SSLN (Literacy) Professional Learning Workshops
Learning, Teaching and Assessment - Group Discussion
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Before you continue…
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Resources
To complete this workshop each participant will need:
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
Document title
Handout: listening skills
Handout: Literacy and English Progression Framework
Notes sheet: Progression in listening and talking
Reflection and planning sheet
Transforming lives through learning
Introduction to SSLN (Literacy)
Professional Learning Workshops
Welcome to the SSLN (Literacy) Professional Learning Workshops.
These workshops are designed to support practitioners with the areas for development
identified by the survey. Before using this material you may wish to view the results of the
survey in the Scottish Government report.
This workshop focuses on group discussion. There are additional workshops available for
writing and reading.
The material in each workshop is taken from Education Scotland’s SSLN (Literacy) online
Professional Learning Resources.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
SSLN (Literacy) 2014 Group Discussion –
Professional Learning Workshop
Purposes of this workshop :
 To reflect on current practice in the learning and teaching of listening and discussion
skills in your establishment
 To develop practitioners’ understanding and skills in this area in order to improve
learners’ attainment.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Outline of workshop
Focus
Slides
Time (approx)
Part 1
Listening skills
8-14
30 – 45 mins
Part 2
Discussion skills
14-21
30 – 45 mins
Part 3
Optional Activity
21-25
45 – 1 hour
Part 4
Reflection and Planning
27
10 mins
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
LISTENING SKILLS
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Skills in listening and talking are
the building blocks for developing
wider literacy.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/assessment/ssln/resources/literacydiscussionnew/literacydiscussionsupport/introduction.asp
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Active listening strategies such as using body
language, asking questions, paraphrasing, and
summarising can be modelled for learners.
Learners need to know what good listening looks
and feels like.
Make a list of the activities that you
use, in the classroom, to support
learners to develop their listening
skills.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Listening skills
Before Listening
During Listening
After Listening
Predict the likely course of the
discussion
Ask questions
Summarise main points
Ask questions about the task or
research the topic
Link discussion points to
previous knowledge
Evaluate the effectiveness of
discussion
Make notes to clarify ideas
Clarify or challenge the
contributions of others
Create a text representing key
ideas or decisions
State a viewpoint
Build on and develop other
contributions
Explain why your point of view
has or has not changed.
 Discuss which of the skills are part of your everyday learning and teaching?
 Which are not?
 What changes can you easily make in your practice to ensure that learners get
experience of using the full range of strategies?
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
First Level
Second Level
Third Level
Selects and discusses a range of texts, giving a personal
response.
Selects and discusses a range of texts, giving a personal
response.
Selects and discusses a range of texts, justifying personal
preference.
Engages respectfully with others in different contexts by
responding, questioning and contributing appropriately.
Engages respectfully with others in different contexts by
responding, questioning, contributing appropriately and
building on ideas.
Engages respectfully with others in different contexts by
responding, questioning, contributing appropriately, building
upon, and challenging opinions and ideas.
Demonstrates a range of verbal and non -verbal skills when
interacting with or presenting to others.
Demonstrates a range of verbal and non- verbal skills,
adapting to the needs of a range of audiences.
Communicates clearly and confidently using appropriate
language and register, verbal and non-verbal skills as
appropriate to purpose and audience.
Using the learning statements in
Plans and creates spoken texts and delivers tothe
a varietyProgression
of
Plans and creates spoken
texts with increasing confidence
Plans and creates spoken texts with increasing confidence
Framework,
audiences.
and delivers to a variety of audiences.
and delivers to a variety of audiences.
highlight the listening skills for the
Asks and answers a range of questions to inform
Asks and answers a range of
Asks and answers with
understanding of a variety of texts.
questions
to inform
critical
evidence a range of
level you
are
currently
teaching.
understanding of texts.
questions to inform critical
understanding of texts.
Recognises the difference between fact and opinion and is
developing an informed view.
Recognises persuasive language and is starting to question
the reliability of sources.
Recognises persuasive techniques, and questions the
reliability and relevance of sources with increasing
independence.
Identifies and discusses the main features of texts, makes
notes under given headings, using these to create texts.
Identifies and discusses the main features of texts, makes
and organises notes, using these to create texts appropriate
to audience and purpose
Compares a variety of texts, makes and organises notes,
using these to create texts appropriate to audience and
purpose.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Pupil Council Meeting – Muga Pitch
1. In what ways can
you see the learners
applying listening
skills?
2. What might the next
steps be for these
learners and how
might you create
opportunities for
them to develop and
apply these skills
across learning?
Video on Group discussion workshop page.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
DISCUSSION SKILLS
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Our ability to communicate is fundamental and
underpins everything else – making friends,
forming relationships and achieving at school. In
the 21st century being able to talk, listen and
express yourself are vital life skills, yet in the UK
today, one in ten children – that’s three in every
average classroom - have some form of speech,
language and communication need (SLCN). In
areas of disadvantage, evidence suggests that
upwards of 50% of children are arriving at school
with poor communication skills. These children
are on the back foot from day one!
Jean Gross
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
First Level
Second Level
Third Level
Selects and discusses a range of texts, giving a personal
response.
Selects and discusses a range of texts, giving a personal
response.
Selects and discusses a range of texts, justifying personal
preference.
Engages respectfully with others in different contexts by
responding, questioning and contributing appropriately.
Engages respectfully with others in different contexts by
responding, questioning, contributing appropriately and
building on ideas.
Engages respectfully with others in different contexts by
responding, questioning, contributing appropriately, building
upon, and challenging opinions and ideas.
a range of verbal and non- verbal skills,
• UsingDemonstrates
the learning
statements Communicates
on clearly and confidently using appropriate
adapting to the needs of a range of audiences.
language and register, verbal and non-verbal skills as
the Progression Framework, appropriate to purpose and audience.
Plans and creates spoken texts and delivers to a variety of
Plans and creates spoken texts with increasing confidence
Plans and creates spoken texts with increasing confidence
audiences.
and delivers
to a variety
of audiences.
delivers to a variety of audiences.
highlight
the
discussion
skills andfor
areof currently
Asks and answers a range of questions to inform the level
Asks and you
answers a range
Asks and answers with
understanding of a variety of texts.
questions to inform critical
evidence a range of
understanding
of
texts.
questions to inform critical
teaching.
understanding of texts.
Demonstrates a range of verbal and non -verbal skills when
interacting with or presenting to others.
Recognises the difference between fact and opinion and is
developing an informed view.
Recognises persuasive language and is starting to question
the reliability of sources.
Recognises persuasive techniques, and questions the
reliability and relevance of sources with increasing
independence.
Identifies and discusses the main features of texts, makes
notes under given headings, using these to create texts.
Identifies and discusses the main features of texts, makes
and organises notes, using these to create texts appropriate
to audience and purpose
Compares a variety of texts, makes and organises notes,
using these to create texts appropriate to audience and
purpose.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Coaching discussion skills
How can we
coach discussion
skills with
children?
Give three
examples from
the clip.
Video on Group discussion workshop page.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Coaching body language
How can we
coach children in
using body
language? Give
three examples
from the clip.
Video on Group discussion workshop page.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
English teacher – language of discussion
How has this English teacher
adapted her approach to
encourage the development of
a learning environment which
supports discussion skills?
What has the impact been?
Video on Group discussion workshop page.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Group discussion tasks should be relevant with
a clear purpose and will normally be planned in
the context of on-going work, whether in a
curriculum area or as part of an
interdisciplinary approach.
Learners should also be given the opportunity
to apply skills in new and unfamiliar situations
across curriculum areas and in real and
meaningful contexts. This will help to
emphasise the importance of being able to
transfer and apply skills.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Pupils discuss homework at pupil council meeting
1. In what ways can you
see the learners
applying discussion
skills?
Video on Group discussion workshop page.
Document title
2. What might the next
steps be for these
learners and how
might you create
opportunities for
them to develop and
apply these skills
across learning?
Transforming lives through learning
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Listening and Talking planning for progression
 Learners will develop from exploring sounds
and patterns in language to listening to,
discussing, analysing and evaluating a wide
range of more challenging spoken texts.
 They will ask and answer higher order
questions to inform critical understanding,
evaluate the reliability of sources, select and
use information to create new texts and
make and organise notes for understanding.
 Learners will use verbal and non-verbal skills
with greater confidence and should talk and
listen for a range of purposes in a variety of
contexts.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Listening and Talking planning for progression
 In discussion, learners will progress from
turn‐taking and articulating ideas, thoughts
and feelings to responding, questioning,
challenging, summarising and building on
contributions and using language effectively
and confidently.
 Learners will work more independently to
research, plan, create and deliver spoken
texts of increasing complexity as appropriate
to purpose and audience.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
• Discuss these statements.
• In the second column, note down
examples from your current
practice which illustrate each
statement.
• In the final column add some
ideas that you might develop as
next steps for your planning
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Reflection and planning
As a result of this workshop, what
changes will you make to your
practice?
Resources/further reading/support needed
to complete your target.
Next week
Next term
Next session
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
ASSESSMENT – SOME TERMS
EXPLAINED
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Overarching Paper
Literacy and English professional learning paper
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Literacy and English professional learning paper
Significant Aspects of Learning
Listening and talking
Reading
Writing
Document title
engage with and create a broad range of texts, including Scottish
and Scots texts
use reading and listening strategies to understand, analyse and
evaluate texts
find and use information
develop critical literacy skills, including evaluating sources
write with increasing accuracy, making effective use of spelling,
grammar and punctuation
create texts of increasing complexity using more sophisticated
language
develop and use higher‐order thinking skills.
Transforming lives through learning
Progression Framework
Learning Statements
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Annotated Exemplars
Details of significant aspect of
learning and learning
statements that are illustrated.
Document title
Transforming lives through learning
Education Scotland
Denholm House
Almondvale Business Park
Almondvale Way
Livingston EH54 6GA
T +44 (0)141 282 5000
E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk
www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Document title
Transforming lives through learning