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Background
and Aims
Background
It is the duty of a teacher to teach all pupils in a class irrespective
of their ability level. In recent times the Scottish Executive
has launched the five national priorities which readers may view
on the National
Priorities in Education (Scotland) website
Although these notes will focus on opportunities for the more
able child the strategies mentioned may be applied to all children.
It is often the pupil with the most ability who is least likely
to receive additional attention or support, there being an assumption
that s/he will succeed by virtue of natural ability. It is important
to acknowledge that all pupils are individuals with their own
special needs. In the case of able children, appropriate provision
does not necessarily imply additional resources are provided.
Needs may be met by offering alternative methods and approaches.
Establishing programmes to support able pupils can ensure not
only that these children make the best use of their aptitudes
and skills but also that all pupils benefit from an overall approach
to raising achievement and attainment across the school.
Aims - selected extracts from the booklet
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To create an ethos of achievement in which diversity
and attainment are celebrated, with a focus on individual
pupils and the whole school. |
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To recognise that each person has a unique,
and sometimes uneven, profile of abilities and has the right
to appropriately challenging and enjoyable educational experiences. |
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To encourage an awareness of multiple intelligences
and of the need to develop the whole child considering teachers,
pupils and parents. |
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To develop skills of critical thinking and reflection
with a view to creating independent, autonomous learners. |
Traditional definitions are narrow and imprecise. We should no
longer ask, "How smart are you?" but "How
are you smart?" Seven distinct intelligences are suggested
for consideration, with the proviso that each pupil should be
regarded as having her/his unique patterns of strengths and difficulties.
(Note: Naturalist has been added as a possible eighth intelligence.)
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Click on the image to find out more.
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Creating
an ethos of achievement
All children need praise and the younger they are they the more
explicit it needs to be. Children derive a great deal of satisfaction
and encouragement from seeing their work displayed either within
the classroom or to a wider audience.
This can apply in many forms. From an ICT point of view it could
include the display of word processed accounts, a chart derived
by a graph drawing application from data collected by the pupils,
the results of a web quest, a painting created using an art application,
a musical score entered into an authoring program. As Kidspiration
and Inspiration are both rich in picture symbols they are ideal
applications to employ in this way although it isn't only the
end result which benefits but the whole learning process.
Ref. To some sample files to be added at a later date.
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Teachers have to provide appropriate challenges
and the opportunity to develop the skills with which to meet
these challenges. |
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Teachers have to make it safe to take risks. |
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Learning involves making sense of new information,
skills and concepts in the light of prior knowledge and understanding. |
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What a pupil does in cooperation with others
today, the pupil will learn to do alone tomorrow. |
Kidspiration and Inspiration can assist in making these statements
a reality. Many of the sample files are the end result of this
process. For example, the Shapes file is the result of rearranging
basic shapes into recognised groups. The prior knowledge is built
upon to develop a structure and relationship between the shapes
and to identify categories. The scope for learning and discovery
is ever present and many children will be able to visualise the
relationships and remember these in their future education.
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The teacher's role is to encourage positive
attitudes and use positive language. |
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Establishing and maintaining good relationships
is likely to result in increased levels of self-confidence,
self-esteem and self-efficacy. |
Future development: The inclusion of examples from teachers
working with able pupils, these will include work undertaken by
staff in Fife Education's Visual and Senory Impairment Service.
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Identification
and Assessment
Latent ability may go unrecognised as certain aptitudes are difficult
to measure and test accurately. Intelligence is no longer regarded
as static, fixed, hierarchical and independent of context. Whole-brain
learning needs to be considered. It can include creativity, foresight,
receptiveness and adaptability to change, and an unusual capacity
to solve problems. Motivation, commitment and an ability to make
relationships and/or be self-aware may also be significant.
This section is considered in more detail in the booklet.
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Learning
and Teaching Strategies
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a) Differentiation
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| Tasks should provide stimulation and challenge
for able pupils. Differentiation can encompass a whole range
of strategies. |
| b) Preferred Learning Styles |
| Pupils need space to pursue approaches which
suit their style and pace of learning. Thus, serious consideration
should be given to the identification of individual learning
styles. For able pupils this might be the key to success.
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| c) Independent Learning |
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This stimulates and challenges able pupils, as they are
actively involved in such learning tasks as researching,
investigation and experimenting. Problem solving encourages
pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and
helps them to develop autonomous learning skills. There
should be a consistent approach across all aspects of the
curriculum.
The content webs produced by senior pupils at Waid
Academy in Fife are excellent examples of this approach.
So too are the recent books published by Leckie and Leckie
to support Standard Grade revision.
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| d) Group Work |
Group work encourages children to learn by
cooperating with others. It is possible to equip children
with the necessary skills to do this.
