3-Read Friday #27

Calling out, fixing the Do Now, and multi-tasking

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

1. Calling out calling out: MCA4a and b by Adam Boxer

I love this series of posts by Adam, and this one has come at just the right time. This morning, I watched a Year 11 lesson where a girl called out the answer to 6 questions in a row. The girl didn’t think she was doing anything wrong; indeed, she was just being keen and enthusiastic. But the effect it had on the rest of the class was palpable. Some were frustrated, most descended into apathy. Adam’s concrete strategies really helped shape the coaching session that followed.

2. 10 things: Common problems with Do Now Activities by Tom Sherrington

I am obsessed with the start of lessons. I recently wrote a post on the work I did with a department to develop a common approach to the Do Now. This from Tom is excellent in how it gets right at the heart of why some Do Nows take so long and don’t have the impact on learning that teachers hope.

3. I’m really good at multitasking, Miss! by Thahmina Begum

One of my pet hates is when I watch a lesson and the students are asked to copy down a worked example while the teacher is talking and modelling themselves. It annoys me so much because I did this routinely in my classroom for about 12 years. In this post, Thahmina reinforces exactly why asking students to write and listen simultaneously is problematic, and suggests some concrete actions we can take to avoid it happening.

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