This document outlines six principles of great teaching and learning: 1) Content knowledge - Teachers need strong knowledge of their subject and how students think about the content. 2) Quality of instruction - Effective questioning, reviewing previous learning, scaffolding new concepts, and using assessment improve learning. 3) Strategies with little impact - Praising low achievers, discovery learning, ability grouping, and focusing on motivation before content do not significantly help learning. 4) Differentiation and challenge - Teaching must be context-specific rather than following checklists, and challenge students long-term. 5) Explanations - They should connect to prior knowledge, consider cognitive limits, and make abstract ideas concrete. 6)

1. Six principles to support great teaching and learning
Andy Tharby, Durrington High School
www.reflectingenglish.wordpress.com
Images: Jason Ramasami

2. Excellence and growth =
calculated effort + great teaching
‘… the effect of achievement on self-concept is stronger
than the effect of self-concept on achievement’.
(Muijs and Reynolds, 2011)

3. Sutton Trust – What makes great
teaching?
Content knowledge. Teachers with strong
knowledge and understanding of their subject
make a greater impact on students’ learning. It
is also important for teachers to understand
how students think about content and be able
to identify common misconceptions on a topic.

4. Sutton Trust – What makes great
teaching?
Quality of instruction. This includes effective
questioning and the use of assessment by
teachers. Specific practices, like reviewing
previous learning, providing model responses for
students, giving adequate time for practice to
embed skills securely and progressively
introducing new learning (scaffolding) are also
found to improve attainment.

5. Sutton Trust – What makes great
teaching?
The authors name the following strategies as being myths
that have little impact on learning:
• lavishing low achieving students with praise;
• encouraging students to discover ideas for themselves;
• grouping by ability;
• rereading as a revision tool;
• attempting to improve motivation before teaching
content;
• teaching to ‘learning style’;
• the idea that active learning helps you remember.

7. Please remember!
• This is a ‘tight but loose’ approach
• Tick-lists can narrow and stifle great teaching
• Great teaching is context-specific, not generic

8. .

9. Differentiation?

11. In-class challenge

12. But remember … challenge is a long-term venture

14. Three key principles for explanations
1. Tethered to something already known.
2. Allow for the limited capacity of the working
memory.
3. Aim to make the abstract, concrete.

16. Keys for modelling
Model the creation of products/procedures
Deconstruct expert examples and use worked
examples

18. Two types of practice
1. Practice for fluency and long-term retention.
2. Deliberate practice at the outer reaches of
ability.

21. • Does it close the learning gap and/or move the
students forward?
• Is it manageable?
• Is it fit for purpose?
• Does it take the most effective form?
• Is feedback holding students back?
Key questions for your feedback policy

23. Implementation – a growth mindset school is
always learning and developing its
understanding of teaching
• By finding great practice in the school and sharing
it.
• Whole-staff CPD.
• Sharing ideas and evidence through 15-minute
forums, whole-staff edu-book club, research
bulletins and blogs.
• Action research projects.
• Next year: subject-specific CPD, collation of IRIS
videos, open-classroom weeks.