efficient time and task management.
• Understanding the right to support (e.g. to deal with misbehaviour).
• Collaborating with colleagues to share the load of planning and preparation and making use of shared resources (e.g. textbooks).
• Protecting time for rest and recovery.
Notes
Learn that… statements are informed by the best available educational research; references and further reading are provided below.
Learn how to… statements are drawn from the wider evidence base including both academic research and additional guidance from expert practitioners.