1. Setting up a lesson for good
progress
The key principles of learning and making progress are:
 Making sense of the information
 Building on existing understanding
 Learning just beyond current understanding
Have clear learning objectives ensures the students
can ‘make sense’ of the lesson.
But what is are good learning objectives that helps the students
KNOW they are going to make progress?
Activity 1.

2. The process of learning
 In its simplest form learning is a 2 step
process:
1. Surface or shallow learning – this is the picking up of
facts. This can be monitored by simple telling and
checking. ‘What is...’ ; ‘how does’
2. Understanding or deeper leaning – this is making
sense of that factual learning – showing they
understand. This is much more complex and is not
as easy to check. We therefore have to be creative
and persistent in setting up methods to ensure this
happens and to CHECK it has happened.

3. Effective Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, you will:
2. Know……….
3. Understand ……….
4. Develop skills in ……..
Super-learners will ………

4. WA L T
W hat A re we
L earning T oday?
•
•
•
•

5. You will know you have done
well if you…
 Have completed the ……..
 Have produced the original writing
on ….
 Know exactly what level your work
is at
 Be confident in ……..

6. W IL F
W hat am I
L ooking F or?
•
•
•
•

7. A new way of planning for progress
Day: Know:
Period: Understand:
Develop skills in:
Super-learner objective:
Starter Activity: Target board
Mini whiteboard
Main student learning activities: Activities to check progress:


End of lesson plenary:

8. What to teach in a single lesson?
 Scheme of work – stick to it
 Exam questions – use the wording
 Coursework criteria – know them and
work to the wording ( which of course the
children have!)
 Skill development – tell them why it is
useful for them to develop this skill

9. Activities to support making
progress
 Pupil engagement in their learning
• No copying
• Hands-on doing
• Visual too
• No lecturing
• As little of you as possible!!!!!!
Activity 2.
 Pace - no dead time!

10. Checking progress – key
elements
 ALL students - every last one in the room!!!
 Not just at the end - do midway through lesson
.. Or even better, after EVERY activity
 Keep going back to the learning objectives and
outcomes (and the SUPER LEARNER ONE)
 Students MUST participate
 Use variety
 PLAN PLAN PLAN to check progress – then
you really will

11. Students have to see they have
made progress
 Language of learning
 Developing skills of self-review
 Levels and grades – critical to making
progress
 3 key questions:
1.‘where am I now?’
2.‘where should I be?’
3.‘how do I get there?’

12. Language of making progress
Teaching children the language of learning is a very
important tool. It gives them the skills to talk to you
about their progress. Here are some good examples
with the learning words highlighted:
‘Today you will learn……’
‘What have you learned today?’
‘What have you learned so far in today’s lesson?’
‘You are going to develop the following skills today…….’
‘I want you to analyse this work for the following……….using the
skills you learned from the business cards’
‘If you reach this point you will have made excellent progress’
‘Tell me what extras do you need to include for a level 7?’
‘I am moving you seats so you will make greater progress Tom
and so will the girls you were stopping learning’

13. Some more simple ideas
1. Get them to write down 3 things they
know about…… at the start of the
lesson – then at the end ask them to
write down 10 ( do a sum…..then re-do
it)
2. ‘What have I learned so far today….?’
3. ‘What is wrong with this then???’
Activity 3.

14. And at the end of a lesson
 Get the students to CHECK against L. Obj. ( it
is ok not to have fully met them!)
 Have a ‘rounding it all off’ moment
Activity 4 – e.g. noughts and crosses
 Peer assessments …e.g. all stop and look OR
swap and grade OR comment on how to
improve OR what do I add to get the next
grade?
 Exit cards – Activity 5.

15. An easy self-checking ‘exit card’
Checking my progress sheet: Name:…………………………………………..
Fill this in and hand it in as you leave. Day and date:………………….
Today I made the
following amount of Not as much progress as
A great deal Some progress
progress: I could
(Circle what you think)



I learned the following:
To improve I now need to: 

16. And finally……
 You knowing about the progress isn’t the
same as them knowing!
 You have to check they have learned it
 They have to know they have learned it
 Then they will value your lessons, engage in
them and make even more progress.
 Remember …every lesson’s progress adds
to their life chances!

17. This is the moment where progress in
lessons leads us..
…to our children’s futures.