BULLETIN—November 2013

Cherwell Learning
Effective use of MODELLING in the classroom
1
Micro-model tasks to show quality
Micro-modelling means that when you set a task, you show the
students how to do one small part of it, with an emphasis on
how to do it, but also how to do it really well. Aim for quick, fluent modelling which brings student attention to quality, without
taking too long, or doing the whole task for them. Micromodelling can be done ‘live’, drawing out the
students’ ideas, or pre-prepared by
ponse
ls
nt res that
the teacher.
ode re stude
dge
ed M

Why focus on Modelling?




Having regular access to models and worked
examples is a crucial element of learning.
Without modelling, more socially advantaged
students will still be able to produce good work—
others won’t—clear modelling promotes social

justice.


Really skilful and effective modelling is not easy,

but is a learned skill—there are many techioc
wle
tiat
feren ypical med ity—ackno how they
Dif
niques which can be practised and improved.
Use
ents
tat
qual
ates
e wha at sort of show stud is acceler ss
at
p
2
cce
hen
ts th
antici
k. Th
lling, he studen sk’ - and t in the tas students a
de
t
mo
ta
ll
ce
3
When like. Show leting the e excellen nd giving a ellence.
xc
ok
mp
lor
ra
will lo uld be ‘co ing to exp nses clea dents on e
Make Models ‘talk to’ Success Criteria
is wo heir think asic respo g the stu
th
One of the purposes of modelling is to make explicit the
shin
sh t
ng b
an pu s, by maki , before pu
c
qualities of excellent work. It’s important therefore to use
es
sk
progr to the ta
the models to either exemplify the success criteria: “where

can you see (precise use of key words / developed thinking /
quality evaluation) here?”, or form success criteria: “what
does this example do that makes it an excellent response?”.
When using two differentiated models, a powerful question
is “which one of these is better quality and why?”.

4

Use Technology to work with models
Students are creating models of work to show different levels of success for us every day in the work that they
do in lessons. Use this work by regularly photographing examples of student work and displaying on the whiteboard for assessment. Also, it’s very easy to scan student work, using the colour photocopier in NS Reprographics, which can then be used to create elearning screencasts, in which you talk through the qualities of the work.
This 5 minute example (tinyurl.com/qdzrkbh) has been viewed over 32,000 times on YouTube—that’s 2677 hours
of student learning for 5 minutes work!

5
1.

2.

MICRO-MODEL TASKS—quickly, show them how
to do part of the task, and point them towards
excellence
PRACTISE MODELLING FOR ALL TASKS—even shorter
tasks, such as a brainstorm of ’what did we learn last lesson’ can be
challenging if modelling brings attention to quality

3.
4.
5.

DON’T

DO

USE DIFFERENTIATED MODELS—anticipate mediocrity, show them excellence
Set activities which help students see the links
between models and criteria for success
MODEL WITH PASSION —show the students that
exploring excellence in your subject is a fantastic
thing to learn to do!

1.
2.
3.
4.

MODEL THE WHOLE TASK / DO THE WORK FOR
THEM
SAVE MODELLING FOR ONLY LONGER WRITTEN
TASKS
ONLY MODEL A* QUALITY—differentiate models
to give low access / high challenge to tasks
Think SHARING MODELS ON ITS OWN IS
ENOUGH —we need to help students understand what’s good about them, and how to replicate that quality
BULLETIN—November 2013

Cherwell Learning
Outstanding MODELLING from our lessons
Subject

What were they
learning?

Activity being
modelled?

How did the modelling work?

Why was it good?

Year 10
English

How writers use language to influence
readers in non-fiction
writing

Annotate an Teacher chose one quotation to work with.

article
Teacher shared pre-prepared models of what an annotation might be: one basic, one excellent.

Teacher shared simple, two-level success criteria—
difference was between a ‘clear explanation’ and a
‘precise explanation’.

Students had to annotate the model answers, showing
where they hit the criteria, then discuss with a partner.
Students then annotated the rest of the article, with
literacy mats, aiming for increased precision in their
explanation.

The teacher understood with great precision
exactly what would represent a quality answer
Students had to explore the model and became clear about how to put the success criteria into action
Students produced some fantastic work as a
result of the careful teaching, and the class
and teacher were able to celebrate doing
really well—they could tell that they’d done
something good.

Year 10
Drama

What are the constituent parts which make
someone’s voice distinct?

Paired
work—one
student tells
the other a
story that’s
happened to
them.

