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PEEL: Idea of the Month: What's New: Idea of the Month Archive

Idea of the Month Archive

2009

April Idea of the Month

Collaborative Work on the Interactive Whiteboard
Lara Laverman, Berwick Fields Primary School

To provide students with learning and teaching experiences that are authentic and prepare them for future stages in their learning journey and family and work experiences it is important that students have the knowledge, skills, capacity to work collaboratively with others. Students require the skills necessary to learn, work, negotiate, share, reflect and collaborate on tasks.

In my grade 3/4 class students are able to all contribute to lessons as they all have enlarged visual access to information, and stimuli.  Students are able to work together as a whole class to solve problems, brainstorm solutions, share discussions, annotate images and text, ask questions, play, share ideas, teach one another and reflect.

An example of collaborative work on a whiteboard was the introduction of arrays where a video clip of 'Scooby Doo' was used to engage the students in their quest to find arrays (3x4).  Students collectively watched a short clip of the film once to enjoy and then the second time that they watched the clip they were asked to look for arrays within the images.  To begin with students were unsure of arrays and their application in day-to-day life.  This clip allowed them to search for them and understand them in real life circumstances.  Students were at first hesitant to identify them and an example was provided in the sets of windows lining the front of the window as two groups of two and therefore a two by two array.  From here there was a frenzy of discussion as to whether within the windows there were further arrays, within the bookshelves there were arrays, within the tiled floors 

Each time an array was identified a 'screen capture' photo was taken of the video and placed into Smartboard notebook and then the image was annotated over with students offering and sharing their reasons why this particular image was or was not an array.  Students had the opportunity to draw over the array.

Future tasks involved students going outside to explore the school and find the arrays that around the school grounds.  Further collaborative interactive whiteboard tasks also allowed for the creation in small groups of arrays using image programs such as KidzPix and Smartboard tools where children were grouped into no more than three and together their tasks was to create an array for the rest of the grade to identify.

Is the use of IWB more effective than a video clip on a DVD/ TV, yes in the sense that it can be paused and that scene can be captured, cropped, saved, annotated the whole group are able to share in the process rather than just watch it take place and then talk about it.

The students are engaged in physically moving objects and recording with the other students engaged in the process as they can see what is happening.

A whole class is able to take part in the manipulations, discussion, negotiation, turn taking, decision making, problem solving. The work that is recorded can be saved for future reference or further investigations. The process is fast, exciting and engaging and the results are immediate.

March Idea of the Month

This article by Jo Osler appeared in the most recent edition of PEEL SEEDS # 102 which focused on the use of Interactive Whiteboards to improve student learning.

Using the Interactive whiteboard  to promote reflection

My aim is for my students to develop an effective approach to learning that reflects their understandings of the learning process.  As they build these understandings they are simultaneously developing a language that helps them to communicate what they know about learning. I am constantly looking for new ways to support this process in my classroom and the latest has been to incorporate the use of our interactive whiteboard. While my students are working and learning in the classroom I capture them in action by taking a photo. I ensure I take random shots as well as strategic shots to highlight students a range of learning behaviours. Once the photo is taken we view it on the interactive whiteboard on a flipchart. Using the whiteboard interactive pen I ask students in the class not featured in the photo to give feedback about the learning that is taking place in the photo. I then ask the students featured in the photo to share their reflections about what was really happening in the photo. All of this is recorded on the photo, which turns into a Labelled diagram.

In the beginning, students usually make comments at a surface level where they will focus on the physical actions of the learner: 'getting materials organised', 'putting facts in circle', or 'doing my work'. These comments reflect current understandings about learning and provide me with directions to support their learning further. As students develop more effective reflective skills and have built richer understandings of what effective learning involves and looks like, then their comments begin to reflect this development:  'I was checking the criteria and making a decision about when to move on', 'Sam looks like he is enviro walking and looking for ideas to help with his literary sociogram.'

