Quality Teaching

1. Quality Teaching The NSW model of pedagogy What does it look like in Languages?

2. A great teacher Activity 1 Think of a really great teacher you once had: What did they do that made them a great teacher?

3. The NSW model of pedagogy • draws together a range of research. • identifies eighteen elements that are indicators of quality teaching practice. • is not mandatory for schools.

4. How is the NSW model of pedagogy useful? • Provides a tool for teachers to use to reflect on their teaching practice. • Can help teachers identify practices they do well and practices they might emphasise more. • Can guide the planning and redesigning of activities, lessons and units of work. • Provides a common vocabulary to use to talk about teaching and learning.

5. Which students benefit? Research has demonstrated that: • all students K-12 benefit • benefits are not affected by race, ethnicity, gender or socio economic status.

6. Components of the NSW model of pedagogy • eighteen elements in three dimensions • the Intellectual Quality dimension is central • the Quality Learning Environment and Significance dimensions underpin Intellectual Quality.

7. Significance Intellectual Quality Quality Learning Environment The dimensions of the model

8. The elements of the model Each dimension of the model is made up of six elements. Intellectual quality Deep knowledge Deep understanding Problematic knowledge Higher-order thinking Metalanguage Substantive Communication

9. The elements of the model Quality learning environment Explicit quality criteria Engagement High expectations Social support Students’ self-regulation Student direction

10. The elements ofthe model Significance Background knowledge Cultural knowledge Knowledge integration Inclusivity Connectedness Narrative

11. The elements of the model How many elements in a lesson? • No expectation that every element should be seen in a single lesson. • At least one element from each dimension should be found in a lesson. • Across a unit of work all elements should be found.

12. The ‘journey’ • developing an understanding of the elements • developing an understanding of what the elements mean in languages • applying the elements in teaching • today’s workshop may be your first step on the journey.

13. Intellectual quality

14. Intellectual quality Focuses on how students interact with the concepts, skills and ideas of the subject area.

15. Intellectual qualityThe elements • Deep knowledge • Deep understanding • Problematic knowledge • Higher-order thinking • Metalanguage • Substantive communication

16. Deep knowledge Lessons and tasks focus on: • a small number of key concepts • the relationships among the concepts

17. Deep knowledge Knowledge in Languages K-10 Languages syllabuses describe the knowledge (content) of Languages in terms of the objectives: • Using Language (communication and grammatical concepts) • Making Linguistic Connections (literacy and grammatical concepts) • Moving Between Cultures (social, cultural and intercultural concepts)

18. Deep knowledge What is a ‘concept’? • An idea or principle. Concepts can be identified by completing the sentence: A key concept for the lesson is that… E.g. A key concept for the lesson is that the choice to use ‘tu’ or ‘vous’ is influenced by the nature of the relationship between the people. (French)

19. Relationships between key concepts Teaching in topics makes it easier to look at the relationships between communication, literacy and cultural concepts.

20. Deep understanding • Students demonstrate that they have grasped key concepts. • Deep understanding: learning that students demonstrate • Deep knowledge:teacher focusing lessons on key concepts

21. Deep understandingExample • If the topic is ‘Greetings and introductions’, students who show that they can manipulate language and incorporate nonverbal communication appropriately to greet someone and introduce themselves are demonstrating deep understanding.

22. Problematic knowledge Knowledge • Treating knowledge as ‘problematic’ I.e. something that can vary according to social, cultural and political influences • The opposite is treating knowledge as ‘given’ I.e. as facts

23. Problematic knowledgeExamples Discussing how: • the relationship between people affects the way the language is used • in any language there are a number ways to express the same idea Cont…

24. Problematic knowledgeExamples continued • the etiquette associated with meal times varies between cultures and families • different cultures may celebrate different things.

25. Higher-order thinking (HOT) • Students are regularly engaged in thinking that requires them to do things like: • Evaluate • Synthesise • Analyse • Apply

26. Higher-order thinking • The language content does not need to be complex to engage higher-order thinking. The nature of the question or task determines whether or not higher-order thinking is required.

27. Higher-order thinkingExamples • “What is the French word for ‘to eat’?” engages lower-order thinking (knowing). • “In this passage, highlight any words that are relevant to the topic ‘Eating and drinking’?” engages higher-order thinking (evaluating).

28. Higher-order thinking(HOT) Using the communicative approach and maximising use of the target language in lessons engages higher-order thinking. • To listen and understand (apply, analyse, hypothesise, evaluate) • To respond (apply, evaluate, synthesise)

29. HOT - Evaluating Arriving at a decision about the value of something for a given purpose. Focus words: assess, choose, compare, conclude, decide, defend, discuss, evaluate, give your opinion, judge, justify, prioritise, rank, rate, recommend, select, support, value

30. HOT - EvaluatingExamples • You have the opportunity to stay with an Indonesian family. Listen to these two teenagers describing their daily routines in Indonesian. Which of the two would you prefer to stay with? Explain why. (respond in English) • Look at the clothes in an Italian fashion magazine. Choose at least three items of clothing that you would like to have. Explain to a classmate, why you would like to buy them. (respond in Italian)

31. HOT - Synthesising Combining concepts and ideas to form a new product, plan or communication. Focus words: Change, combine, compose, construct, create, design, imagine, improve, plan, predict, pretend, produce, propose, rearrange, reorganise, suggest, suppose, visualise, write.

32. HOT - SynthesisingExamples • Create an invitation to a party. (respond in German) • With a partner, imagine the conversation you might have with a local who is helping you find your way to a famous landmark in a French town. Prepare the conversation and perform it for the class. (respond in French)

33. HOT - Analysing Breaking things down into parts. Understanding how something is organised. Focus words: Analyse, categorise, classify, compare, contrast, diagram, differentiate, dissect, examine, explain, identify, investigate, separate, specify

34. HOT - AnalysingExamples • You have received an email from a Chinese keypal. In it she has described her family. Read the email and draw her family tree. (respond in Chinese) • You will be staying with a family in Japan for a week. Listen to the phone message telling you what you will be doing during that week. Write an itinerary for your stay. (respond in Japanese)

35. HOT - Applying Using learned material in a new situation. Applying rules and methods. Focus words: Apply, complete, conclude, construct, demonstrate, draw, examine, find out, give an example, illustrate, make, show, solve, use

36. HOT - ApplyingExample A Japanese class has been learning how to give street directions. So far they have practised as a class with the teacher. • Using this map give directions in Japanese to help your classmate get to the places he wants to go to.

37. HOT - ApplyingExample A Spanish class is doing a unit of work on ‘food and drink’. Previously they have done a unit of work on ‘sport and pastimes’. • You have learnt to discuss likes and dislikes about food, now find out your classmate’s likes and dislikes in relation to sport.

38. Metalanguage • Metalanguage is the language used to discuss language. • The element metalanguage involves discussing how the language works.

39. MetalanguageExample On an OHT the teacher displays a letter in the target language with deliberate mistakes of various kinds. • The class works together to identify mistakes and discusses what the problems are. In discussion, students and teacher use the specialist terminology of language.

40. Substantive communication • Sustained interaction about the content of the lesson Can be: • Teacher  student(s) • Student(s)  student(s)

41. