Ready to Learn - materials from the Year 7 pilot summer term 2012.

For guidance on starters, middles and plenaries please click on the link for documents produced by the teaching and learning group:
Starters - click here | Middles - click here | Plenaries- click here.

Research has shown that an effective lesson will have been planned carefully to include clear teaching �episodes� (starters, main teaching modeling or scaffolding, main teaching activity, review, development and plenary). The initial idea of the three part lesson (starter, main and plenary) has now been superseded by the idea of the structured lesson with clear episodes for learning. There may be only 3 episodes or many episodes, but each is carefully planned and has a clear learning objective.

Unit 5 of the pedagogy and practice pack from the National Strategies covers important aspects of starters and plenaries. For example the following is taken from unit 5, page 14:

Plenaries are still being reported by OFSTED as the weakest part of the lesson. In 2002 OFSTED produced a report on plenaries. Recent evaluations indicate that this aspect of lesson planning still remains a concern. To read the full 2002 report click here.

What makes an effective plenary?

Plenaries, whether they happen during the lesson or at the end, should:

occur at a strategic moment in the teaching sequence;

draw together the learning of the whole group and the individual;

summarise and take stock of learning so far;

consolidate and extend learning;

direct pupils to the next phase of learning;

highlight not only what has been learned but also how it has been learned;

help determine the next steps in learning.

Plenaries need to be planned as part of the planned learning episodes (spontaneous plenaries tend to be less effective). They should link carefully to the objectives, outcomes and success criteria of the lesson as a whole.

As with starters, active, engaging, challenging and well-paced learning can be achieved in plenaries through:

carefully planned tasks;

planned management and organisation of the classroom;

use of appropriate interactive teaching skills.

Planning the plenary activity

When planning the plenary activity, first consider its purposes � there are likely to be several in any one lesson. Then choose a task that will involve all students in actively processing any relevant information from the lesson. Finally, consider the interactive teaching skills you need �at your fingertips� in order to shape and develop a successful plenary.

As with starters, plenaries can be used for a range of different purposes. They can enable you to:

review the lesson�s objectives � taking stock of what the class has covered in a task or a sequence;

be diagnostic � assessing both individual and collective learning as well as progress, in order to plan accordingly;

recognise and value the achievements of individuals and the class;

stimulate interest, curiosity and anticipation about the next phase of learning.

They can enable your students to:

remember what has been learned;

crystallise their thoughts about what has been learned;

deepen and extend their learning;

see the �big picture�, putting what has been learned in the context of past and future learning;

articulate and communicate their learning;

gain a sense of achievement in the successful completion of a task(s);

understand the progress made and revise or set new personal targets;

consider how they have learned and the learning strategies they used � in terms of both individual and group thinking processes;

develop a language for discussing thinking and learning and form a habit of reflection about learning;

consider how thinking and learning can be �transferred� to other contexts;

perceive themselves as learners.

Although many of these purposes are concerned with what students do, their achievement depends on your planning and orchestration of the plenary.

Further ideas and guidance on various aspects of plenaries follow in the document. To read the full document click here.

A simple �rule of thumb� for plenaries is: Does the plenary help student and teacher assess progress against the learning objectives.

To achieve this, clear objectives and some form of initial assessment at the start of the learning is required � hence the need for good clear objectives that allow assessment of progress.

Many sites give plenty of ideas for plenaries, for example https://www.geographypages.co.uk/assinset2.htm

For another set of ideas for plenary activities, produced for Norfolk schools, click here.