Planning Planning Long medium and short term long

Planning

Planning • Long, medium and short term: long term is about the curriculum/short term is about child and curriculum • A cyclical process: assessment informs planning which informs assessment which impacts on planning • Analytical and social: thinking things through/ using expertise of all staff • Be SMART (Tuckman, 1965)-objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timed

Successful planning for children’s learning is based on: • A shared vision and high expectations about children’s achievement • Agreement on effective teaching strategies/practices and their impact on attainment • Agreed and acknowledged arrangements to ensure the classroom is managed effectively and efficiently (e. g. school behaviour policies) • A strategy to develop, monitor and review curriculum, schemes of work and learning and teaching strategies • A coherent approach to monitoring and evaluation, assessing children’s progress and recording and reporting their achievements

And considers learning intentions How will my focus allow children to explore the topic and develop their potential as learners?

Long term planning: prepared in advance • Overview of children’s learning-a framework for considering the length and breadth of the curriculum • Looks at curriculum in detail-considering aims, resources, organisation, assessment, learning outcomes • Teacher/department develops the plan-review the year before looking at strengths/weaknesses, consider knowledge, understanding and skills to develop, assessment, bank of questions to ask children and possible ways of responding • Opportunities for literacy, numeracy and ICT

Long term plan: aims • To develop a detailed programme of study with individual lesson plans. • Subject knowledge/latest research/effective teaching and learning strategies must inform the long term plan

Long term plan • Consider areas which are difficult to cover • Consider children’s misconceptions and how to respond • Consider differentiation • Consider assessment, progression and continuity • Revisit curriculum in different ways to ensure children have a number of opportunities for learning • Consider engagement and motivation of children • Department-evaluate the plan

Reflection: Long term planning How could you better implement each of the following in your long term planning? • When you plan to teach subject area • How often you plan to teach area of learning (and how often you will revisit it) • How you will link the various areas of learning • Any visits or one off events • Provide a balance between the areas of learning and adult and child initiated activities , along with opportunities for play (for young children) • Have you considered areas of learning with which a number of children struggle? • Consider how you will apply aspiration, access and achievement to all children • Have you considered all statutory requirements?

Medium term plan • Not always prepared by teachers-they go from long to short term plan • Medium term plan can focus on continuity and progression and wellbeing issues (teachers will know children better at this stage)

Short term plan • The working document-often done a week in advance • Focusses on the pupils-considers differentiation, needs of different pupils and groups of pupils • Considers activities, learning styles, engagement, motivation, progression of individual children

Planning stages (Blandford, 2006) Objectives Stage 1 Stage 2 Actions Stage 3 Stage 4 Resources Stage 5 Review Stage 6 Preparation Stage 7 Audit Stage 8 Define the objectives What are you aiming to achieve? Generate and What are the evaluate courses of action objectives/actions available? Which one will best achieve your objectives? Identify the What is required actions to implement your objectives? Sequence the What is the best actions order? Identify the What resources are required? review the plans Will it work? If not return to stage 2/3 Prepare plans and Who will do what schedules and when? Monitor and Re-plan if evaluate necessary

Further thoughts on planning: A reflection on ethos How would you respond to the following questions? • How do my beliefs, values and attitude affect what and how I teach? • Am I in danger of planning lessons based on my own preferences and experiences rather than the children’s needs? • Do I have high expectations of the children I teach? • How have recent experiences caused me to alter / develop these beliefs, values and attitudes and adapt my practice?

Enhancing pedagogy: reflective practice

Further thoughts on planning: A reflection on environment • How will I arrange the environment to encourage maximum scope for enquiry, problem solving and creativity to take place? • Am I making the best use of the other adults working with me? • Are there constraints in terms of the physical space?

Further thoughts on planning: A reflection on Learning outcomes • What can be observed? • What can be assessed? • What will the children learn and how will they show what they have learnt? • Do I provide children with opportunity for peer assessment, metacognition (knowledge of how they are learning) reflection-time to talk about their learning, the process and the outcomes

The lesson plan • Topic look at long term plan and develop • Refer to the curriculum/assessment in the context of lesson aims and learning outcomes (can work backwards-what do pupils have to learn? /how will I know they have learnt it? ) • Consider knowledge, understanding and skills to develop, assessment, progression and continuity and differentiation and extension • Evaluate what is the quality of this lesson-level, content, approach, pace, questioning, assessment

Reflection: Analyse and evaluate your practice • How am I showing all children that I have high expectations for their learning? • How have I focused on the important elements of a good lesson? • Have I considered different ways of addressing the topic/issue? • How will these activities help the children to meet the intended learning outcomes? • How will I know pupils have learnt what they need to know? • Where is the continuity from previous lesson? • How have I provided opportunity for pupils to take ‘ownership’ of their work?