Teacher modelled the activity on the spot
(spontaneous modelling) by telling part of their own
story, and bringing attention to the level of detail and
development that was needed for the activity to be
successful.




It was fast-paced, fun, and simple
Students enjoyed seeing the teacher ‘having a
go’; at the same time, the teacher was able to
bring attention to quality work.

KS3
Maths

Quadratic sequencing

Completing
exercises
from textbook.

- ‘live modelling’, taking the students through a proc- 
ess and storing the approach on the board
Very skilful questioning was used to engage the students in the modelling process and make the neces
sary thinking explicit, using questions such as ‘If we do
this, what will happen?’ / ‘What does this remind us
of... Have we learnt a similar process in the past? What
did we do then?’, ‘What might we do next?’.
Very clear and highly organised use of the board
meant that the models were available throughout the
lesson, and students referred back to them when completing challenging independent work.

The teacher engaged the students in the modelling process with excellent, planned questioning—’thinking out loud’.
Board organisation stored the models so they
became a resource for use throughout the
lesson.

KS4 MFL

Explaining...

Writing a
developed
paragraph

Differentiated models shared (good and great)

Students asked ‘which is better and why?’ - paired discussion.

Structure then added—now look at the models from
the perspective of A, B, C, D (ie different features of
the writing). Instructions set ‘Now we are really going
to take this apart’.
Students discussed again, in a more focused way.

Great activities to engage students with the
models
Combination of ‘loose’ (what are your first
impressions?’ and ‘tight’ (think about these
things in particular’ meant that students
thought deeply about the models

Great modelling questions overheard in Cherwell classrooms
‘Why is this good?’ ‘Why is that one better than this one?’ ‘How will we do this well?’ ‘How will we explore excellence in this task?’ ‘So that’s how you do it.. now how do you do it well?’ ‘Yours is going to be better than
this—how will you get there?’ ‘How might we improve this example?’ ‘Why am I doing it in this way?’ ‘What
will happen if we ...?’ ‘If we do that, what will happen to ...?’

3 Practical Modelling Techniques (from Geoff Petty’s Evidence-Based Teaching)
1

Teacher demonstration: you do an example, and ‘think out loud’ to explain why you are doing it in that way.

2

Silent demonstration: you do it silently, then ask students why you did it that way—works best if the technique
is a bit puzzling.

3

Demonstration by exemplar—show students examples of good practice already completed, and then ask good
questions, such as ‘How has this been completed? Why was it done this way? What other ways could it have
been done?’ etc

