Time
Activity
5 minutes
Set the tone and share aims of the session
10 minutes
Wider reading task
10 minutes
Debate on different ideas from the key educational thinkers
10 minutes
Introduce specific strategies
15 minutes
Coaching session on specific strategies for own class context
15 minutes
Practice task focusing on applying these strategies
10 minutes
Reflection and evaluation of the session
Aims of the session
1. To engage with the ideas of Robin Alexander and
Dylan Wiliam on how to challenge students.
2. To share effective strategies based on research
about how to stretch students’ thinking.
3. To reflect on how to implement these strategies
with our own classes.
4. To modify existing practice to improve the
outcomes of a particular class or a targeted
group of students.
What is deep thinking?
How would you identify if a student
was able to think deeply?
What impact does being able to
think deeply have on how a student
participates and interacts in class?
Take a couple of
minutes to discuss
these questions with
the person sitting
next to you.
Wider reading task
What are the key ideas that Robin Alexander and Dylan
Wiliam have with regards to increasing the level of
challenge for students?
Each of you in your pairs will be given a different handout.
Read the handout and be prepared to share what each
educational thinker says about ensuring students are
challenged in class.
Debating these ideas
How might Robin
Alexander’s ideas help
students to think deeply?
How might Dylan Wiliam’s
ideas help students to think
deeply?
What are the possible issues
with implementing Robin
Alexander’s and Dylan
Wiliam’s ideas?
Thinking about your own
students, who might
struggle to adapt to these
methods of challenging
students?
Implementing Alexander’s ideas
Practical strategy: Philosophy for Children (P4C)
• Choose a stimulus which provokes thought (e.g. a video clip,
a photograph or a statement).
• Give students silent thinking time to get to grips with the
stimulus.
• Students put forward different questions they would like to
discuss and debate.
• The teacher facilitates a discussion in which the students
participate and build on others’ contributions, justifying
their opinions with reasons.
• At the end of the session, students share how their opinions
may have changed as a result of the dialogue.
Implementing Wiliam’s ideas
Practical strategy: Students design their own tests
• The aim is for students to create tests for each other so the teacher
can judge whether they have a full understanding of the material
being studied.
• The teacher first models good and bad questions to include in the
test.
• Students will need to know the answers to the questions before
they can administer the test for their partner so this is an effective
way of enabling the student to know whether they’ve mastered the
content.
Our students
Take a minute to think about a student, a group of students
or a class you teach who might benefit from this strategy.
Why have you chosen these particular students?
Be ready to share your selected students with the rest of
the group.
Coaching to develop our practice
We will now work in pairs where each person in the pair
will be coached about how they may implement a
particular strategy from Alexander or Wiliam.
At the end of the conversation, each person will need to
commit to an action going forward that will help
students to develop their thinking in class.
The GROW model
GOAL
What do they
want to
achieve?
Why do they
want to
achieve this?
REALITY
What are the
issues they are
facing that are
hindering their
goals?
What have
they tried
already?
OPTIONS
WAY FORWARD
What have
What are they
they thought
going to commit
about that
to trying?
they could try?
What do they
What do they hope will be the
think are the
impact?
pros and cons
of each
option?
The GROW model – stretching students’ thinking
GOAL
REALITY
Which strategy do
What barriers to
you want to try out? learning are you
encountering from
Which students
these students?
might benefit?
How are these
How might these
barriers affecting
students benefit
their ability to think
from this strategy?
deeply about ideas
discussed in your
class?
OPTIONS
WAY FORWARD
What have you tried What actions are
already?
you going to
commit to moving
What were the pros forward?
and cons to what
you’ve tried?
What support will
you need to make it
How might this
happen?
strategy be better?
How will you know
if it has had
successful impact?
Practice tasks
Philosophy for Children
• Think about something you are
going to teach where you could
use Philosophy for Children.
• Decide on a range of stimuli you
are going to use to start off the
Philosophy for Children session.
• Then outline the rules and
expectations of the session that
you will share with students.
Students designing tests
• Think about an assessment you
would create for students at the
end of a topic.
• Instead of using this assessment,
think about when students could
design their own test and write
the mark scheme for it.
• Create a set of instructions that
you will give to students to help
them carry out this task.
Reflection and evaluation
Question
What strategies do you already routinely use
with students to develop the quality of their
thinking?
What did you want to get out of today’s
session?
How has today’s session developed your
understanding of how to develop students’
thinking?
What specific changes are you going to commit
to making after today’s session?
What further information or training would you
like the lead learner to offer to support you in
achieving these changes?
Response