Keeping them motivated…using
the FS strand to maintain pupil
achievement
Part Two
Phil Smith
FS Consultant
Bury LEA
The trouble today…
“The trouble with pupils today is that they
just don’t want to learn.”
Activity 1


(i)
(ii)

In pairs, divide the statements into the best
groups you can think of
Then divide them into
Things you feel you could do something about
Things that are outside of your control
Then share your responses to the statements
about which you feel you have no control
The Foundation Strand does
identify some of the key features of
successful teaching and learning
“A full classroom, with a sole-performer on
stage before an audience sitting in rows
looking and listening, is essentially
theatre.” Muriel Spark
We are not postal workers simply
delivering the History National
Curriculum!
“The curriculum is like a script to be
interpreted, performed and enacted, or
like a musical theme from which to
improvise. It cannot merely be delivered.”
Robin Richardson
Motivating them
“The highest challenge we face as classroom
teachers is to motivate our pupils to love
history…although our pupils may seem
less well motivated or prepared these
days, ultimately the responsibility for their
motivation rests with us.”
P. Frederick
Tackling motivation and
engagement

Schools and teachers can have a significant
impact on pupils’ engagement and motivation.

Some action can be implemented in the short
term: other action requires long-term
implementation.

All action needs to be planned, monitored and
reviewed.
When do you learn most
effectively?

Interest in what’s being learnt
Video examples
Year 8 mixed ability group of pupils (1/3 on SEN
register)
 Intake is just below average for uptake of free
school meals
 As you watch the video, record in the right hand
column a symbol to indicate which approach is
shown by each pf the teacher’s actions.
 These could be
PS…Physical state
ES…Emotional state
LS…Learning style
PKA…Prior knowledge and attainment.

How do their brains work and stating of
objectives
Three brains for the
price of one!
1. The reptilian brain
(brain stem) deals with the
5 F’s
(i) Fight
(ii) Flight
(iii) Flock
(iv) Freeze
(v) Sex
Think of the intelligence of a
newt..stay alive and try to have
sex….or an undergraduate!
How do their brains work?
Three brains for the
price of one!
2. The limbic system
(emotional brain) deals
with emotions
(i) Long-term memories
(ii) Experiences emotions
How do their brains work?
Three brains for the
price of one!
3. The neocortex (Thinking
Cap) deals with
(i) Speech
(ii) Processing new information
(iii) Abstract thought and
reasoning
Helping pupils improve their
transfer skills



“Doctor, doctor, I can’t remember…
When did this happen?
When did what happen?”
In a 1996 research study 85% of the sample of
12 year olds asked, did not know what the
word “revise” meant!
How do their brains work?
“Children who are having a good
time learn much better than those
who are miserable.”
“Nowadays life is hard, life is
earnest: it’s all pass this test,
reach that target, sit down, shut
up and check out today’s dreary
list of objectives.”
Sue Palmer TES 6th Dec 2002
What are some of the key features
of teaching that can raise pupils
engagement?



See card sort task
Place the cards into groups of statements
that are similar in some way.
Decide on the headings for the groups and
what the grouped statements have in
common
Pupils are more likely to be
engaged in their work when….
They are clear about
why they are doing this
work…because it’s been
well explained
They can see what they
have achieved and how
they have made
progress
They get a feeling of
satisfaction and
enjoyment from the
work
Work builds on previous
work
They are emotionally,
physically and
intellectually involved in
the task
There is variety and
structure in lessons
They have opportunities
to pose their own
questions and try out
ideas
The ideal learning state
High
Challenge
Low
High
Low
Stress
Getting you and them ready for
motivating and engaging lessons
1. The physical state of the pupil
(i)
Classrooms need to be airy.
(ii) Lessons need to be structured to take
account of concentration levels.
Generally speaking no single activity
should be longer than 20 minutes
Getting you and them ready for
motivating and engaging lessons
2. The emotional state of the pupil
(i)
They need to know the purpose and
value of what they are being asked to do
(remember WALT/WILF/TIBS and enquiry
questions?)
(ii) Feel safe in taking risks and realise that
failure and making mistakes are
important parts of learning.
Getting you and them ready for
motivating and engaging lessons
“If you want the kids to take chances,
you better had. Otherwise it’s an unfair
contract.”
Barry Teare

Getting you and them ready for
motivating and engaging lessons


This has big implications for the able and
talented in your lessons.
“Those who are able and talented do not
fail enough.” Barry Teare
The silent sound of the scaffold
Teacher: Can anyone hear the sound of
hammering?
Pupil: No
Teacher: Good, that’s because no-one will
be executed for making mistakes in my
lesson. If you’re going to make a mistake,
do it in style!
Visual noughts and crosses

Just because I can’t do it doesn’t mean
they can’t!
Getting you and them ready for
motivating and engaging lessons
3.
4.
Learning styles
Prior knowledge and attainment
So what does David Beckham have
in common with Albert Einstein?

They are equally
intelligent…but it is
not being
suggested that
they were
intelligent equally
Multiple Intelligences
What this really means…
Logical/Mathematical
(i) Puzzles
(ii) Charts
(iii)Graphs
(iv)Analysis
(v) Forecasts
(vi)Predictions
Important cognitive skills

5 sense visual tool
See
Hear
Feel
Taste
Smell
Imaginative use of this model

Logical/Mathematical in English
M-KD= (KM)
Macbeth minus King Duncan equals King
Macbeth-but not for long, so put it in
brackets
What this really means…
Interpersonal
(i) Group work
(ii) Team work
(iii)Interviewing
(iv)Chat shows
(v) Drama
(vi)Teaching others
(vii)Group leading
(viii)Group co-ordinating
Imaginative use of this model

(i)
(ii)
Interpersonal
This can free yourself up to work with
those who really need your support.
Buddy-up systems
What this really means

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Intrapersonal
WIIFM’s?
Empathy
Emotional
Metacognition
Target setting
Hypothetical…What if?
Imaginative use of this model

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
Intrapersonal
Encourage reflection…”Well done…how
did you do it?”
Which bits did you learn quickest and
why?
How would you feel if….? (Geography
and the rain cycle)
Science experiments
What this really means

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Visual/spatial
Learning maps
Posters
Highlighter pens
Symbols
Icons
Instructive display work
Using visual stimulus to raise the level of
thinking
5Ws

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?
What does metacognition look
like in a Year 9 Geography
lesson?
USA
The border
Mexico
Thinking processes during the
drawing task: questions to reflect
upon






Did you draw as you listened or did you wait for
pauses?
Which of your symbols represent concrete
phenomena and which represent abstract ones?
Did you get visual images in your head? Where
did they come from?
What happened when you did not have to draw?
What parts were difficult to make sense of?
Did drawing the border and labelling the two
countries provide a useful structure?
Pupils’ comments on the task


“Doing this made me understand more what
listening is about. Listening is more than
having your ears open…your brain has to
work as well.”
“The pictures in your head. I get a lot of
those and now I try and use them, like try to
see things in pictures. You remember them
better.”
Imaginative use of this model

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Visual/spatial
We have a better memory for pictures
than we do for words
Using colour improves our memory
Mind-mapping (see video clip)
What this really means

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Body/physical
Role play
Making models
Movement
Acting
Practical
Walking through the
learning
Video:
Running Dictation 1


Class divided into mixed gender/ability
groups of 4 or 5 pupils
Suitable text selected, copied and pinned
to wall some distance away from the
classroom
Gute Reise 1, Nelson,
p70
Video:
Running Dictation 2




In each group there is a scribe, a proof reader
and 2-3 runners
These roles may change during the activity
Only one runner is allowed out of their seat at
any one time
Pupils have to bring back as much accurate
information to the scribe in as short a time as
possible.
Video:
Running Dictation 3

When the time for the activity has expired,
the proof reader leads the other members
of the group in checking their final
version. Does it all make sense? From
their prior knowledge of the topic can they
find any errors?
Video:
Running Dictation 4


Scoring: 1 point for every group of three
words spelled accurately.
Use the text book as the model
Video:
Running Dictation 5

Questioning:





Which role did you prefer?
Why?
In which role did you perform the best?
Why do you think so?
How did you try to remember the story?
Video:
Running Dictation 6

Recall strategies:







Use of visual stimulus (picture)
Individual words phonetically
Individual words semantically
Pairs or groups of words
Clauses / sentences
Oral repetition en route
Other