Once the photos have the reflective comments we print them out and use them during later discussions about learning, as well as placing them in student portfolios to show growth in the areas of personal development, interpersonal development, communication and thinking. Next, my goal is for my students to incorporate this process into their team tasks, where they will develop a series of photos that reflect on the learning that has occurred over a period of time.

February Idea of the Month

This article by Revital Barr Waanders  will be published in a future PEEL SEEDS. It is an excellent example of an experienced teacher questioning her practice and promoting new ways of learning.

I am an experienced L.O.T.E teacher (Hebrew).  I teach Year six, Hebrew and Jewish Studies at a private school. This year I have been studying at Monash University professional development subjects. This semester I set out to explore the idea of intrinsic motivation in the LOTE & Jewish Studies classroom.

In my class, most of the students achieve high scores on their tests.  Some of the students are keen and eager in their learning.  They diligently complete all class tasks and happily take risks when speaking in Hebrew.  I find these students to be intrinsically motivated.  i.e. they learn because they want to learn.  However, other students in my class are not as motivated in their learning, even though they achieve high grades on their tests.  I observed that many students complied with task requirements only when they were closely supervised.  This led me to believe that they learnt mainly to achieve good marks on their tests.   I wanted to create an environment in which all the students are motivated to learn because they enjoy the subjects.

My plan was to encourage my students to have more responsibility for their learning, but first I had to find out what the students thought about the LOTE subjects and my style of teaching.  I began by questioning which specific aspects of L.O.T.E. and Jewish Studies might not appeal to some of my students. I questioned the students on their views as to the relevance of the LOTE (Hebrew) to them, as well as what they thought of my style of teaching.

Initially, when I invited the students to comment about my style of teaching, I did not know what to expect. I feared the worst,  believing that I may over empower the students and thus lose control over them. Fortunately, my reservations were unsubstantiated. 

I asked the students whether they were happy with the way in which the lessons were conducted or whether they would like to see some changes?  The students seemed a little confused by my question.  Perhaps this was because they had never before been asked for their opinion in this area.    I reassured my students that they could express their ideas openly for I valued their opinions.  Some students then felt comfortable to voice their desire to work in groups, while others suggested having less formal lessons without tests. 

As a result of this discussion I some made changes to my LOTE lessons as follows:

• I encouraged students to seek answers for themselves rather then accepting the teacher'™s answers.
• I gave students more responsibility for their learning.
• I prepared work with a varied choice of tasks from which students can select.
• I provided more ways for students to achieve high grades (i.e. not only through written tests but through presentation of written work, topic presentations and group effort).
• I involved students in the writing of class worksheets.
• I provided opportunities for students to correct their own work.
• I asked for student's feedback through class discussions and surveys.

 I made a point of discussing my objectives for the lessons/subjects with my students.  I explained to them how every activity would operate and the choices they would have in each one.   I asked the students to evaluate which class activities worked for them - and which did not.  The first class discussion was somewhat formal as I was the main speaker, leading and guiding the discussion.  However, as the students warmed up to the concept of evaluating themselves and the subjects taught, they became more open to expressing their reservations and delights.

As the weeks passed, I noticed a subtle change in my attitude towards my students.  I now spend more time talking to them during class and recess.  The students too have noticed this change and they seem to find me more approachable when voicing their concerns and reservations.  I have noticed some changes in a number of the students.  Some of them have expressed their pleasure at working in groups, while others marvelled at the idea that their worksheets will be used to assess other class members.

I realize that it is only the beginning of an extended process which needs to continue if it is to be successful. However, I see how with a little effort I have helped to make a difference to some of my students and motivate them intrinsically in their learning.

Most interesting for me was the fact that my initial concern - teaching both the LOTE and Jewish Studies only in the target language, which is not their mother tongue - was not the major concern for my students.  They were more concerned with the manner in which the subject was presented.

I have no doubt in my mind that the fact that I shared my thoughts and plans with my students contributed to the students' cooperation with the change of lesson presentation, and their willingness to work closely with both me and their classmates to put these changes into action.

