Tag: Design Thinking in Teaching

The Top Five Mistakes That Trainee High School Teachers Are Making

Posted on by richardjamesrogers

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post has been beautifully illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati.

Accompanying podcast episode:

Anyone who is new to the teaching profession is bound to make mistakes. There’s so much to learn and so much is at stake: the future careers of young people are literally in your hands. The pressure can be overwhelming at times, and this can cause trainees to panic.

Relax! This blog post was made for you!

I will go through the top five mistakes that trainee high school teachers are making all over the world as I write this – and please do not be embarrassed if this article reads like a self-summary of what you are doing wrong at the moment. We’ve ALL been there. We’ve ALL made mistakes, and I’ve personally made every mistake in this list too (so I’m a real expert on this subject matter).

Let’s get started!

#1: Getting the marking balance wrong

We are eager to impress when we are trainees, but there’s no need for that eagerness to translate into late evenings, busy weekends and overloaded school holidays in which we are covering every piece of student work with lengthy written feedback. I’ve been there, and I can tell you from first-hand experience – it’s not worth it!

Grading every single piece of student work by hand is not the most effective, or efficient, means to provide feedback anyway. Consider utilising the following techniques:

  • ‘Live’ Marking: This is a personal favorite of mine, as ardent followers of this blog and my podcast will know. The reason I love ‘live’ marking so much is because it is the ultimate feedback strategy – it’s efficient, personal and effective. It’s also simple to do – either walk around the class with a marking pen in your hand and mark student work in real-time, as they are doing a task, or call each student to your desk one at a time. Make sure you have a short conversation with each student as you write feedback on their work.
  • Verbal Feedback: This needs to be done properly, but it can be just as efficient and effective as ‘live’ marking. Have conversations with your students and either write/stamp ‘VF’ or ‘Verbal Feedback Given’ on the students’ work or (even better) ask the student to write down what you said in a different colour (e.g. “Mr Rogers said that I should label my diagrams using a ruler”). Since the students must process what you said in order to write down the feedback you have given, it acts as a great tool for building long-term memory.
  • Peer and self-assessment: Get your students to swap their work and mark each other’s or allow them the opportunity to assess their own work. Just make sure that the students have the official mark scheme/set of answers (otherwise this whole technique won’t work as efficiently as it should – and, before someone says it, no – I don’t think students should be spending time thinking about what the answer ‘should be’ and trying to upgrade answers without a mark scheme – unless you have a surplus of time in which to carry out this very exhaustive activity). Students should be encouraged to make corrections to wrong questions rather than just putting a cross or a zero next to answers, and they should be using a different coloured pen/text than the original answer was written in.
  • Automated assessment: There’s so much software available today that will set student work and grade it all for you. If your school has such systems available, then use them! Live quiz apps, such as Blooket, Kahoot!, Rolljak and others can be used for this purpose (set them in ‘assignment’ mode) as well as bespoke software such as MyMaths (for maths), Educake (for various subjects), Lexia Learning (for English) and others.
  • Learning Journals – as a recurring method of reflection, summarizing and revision, it really doesn’t get better than this. Used digitally (e.g., through Google Docs) or manually (e.g. through physical notebooks) learning journals offer stduents a creative and personal way to record their learning journeys. Make sure that you collect them in on the same day every week (or two weeks) and return them as per an agreed schedule too. In terms of satisfying a homework timetable, learning journals offer an interesting and feasible solution too – students are very unlikely to forget this ‘recurring’ homework due to its regularity and, due to their personable nature, learning journals can be really fun tools to work with. The students can fill them with whatever they like – mind maps, flash cards, past-paper questions, lists, etc.

The essential message here is to increase the range of assessment methods you are using – focusing heavily on efficiency and quality rather than how many scribbles you are able to pen onto student assignments during your weekends (which, by the way, is time that you should be spending relaxing).

