This document discusses strategies for creating the right level of challenge in teaching and learning. It emphasizes that challenge should be at the zone of proximal development where tasks are difficult but still possible. Checklists and rubrics can help students and teachers understand expectations and progress. Praise should focus on effort, strategies and progress rather than innate ability so students see challenges as opportunities to learn and improve. Creating the right environment and high expectations can help ensure all students benefit from an appropriate level of challenge.

1. challenginglearning.com
@JamesNottinghm
james@jnpartnership.com
facebook.com/challenginglearning

2. “When evaluating the quality of teaching in the
school, inspectors must consider:
“the extent to which well judged teaching
strategies, including setting challenging tasks matched to
pupils’ learning needs, successfully engage all pupils in
their learning”
“Teaching promotes pupils’ high levels of
resilience, confidence and independence when they tackle
challenging activities.”

3. “We need more
challenge and less
instruction, since it is
from challenge that
one grows in
body, mind and
spirit.”
Thinking in Education by
Matthew Lipman, 1991

4. Tasks which have just the right amount of challenge
• generate a sense of achievement when mastered
• require learners to make links between knowledge and
experience and to apply their new knowledge to new
situations
• demand creative thinking
• help learners to develop resilience and confidence
• help teachers diagnose, intervene and evaluate
WHY challenge?

5. 10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
How much challenge?

6. CA
SA
PA
Current Ability
Subconscious Ability
Potential Ability
Too Easy
Too Hard
What is challenge?
The Teaching Target Model

7. The Teaching Target Model
Challenging Learning, 2010, p85
Time
Performance
CA
SA
PA

8. Challenge is “wobble”

9. Breakthrough
www.stonefields.school.n
z

10. Breakthrough
Stretch
Practice

11. Do your pupils train their brains?
Dweck, 2006

13. Completely focussed
My partner is completely absorbed in this new
learning and is taking creative risks to extend their
understanding
Determined
My partner is determined to learn and is focused on
making progress
Interested
My partner is interested in the learning and is trying
things to improve skill and knowledge
Casual
My partner is not really interested in the learning but
is having a go at it
Uninterested
My partner shows no signs of interest in the topic yet
Attitudes

14. Highly skilled
My partner displays outstanding skill, makes no
significant errors and can perform almost without
thinking
Proficient
My partner can perform the skill or process in a very
capable manner
Practised
My partner is well practised and able to perform the
skill quite well now
Developing
There are some signs that my partner is beginning to
learn and develop the skill
Beginner
My partner hasn’t moved beyond the beginner/novice
stage yet
Skills

15. A thorough understanding
My partner knows about and fully understands this
new learning and is able to explain it’s wider
significance
A good understanding
My partner can give some good answers to the
questions of what, why, when and how
A basic understanding
My partner can give a basic answer to each
what, why, when and how question but with little detail
One or two ideas
My partner has a bit of knowledge about the topic but
cannot explain things yet
No knowledge
My partner doesn’t seem to have any knowledge
about this topic yet
Knowledg

16. Challenging tasks …
• require effort from the “whole” learner - attitudes, skills
and knowledge
• encourage creative solutions
• cause cognitive “wobble”
• exist in the zone of next development (ZPD)
• lead to progress
WHAT IS challenge?

17. Session 2: What strategies will help get challenge “right”?

18. Marzano – groups of 3 work best
Informal
Formal
Long-term

19. ✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✗
✗
✗
✔
✗
✗
✗
✔
Pre-Test
410 - = 6

20. Challenge needs a
destination
A: “Which road do I take?”
CC: "Where do you want
to go?”
A: "I don't know.”
CC: "Then it doesn't
matter. If you don't know
where you are going, any
road will get you there.”
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carol

21. Top 3 Learning Questions
1. Where am I
going?
2. How much
progress have I
made so far?
3. What are my
next steps?

22. Maths criteria sheet
www.brightonsc.vic.edu.au

23. Rank Influence Studies Effects ES
1 Assessment capable students 209 305 1.44
2 Piagetian programs 51 65 1.28
3 Response to intervention 13 107 1.07
4 Teacher credibility 51 51 .90
5 Providing formative evaluation 30 78 .90
6 Micro teaching 402 439 .88
7 Classroom discussion 42 42 .82
8
Comprehensive interventions
for learning disabled students 343 2654 .77
9 Teacher clarity Na na .75
10 Feedback 1310 2086 .75
Hattie’s Top Ten (so far)
From www.visiblelearningplus.com