January Idea of the Month

This article written by Phil Eastman is a summary of Phil's presentation at the 2008 PEEL conference. It also appeared in PEEL SEEDS # 101. PEEL has been most successful when undertaken by a group of teachers meeting in what Phil terms a professional learning team. Phil has many suggestions for running successful professional learning teams.

Here then are a few more specific principles for running PLT's

Begin with the end in mind    Taken from 7 habits of highly effective people, Covey

The  leader or coordinator  needs a clear picture of the desired future and how the team will look or work, and ideally be able to share this with others. The clearer this picture is and the more it is shared and understood by all, the better! Establish this initially revisit it from time to time as required.

You need a will, and a way

Structures and opportunities for people to work together simply must be provided. Without consistent and proper time allocated little or nothing will be achieved and for this to truly happen leadership must be on board.

 Find the Hook

What are people most concerned about and wanting to work on? Find out the needs of the students and staff and tailor PLT work to meet this. In a sense, the clearer or more urgent such a need is the better. You can use data (eg NAPLAN, VCE, Surveys  staff, student, parent etc) or, if there is no apparent and agreed upon need, create one. eg.  each lesson must have an activity to cater to kinaesthetic learners or one higher order thinking activity

OK, we're here. Now what are we meant to be doing?

This relates to the previous point. Once people are in the PLT, what will they be working on? How do you decide what content to work on? Go back to your purpose. Make sure that the work is real stuff that people will benefit from in the classroom. Without a consistent focus the work often falls into the category of being ad hoc which may be OK to start with but will rarely be enough to sustain interest and build momentum. Ian Mitchell has suggested providing a range of entry points for people in teams consisting of;

Level 1  Focus on extending your teaching repertoire;

1.      Building more variety into our classrooms by trying new teaching procedures

2.      Allow a wider range of students to achieve success by increasing our use of  PEEL procedures

Level 2  Focus on an aspect of class culture

Here we build the scripts and skills needed to routinely work well in one or more areas such as;

1.    Whole class discussions

2.    Group work

3.    Library research

Level 3  Focus on one or more aspects of student learning

Here the focus is on improving the quality and nature of students thinking and changing the notion that schooling is about completing tasks.

1.       Thinking about what they are learning

2.       Seeking links to other ideas and experiences

3.       Thinking about what they are doing.

I reckon it is a really worthwhile thing to have staff show and tell what they have achieved from their involvement in the PLT. This can be simply done to the rest of the team or, (and this can be more threatening) shown to the rest of the staff.

All people are created equal  In life this is so, in teams, hmmm?

We all know that some people have a disproportionate level of influence over the dynamics and running of a group. My advice is to know who such people are and definitely try and work with rather than against them! Not earth shattering advice but if they are onside and working with you the PLT can work so much better. A core group of committed people can also greatly help generate momentum.

We don't need another hero, we just need some good leaders.

Effectively leading PLTs does need a special skill set that not everyone has, so equip and train your team leaders in running teams. If a number of teams are operating you need to develop a clear picture and understanding of the purpose and focus amongst the leaders before you can expect this to happen within the teams. An investment of time is required here.

Stop playing the blame game!

Stop blaming the leadership, students, parents, other teachers, the system, VELS (etc etc) for why the school or team isn't working. Put simply, focus and work on the things you have control over and stop wasting time worrying about and blaming things you cannot change. Teams can waste a lot of time blaming others for why they can't improve student learning, rather than looking at ways that they can do so.

Instead, play the Patience Game.

Change, particularly cultural change and even more particularly cultural change in schools, takes time! All schools have an entrenched culture which will take time to address and improve.  Referring back to the principle of Begin with the end in mind, keep aligning things with the vision, then make sure that any Professional learning activities are not one offs but feed into and support the work of the PLTs. Improvement in a culture is never linear and the work of a PLT will not happen consistently throughout the year as certain times of the year are definitely more effective for getting things done than others. From my experience the key times for effective staff learning and development are in Term 1 & Term 3, and early Term 2 & early Term 4 (for non Yr 12 teachers)  running any Professional Learning during assessment and reporting times should be avoided like the plague!