I’ve written at length about efficient and effective marking strategies in the past. If you are interested in learning more about the various techniques available (and how to implement them), then check out these blog posts of mine:

My second book, entitled The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback, is also a great read if you are serious about exploring a range of feedback methods that that have a positive impact on your students’ learning experiences. Click on the image below to be taken to its Amazon page:

#2: Trying to be friends with the students

There’s a concept in education that has, unfortunately, become somewhat forgotten these days: Professional Distance.

The best description I could find on the concept of Professional Distance comes from an article by James Barron at start-teaching.com:

In the context of education, the concept of “professional distance” plays a vital role in maintaining clear boundaries between teachers and students. As emphasised by Gould and Roffey-Barentsen (2014), teachers must be mindful of preserving a degree of professional distance to prevent any blurring of lines between their personal lives and their roles as educators.

James Barron (2023), The Relationships and Boundaries Between the Teaching Role and Other Professional Roles’ [Online]. Available at https://start-teaching.com/the-relationships-and-boundaries-between-the-teaching-role-and-other-professional-roles/

In today’s world of social media, IG influencers and digital side-hustles, maintaining Professional Distance between us and the students we teach has become more challenging than ever before. In essence, however, the fundamental concept is the same as it always was: whether you are a 22-year-old trainee or a 52-year-old seasoned educator, you are seen as an authority figure in the classroom. The students are NOT your friends. They are young people that we help, support and educate, and that’s where our professional relationship with them ends. We do not add them as friends on social media. We do not accept their follow requests. We do not chat with them on any non-school approved channel.

I’ve written a separate blog post on the issue of Professional Distance in the digital realm, which you can read here: How Should Teachers Behave on Social Media? – Richard James Rogers

#3: Failing to consult with colleagues or line-managers

As a trainee teacher, or even a seasoned educator with twenty years under your belt, you are not expected to know everything. No question is too stupid to ask, so please ask!

I remember feeling really anxious one day as a relatively new 29-year-old teacher at an international school in Thailand. I had a question about the next topic to teach in a program of study, and I THOUGHT THAT MY HEAD OF DEPARTMENT WOULD THINK I WAS INCOMPETENT IF I ASKED ABOUT IT. Sure enough, after fretting over the issue for a day or two, I had to go and see him and ask about this – I needed the information.

I’ll never forget what he said at the end of the conversation: “Richard, I just want to say thank you for asking about this. Because when people don’t ask, they mess things up.”

Wow! That wasn’t what I had expected. My nervousness over asking questions, no matter how silly I thought they were, vanished that instant.

Your colleagues and line-managers will ALWAYS be your best resources at school. They will know how you should deal with certain students, back stories to issues, which printer to use and for what purpose, and who the key people are in school who can help you with other issues. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT for teachers to be cordial and collegiate with all staff at school.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to utilize the ‘colleague domain’ to work productively with your coworkers at school, then this blog post of mine that I wrote some time ago is a great place to start: Seeking Help from Colleagues: Tips for Teachers (Secret no. 11) – Richard James Rogers

#4: Engaging in gossip or inappropriate staffroom talk

Gossip is ALWAYS toxic. It generates distrust, adds to an overall atmosphere of negativity in a school and, worse: it can even get you fired. Gossip has this juicy allure to it that is very attractive – it reels people in and can often make one lower their normal professional defenses – causing people to add their ‘two cents’ worth without seriously considering their words beforehand.

Do not engage in gossip and stay away from people who gossip (if you can). Just your physical association with known gossipers can be a red flag for senior management – and, as a trainee teacher, you don’t want that!

I once remember sitting in the staffroom at a North Wales school during my PGCE (teacher training year) back in 2005. Two colleagues in my department had an altercation over something curriculum based and one teacher told the other to “F…. off”, in front of everyone!

The gossip soon followed the next day. Even the science technicians were in on it: “He should have received a slap for saying that” chirped one individual in the prep room that day. My Head of Department was there too, and I was being quiet and minding my own business (i.e. doing what you should do in this situation). Finally, he asked me, “What do you think about this whole thing, Richard”.