24. Writing Checklist
www.hipsburn.northumberland.eschools.co.uk
For example
The mud is
squelchy and
sticks to my
wellies like syrup
The ogre in my
story is really
quite shy but he
pretends to be
brave and a bit
bossy
Learning goal
To use descriptive
words when writing
about places and
characters

25. Sharp pencil
Title
Date
Capital Letters
Full stops
Describe the character
Describe the place
First, next, then, finally
And, but, so, while, because
✔
✔
✔
✔
✗
✔
✗
✔
✗
Fun action words (bounded, sprang) ✔
Rhyming words (loud, proud, crowd) ✔
1. Draft
2. Assess
3. Edit
4. Mark
5. Complete
www.hipsburn.
northumberland.
eschools.co.uk

26. Introduction
 4+ sentences
 Proposition stated
 Outline of narrative
 Context of topic
Body of essay
 3+ paragraphs
 6+ facts per paragraph
 Inter-relationships
 Argument is relevant
 Quote with source given
Conclusion
 3+ sentences
 Summation
 Proof of proposition
 Specific reference to assess/evaluate
History Marksheet by Frank Egan
www.aranmore.wa.edu.au
“I can actually
see how to
improve, it’s
obvious.”

27. Collect
Samples
1. Best
2. Good
3. Average

28. Learning Detectives
www.amble.firstschool.org.uk

29. Learning Detectives

30. Listening
Asking questions
Concentrating
Giving reasons
Paraphrasing
Connecting
Connectives
Adverbs
Metaphors
Learning Detectives
www.amble.firstschool.org.uk

31. Previewing can
double the rate of
pupil progress
(Hattie, 2012)
 Preview clubs
 Home-prep
 Pre-course reading
 Small group
preview
P-Review

32. Creating the right atmosphere for challenge

33. 76%
98%
96%
89%
89%
88%
79%
78%
77%

34. Private vs. State School Athletes (UK)
Harrow School has
• 2 All-weather multi-sport pitches
• An indoor climbing wall
• Weights room
• Swimming pool
• Sports hall
• Courts for tennis, rackets, squash &
fives
• 18 hole golf course
• Olympic-standard running track with a
water jump for the steeplechase
From: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21457349
7%
attend private
school in the UK
20%
47%
9.5%
36%
8%
50%

35. Which group
benefits?
High
Medium
Low
Marzano, 2001, p88
Nottingham, 2012, p51
0.09
0.51
- 0.60
Impact of Ability Grouping

37. Application = Value x Expectation
Eccles (2000)
Sport
ICT
Art

38. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Progress Charts

39. How many of these phrases
have you used?
Clever girl
Bright boy
Brilliant linguist
Gifted musician
He’s a natural
By far the best
Top of the class

40. Mueller and Dweck, 1998
In six studies, 7th grade
students were given a series
of nonverbal IQ tests.

41. Intelligence praise
“Wow, that’s a really good
score. You must be smart at
this.”
Process praise
“Wow, that’s a really good
score. You must have tried
really hard.”
Control-group praise
“Wow, that’s a really good
score.”Mueller and
Dweck, 1998

43. Boys get 8 times more criticism than girls (Dweck, 2010)

44. 1.Good girl; 2.How extraordinary; 3.Great effort; 4.Outstanding
performance; 5.What a scientist you are; 6.Unbelievable work; 7.You’re
a genius; 8.You're getting better; 9.Clever boy 10.You should be proud;
11.You've got it; 12.You're special; 13. Very talented; 14. You've outdone
yourself; 15. What a great listener; 16. You came through; 17.You’re
very artistic; 18.Keep up the good work; 19.It's everything I hoped for;
20.Perfect; 21.A+ Work; 22.You're a shining star; 23.Inspired; 24.You're
#1; 25.You're very responsible; 26.You're very talented; 27.Spectacular
work; 28.Great discovery; 29.You're amazing; 30.What a great idea;
31.Well worked through; 32.Very thoughtful; 33.You figured it out;
34.Top of the class; 35. You make me smile
Say, Avoid, Cringe?

45. Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology and author of Mindset
Bright
Clever
Good
Bad
Stupid
Racist
Naughty

46. challenginglearning.com
@JamesNottinghm
james@jnpartnership.com
facebook.com/challenginglearning