2008

December Idea of the Month

In late 2008 PEEL SEEDS the magazine produced by PEEL reached a major milestone, the 100^th edition. To mark this occasion teachers and academics who had been involved in PEEL for a number of years were invited to write about their experiences with PEEL in their teaching. This article by Rosemary Dusting of Wesley College, Victoria provides a snapshot of what PEEL is all about.

Still PEELing  Rosemary Dusting

I was lucky enough to be introduced to PEEL in 1994 by the late Jeff Northfield, who had been invited to visit my school to give an in-service presentation. What he said immediately resonated and made sense. PEEL seemed to offer just what I had been searching for in terms of improving the way I taught and understanding the way my students learned. Subsequently, PEEL has been an enduring and permanent influence on my teaching career.

Fourteen years on, I still regard PEEL as my primary professional development framework. PEEL has allowed me to personalise my professional growth. I go back to the books and the database over and over again. It might be that I am facing a particular challenge with a group of students or that I become aware that my teaching has become routine and boring. It never takes long before I can find or imagine an approach that is more stimulating and engaging for the students and, hopefully, improves their understanding and learning. For me, the tremendously powerful thing about PEEL has been (and still is!) the fact that such a wealth of accessible and well organised material is readily available, yet there is no recipe for its use. The intellectual autonomy of the user is paramount. PEEL is what you make of it. 

For me, the on-going challenge is how to make the best possible use of PEEL. Once you know about the Twelve Principles for Quality Teaching and Learning, how can you not want to employ them?  You almost feel obliged to PEEL!! What could be better than regularly observing Good Learning Behaviours amongst the students you teach? However, schools are complex places and there are many competing demands on teachers and students. For a start there are the perennial challenges of the crowded curriculum and the imperative to cover the course. Sometimes the PEEL lesson gets put aside or is truncated in some way. Then there is the need to incorporate rapidly advancing technologies into the classroom (CAS calculators and interactive whiteboards to name but two). However, I can see there are still many exciting possibilities for incorporating and extending PEEL in my teaching.

One of the best things about PEEL has been that it has provided me over the years with many, many valuable opportunities to discuss teaching and learning with like-minded colleagues across a range of disciplines. The language of PEEL provides a way of sharing practice and theory in a way that busy teachers find straightforward and accessible. I can't think of any other kind of school meeting that is as enjoyable and productive as a PEEL meeting!  

November Idea of the Month

This article which  appeared in PEEL SEEDS  #101 is written by Russell Kealey from Berwick Secondary College. Russell describes how he used a PEEL Procedure called 'Reverse Learning' to great effect. His idea can be readily transferred to other subject areas. It allows students to learn from their mistakes.

Many junior and middle school Media students are very keen to get straight into producing video without completing any prior planning such as scripts and storyboards (much to the chagrin of we Media teachers!). My usual course is simply to insist that students spend time on the pre-production stage before they move on to production.

Year 10 Media at Berwick has a live TV studio component where the class creates their own live chat show similar to Rove Live in our three-camera TV studio. All students are allocated roles (e.g. camera operators, vision mixer, hosts, reviewers, lights, set dressing, boom operator, VTR operator, etc.) and are expected to prepare for their role. For example, camera operators are expected to know the appropriate shot sizes and be able to move from one to another quickly and smoothly and hosts need to have their full script prepared and know which camera to look at.

Preparatory classes are exceptionally busy as I run around trying to get all students familiar with their roles. It also takes quite a bit of time and effort to transform our traditional classroom  into our TV studio . It's not just a question of moving the furniture, but also cabling up all of the cameras, lights and microphones and constructing the set.

This semester my Year 10s were really good at transforming the classroom but not very good at working together to complete all of the other planning needed. (A live TV show needs not only a script but also a pre-determined running order where the entire sequence is planned out, i.e. which camera, what shot size, of whom. Given that most shots on TV only last about 5 seconds, even a 20 minute show will have around 240 shots!)