Reflect and evaluate the lesson
Imaginative use of this model

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
Body/physical
English Dept used “Go high” and “Go low”
when developing a new area of learning.
Happy-sad continuums.
Moving around the classroom (Trenches-table
example)
Science lesson (solar system in the hallmoving to Holst’s “The Planets”)
Maths…Jumping from column to column
What this really means

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
Musical
Rhymes
Raps
Jingles
Songs
Background music
Imaginative use of this model

(i)
(ii)
Musical
Creates the right kind of atmosphere for
learning
Examples (Bach’s Goldberg
Variations/Pachelbel)
Learning activities 3

Songs and MFL for example




Web Pages\etre verbs.htm
Web Pages\Bob.htm
Web Pages\rap.htm
Web Pages\Fisch.htm
Thanks to Richard Taylor Luton
for these sound files
What this really means

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
Verbal linguistic
Debates
Stories
Discussions
Poems
Word games
Speeches
Diary entries
Imaginative use of this model

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Verbal/linguistic
Class discussions (think carefully about
your enquiry question)
Radio commercials
Poems to help with remembering key
concepts
What this really means

(i)
(ii)
Naturalistic
Going out of the
classroom to learn
Classifying into
family groups
What this really means

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
Naturalistic
Varying your classroom environment (Battle of
Hastings out doors?)
Which animals would Disney use in a cartoon version
of Macbeth?
Persecution of other groups through Darwin’s eyes?
Emily Davison throwing herself in front of the horse
from the horse’s point of view
Amazonian rainforest through the eyes of the
creatures living there and dying there
SCOTS CLAN MAPS
S
Sensory
C
Colourful and visual
O
Outrageous
T
Thematic or topical
S
Sequenced
C
Chunked
L
Located
A
Associated
N
Numbered
M
Mnemonics
A
Alliteration, rhythm, rhyme
P
Personalised
S
Shared
Sensory
“To learn anything fast and effectively you
need to see it, hear it, feel it.” T. Stockwell
•Physical sequencing activities using post-its or cards (e.g. German
vocab posted around the room and pupils have to move to find
meanings of words)
•Living essays
•Creating flow diagrams on the floor using pupils and props
•Bar graphs using chairs to mark different pupil responses
•Creating living photographs
Colourful and visual
“Our memory for images is better than our
memory for words.” Tony Buzan
•Use review posters in bold primary colours and for a specific audience
or purpose in mind
•Coloured highlighters can be used to associate related topics or
keywords
•Use coloured highlighters to review vocabulary in modern foreign
languages-look for different colours for adjectives, verbs and nouns
•Complete topics using mind maps in bright colours
Outrageous
“I suppose the high water mark of my youth
in Columbus, Ohio, was the night the bed
fell on my father.” J. Thurber
•Have pupils rehearse a speech in the most outrageous voice
manageable
•Construct “outrageous applications” for new information. How might
you teach this topic to a Martian? How might a creature who had never
been to this planet view the information?
•List the key learning points from a unit of work (3 or 5 or 7). Now
think of some very famous people, or people you know well, and have
them tell you one of the points each, imagine they saying the points,
one each, in order, whilst sitting round a table, or singing at a concert,
or going round a roundabout.
Thematic or topical
“They say that most adults over the age of forty can remember where
they were and what they were doing when Kennedy was killed. My
memory on this one’s pretty hazy-all I can remember is being on top
of a book depository in Dallas, Texas and then these policemen
chasing me down the street…” US Comedian
•Teach chronology by starting with the chronology of the pupil-which
family member lived where? And when? And with whom? And what
did they do? And how are they related? And how do we know?
•Encourage pupils to make and use analogies
•Use mind mapping to encourage identification of associations,
common themes and connections
•Teach settlements or ecosystems, or census data, or population
change by starting with the immediate environment the pupils know
best and build out
Sequenced
•Pupils use cards and detail the stages of an
experiment on the back. Mix the cards up, turn them
over and explain each turn in stage. Events in a role
play or a novel, historical events, laws, principles of
maths or science can all use sequencing activities.
•Templates for structured thinking, structured
written or oral responses
•Fish bone diagrams, flow charts
Located
•Ensure that groups who are sitting SATs or GCSEs visit the room
