This 15-minute guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and a practical toolkit for teachers looking to develop peer teaching in their classrooms. It provides a solid understanding of the concept and offers actionable strategies to implement it effectively.
Introduction
This guide introduces peer teaching as a key Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skill, highlighting its benefits and research support for classroom implementation.
What is Peer Teaching?
Defined as learners teaching other learners by design
Traced back to Aristotle’s use of learner leaders
Formally organised as a theory by Andrew Bell in 1795
Benefits of Peer Teaching
Increases motivation, engagement, and understanding of material
Develops critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills
Creates a supportive and collaborative learning environment
Improves academic achievement for both peer teachers and learners
Fosters diversity and depth in knowledge and opinions
Enhances social skills, teamwork, and cooperation
Helps learners recognise gaps in their knowledge
Builds social bonds and friendships
Key Points for Teachers
Peer teaching allows for explanation in language students naturally use
It creates opportunities for active learning and immediate feedback
Students often gain deeper understanding by teaching others
It can lead to improved grades and greater confidence in learning
Peer teachers may explain concepts more effectively, having just learned them
It offers multiple perspectives and nuances to a student’s knowledge
Implementation Tips
Use peer teaching for one-on-one tutoring or small group instruction
Encourage students to modify and explain concepts in their own words
Create a structured environment for peer teaching activities
Use it as a way to reinforce recently learned concepts
Monitor interactions to ensure accuracy of information shared
Potential Challenges
Ensure accuracy of information being shared between peers
Manage classroom dynamics to maintain a productive learning environment
Balance peer teaching with other teaching methods
Conclusion
Peer teaching is a valuable tool that can significantly enhance the learning experience, improve academic outcomes, and develop important 21st-century skills in students. By incorporating peer teaching strategies, teachers can create a more dynamic, engaging, and effective classroom environment.
This resource is a 15-minute teacher guide focused on metacognition, which is described as one of eight key Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skills. Here’s a summary of its contents:
It provides an introduction to metacognition in the context of learning and teaching.
The guide explains what metacognition is, defining it as “thinking about one’s own thinking” and distinguishing it from cognition.
It describes the two key components of metacognition: metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation.
The resource places metacognition in the context of other thinking skills, showing where it fits in relation to Bloom’s Taxonomy and other 21st century skills.
It includes examples of metacognitive questions that students might ask before, during, and after a learning task.
The guide provides several research-based quotes on the importance and benefits of metacognition in learning.
It explains how metacognition relates to self-regulation and successful learning.
This guide that can be used across multiple classrooms and can potentially inform school-wide approaches to developing students’ metacognitive skills since it research-based evidence and practical examples.
This is a 15-minute teacher guide on self-regulation - one of eight key Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skills. This comprehensive, and evidence-based, guide to self-regulation can be used across multiple classrooms and potentially inform school-wide approaches to developing students’ self-regulation skills.
Content includes:
An introduction to self-regulation in the context of learning and teaching.
An explanation of what self-regulation is, defining it as the degree to which students can control aspects of their thinking, motivation, and behaviours during learning.
A description of the characteristics of self-regulated learners, including their ability to set goals, use strategies, and manage distractions.
An outline of the key components needed for self-regulation, including both cognitive skills (like lower and higher order thinking, self-assessment, and metacognition) and non-cognitive skills (like motivation, volition, and other attitudes and behaviours).
Research-based information on the importance of self-regulation in learning, supported by quotes from the research.
Placing self-regulation in the context of other thinking skills, showing where it fits in relation to Bloom’s Taxonomy and other 21st century skills.
An appendix briefly introduces the concept of Socially-Shared Self-Regulation.
The Exit Tickets resource is a practical, evidence-based tool designed to help teachers conduct quick, informal assessments at the end of lessons.
Exit Tickets allow students to reflect on what they’ve learned, providing teachers with immediate, actionable feedback on pupil understanding. This resource is grounded in research, making it a reliable way for teachers to identify learning gaps, adjust future lessons, and encourage deeper student engagement. The ten-minute guide helps teachers easily incorporate Exit Tickets into their classrooms, enhancing their teaching practices.
This price offers great value for whole-school use, ensuring that all teachers can benefit from the research-backed advantages of using Exit Tickets to inform current and future teaching.
Student-Friendly Collaborative Learning Whiteboard Prompts - Any Subject - Any Topic
This whiteboard resource titled “Collaboration in action” provides a comprehensive guide for students on how to effectively collaborate and work together with a partner. From a teacher’s perspective, this resource can be incredibly useful in promoting collaborative learning in the classroom.