I replied with “I’m staying out of it. I have enough to focus on with my day-to-day work as it is.” (or something like that). My Head of Department was clearly impressed and responded with “That’s the best way to be, Richard”.

I later found out that he wrote a glowing review of my performance to my university.

In line with the subject of gossip is that of inappropriate information. You DO NOT need to share all of the details regarding your personal life with your colleagues – in fact, the less you share, the better!

One of my favourite quotes regarding this subject matter is as follows:

Never talk about your salary, your love life or your next move”

Unknown

If anyone can help me cite that quote (or its derivative), then please let me know. Whilst it is a little tongue-in-cheek, it does point to a very important concept in the workplace: your colleagues are not your friends – they are the people you work with. Whilst you can, of course, have very positive professional relationships with your colleagues (and they should be willing to help you out when you need it too, and you should help them when they need it), you must remember that egos are involved at the workplace, competition anxiety is real thing and that your colleagues are always capable of reporting you to senior management at any time.

In short – keep every interaction with your colleagues professional. Keep personal information to yourself.

#5: Planning day-by-day and not taking a long-term view

This is a common mistake that trainee teachers make but, thankfully, it’s usually an easy one to solve.

As trainees, we are often very new to the lesson planning process, and it can be difficult to think in the long and medium term as we are often so fixated with just planning lesson-by-lesson, or week-by-week.

It is crucial, however, that you know what the overall plans are for the academic year as a whole. This is called ‘curriculum mapping’, and the best teachers are also the best curriculum mappers.

In essence, it means that you must know when topics are supposed to be taught and what the key milestones are during the academic year, such as:

  • End of unit tests
  • Half-termly/mid-semester tests
  • End of term/semester tests
  • End of year exams
  • Coursework deadlines for students

Having a long-term view like this will allow you maintain an appropriate pace and will also ensure that you maintain consistency of instruction with some of your more experienced colleagues in the department – you certainly don’t want to be behind them in the teaching schedule, unless there’s a good reason (e.g. you are teaching a bottom set at a slower pace).

Summary

These are the top five mistakes that I have witnessed trainee teachers making over the past 17 years of my career, and I have also been guilty of all of these on occasion:

  • Marking inefficiently
  • Trying to be ‘friends’ with the students
  • Failing to seek help from colleagues when in doubt (remember, no question is too stupid to ask)
  • Engaging in gossip and/or revealing too much personal information about yourself to your colleagues
  • Planning in the short-term rather than the long-term

Review your own practices and daily behavior against the five points above to see if there are things that you could do differently.

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How to Handle Frustration as a Teacher

Posted on by richardjamesrogers

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post has been beautifully illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati.

Teaching is one of the most stressful professions on Earth. From behaviour management issues, to meeting deadlines and working on projects in small teams: teaching, as a job, requires very high levels of competency, lots of patience and bucket loads of resilience. Take these recent, shocking revelations, for example:

In such a complex and dynamic environment as a school, in which in our ‘product’ is the gradual and positive development of children (i.e. the most complex beings in existence), it is only natural that we will make mistakes along the way and be involved in a wide variety of professional ‘incidents’ that may cause us some frustration.

It is at these times that we MUST remember the ‘Four S’s’:

  • Stop
  • Smile
  • Sleep
  • Send

Here’s a handy graphic to remember the process (feel free to share this with colleagues):

Let’s go through these steps one-by-one:

#1: Stop

I once witnessed a former colleague shout at a fellow language teacher in the staff room, calling him ‘unprofessional’ and saying that his actions were ‘unacceptable’. Of course, the issue causing the altercation was a trivial matter, but by her getting emotional and berating him in front of everyone she achieved nothing, and actually did a lot of harm to her reputation. Everyone was talking about that exchange afterwards, and guess who came out as the ‘good guy’ in people’s minds? – The polite language teacher who just stood there and listened and didn’t respond or get emotional, of course.