The HMI report (1993) noted that 'teachers did not capitilise
often enough on the potential of group work for challenging
and extending able pupils'.. The
HMIE website holds a comprehensive collection of reports
and good practice. |
| e) Paired learning/Peer Support |
| This approach, which is used to support pupils
who are experiencing difficulties, could equally profitably
be used with able pupils. Thus, an able pupil would be paired
either with a senior student with similar interests/abilities
or with a member of staff. Personal contact and mentoring
can help to maintain the energy and motivation of able pupils. |
| f) Thinking Skills |
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In order to raise intellectual achievement, teachers need
a good understanding of recent research into how people
learn so they can create a firm foundation for effective
teaching and learning. Establishing a climate of critical,
reflective and creative thinking reaps benefits for adults
and children alike. If taking responsibility for themselves
and their own learning is seen to be a major aim of education,
then involving children in the planning and management of
that learning will be of prime importance.
Readers may be interested in accessing Learning and Teaching
Scotland's Assessment
is for Learning website.
Creative, critical thinking and problem solving skills should
be developed by all teachers to help pupils become more
reflective learners. It is important to remember that children
need to practise such skills; they will not just 'pick them
up'.
Teachers need time and training to explore different programmes
(eg, de Bono, Feuerstein 1980; Fisher 1992, 1996, 1997,
1998; Lipman) and to consider how thinking strategies can
be incorporated into the curriculum. Class teachers should
'model' good thinking skills when teaching pupils and should
provide them with every opportunity to develop the higher
order skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
Future development: to include bibliography and links
to websites proving details on the highlighted references.
If you log onto the National
Priorities in Education (Scotland) website and websites
enter a search for "learning", or "learning
styles" or "differentiation" note the number
of hits. This site contains a healthy collection of video
clips describing how teachers have incorporated Learning
Styles theory into their classroom practice.
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| g) Recent research |
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Recent research into how the brain functions has over-turned
views of learning, and our task is now to turn the theory
into practice. More thorough, enthusiastic and creative
learning will occur if children are taught tools for developing
their intrapersonal intelligence, for example
· Being aware of the strategies they, and others,
use for acquiring and processing, new knowledge, skills
and understandings;
· Making explicit the skill of connecting prior and
new learning;
· Developing memory techniques;
· Mentally rehearsing future tasks, roles and skills;
· Combating stress through relaxation techniques;
· Visualising and verbalising in a 'community of
enquiry' and with 'inner speech'.
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| h. Questioning |
| Questionning by teachers and pupils - should
be open-ended and divergent if children's faculties are to
develop. On some occasions there is a 'right' answer, but
too many questions asked in school are closed. Children need
encouragement to explore alternatives creatively if they are
to think for themselves |
Note: there are sections covering the Primary/Secondary interface
in the booklet that are not included here.
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Differentiation
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Every opportunity should be
given for developing the higher order skills of analysis,
synthesis and evaluation |
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Open-ended and research-based tasks should be
introduced wherever possible to vary the teaching of new knowledge |
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Differentiated group work
will allow able pupils to tackle activities which are far
more demanding. |
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Differentiated homework should
be used whenever possible. |
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The use of debate should be
encouraged. |
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Enrichment activities should never simply be
'more of the same'. |
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Cross-curricular links should
be investigated. |
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Cross
Curricular Links
Schools should think about ways of exploring opportunities for
cross-curricular activities. Subject-based or cross-curricular
challenges give pupils choice and opportunity to be involved in
additional learning with individually negotiated targets.
A few possibilities are included here. Some have associated Inspiration
files.
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The Rock Cycle and its effects on the landscape in Geography
and mineral composition, melting point and crystallisation
in Chemistry.
Click on the image to find out more.
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No image included as readers have to
create their own file.
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In History, a study of the First World War could
present a background to an English class about to study the
poetry of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Resources could
be accessed from websites hosting primary documents such as
SCAN
and the British National Archives described in the Learning
Curve - for more information look at the Content
Map included in the History sample files part of this
website. |
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In History, a study of the suffering of Jewish people in
the Second World Wa,r through the life of Anne Frank could
involve the English department when looking at her diaries.
Click on the image to find out more.
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No image included as readers have to
create their own file.
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In Art, research undertaken into
an artist or period could be used to write an interior monologue
by the artist as a piece of reflective writing for English
or for a modern foreign language. |
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No image included as readers have to
create their own file.
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In Modern Studies and Religious
Education, the facts gleaned from a study of Politics of Aid
could link with the ethics of what is happening, and what
the Moral response is or should be. |
Readers creating their own Inspiration files are
invited to share them with others. Please e-mail them to Jim.Birney@fife.gov.uk
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