A SAMPLE OF OUTSTANDING LESSONS: Validated …

1 A SAMPLE OF OUTSTANDING LESSONS: Validated summaries The following are summaries of lessons that were judged to be OUTSTANDING in 2011/12 and 2012/13. Highlighted notes refer to examples of how positive behaviour for learning is having a positive impact on the quality of learning. Examples of OUTSTANDING Lessons in 2011 - 2012 The following are the summary notes taken in a SAMPLE of OUTSTANDING lessons from a SAMPLE of subjects that were observed within the last twelve months. The intention is to provide a summary report of this kind on an annual basis. Art Year 7: A Fish Project lesson Using Mask Making The lesson introduced pupils to various artists who use/have used different methods of mask making (eg Jackson Pollack, Damien Hirst, Rebecca Horn). Lessons began with clear expectations followed by the use of a rally table to engage the pupils in debate about the characteristics of a variety of pictures.

2 Practical activity involved an unconventional approach to mark making that removed the conventional constraint of using a pencil, sitting at a table with a piece of paper. Paper was placed on the floor and pupils used long sticks with charcoal and paint brushes and Indian ink. Music was played. Excellent engagement. Method removed barriers that would otherwise inhibit expression. lesson was effectively developed and well structured. Pace of learning and vocabulary acquisition was apparent. Buzzing atmosphere. Concepts like fluidity of line grasped and understood. Biology Y10: lesson on the topic of Photosynthesis The lesson began with a quick fire activity using a rally table approach. All pupils were engaged on a task from the moment they entered the room. Persistent, high expectations were reinforced throughout the lesson . The lesson included a variety of activities including: leaf observation, matching definitions to diagrams and a game that included an opportunity for peer assessment.

3 Conduct was extremely conducive to learning and it was clear that the format of the lessons ensured that the pupils were kept interested and on-task. L6: lesson on the topic of White Blood Cells The lesson started promptly and students were immediately focussed and on task. The lesson provided some very good examples of techniques that could be used in any lesson to encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning. Expectations were high throughout and the students responded impressively. There were 8 separate activities within the one hour lesson . A starter activity (rally table) was based around a picture of a white blood cell. Students shared existing knowledge and were immediately engaged. Students had ownership of their learning from the start. A paired reading exercise had students feeding back to partners what they had just read a further example of students working collaboratively and taking responsibility.

4 The lesson had pace and momentum and steep learning progression was clearly evident. Business Studies Year 11: lesson on the topic of The Marketing Mix This lesson had a strong practical element to it with pupils having been divided into four groups. Each group had prepared a product or service to present before a panel of judges in a Dragons Den style pitch. The groups were required to talk about the 4 Ps (Place, Product, Promotion, Price) in their presentation and explain why they thought their produce would be successful. The panel, in turn, questioned each group and decided whether they would invest in the product and how much they would be willing to invest. The groups were also involved in assessing each other in terms of innovation and presentation skills. The engagement of the pupils was excellent and tested their understanding of the concepts.

5 The panel were effective at challenging the boys knowledge and had clearly been advised and prepared beforehand. This was an excellent example of how learning can develop within a well prepared lesson with minimal direct teacher input. In many ways the teacher took a risk here but the result was quite spectacular. The onus was entirely shifted onto the pupils. The lesson ended with a plenary that covered the key terms associated with the Marketing Mix: unique selling point , profit , equity , price etc. The panel comprised a Year 13 student, the Community Partnership Manager and two student teachers. Chemistry Year 10: Ionic and Covalent Bonding The focus for this lesson was how do sub-atomic particles help us to understand the structure of substances. The lesson was a practical that followed a series of lessons that had focussed on chemical bonding.

6 During the practical part of the lesson , groups worked with four unknown samples. The aims was for pupils to identify properties, understand that ionic compounds have high melting and boiling points and are sold at room temperature, and describe how ionic compounds can conduct electricity when they are molten or in solution. Pupils in groups were fully engaged and on task. The teacher s role was to provide guidance and support and pupils worked on set activities (describing appearance, testing for electrical conductivity, dissolving in water, and estimating melting point). Following the practical, understanding was tested through a past GCSE question on the topic. The question was to be completed for homework and answers reviewed in peer to peer assessment. The lesson combined effective use of ICT to stimulate discussion and guide the practical activity with well structured group activity through to testing understanding by GCSE criteria.

7 lesson had pace no downtime . All pupils on task . English Year 10: lesson on the topic of War Poetry and the Shakespeare Controlled Assessment It was very pleasing to see a number of pupils in this group who are prone to apathy and occasional disengagement being fully occupied and on task throughout. It showed how well planned and well-resourced lessons can keep pupils on task and deal with low level behaviour issues. The lesson started with a quick fire rally table activity that focussed on gathering words associated with war. There was also an element of competition too with the winning pair with the most words reading theirs out. A variety of activities were included providing effective progression. A number of group strategies were used: interval timed pair work, think pair share, numbered heads together. Of particular note was the way in which pupils were given 30 seconds to show how two poems with the titles The Soldier and The Conscript might differ in their attitudes towards going to war.

8 This was done as a think, pair, share . The use of a clip from Oh What a Lovely War provided a stimulus to discussion about World War I and in particular, how recruitment changed from volunteers in 1914 to conscription in 1916. The use of ( point , provide evidence and explain ) gave pupils a clear structure for feedback. There was a lot of scope for independent learning and the teacher facilitated rather than controlled the lesson . The configuration of the tables promoted effective discussions and resource provision was excellent with each table having a basket containing the materials for the group activities. The lesson clearly demonstrated how pupils who have a tendency to slope off and disengage, can be involved throughout. French Year 10: Relating to Social Issues, Choices and Responsibilities, Exchanging Information an Opinions This was a well-orchestrated lesson that included a wide range of activities.

9 Clear evidence of progression. Pupils were given the opportunity to work in teams, pairs and independently. Focus was on problems relating to youth of today. Pupils were shown an advert concerning passive smoking for the first activity and they discussed in pairs. In the second activity, traffic light cards were used to give immediate feedback. In the team activity, pupils were divided into 5 groups and each assigned a particular role. They had to define the particular problem they been given and what the problem may lead to. Towards the end, there was team feedback to the rest of the group. For the team tasks, pupils were grouped according to ability and this allowed differentiated work and targeted support. By the end of the lesson , there was clear evidence of steep learning progression. Other points of note use of traffic light cards and Geography Year 7: Flooding This lesson progressed from a previous lesson on River Flooding in Bangladesh.

10 The contrasting example here was the York Floods (UK). The use of differentiated support materials was immediately evident from the start of the lesson . The lesson began with an imaginative starter whereby picture clues were used to generate a list of key words for the lesson . Pupils had to think about learning from the previous lesson and this provided a clear focus for the lesson . Full engagement and pupils clearly enjoyed the activity, no pupil off task . lesson progressed to discussion of flooding cause and effect, with a particular focus on identifying natural and people-made causes. At this stage, imaginative questions were asked by pupils which evidenced their understanding. The next task drew upon OS map skills to suggest possible effects of the York floods. Questioning taxonomy was evident. Pupils were given a mark scheme so that they could self and peer assess.