It’s so tempting to respond by reflex-action in a moment of frustration, venting our anger in an email, a verbal exchange or other action. It’s so crucial to be mindful of our emotions when we feel frustration bubbling up inside of us and remember to STOP!

#2: Smile

Numerous studies have shown that a simple smile can immediately improve our mood. Take a moment to reflect upon what you are grateful for in life. If nothing comes up, then ask yourself “What COULD I be grateful for right now?”. This act of ‘reframing’ the moment will act to alleviate any feelings of dread, anxiety or frustration – even if it’s only by a small amount.

#3: ‘Sleep on it’

If you find yourself becoming angry, anxious, enraged or frustrated by any situation at school, then pause for a while and calm down before you respond. If possible, respond to the issue the next day after a good night’s sleep – you’ll be in a better mood and will be more emotionally balanced to handle the issue rationally.

In my experience, almost every incident that causes a teacher frustration can be dealt with the next day, when we are in a better mood. If this is not the case for whatever you happen to be dealing with right now, then at least Stop and Smile, and wait a while before responding.

#4: Send

Have you been guilty of sending a quick response email out of frustration? I know I have. For one former coworker of mine, this had catastrophic consequences.

The head of our secondary school had emailed a colleague of mine in a former school I worked at to discuss some behaviour management issues that some children in his classes were having. This colleague then replied out of anger and frustration, justifying himself in every which way possible, but he inadvertently cc’d the entire secondary school in his response!

My award-winning book for high-school teachers.

He didn’t last long at that school. His reputation in the eyes of his colleagues had soured, and his position became somewhat untenable. He was let go at the end of that academic year.

Please – be the person who responds when your emotions are stable. We ALL get frustrated at times. We ALL get angry a times. We ALL panic at times. Please – Stop, Smile. Sleep THEN Send/Respond.

Extra advice for dealing with frustration at school

Speak to someone

Speak up about any issues you are having, in a positive and non-complaining way. The trick to executing this is to be ‘solution focussed’. When talking with your line manager about the issue, or whomever the other parties are, adopt the mindset of ‘This is the problem, so how can we work together to find the solution?’.

Only click ‘send’ when you are in an emotionally positive state

E-mails last forever, and once they are sent, they can be fully utilised in any litigation that may follow. Silence is always the best option at first, if possible, then only send a written response/summary of the issue after very careful consideration. In some extreme situations you may wish to speak with a lawyer before responding.

Learn new skills

If behavior management is causing frustration, then seek to learn new strategies or ask colleagues for help. Resources like this blog can be very useful for acquiring new tips, as can professional development courses. If your issue is skills-related, then you may find that a professional development course, such as my Powerful Public Speaker Certificate Course, may be of use to you.

Find a good lawyer, and build a good relationship with them, regardless of your situation

It has been my experience via the many hundreds of online coaching calls I have done with teachers over the years that extremely few educators understand their legal rights. Employers can sometimes pray on this naivety – few teachers will approach a lawyer when their employment is terminated, or when contractual changes arise, or when they are asked to sign a sudden ‘official school document’, for example. Get used to consulting with lawyers. Yes, they’re expensive, but the investment is worth it in the long run. If you are lucky enough to teach in a country where teacher unions exist, then make sure you are an active member – they will be able to offer legal advice when the need arises, too.

We welcome you to join the Richard James Rogers online community. Check out our official Facebook Page, Instagram and Podcast for regular updates.

5 Top Tips for Marking Work by Hand

Posted on by richardjamesrogers

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post has been beautifully illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati.

Accompanying podcast episode:

Whether it’s high-stakes assessments, end-of-unit tests, coursework, homework or classwork, it’s inevitable that every teacher will have to mark some assignments the old-fashioned way from time-to-time – i.e. by hand.

This can be a daunting task for many of us who, in today’s EdTech age, are so used to marking things digitally (or allowing software to do the work for us!). I’ve written at length, for example, about how automated systems like MyMaths and Educake, and live-quiz apps that have ‘assignment’ options, can mark classwork, homework and other assignments within seconds and provide detailed analytics within summary reports.