The resource begins by highlighting the benefits of working with a partner, such as discussing the task, improving thinking skills, and understanding more of the learning. It then provides practical tips and guidelines for students to follow before, during, and after a collaborative task.
Before a task, the resource emphasises the importance of equal contribution, staying focused, active listening, supporting each other, clarifying doubts, sharing knowledge, and establishing ground rules for effective collaboration (e.g., avoiding interruptions, staying engaged, and respecting each other’s ideas).
During a task, the resource offers valuable advice on how to collaborate effectively, such as giving partners time to think, maintaining eye contact, avoiding interruptions, showing interest, carefully considering each other’s perspectives, asking clarifying questions, building on each other’s ideas, justifying opinions, making suggestions, and answering questions.
After a task, the resource prompts students to reflect on their collaborative experience and consider whether they learned more working with a partner compared to working alone, and whether they would prefer to do another task with a partner or individually.
Additionally, the resource provides helpful examples of phrases students could use to express their thoughts, disagree respectfully, ask questions, and give feedback to their partners.
For a teacher looking to incorporate collaborative learning in their classroom, this resource can be incredibly valuable. It provides a structured framework for students to understand the principles and practices of effective collaboration, which can be applied to various group activities, projects, or discussions. By referring to this resource, teachers can help students develop essential collaboration skills, such as communication, active listening, perspective-taking, conflict resolution, and teamwork, which are critical for their academic and future professional success.
Overall, this whiteboard resource offers a comprehensive and practical guide to collaborative learning, making it a valuable tool for teachers seeking to promote productive and meaningful group work in their classrooms.
Student-Friendly Peer Assessment Whiteboard Prompts - Any Subject - Any Topic
This whiteboard resource is a guide on how to effectively implement peer assessment in the classroom. It offers a clear explanation of what peer assessment entails and highlights its benefits for student learning.
The resource presents a series of 15 prompts or statements that can be used by students when assessing their peers’ work. These prompts cover various aspects of peer assessment, including:
Identifying strengths and positive aspects of the work being assessed.
Providing constructive feedback on areas that need improvement.
Encouraging critical thinking by asking questions about the reasoning behind certain choices or approaches.
Evaluating the quality of responses, examples, and ideas presented.
Assessing whether the work meets the task’s goals or requirements.
Offering suggestions for improvement or alternative approaches.
Commenting on the clarity and understanding of the presented ideas.
Checking for and providing feedback on simple mistakes or errors.
From a teacher’s perspective, this resource can be highly useful when introducing and implementing peer assessment in the classroom. It provides a structured framework and specific language that students can use to give meaningful feedback to their peers. The prompts cover a wide range of aspects, from identifying strengths to offering constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement.
Teachers can use this resource to model the peer assessment process and guide students through the practice of providing effective feedback. The prompts can be displayed or distributed to students as a reference during peer assessment activities, ensuring that students have a clear understanding of the type of feedback expected and the areas to focus on.
Overall, this whiteboard resource is a valuable tool for teachers looking to incorporate peer assessment into their classroom. It promotes active learning, critical thinking, and the development of evaluation and feedback skills among students, ultimately enhancing their learning experience and understanding of the subject matter.
Student-Friendly Self-Assessment Whiteboard Prompts - Any Subject - Any Topic
This whiteboard resource is a visual guide on self-assessment for students. It breaks down the self-assessment process into different stages and provides prompting questions for students to reflect on their learning experience at each stage.
The resource covers the following stages:
Before starting a task (goal setting, understanding expectations, planning approach)
During the task (monitoring progress, evaluating performance, reflecting on quality)
After completing the task (identifying strengths, areas for improvement, next steps, reflecting on challenges, successes, and overall learning)
Reflecting on the learning process (motivation, confidence, dealing with distractions, productive strategies, effort, areas for improvement)
The prompting questions are designed to encourage students to think critically about their learning strategies, progress, and areas for growth. The resource aims to promote self-awareness, self-evaluation, and metacognition, which are essential skills for effective learning.
From a teacher’s perspective, this whiteboard resource can be highly useful for implementing self-assessment practices in the classroom. It provides a structured framework for students to engage in self-assessment, which can be challenging for many learners. The resource can be used as a visual aid during classroom discussions or as a handout for students to refer to during their self-assessment process.
Teachers can use this resource to:
Introduce the concept of self-assessment and its importance in learning.
Guide students through the self-assessment process using the prompting questions.
Encourage students to reflect on their learning experiences and identify areas for improvement.
Foster a culture of self-awareness and self-regulation in the classroom.
Adapt the prompting questions to suit specific learning tasks or subject areas.
