Reflection of Independent Learning in the Classroom

Reflection of Independent Learning in the ClassroomReflecting on the approaches around the festering of pupils independent education and evidence and evaluate application in the classroom.Independent information is when pupils set goals, monitor and evaluate their own academic development, so they deal manage their own motivation towards learning (Mullings 2015). After looking into the research, one of the determining factors when it comes to independent learning, is getting a child to work on their own, with borderline direction and confidence. As I want my pupils to be able to manage their own learning and make independent decisions, I convey to take a back seat and critically think about whether or non I need to interpose. Depending on the circumstances and the appropriateness of the situation, I will need to judge the relevance of my scaffolding, give students options and choices to encourage independency, and allow them to take indebtedness for their own learning by als o offering effective formative feedback.However, this understructure non be do until I establish where they already atomic number 18 in their learning and how they actually learn. Knowing a childs zone of proximal development, will enable me to intervene at the most appropriate and effective stage. As Vygotskys theory implies, it is what a child can achieve by themselves and what they can achieve in coaction with some others (Vygotsky, 1978).According to Haring and Eastons instructional hierarchy (Fig 1), there are four phases of learning (Haring et al., 1978). Fig 1.Most of the children I get to support are either at the acquisition stage or at the halting fluency stage, which determines the type of intervention they receive. Even if the intervention is set in line with the pupils ZPD, there is no guarantee that their work is appropriately differentiated back in the classroom, leading to a zone of anxiety.When I deliver Mind-the-Gap tutoring, the pupils I work with are at the acquisition stage and lack confidence. With sessions of repetitive practice and instructional techniques I am able to build upon their accuracy. I then focus on culture the pupils to become much fluent. This is supported via precision teaching (e.g. times-tables) constant encouragement and instructional feedback to aid their self-motivation. Once the fluency is achieved and being maintained, I need to check out it is being applied back in the classroom. The focus is then teaching them how to either apply the skill into meaningful contexts or not to confuse it with other similar skills. Finally, pupils can then be scaffolded on how to know how to adapt the target skill to and apply it to new challenges and situations. Communication is paramount and teamwork essential to ascertain work is set at the right level by the teacher and that the newly acquired skills are being uitilised. the teacher should work closely with the TA to planinterventions to how they can be linked to classro om teaching (SEN Code-of-Practice 6.52). I have started to introduce adjunctal resources, such as a math mat and progressive conquest criteria to help promote independency. If successful, I will suggest it to other support staff within my year group, with the view to it being rolled out to all. I will need the full support of the SENCo and SLT to make sure this is consistently implemented. sing Dweck deals with the theory that people view their intelligence in one of dickens modal values fixed and growths mindsets (Fig 2). Her findings also show that, rather than focusing on intelligence and innate achievement, it is far more important to reward effort, creative strategies, and perseverance. comme il faut is better than being (Dweck 2006). Fig 2.Upon reflection, I observed two children from the perspective of determining what type of learner each child was (Appendix 1). Initiating the change of learned weakness to that of self-scaffolding with the SEN child will not happen overn ight. I always aim to support pupils to become more independent. Van de Pol implies a key belief of scaffolding on which a TAs role should be based, is fading to develop the independence of the learner by reducing support and hand over responsibility to the child (Van de Pol et al., 2010). This is a strategy I have started to use with the pupils I work with, a broadside roaming and roving around the classroom.My intention is purely to part myself from their learned attachment and their needing constant reassurance. I want them to adopt the concept of being able to assess what they can do independently first, before I intervene at the appropriate level (Fig 3). Blatchford defines the heuristic role as using a method of teaching that encourages learners to discover solutions for themselves (Blatchford et al., 2012).Fig 3.If there is either uncertainty, I encourage my pupils to ask a partner, throw their question out to the rest of the table or see what resources are available to h elp, before sluice thinking about asking an large. Even then, I need to be aware of my speculative techniques. The more open ended questions that are asked, then the more emphasis is redirect back onto the pupil to provoke their own critical thinking skills. The cognitive domain involves companionship and the development of intellectual skills (Bloom, 1956).Fig 4.Using Blooms Taxonomy questioning for critical thinking as a bench mark (Fig 4), I have tailored a more child friendly set of questioning cards as a pupil resource, helping to build upon their dialogic talk. I plan to share these with other support staff, with SLTs approval. Additionally, my school has implemented Talk 4 Learning strategies, which although at the early stages, have started to have a positive effect.Within one year group I observed, children were sole(prenominal) provided with a learning objective and modelled WAGOLL. This seemed to be just enough to get by on with a majority of the class, only the low er attainers had no differentiated input, with the hope that the TA would offer that much needed support. The lower attainers had been given very little direction, so straight away looked to the TA for guidance. The TA aimed to guide the pupils through a series of open ended questions, praising when giving a correct answer. Some were prompted further with the aim of trying to refer back to previous lessons, but without the correct scaffolding and feedback little progress was made.John Hattie, famously analysed the effects of various educational innovations and methods and determined that feedback ranked highest, with an effect size of 1.13, whereas most innovations in schools sit around 0.4. Feedback needs to be formative to identify what pupils have achieved, what has been preventing them from achieving their learning goals and what they can do to improve further. It also needs to be progressive, done whilst pupils are still able to reflect upon the decisions they