Thankfully, I’ve been in the position where there’s no other option but to mark assignments by hand more than a few times in my 17 years as a high school teacher, and I’ve made every blunder possible – wasting countless hours of my life in the process!

At least I now have enough experience of doing marking the wrong way to pass on my knowledge to my readers – I guess every cloud does have a silver lining, after all!

So, get your red pen ready (or whichever color you wish to use) and let’s learn how to efficiently mark assignments by hand!

#1: Mark every script one question at a time, or one page at a time

What this means is that if you have, say, thirty exam papers to mark, then ONLY mark question 1 for each paper (or page 1). Then, when you’ve finished marking question 1 (or page 1) for each paper, ONLY mark question 2 for each paper (or page 2), and so on.

The reason this works so well to improve your marking efficiency is that:

  1. You will get quicker at marking the same question the more times you do it in succession.
  2. It becomes easier to compare one student’s answer to another, which is great for choosing model answers to showcase and to ensure fairness.

Marking our papers this way is MUCH quicker than marking, say, one whole exam paper/assignment, followed by another, then another.

#2: ALWAYS have a mark scheme available for the assignment you are marking

Never set an exam paper or assignment if it doesn’t come with a mark scheme. If you don’t have one, then create one. This ensures fairness and efficiency during the marking process.

During my early years of teaching, I would find myself quickly creating exam papers and assignments due to my poor time-management skills. I would often forget to source the mark schemes for those documents.

Have you ever tried to mark a stack of exam papers without having the model answers to hand? It’s a nightmare scenario! You’ll find yourself spending tons of time attempting to apply marking consistency across multiple answer types. This is almost impossible to do without a mark scheme.

Another behavior to avoid is quickly sourcing worksheets or assignments from the internet, without making sure there’s model answers that go along with them. This is a particularly toxic action for the busy/stressed teacher, as time is limited. It seems like a great short-term fix to quickly source those questions from a particular web link you’ve found. However, in the long term, you’ll pay for it with frustration and more wasted time since it will become very difficult to mark that work in the absence of proper marking schemes.

#3: Keep your papers organized

Don’t lose them – and that’s easier said than done! I find that it’s often best to keep all of my papers at school and do all of my marking at school, because:

  1. Papers don’t get lost in transit (e.g. if I were to take papers home to mark).
  2. It’s good for my work-life balance – schoolwork stays at school.

Consider creating a special area of your room to keep the work that you are marking by hand. Perhaps a special drawer in your teacher’s desk is appropriate, or a shelf on your classroom wall.

My award-winning book for high school teachers.

#4 Utilize live marking where possible

One-to-one conversations with students offer the best possible feedback out there – because those conversations are personal and should involve some metacognition. Students will have to process information and think about their responses deeply during the live-marking process, which should always involve some type of conversation (even if it’s a short one).

If possible, walk around the class and mark work in real-time as the students are doing it, or call them to your desk one at a time for a conversation and to add some hand-written comments to their work.

I’ve written an entirely separate blog post about efficient marking strategies, which includes a detailed section on ‘live’ marking, here: The ‘Four Pillars’ of Time-Saving Marking – Richard James Rogers

#5 Do NOT give the work back to the students until the data has been inputted into your school’s tracking system

This is sounds so obvious, yet, to my embarrassment, this is a mistake I have made in the past.

This really is the epitome of stupidity because once the graded work has been given back to the students, you’re going to have quite a job on your hands to get it all back again so that you can input the assessment data.

Mark it, input the data, then give it back to the students. If that means that the students have to wait a little longer to get their work back, then so be it. Due diligence is more important than quick turnaround.

Summary

I really hope this blog post was helpful. Life is precious, and short, and too valuable to be marking work inefficiently in my opinion.

Speed up your marking time by….