Modelling cl2

  • 1.
    BULLETIN—November 2013 Cherwell Learning Effectiveuse of MODELLING in the classroom 1 Micro-model tasks to show quality Micro-modelling means that when you set a task, you show the students how to do one small part of it, with an emphasis on how to do it, but also how to do it really well. Aim for quick, fluent modelling which brings student attention to quality, without taking too long, or doing the whole task for them. Micromodelling can be done ‘live’, drawing out the students’ ideas, or pre-prepared by ponse ls nt res that the teacher. ode re stude dge ed M Why focus on Modelling?   Having regular access to models and worked examples is a crucial element of learning. Without modelling, more socially advantaged students will still be able to produce good work— others won’t—clear modelling promotes social justice.  Really skilful and effective modelling is not easy, but is a learned skill—there are many techioc wle tiat feren ypical med ity—ackno how they Dif niques which can be practised and improved. Use ents tat qual ates e wha at sort of show stud is acceler ss at p 2 cce hen ts th antici k. Th lling, he studen sk’ - and t in the tas students a de t mo ta ll ce 3 When like. Show leting the e excellen nd giving a ellence. xc ok mp lor ra will lo uld be ‘co ing to exp nses clea dents on e Make Models ‘talk to’ Success Criteria is wo heir think asic respo g the stu th One of the purposes of modelling is to make explicit the shin sh t ng b an pu s, by maki , before pu c qualities of excellent work. It’s important therefore to use es sk progr to the ta the models to either exemplify the success criteria: “where can you see (precise use of key words / developed thinking / quality evaluation) here?”, or form success criteria: “what does this example do that makes it an excellent response?”. When using two differentiated models, a powerful question is “which one of these is better quality and why?”. 4 Use Technology to work with models Students are creating models of work to show different levels of success for us every day in the work that they do in lessons. Use this work by regularly photographing examples of student work and displaying on the whiteboard for assessment. Also, it’s very easy to scan student work, using the colour photocopier in NS Reprographics, which can then be used to create elearning screencasts, in which you talk through the qualities of the work. This 5 minute example (tinyurl.com/qdzrkbh) has been viewed over 32,000 times on YouTube—that’s 2677 hours of student learning for 5 minutes work! 5 1. 2. MICRO-MODEL TASKS—quickly, show them how to do part of the task, and point them towards excellence PRACTISE MODELLING FOR ALL TASKS—even shorter tasks, such as a brainstorm of ’what did we learn last lesson’ can be challenging if modelling brings attention to quality 3. 4. 5. DON’T DO USE DIFFERENTIATED MODELS—anticipate mediocrity, show them excellence Set activities which help students see the links between models and criteria for success MODEL WITH PASSION —show the students that exploring excellence in your subject is a fantastic thing to learn to do! 1. 2. 3. 4. MODEL THE WHOLE TASK / DO THE WORK FOR THEM SAVE MODELLING FOR ONLY LONGER WRITTEN TASKS ONLY MODEL A* QUALITY—differentiate models to give low access / high challenge to tasks Think SHARING MODELS ON ITS OWN IS ENOUGH —we need to help students understand what’s good about them, and how to replicate that quality
  • 2.
    BULLETIN—November 2013 Cherwell Learning OutstandingMODELLING from our lessons Subject What were they learning? Activity being modelled? How did the modelling work? Why was it good? Year 10 English How writers use language to influence readers in non-fiction writing Annotate an Teacher chose one quotation to work with.  article Teacher shared pre-prepared models of what an annotation might be: one basic, one excellent.  Teacher shared simple, two-level success criteria— difference was between a ‘clear explanation’ and a ‘precise explanation’.  Students had to annotate the model answers, showing where they hit the criteria, then discuss with a partner. Students then annotated the rest of the article, with literacy mats, aiming for increased precision in their explanation. The teacher understood with great precision exactly what would represent a quality answer Students had to explore the model and became clear about how to put the success criteria into action Students produced some fantastic work as a result of the careful teaching, and the class and teacher were able to celebrate doing really well—they could tell that they’d done something good. Year 10 Drama What are the constituent parts which make someone’s voice distinct? Paired work—one student tells the other a story that’s happened to them. Teacher modelled the activity on the spot (spontaneous modelling) by telling part of their own story, and bringing attention to the level of detail and development that was needed for the activity to be successful.   It was fast-paced, fun, and simple Students enjoyed seeing the teacher ‘having a go’; at the same time, the teacher was able to bring attention to quality work. KS3 Maths Quadratic sequencing Completing exercises from textbook. - ‘live modelling’, taking the students through a proc-  ess and storing the approach on the board Very skilful questioning was used to engage the students in the modelling process and make the neces sary thinking explicit, using questions such as ‘If we do this, what will happen?’ / ‘What does this remind us of... Have we learnt a similar process in the past? What did we do then?’, ‘What might we do next?’. Very clear and highly organised use of the board meant that the models were available throughout the lesson, and students referred back to them when completing challenging independent work. The teacher engaged the students in the modelling process with excellent, planned questioning—’thinking out loud’. Board organisation stored the models so they became a resource for use throughout the lesson. KS4 MFL Explaining... Writing a developed paragraph Differentiated models shared (good and great)  Students asked ‘which is better and why?’ - paired discussion.  Structure then added—now look at the models from the perspective of A, B, C, D (ie different features of the writing). Instructions set ‘Now we are really going to take this apart’. Students discussed again, in a more focused way. Great activities to engage students with the models Combination of ‘loose’ (what are your first impressions?’ and ‘tight’ (think about these things in particular’ meant that students thought deeply about the models Great modelling questions overheard in Cherwell classrooms ‘Why is this good?’ ‘Why is that one better than this one?’ ‘How will we do this well?’ ‘How will we explore excellence in this task?’ ‘So that’s how you do it.. now how do you do it well?’ ‘Yours is going to be better than this—how will you get there?’ ‘How might we improve this example?’ ‘Why am I doing it in this way?’ ‘What will happen if we ...?’ ‘If we do that, what will happen to ...?’ 3 Practical Modelling Techniques (from Geoff Petty’s Evidence-Based Teaching) 1 Teacher demonstration: you do an example, and ‘think out loud’ to explain why you are doing it in that way. 2 Silent demonstration: you do it silently, then ask students why you did it that way—works best if the technique is a bit puzzling. 3 Demonstration by exemplar—show students examples of good practice already completed, and then ask good questions, such as ‘How has this been completed? Why was it done this way? What other ways could it have been done?’ etc