Remote Learning Input

Key message: the principles for effective online learning are the same as classroom based learning.

The aims of this document are to:

• Remind staff about the principles of effective T&L
• Provide a series of questions to support teachers’ thinking when planning remote learning
• Signpost where colleagues can access further training, useful articles and resources to support their delivery of remote learning

We want this to be clear, concise and helpful. We don’t want to repeat what you may already have received.

Further guidance, additional reading, weblinks, supporting documents and exemplar resources are all available on the Remote Learning Google Classroom (class code: t4tu5ji).

Effective T&L – it’s the same; keep it simple. Teach the basics well.

Barak Rosenshine’s ‘Principles of Instruction’ provides a useful reminder about what makes effective teaching and learning. ‘Walkthrus’ also provides further guidance on specific strategies to support teaching and learning.

A ‘6-step possible process for planning’

1. What’s the best method of communicating what I want pupils to learn?

• live
• recorded
• set work

2. What’s the most effective way to monitor and assess what students have learned?

• Entrance/exit tickets, collated through chat/google form etc
• ‘Over the shoulder’
• Individual submission of work pre/during/post-lesson
• Live interaction/questioning, classwork, homework
• Use of summative assessment: mock exams, end of unit assessments

3. Now that I’m clear how I’m teaching the lesson and how I’m going to assess learning, what pedagogical approaches do I need to use to teach this lesson? (See DfE ‘What’s working well in remote education’ for further advice)

• Consider the most important knowledge or concepts students need to know
• explain and present new material using small steps
• provide models
• provide scaffolds for difficult tasks
• chunking and sequencing information

Where possible, please use high quality content that already exists, rather than feeling that you have to create everything yourself. This will support workload and energy levels.

4. When I’ve got feedback from pupils, how will I use this to assess their learning and inform my next lesson?

• Identify the patterns/gaps individually and across the class as a whole
• Re-teach, re-model and re-test
• Re-draft or re-do work
• Rehearse or repeat
• Revist and respond to more (different) questions

5. How do I ensure students are clear about my expectations and ways of working remotely?

• Use of technology during live/recorded lessons,g. software, cameras, microphones, chat function
• What’s coming up and how you as the teacher plan to teach this (some assessment lessons, some live, some pre-recorded etc)
• Share an overview of where we are in the scheme of learning
• Explain how I want them to respond to me/each other
• What they should do if they have a problem/need help/finish the work early
• When they will work independently. The time for this work is 60 mins, divided like this….
• How they should work independently.
• Ways to stay focused and avoid getting distracted
• Praise/rewards
• How you will track and monitor their progress
• Monitoring attendance/raising any concerns

6. What considerations do I need to take into account in order to ensure my lesson meets the needs of the vulnerable learners (PP/SEND/EAL/AG&T etc) in my class? 

• Reviewing their student information so I am clear about their needs and what works best for them
• Adaptations to content/resources, e.g. chunked content, differentiated materials, extension tasks
• Adaptations to my delivery, e.g. providing written instructions as well as verbal, stripping my PPT of all but the essential information, dual coding etc.
• How I can support them to engage with the work and remain on-task, e.g. designing tasks with a high success rate, reminders about expectations/behaviour
• How I interact with these students, e.g. chat function, verbal communication etc.
• How I provide feedback to help them to move forward, e.g. live marking in real time, personalised feedback with actionable next steps
• How I can communicate as clearly as possible. When and how I need students to listen/follow a presentation/read the chat
• How I communicate their progress with other colleagues, where appropriate, e.g. SENCO, A&T Coordinator etc.