made.This can be effectively delivered when roaming and roving or fading in and out during a lesson, but afterward realising my own lack of illuminating feedback (appendix 2), I intend to ask SLT about CPD on feedback for TAs, as I see this as a needed country of improvement for us all.It has become quite apparent that processed success criteria is a much needed determiner when it comes to initiating the first stages of independent learning for the SEN child. I have recently been given a small group of lower attaining students to support with their maths work. After observing how these children were faltering when working their way to achieving the learning intention (appendix 3), I have now started to use process success criteria to help plug the gaps within their learning, which has been hindering achieving their overall objective. I not only aim to help break down their tinctures to success in written format but also where applicable, visually (Fig 5).Fig 5.So far, this has turn out a succes sful strategy and has been fully embraced by the pupils, as they are now actively devising progress independently, albeit resource supported. I will be trialing this as part of their assessment for learning, as success criteria should be linked to the learning, not the activity. Introducing AFL sheets will allow teachers to close the gap between current knowledge and new learning. Not only do they help clarify the learning objective and promote self-evaluation, they also act as a form of feedback. I have already liaised with an SLT member regarding the introduction of processed success criteria as a pre-requisite for all our lower attainers, to which he was in full agreement. Ironically, not long after our conversation, it was announced that as part of our high focus for this term that the school will be addressing how success criteria will be differentiated, so that they are appropriate for all children, and so that all groups make improved progress.It has been said that some peop le think that we have created a nanny state thats contributed to promoting idolatry of failure. John Cridland states that the education system must better prepare young people for life beyond the school gates. We need to take a step back to see the big picture and create a system that better reflects how well a schools culture nurtures the behaviours and attitudes young people need. This cannot be judged by exam results alone (Cridland 2014). I do agree, however, my concern is, given the expanding national curriculum and the focus on increased testing as a way to measure both teaching ability and pupil progression, how can time be found for the implementation of such productive concepts. Schools need to build a stronger foundation and utilise their support staff appropriately. I gave a copy of my first assignment on the role of the TA, to a member of SLT. The feedback I acquire initially was that it was very informative and provoked food for thought, so much so, he planned to take it along to the next SLT meeting. I eagerly hold back further comment.Appendix 1A always relies on the support of an adult to supply her with the answers. The first thing that she does is to look directly to the supporting adult in the room to come and work with her, without even attempting either independent work. A will always try to copy from whoever sits next to her, lacks confidence and fears making mistakes. She has a firm fixed mindset of learned helplessness which has resulted in her reliance on being spoon-fed.Z is self-initiated and not afraid to make every mistakes. He can work independently or collaboratively within a group. Z draws upon prior learning His growth mindset allows him the confidence to persevere, seeing any setbacks as a mini hurdle he needs to overcome, choosing which learner disposition he takes on board to aid his learning. His positive attitude feeds his yearning for knowledge.Appendix 2Recorded ConversationAfter a basic skills assessment of using vi sual arrays, mastery questions on applying the written grid method were required for their next steps in multiplication.EMiss, Im not sure how to do the grid method.TASo, written method. Same scenario, but we are not going to draw the arrays. What is the calculation?E13 x 9.TAOK. What do you need to do first?EBreak the 13?TAHow?EInto place value.TACorrect. Show me how youll do that.EOne 10 and three 1s.TAGood. Now what?EFirst you times 3 by 9, then 10 x 9.TAOK, off you go.E(writes) 3 x 9 = 27 and 10 x 9 = 90.TAGood, now what do I do with those two answers?EAdd them together.TASee. You know what to do. What do we need to remember when we use column addition?EMake sure everything is in line.TAYes. We need to make sure our place value is aligned correctly. Well doneReflectionUpon evaluation, I believe that I succeeded when it came to asking the appropriate open questions to provoke their own thinking, which helped them achieve their learning objective but evidently lacked the necessary more informative feedback the child deserved to understand their next target. I hope that I will be able to address this better after some directed CPD training.Appendix 3Child YLO To use the grid method to solve multiplication word problems.SC R U C S A CCAN DOCANT DOUnderstood what had to be done for step 1 of question.Chose correct operation.Partitioned numbers correctly on the grid.Did not know all of 4x table.Used times table grid in classroom.Aware that all the answers had to be added together.Addition calculation was written incorrectly. (pv not aligned)Able to calculate once prompted to use correct pv alignment.ReferencesBlatchford, P., Russell, A., Webster, R. (2012) Reassessing the impact of teaching assistants How research changes practice and policy. Oxon, UK Routledge.Blooms Taxonomy Available at http//www.bloomstaxonomy.org/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20questions.pdf Accessed 1 January 2017.Cridland, J. (2014) Available athttp//31.222.129.40/media-centre/the-point/2014/07/jcs- education-blog/Accessed 07 December, 2016.Dweck, Carol S. Mindset the new psychology of success New York Random House, 2006.Haring, N.G., Lovitt, T.C., Eaton, M.D., Hansen, C.L. (1978). The fourth R query in the classroom (pg 23-40). Columbus, OH Merrill.Hattie, J., Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of feedback. Review of Educational ResearchMullings, C. (2015) Available athttp//blog.irisconnect.co.uk/9-tips-for-encouraging-students-to-become-independent-learners/Accessed 12 December, 2016.SEND Code of Practice (2015) Available at https//www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf Accessed 26 December, 2016.Van de Pol, J., Volman, M., Beishuizen, J. (2010) Scaffolding in teacher-student interaction a decade of research. Educational Psychology Review, 22, 382-296.Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in society The development of the higher psychological process. Cambridge, MA Harvard University Press.