3-Read Friday #006

Participation ratio, Go-to guides, and success

Here are three blog posts that I found interesting this week.

1. Thinking and Participation Ratios: maximising cognitive engagement by Inner Drive and Doug Lemov

The concept of ratio is so powerful. Two of the most critical questions a teacher can ask are: How many of my students are thinking? and How hard are my students thinking? This post - by the man who coined the term ratio, Doug Lemov, and the fantastic Inner Drive team - is wonderful for a number of reasons. First, there is a lovely graphic to help teachers reflect on the current ratio in their lessons. Then there are Shallow Land and Sparse Participation, descriptions which I certainly recognise in my own teaching.

2. Go-to Guides by Craig Latimir

Often when I am giving support to a maths department, the Head of Maths will show me the material in place to help teachers deliver the scheme of work effectively. These materials come in all shapes and sizes, from PowerPoints to massive Excel grids. I have never seen anything as comprehensive, nor as useful, as these Go-to Guides by Craig Latimir. With sections such as Overview, Topic Familiarisation, Hinterland and Possible Models, teachers of all levels of experience have everything they need to support their planning.

3. Thoughts on success in the classroom by Jo Castelino

Jo is banging out some quality blogs at the moment. This one challenges us to consider what it means for students to be successful in our lessons, and what steps we can take to help more students feel more successful. The blog starts with a dismantling of success criteria, suggesting instead we look for the different moments of success students could experience. This really is brilliant.

If you found this edition of 3-Read Friday useful, feel free to share it with colleagues. Also, you can check out all the back issues of my Eedi newsletter and Tips for Teachers newsletter here. But, most importantly of all, have a great weekend.

Craig