This document discusses the importance of establishing "next steps" in learning. It defines next steps as clarifying the direction of learning for teachers and students after a topic is taught. It emphasizes the need for teachers to effectively communicate the next steps to students. The document provides strategies for developing next steps, including: starting with the end in mind, having excellent subject knowledge, promoting student identity in a subject, and using student learning progressions. It includes examples of resources teachers can create to help students understand where they are and what comes next in their learning.

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Shared clarity about
the next steps in
learning

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‘Next steps’ is about the direction or the plan that the
teacher and students need to have about where the
learning is headed.
It is about what the teacher needs to do in order to
effectively communicate the direction to the students.
It addresses the question, ‘After we have learnt this,
what do we learn next?’.
‘Next steps’ is what the students need to be able to do
to play their part in ensuring that the teaching and
learning has direction for them.

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You can use this presentation to:
• update, review and/or reflect on how ‘Next steps’ is
developed in your classroom or school
• use as a resource for exploring professional development
in Next Steps in Learning
• clarify the purpose and value of sharing ‘big picture’
relevance
• identify strategies and resources for developing next steps
with students

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“But it is important to remember that it is
the pupils who will take the next steps
and the more they are involved in the
process, the greater will be their
understanding of how to extend their
learning.”
Assessment Reform Group (1999) p.8

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Where ‘next steps’ fits in
• When sharing the ‘big picture’ relevance of the
learning
• ‘Feed forward’ when promoting further learning
(oral/written)
• Self or peer assessment against success criteria
• Reflection time
• Learning conversations about assessment results

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The indicators of ‘next step’ capability
• Starting with the end in mind
• Excellent knowledge of subject and its learning
progressions
• Identity with and enthusiasm for the subject
• ‘Where to next’ resources which show student
learning progressions

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Starting with the end in mind
• For students to understand where they are headed
with their learning, teachers should constantly share
with them the ‘big picture’ of learning, at the
beginning of each unit of work and throughout the
progression of the learning.
• This enables students to monitor their progress
against defined benchmarks or progressions.

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Excellent curriculum knowledge
• The role of the teacher is to be the expert in
the subject. This requires excellent curriculum
knowledge, and keeping current through new
research, new technologies and new ideas.
• The more the teacher is excited and
enthusiastic about the subject, the
greater the possibility that students will
be too.

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Identity with the subject
• The more the teacher is excited and
enthusiastic about the subject, the greater
the possibility that students will be too.
• A challenge for teachers is to build student
identity with the subject so the students see
themselves as ‘writers, mathematicians, and
scientists.’

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Progressions of learning
• Progressions of learning can be displayed in the
classroom. An example is pieces of writing at
successive curriculum levels, against which students
can monitor their achievement.
• Students and teacher can construct ‘where to next’
through the use of exemplars, matrices or
progressions.
• The more students are involved in the process of
identifying next steps, the greater their understanding
will be of how to extend their learning.

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What students need…
• A clear idea of what they are learning – the
big picture
• A clear idea of where they are currently at in
their learning
• A sense of progression for the next steps
• The above should be explicit and exemplified

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A Challenge
Create a resource to use with your
students to show them where they
are with their learning, and what
their next steps are.
You could create this resource
for any curriculum area.

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Some examples:
• Levelled exemplars to display on the wall
• Planning enlarged and on the wall
• Student-speak indicators
• Visual displays
• Processes for focused student goal setting
• Modelling books
• NCEA prescriptions in student speak

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53 – 29 =
“I use tidy
numbers:
53 – 30 (29 + 1) =
23 plus 1 = 24.”
“I use place value:
e.g. 53 – 20 – 9.
53 – 20 = 33.
Minus another 9.
Split the 9 into 3
and 6.
33 – 3 = 30 – 6 =
24.”
Subtraction Strategies
Children at Stage 6 use two of these strategies
“I use balancing:
53 – 29 =
+1 +1
54 – 30 = 24.”
“I use reversibility and count up on
a number line.”
+1 +20 +3
________________________
29 30 50 53
53
+1 +1
29
Pupil self assessment
Name: _______________________________
I use the
___________
strategy
I am learning to
use the
___________
strategy

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References and readings
• Absolum, M. (2006). Clarity in the classroom. Auckland: Hodder
Education. pp. 165-173