Anyway, in one of our rehearsal classes I decided to record 10 minutes of footage. At this stage we did not have a running order and the scripts hadn't been finalised as the students were reluctant to complete these mundane tasks. Towards the end of the lesson I showed the footage to the class and asked them what was wrong with it. (The footage was an absolute disaster, camera on host when a guest was speaking, camera operators talking and their voices picked up on the soundtrack, cameras refocusing while on-air, etc.)

The students responded: The host needs to know what to say, As vision mixer, I didn't know which camera to cut to or when to cut, I didn't know which camera to look at, Everyone needs to shut up, and so on.

This led straight into a discussion of what do we need to do to fix it? Most of the class immediately agreed that we needed a tight running order and that all of the on-air talent needed to have their scripts written and at least partly-memorised (so that they could look into the camera and not just down at their scripts.)

Compared to my previous approach of simply insisting that the pre-planning was done, allowing the class to make mistakes and learn from them produced more effective learning and also a much greater understanding of why so much planning is necessary in a video / film production. It also resulted in the students being much more motivated to complete the necessary planning.

Our PEEL group at school had been looking at a few strategies off the PEEL in Practice CD while I was working on this task with my Year 10s. One of these was Reverse Learning.[ii] Reading over this article by Cheryl Edwards I realised I had done a similar thing for similar reasons.

May Idea of the Month

This procedure is an extension of PEEL procedure C1 (Promoting and using student's questions) in which students not only create the questions which focus on the learning outcomes of an assignment but develop an understanding of the differences, purposes and application of a variety of thinking questions.

Damien Toussaint had his students (in groups) create, discuss and decide on the questions for a project (a novel assignment). Using the categories below which were pinned up on posters around the classroom students were asked to

• Discuss the 'characteristics' of each kind of question they had generated
• Review other group's questions.
• Discuss and then build on the other group's questions. Make suggestions about improvements or changes and explain why.

Then the whole class reviewed all of the questions, grouping them and refining their wording. Finally Damien worked with a smaller group of four students (the 'project editing team') to pull the project together while the other students focused on making suggestions and coming up with creative writing topics. The resulting questions and writing topics then became the assignment.

Categories of Questions

1. ON THE LINES QUESTIONS or SKINNY QUESTIONS

The question can usually be answered in one or two words. The answer is on a certain page in a book. The answer is either right or wrong. The question usually starts with What, Where or When.

2. BETWEEN THE LINES QUESTIONS or 'Partly Fact, Partly Thinking Questions

The question usually requires a sentence or two answer. The answer is not on any one page in the book, but if you understand the ideas and language, you'll know it. The answer will be right if explained well and the ideas are understood. The question often starts with HOW.

3. BEYOND THE LINES QUESTIONS or THINKING QUESTIONS

The question usually requires a paragraph answer or longer. The answer is not provided by the book, notes or the websites. These can be used these to help develop the answer. The answer will always be right if it makes sense according to the texts and is explained well. Justifying opinions and using examples is important when answering these questions. The question often starts with WHY or WHAT IF?

4. FERTILE QUESTIONS

The fertile question has these characteristics:

 

                   It is OPEN  This question will have no one answer but has several different competing and possible answers.

It is RICH  It can't be investigated without doing careful research. This research will mean that the question will be broken into sub-questions. 

It is CONNECTED and RELEVANT to other aspects of this subject, life and the society / world lived in.

April Idea of the Month

This idea from Darren Mead of Cramlingham Community High School, U.K.will appear in a more complete form in a PEEL SEEDS issue later this year.. 

When is the best time to review learning?

Since September my school has had 75 minute lessons, increased from 55 minutes. The idea being that a dedicated 15 minute slot at the end of the lesson can be used to review the learning of the students. The ratio of learning to reviewing fits with the long held ratio of two minutes of review for every ten minutes of learning. Although I suspect a more regular reviewing pattern within the lesson may be prudent.

The QCA has adopted the Assessment reform group's 10 principles of Assessment for learning. Reviewing on a regular basis adheres to five of the these principles, namely

1. Assessment for learning should focus on how students learn.
2. Assessment for learning should be recognized as central to classroom practice
3. Assessment for learning should take account of the importance of learner importance
4. Assessment for learning should promote commitment to learning goals and a shared understanding by which they are assessed.
5. Assessment for learning develops learners' capacity for self assessment so that they become reflective and self- managing.           
   