Overall, this whiteboard resource is a practical and student-friendly tool for teachers looking to incorporate self-assessment practices in their classrooms. It can help students develop essential metacognitive skills, take ownership of their learning, and ultimately become more effective and independent learners.
A set of classic thinking skills prompts for use in every classroom (24pp)
This whiteboard resource titled “Thinking Skills in Action” provides an excellent overview of different types of thinking skills and how they can be applied in the classroom. As a teacher, I find this resource quite useful for the following reasons:
Comprehensive coverage: The resource covers six essential thinking skills: remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating. These skills align with the cognitive domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy, a widely recognized framework for promoting higher-order thinking.
Question prompts: For each thinking skill, the resource provides sample questions that teachers can use to encourage students to engage in that particular type of thinking. These question prompts are practical examples that teachers can readily adapt to their lesson plans and classroom activities.
21st-century thinking skills: The resource recognises the importance of developing 21st-century thinking skills, such as creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving, which are crucial for students to navigate the information-rich world and address complex issues.
Visual representation: The information is presented in a visually appealing and organised manner, making it easy for teachers to understand and refer to during lesson planning or classroom instruction.
Versatility: This resource can be used across various subject areas and grade levels. The thinking skills and question prompts are applicable to a wide range of topics and disciplines, making it a valuable tool for teachers in different subject areas.
Overall, this whiteboard resource serves as a concise yet comprehensive guide for teachers looking to incorporate thinking skills into their classroom practices. By promoting different types of thinking skills and providing practical examples, this resource can help teachers design engaging and challenging learning experiences that foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and higher-order cognitive skills in students.
This whiteboard resource provides an excellent overview of self-regulation strategies that can be used before, during, and after a task or learning activity. It presents self-regulation as a set of practical skills that students can develop and apply to manage their thinking, behaviour, and motivation while working on tasks.
Teachers will find this resource extremely useful for introducing and reinforcing the concept of self-regulation in the classroom. The clear and concise format, with separate sections for each phase of a task, makes it easy to discuss and model these strategies with students.
Before a task, the resource prompts students to consider their motivation, goal-setting, self-assessment of strengths and areas needing support, and time management – all crucial elements for effective self-regulation.
During a task, the focus shifts to monitoring comprehension, adjusting effort and approach as needed, tracking progress towards goals, maintaining motivation and focus – essential skills for staying on track and overcoming challenges.
After a task, the resource encourages students to reflect on their time management, goal achievement, distraction management, and the overall effectiveness of their self-regulation efforts, fostering metacognition and continuous improvement.
Teachers could use this resource to introduce self-regulation concepts, lead class discussions, and have students practice applying these strategies to their own learning tasks. The clear language and format make it accessible for various ages, and the content can be tailored to suit different subject areas or learning contexts.
Overall, this whiteboard resource is an excellent tool for promoting self-regulation skills in the classroom, empowering students to take control of their learning process and develop essential lifelong skills for academic and personal success.
A set of classic metacognitive prompts for use in every classroom (24pp)
This whiteboard resource is an excellent tool for teachers looking to incorporate metacognition into their classroom practices. Metacognition, as explained in the resource, refers to the process of thinking about one’s own thinking, and it is an essential skill for effective learning.
The resource presents metacognition in a clear and concise manner, breaking it down into three distinct stages: before a task, during a task, and after a task. Each stage is accompanied by a set of guiding questions that students can ask themselves to promote metacognitive thinking.
Before a task, the questions encourage students to understand the expectations, identify any prior knowledge or experience, plan the necessary steps, and determine the criteria for successful completion. During a task, the questions prompt students to seek help when needed, evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies, monitor their progress, and check for errors. After a task, the questions prompt students to reflect on their approach, identify strengths and weaknesses, consider what they have learned, and explore ways to improve for future tasks.
This resource is particularly useful for teachers because it provides a structured framework for introducing and reinforcing metacognitive practices in the classroom. By presenting these guiding questions, teachers can help students develop the habit of self-reflection and self-regulation, which are critical components of metacognition.
Additionally, the resource is visually appealing and easy to understand, making it suitable for use with a wide range of students, from elementary to secondary levels. Teachers can display the resource on a whiteboard or projector, or distribute printed copies to students, ensuring that the metacognitive prompts are readily available and easily accessible.
Overall, this whiteboard resource is an excellent tool for teachers seeking to promote metacognition in their classrooms. By incorporating these metacognitive practices, teachers can empower students to become more effective learners, capable of monitoring their own thinking processes, identifying areas for improvement, and developing strategies for enhanced learning and achievement.