Differentiation and challenge: Research and
Development
Group Cycle 1 2015-16
Meeting 1: selecting the issue
The Rationale
The focus on this group is to examine
how we respond and plan to support
the needs and progress of individuals,
particularly in light of our changing
cohort.
We aim to explore and develop
strategies to nurture high
performance and challenge for all
students.
Aims
•Understand the process and culture of a
research and development group.
Share our experiences of life long skills for
differentiation and challenge and consider
research
Decide together how to progress by
identifying a focus question that we all
want to work towards answering.
Partnership
Listening
Discuss Aims
Enquiry
Discuss the issues that we want to
investigate further?
Motivation
(Based on research and
experience)
Learning
Enablement
w/c 2nd
Sharing
Action
Review & Evaluate
Reflect upon what we have
learnt individually and as a
group.
w/c 18th
Share and Plan
Process
& Culture
Plan our research and decide
upon how to gather evidence of
impact.
w/c 23rd
Alignment
Respect
Co-creation
Reflect and Review
Questioning
Discuss actions and evidence so
far. Plan further development.
Mutuality
Commitment
w/c 1st
Risk Taking
Accountability
Ofsted think these are the problems with stretch and
challenge for talented pupils:
• Lack of opportunity in secondary school
• Disadvantaged most able students are much less
likely to succeed
• Links between secondary and primary schools are not
effective enough
• Lack of challenge at the start of Key Stage 3
• Teaching that does not challenge the most able in
Key Stage 3
• Assessment and tracking at Key Stage 3 is not
effective
• Quality of guidance about courses, universities and
jobs is still not good enough 18
Are any of these areas we are interested in?
What problems do we have with stretching and
challenging the most able?
Here are some of mine
• The most able students finish the quickest.
• The most able students can answer even the
most challenging questions.
• The most able students are reluctant to
answer the questions.
• The most able students like to feel confident
that they are right so do not really want to
be pushed as hard.
The story of Gifted education
Nurturing high performance rather
than just pushing gifted and talented
children.
Tom Sheridan
A range of differentiation
techniques for the most able.
Evolving practise to support able
student
Possible practises we could begin to
explore
Challenging the particularly able
Encouraging giftedness.
KS3
KS4
KS5
Pupil choice
Engaging pupil interest
Extension
Reading
Discussion
Success criteria
Peer work
Literacy
Written skills
Oral presentation
Gifted and talented
Exam preparation and revision
Exam technique
Life long skills for learning
Essay writing.
Seminar style learning
Flipped learning
Put into sort cards.
What is our group research question?
Next steps
Think about what you need to do to prepare for the next meeting.
Research:
• Theory
• Action with a class of your choice
Action research- an example
Pupil choice Questionnaire
Name:
never
Hardly
ever
Not very
often
Some
of the
time
Often
Very
often
All of
the
time
I am given a choice of tasks in my RE lessons
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
I am given the choice of how I present my work in
RE lessons
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Choice is something I am given a lot of in my
lessons
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
I enjoy having choice in my learning
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Giving me a choice of skills questions would help
me develop my weaker areas
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
If given a choice I would always opt for the easy
option
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
I would like more choice in my learning
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
When I am given choice I find this unnerving
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Date for the diary
Share and Plan
-triangulate our
evidence so far
and use that to
plan our further
research and
development