Teachers TV: Collaborative Learning

Following an Action Research project Park Lane Primary are looking at different learning styles to raise pupil self esteem, accelerate pupils' progress and foster pupil participation in their learning. Teacher Pippa McGeoch took the plunge and removed ability settings in her Year 6 class with very positive results. Working together with Learning Partners and sitting at mixed ability tables, students became more motivated. In a maths lesson on co-ordinates, differentiation is achieved through the choice of Success Criteria. Students are also actively involved in the planning process giving them ownership of what they learn, and in a Jigsaw Learning session groups of students research different subjects and move through the class spreading this learning to others in the same class. Students peer assess each other's letter writing, focusing on informal language. Headteacher Martin Francis monitors the effectiveness of these collaborative learning strategies.