in which they willsit the exam beforehand. If possible, have them
sit at the very desk they will sit at when they complete the exam.
Ideally have revision lessons in that room with them at that desk!
Associated
•How do you use your long and medium
term planning to ensure that both
knowledge and processes are revisited
and developed?
“You can remember any new piece of information if it is
associated to something you already know or remember.”
Lorayne and Lucas
Numbered Mnemonics
“These are best when invented by the learner!” A. Smith
0
Pill (nill is replaced
by pill)
1
Sun (think of a comic
sun with a yellow
smiley face)
2
Shoe (one of your
own shoes is best)
3
Tree (a fully grown
tree in leaf that you
are familiar with)
4
Store (as in
superstore selling
everything)
Mnemonics
“These are best when invented by the learner!” A. Smith
5
Jive (moving to a
rhythm)
6
Bricks (hear the
sound they make as
they are stacked)
7
Heaven (pearly gates
and angels with
harps)
8
Crate (a wooden box
for storing)
9
Line (a railway or
even a clothes line)
Alliteration, rhythm, rhyme
“These are best when invented by the learner!” A. Smith
The vitamin called A has important connections
It aids in our vision and helps stop infections.
To vitamin C this ditty now comes
Important for healing and strong healthy gums.
Finished with both of these?
Here come the B’s:
B1 for the nerves
B2 helps cells energise
Digesting the protein’s
B6’s prize
Alliteration, rhythm, rhyme
“These are best when invented by the learner!” A. Smith
A
Austria
Brilliant
Belgium
Device
Denmark
For
Finland
Finding
France
Good
Germany
Geographical
Greece
Information
Italy
Is
Ireland
Linking
Luxembourg
Names
Netherlands
Properly
Portugal
So
Spain
Specially
Sweden
United
United Kingdom
Alliteration, rhythm, rhyme
Try remembering geometric shapes to the tune of “On Top of Old Smokey.”
Oh, take a rectangle
And give it a squish
The sides will be
equal
A square if you wish
Now take a square
And cut it in half
Slice on the diagonal
And you have a
triangle
Now take two
triangles
And place base to
base.
It is a rhombus,
The base line erase
Oh six triangles
We can take
Assemble together
A hexagon shape
Alliteration, rhythm, rhyme
Try remembering weather words to the tune of “Clementine”
Condensation, evaporation
Water cycle, cirrus clouds
Wind chill factors, ocean currents
Trade winds, high pressure zones
Stratosphere and centigrade
Fahrenheit and barometers
They excite you, they can’t bite
you
Please make friends with weather
words
Strong winds blowing
Hail, sleet, snowing
The weather’s with us all
day long
So look out your window in
the morning
Just in case the forecasts
wrong
Personalised
“Where the pupil has a strong personal connection with the information it is
readily recovered.” A. Smith
•Encourage pupils to consider applications in his or her
personal life: how might you apply this? In what ways might
you benefit? How might you teach a younger brother or sister?
•Using pupil questions to shape a series of lessons within an
enquiry (see Robert Philips and ISM’s Initial Stimulus Material
article)
Shared
•Structured opportunities to test understanding are a powerful
aid to recall.
•Use a variety of regular and informal tests. “Each one teach
one.”, explaining personal notes or mind maps, preparing a
lesson plan on how you would teach this to another group and
formulating key questions and asking someone to test you on
your understanding of them!
Be aware


We tend to teach according to the way WE
prefer to learn.
Wear your creative thinking hat
a. How can we incorporate music into
science lessons?
b. Can we use these models to
evaluate our current schemes of
work?
c. Would Mozart have been happy just
doing Music one hour a week?
Video examples
Year 8 mixed ability group of pupils (1/3 on SEN
register)
 Intake is just below average for uptake of free
school meals
 As you watch the video, record in the right hand
column a symbol to indicate which approach is
shown by each pf the teacher’s actions.
 These could be
PS…Physical state
ES…Emotional state
LS…Learning style
PKA…Prior knowledge and attainment.

Ready for more?

Try out some of the strategies shown in the video or listed
on the handouts and report back to a departmental meeting.

Review a unit of work to assess whether it offers
opportunities to work across a range of learning styles.

At a departmental meeting, analyse a range of lesson plans
to identify opportunities for access by pupils with different
learning needs and styles. Group the lesson plans according
to the learning needs and styles that they seem to favour.
Resolve disagreements about categorisation by exploring
the key activities of the lesson that led to the categorisation.
End the session by agreeing possible adjustments to the
plans to provide access to a fuller range of needs and
styles.