Engineering enough fine-grained practice before moving on. Third in the series. Cooperative Learning does not magically generate more minutes in your lesson. It does, however, increase what you get out of the minutes that you do have: Henderson Green Primary Academy, "the worst school in Norwich" two years after their first Cooperative Learning inset. There... Continue Reading →
Second in the series of 2 minute reads on how Cooperative Learning takes out each of the 7 deadly difficulties in teaching summarised by Tom Sherrington. Here comes the ogre of "Diverging attainment." Deadly Difficulty #2: Some get it; some don’t. Diverging attainment. In a sense, divergent attainment can be more difficult than when the... Continue Reading →
This series of 2 minute reads shares how I've seen teachers use Cooperative Learning to take out each of the 7 deadly difficulties in teaching so neatly summarised by Tom Sherrington. For the first difficulty ("They still don't get it") we will use the absolute simplest of Cooperative Learning Interaction Patterns which is the bread-and-butter... Continue Reading →
...lesson observations are often draining because outcomes seldom match the effort; observations often result in vague hints which are seldom followed up, rather than instantly applicable advice that actually improves life for teachers and pupils from the next day and onwards. Enter Cooperative Learning.
It was a pleasure to attend yesterday's Association of Science Education's London and Essex Summer Conference "Supporting Learning for all in Science" at the Institute of Education, London. For someone like me, whose method deliberately targets achievement gaps, the title alone made coming irresistible. A special thank you to Sheila of ASE, who virtually singlehandedly... Continue Reading →
This is the second instalment of the Stalham Academy series, which investigates how a reeling Norfolk primary in special measures could reach UK top-500 in two years - for a £900 CPD investment. In the previous post, we discussed the importance of knowing what you want. This second post examines the steps from the first CPD... Continue Reading →
Even in a Formula One racing car, it all comes down to the driver. If they weren't so skilled, Stalham Academy's senior leadership should be wearing fireproof suits and crash helmets. This is the first in a series of articles discussing how Stalham Academy used Cooperative Learning to get from special measures to top 500... Continue Reading →
The last of three open CPD sessions in Walsall took place yesterday at North Walsall Academy (previously Charles Coddy Walker). For the benefit of attendees at these events, and schools who have gone through the Skills & Mastery or 21st century British Muslim courses, this short post demonstrates the integration of Talk4Writing with Cooperative Learning.... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, 50+ internal and external delegates attended "Outstandingly Simple," a 60-minute introduction to Cooperative Learning at Queen Mary's Grammar School. This post contains some of the materials, extra resources and reflections on the event. First of all, thank you to all attendees. With high individual accountability, Cooperative Learning is very demanding after a full day... Continue Reading →
Commenting on the famous Sutton Trust-EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit, this article posits the structural approach as the most effective form of collaborative learning, bar none. The Sutton Trust-EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit provides guidance for schools on how to best use their resources to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Collaborative strategies top the list... Continue Reading →
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