Like all good assessment for learning strategies,  I believe an effective review should start at the beginning of the lesson establishing what the students already know, giving them something to measure their success against, something real to reflect upon. This is why the PEEL strategy of the Semantic map is so effective. Students are given a topic broken down into smaller concepts. They quickly bullet point their knowledge at the start of the lesson, it is important that at this stage all responses are welcome. Teachers may want to phrase this task as write down what youthink you know.  They then return to it later using a different colour pen and add new learning and correct any misconceptions they originally had. It is vitally important that the new learning is made obvious to everyone. It helps the student see their success and highlights the areas students have missed to the teacher informing future planning.

As a modification to the Semantic map I came up with a graphic organiser that does a similar but more structured job, which has assumed the title the time review. The desire was to identify for studentwhen they had learned something, in an attempt to assist their meta-cognitive process.

 The benefits of not back loading the review section include a possible way of tackling the problem of getting students to review. Avoiding a teacher led review is imperative so that the review has meaning to the learner. Obviously a student who has the skills to review will do so more effectively, although this is dependant upon two key dispositions of the student. Firstly their sensitivity to the need to reflect upon their learning must be high, thinking along the lines of I'm getting a little confused about this topic, I should pause and try to make sense of it would exemplify a learner sensitive to the this need. Secondly not only do they need this awareness but also the inclination to do something about it, almost a motivation to do it. Without explicitly trying to develop these traits, we will always have less effective reviews. My immediate thoughts on how to tackle this focus relies upon the regularity of reviews where they become part of the norm and hopefully sensitizing them to the need to review. The time review graphic organizer also highlights to the student their progress so hopefully increasing the motivation to review. To capitalize upon this it is important to feedback on their reviewing.

In using this over a couple of years I have found that it only takes  a few minutes every 20 minutes or so for students to reflect upon what they have learned scribbling down the key points. A longer period of time is beneficial to the what's new? and what was wrong at the beginning? section at the end. This can lead to a very interesting discussion about how they know they were wrong or have learned something. This in turn helps the students complete, what they often find the most difficult thing to do and comment on how they learned. This meta-cognitive thinking could also influence these dispositions especially if they identify the method that helped them most was the reviews during their learning!

In summary reviewing every lesson is useful in the development of our learners, but regular reviews during every lesson are better still.

March Idea of the Month

Combining a Role Play and POE (Predict Observe, Explain) 

This article written by Julie Morrow comes from a forthcoming issue of PEEL SEEDS which is based entirely on Portland Secondary College's Leading Schools Fund Project.

After watching an animated video on Particle Theory and States of Matter, I wanted to check student understanding of the concepts through Role Play. In the past I have assumed understanding after a video or maybe some questions on the video. Previously I completed this experiment but it was more prescribed with questions after.

I decided to divide the class into 2. Each half had to role play the movement of particles in Solids, Liquids and Gases. They were given 5 minutes to develop their play. The activity was successful in that they seemed to have no problem acting out the differences and seemed to enjoy the task

P.O.E. Students were asked to predict (alone) what they thought would happen when food dye was added to hot then cold water. They were then told to discuss their prediction with a partner and see if they would like to modify their prediction or talk their partner in to their way of thinking. Then we went around the class and heard predictions from everyone.

Students then carried out the experiment, observed results and attempted to explain their observations The students enjoyed the activity and showed good understanding of the concepts. Discussion between partners and the class was a valuable tool in getting students to listen to each others ideas and evaluating their own. All students were actively involved. I think their understanding of a difficult concept was enhanced by thinking, discussing then doing. They enjoyed the activity and even showed wonderment and awe!!

Students had no trouble identifying the reasons for their observations even though their initial predictions may have been wrong

 This is a very abstract concept for students to grasp, particularly yr.7 I feel their understanding was enhanced with concrete examples such as you be the molecules and the P.O.E.