  • Marking one question at a time, or one page at a time
  • Sourcing mark schemes for EVERY piece of work that is to be marked by hand
  • Demonstrating good housekeeping by organizing your papers – don’t lose any!
  • Marking work in real-time, if possible
  • Input the assessment data into your school’s system before giving the work back to the students

In addition to the above points, I would also advise teachers to seek help from colleagues when you are unsure about how many marks to award for a student’s answer. You may find that a fresh perspective will confirm, or refute, your initial thinking on the matter. Also, get efficient with free periods/non-contact time, too. If you plan what you will mark in those ‘frees’ carefully, you’ll find that minimal weekend and evening time is taken up with marking (which is what the status quo should be).

We welcome you to join the Richard James Rogers online community. Check out our official Facebook Page, Instagram and Podcast for regular updates.

Introducing The P.O.W.E.R. Method of Retrieval Practice

Posted on by richardjamesrogers

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post has been beautifully illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati.

Accompanying podcast episode:

Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave for the past five years, it’s highly likely that you have heard the phrase ‘retrieval practice’ being bandied about multiple times at educational seminars, Professional Development workshops and even in the departmental meetings you’ve attended at school. It’s one of those areas of pedagogy that has gotten educators excited due it’s evidence-based effectiveness, as well it’s inclusion, affirmation and promotion of metacognitive strategies (another hot topic in education).

It is my observation, however, that the majority of teachers are not 100% clear about what retrieval practice actually is – in part because some of the professional literature on the issue is conflicting, and also because as a concept it complexifies something rather simple (something that teachers have being doing for decades): getting students to reflect upon and use what they know.

In today’s blog post, I aim to provide my readers with the following:

  • A simple, understandable description of what retrieval practice is
  • A handy acronym (P.O.W.E.R.) that we can all use to remember the stages we need to follow as teachers when carrying out retrieval practice with our students
  • Some ideas on techniques and activities we can use in the classroom to facilitate good retrieval practice

Think ‘expression’ as opposed to ‘ingestion‘

I was most impressed with this great video by Unleash Learning which described retrieval practice as focusing on getting information out of students’ heads, rather than into students’ heads. This implies that retrieval practice only works if information has been put into the students’ heads in the first place – and this is true – retrieval practice is used as a follow-up when students have already been taught the information they need to know.

Retrieval practice is used as a follow-up at some point after a topic/unit has been taught.

Students should be encouraged to articulate what they have learned in some way, and then use what they have learned in some way (e.g., to answer an exam-style question). Retrieval practice places heavy emphasis on learning rather than assessing, although low-stakes assessments can be used as part of the retrieval process (see this blog post of mine on assessment ‘for’, ‘of’ and ‘as’ learning for more info on that!).

Give your students the P.O.W.E.R. they need to succeed!

So, let’s look at an easy-to-remember step-by-step process for facilitating retrieval practice in the classroom – the P.O.W.E.R. technique.

Prime (P): Prime the Mind

Start by priming the mind. Review essential concepts, key points, or summaries to prepare your students for the learning experience ahead. A great activity for this is Mind Map Mayhem: Encourage students to create colourful mind maps summarizing key concepts from the previous lesson. They can use doodles, arrows, and even emojis to make it visually appealing. This primes their minds for what’s to come!

At this stage, summaries do not need to be organized – they can be scattered and random, and do not necessarily need to be handwritten – a group discussion, quick verbal presentation to the class or even a bulleted list will suffice.

Organize (O): Organize Thoughts Actively

Encourage active organization of thoughts. Have your students organize information in their own words, creating meaningful connections and enhancing comprehension through an engaged approach. There are many tools that can be used for this, but my favorites are:

  • Mnemonics
  • Acronyms
  • Infographics
  • Graphic organizers
  • Google Slides, Docs, Sheets and Sites
  • Flow charts
  • Audio notes

It’s quite important at this stage that information follows the required pattern in which it needs to be retrieved in the final exams – e.g. the stages of cell division (in order), a timeline of King Henry VIII’s reign (in order), the points to raise in a written response to a language question (in order), etc.