February Idea of the Month

This idea, a variation on concept mapping, comes from Portland Secondary College in Victoria. It is one of a number of excellent teaching ideas developed by teachers at Portland as part of a Teaching and Learning project. More of these ideas will be published in a special PEEL SEEDS edition later in 2008.

My first attempt at Concept Mapping with this class was at the end of their last unit : Separation Techniques. I gave the students 20 words that we had covered in the unit and asked them, in pairs, to use a large sheet of paper and make links between the words. This was their first attempt at Concept Mapping and they found it very difficult, boring! I think I used too many words and it was clear to me that they didnt know the meaning of them all, as I had thought even though we had been doing this unit for 6 weeks!

I wanted to try the idea again but this time in a different form, half way through the unit and with fewer words.

What I did

We had been studying HEAT for 3 weeks and had covered

• What is heat?
• Particle theory / states of matter
• Effect of heat on Solids, Liquids and Gases

I decided to make the task of Concept Mapping a little more interesting, hands on.
I made up a list of 16 words and cut up the words on small pieces of paper and placed them in envelopes.
In table groups, I asked the students to choose any 6 words from the envelope that they believed they could make links between in a concept map.
They were to construct their concept map on the tabletop, using masking tape to connect the words and then write their concept on the tape.
Prizes would be awarded for the group that made the most valid connections.

What happened?

Presenting the Concept Map in this format was much more successful in terms of student enthusiasm, engagement and outcomes.

In all groups, all 4 students appeared to be involved in the task. Many groups asked if they could use more than the 6 words and this was agreed. Most groups used between 10 and 16 words. I had much less input and was asked fewer questions than last time we attempted this activity. Groups only had 20 minutes to complete the activity and came up with, on average, 20 meaningful connections. Connections the students made showed understanding of the concepts covered so far in the unit.

Introducing the idea of competition also added to their enthusiasm, and as it was stressed that they had to make valid connections, I believe their thinking was on a deeper level and discussion and cooperation were evident, tossing ideas around to improve their presentation

January Idea of the Month

Developing a Reading

This idea developed by Damien Toussaint from Niddrie College in Victoria, was  published (with more detail) in the February 2008 edition of PEEL SEEDS.

This procedure, 'Developing a Reading' is intended to encourage the learner to write a response using a sequence of open-ended statements. Simply, it's an example of structured thinking (PEEL procedure F10) that resulted from the frustration I felt when I realised that most of my Year 12 students could not independently construct and maintain an organised and evolving set of written notes while studying a text. I continued to make the same mistake, assuming that by the time a learner reached Year 12 they could independently and competently demonstrate two learning behaviours - the Year 12 learner can search for weaknesses and extend their own understanding (ie build an organised set of evolving written notes) and when they're stuck, they can refer to these notes before asking me for help.

This approach uses a series of open-ended statements that begin by encouraging the learner to think broadly - about personal opinions and the bigger ideas in the text - and then focus their thinking on specific moments and incidents in the text and then on the vocabulary they could use to discuss the text in class and in writing. The statements are not rigid instructions and provide a temporary scaffold. Encouraging the students to extend their ideas and see the changing nature (teacher and student directed) of their reading,  their observations, interpretations, theories and vocabulary - is the focus.

I've been using this approach with my students in English and English Literature as a way of helping them construct a personal interpretation of a text or, in other words, a reading. The open-ended statements are intended to encourage a student to clarify their thinking, articulate their views and ideas relating to a novel, justify these views by using examples and references from the text and articulate personal responses relating to the text's key themes and concerns. The learner then discusses their reading with another student ('Think, Pair, Share'), adding to their ideas during the discussion and then they're given the opportunity to refine the ideas and the written expression.

Gradually the learner constructs richer personal meanings for an idea, concept, word etc. The final reading can also become a rich source or collection of ideas and learning. It can be used, by the student and the teacher, to track the development of and changes in the learner's understanding, to

This document is copyright © 2009 Peel Publications, Australia.