Wrestle (W): Wrestle with Challenges

Yes! – we finally have a teaching acronym with ‘Wrestle’ in it (cue the giggles in teacher workshops all across the world from this point onwards). If nothing else, this wise choice of a word will help us all to remember that in this stage the students should tackle thought-provoking questions that demand active recall.

This step engages the mind in a mental wrestling match, strengthening memory and reinforcing the learning process.

The questions do not necessarily need to be provided in a mini-test or handout format (although you can go with that too), live quiz apps, verbal questioning, exam-style questions, past-papers, flash cards, quick writing exercises, worksheets and learning journals can all be used as tools to facilitate this process. At this stage, the questions should be low stakes, so that making mistakes is encouraged.

Evaluate (E): Evaluate Understanding

Promote self-evaluation to gauge understanding. Guide your students to reflect on their comprehension, identifying areas of strength and pinpointing topics that may require additional attention.

Check out my award-winning book for high-school teachers on Amazon. Purchases support the creation of my blog posts and podcast episodes.

A great technique that teachers have been using for decades for this is Traffic Lights. Provide students with red, yellow, and green cards. Ask them to hold up the corresponding card to indicate their understanding. Red for unclear, yellow for partial, and green for solid comprehension. It’s a quick and visual way to evaluate understanding.

Again, live quiz apps can be used for student self-evaluation, as well as self-reflection rubrics. Metacognitive tools, such as self-regulation checklists, are also great for this.

In my current practice, I like creating Google Sheets in which students can type in their reflections as they do them – essentially creating a long-term digital journal/record of their progress. The sheets are very simple – usually asking which questions the students got wrong, why they got them wrong, and what they should do next to improve further. When created on a Google Classroom assignment, one sheet is enough, as a copy will be made for each student if you select the correct option from the drop-down menu.

Reinforce (R): Reinforce Through Practice

Transition to reinforcement through practice. Engage your students in hands-on activities, be it additional past-paper questions, problem-solving scenarios, experiments, or real-world applications. This step solidifies knowledge and encourages practical application.

Practice makes perfect!

One activity you might want to try (if you’re looking for something unusual) is Escape Room Extravaganza. Create a virtual or physical escape room with challenges related to the lesson. Students work in teams to solve problems, unlock clues, and apply their knowledge. A QR-code treasure hunt may work well for this, for example. It’s a fantastic way to reinforce learning through collaboration and critical thinking.

Conclusion

Retrieval practice is essentially a way to build long-term memory of concepts, skills, ideas, key vocabulary, techniques and knowledge. At some point after a topic or unit has been taught to your class, use the P.O.W.E.R. strategy to get your students retrieving that prior knowledge – you’ll soon find that concepts will be generally better understood, performance in future assessments will increase and students will feel more confident articulating, processing and recalling the material they have covered.

Recommended further reading

Head over to retrievalpractice.org where you will find lots of free, downloadable pdfs containing tons of advice on how to implement retrieval practice in your lessons.

We welcome you to join the Richard James Rogers online community. Check out our official Facebook Page, Instagram and Podcast for regular updates.

What Is Design Thinking, and How Can It Be Used in Classroom Teaching?

Posted on by richardjamesrogers

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post has been beautifully illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, traditional teaching methods are being reshaped by innovative approaches that prioritize creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. One such methodology gaining traction is Design Thinking. Originally conceived in the realm of product design, Design Thinking has found its way into education, offering a dynamic framework for educators to foster critical thinking and innovation among students. In this blog post, we will explore what Design Thinking is and how it can be effectively applied in classroom teaching.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a human-centered problem-solving approach that places empathy for the end-user at the core of the creative process. Coined by David Kelley and Tim Brown of IDEO, this methodology has since transcended its origins in design and has been embraced across various fields, including education. The key stages of Design Thinking typically involve empathizing, defining the problem, ideating, prototyping, and testing.

How can Design Thinking be used in classroom teaching?

Here’s a handy acronym to help remember the stages of Design Thinking:

E.D.I.P.T.

  • Empathize
  • Define
  • Ideate
  • Prototype
  • Test

Let’s go through each stage one-by-one:

Empathize

Design Thinking encourages educators to understand their students on a deeper level by empathizing with their needs, challenges, and perspectives. By gaining insights into students’ lives, educators can tailor their teaching methods to address individual learning styles and needs.

Define

The second stage of Design Thinking involves clearly defining the problem at hand. In a classroom setting, this translates to identifying the learning objectives and challenges faced by students. This step sets the foundation for targeted and effective teaching strategies.

Ideate

Design Thinking encourages a culture of brainstorming and creative thinking. In the classroom, this means fostering an environment where students feel free to express their ideas without fear of judgment. Educators can facilitate brainstorming sessions to generate diverse solutions to educational challenges.

Prototype

Just as designers create prototypes to test their ideas, students can develop prototypes of their learning solutions. This might involve creating projects, presentations, or interactive activities that demonstrate their understanding of a concept. Prototyping allows for hands-on learning and experimentation.

Testing

Design Thinking emphasizes an iterative process. In education, this means encouraging students to gracefully receive feedback on their work, reflect on their learning experiences, and make improvements. The iterative cycle fosters a growth mindset and resilience in the face of challenges.

A real classroom example of E.D.I.P.T.

Let’s see how E.D.I.PT. can be used in the planning and execution of a real high-school lesson.

Subject: High School Biology

Lesson Title: “Adapting to a Changing Environment: A Design Thinking Exploration”

Objective: Students will use the Design Thinking process (E.D.I.P.T.) to propose and prototype innovative solutions for an organism’s adaptation to a changing environment.

1. Empathize (E):

Activity: Begin the lesson with a short video or reading about a species facing environmental challenges (e.g., climate change, habitat loss). Engage students in a discussion about the impact on the species, their ecosystem, and the challenges they might face.

Outcome: Students develop empathy for the organisms and understand the need for adaptations in response to environmental changes.

2. Define (D):

Activity: Guide students in identifying specific challenges faced by the chosen species due to the changing environment. Encourage them to narrow down their focus to one key problem that they want to address.

Outcome: Students articulate a clear definition of the problem, such as the impact of temperature changes on the species’ reproduction or food sources.

3. Ideate (I):

Activity: Conduct a brainstorming session where students generate various ideas for how the species could adapt to the identified challenge. Encourage creative thinking and diverse solutions.

Outcome: Students compile a list of potential adaptations, considering biological, behavioral, or physiological changes the species might undergo.

4. Prototype (P):

Activity: In small groups, students choose one of the adaptation ideas and create a prototype or model showcasing how the species might implement this adaptation. This could include drawings, diagrams, or even physical representations.

Outcome: Each group produces a prototype that visually represents their chosen adaptation solution.

5. Test (T):

Activity: Groups present their prototypes to the class, explaining the rationale behind their chosen adaptations. Facilitate a class discussion where students provide constructive feedback and ask questions.

Outcome: Students refine their prototypes based on feedback, considering the practicality and effectiveness of their proposed adaptations.

Can you think of a suitable topic that would lend itself well to an E.D.I.P.T. lesson in your subject area?

Conclusion

Design Thinking in classroom teaching is a powerful tool for cultivating a generation of creative, adaptable, and empathetic individuals. By integrating this methodology, we can transform traditional classrooms into dynamic spaces where students are not just recipients of knowledge but active participants in their own learning journey. Embracing Design Thinking in education is not just about preparing students for the future; it’s about empowering them to shape it!

Recommended further reading

  • Lee, D. (2018). Design thinking in the classroom: easy-to-use teaching tools to foster creativity, encourage innovation and unleash potential in every student. Berkeley, California: Ulysses Press.
  • Jakes, D. (2022). The Design Thinking Classroom.
  • D.M. Arvind Mallik (2019). Design Thinking for Educators. Notion Press.

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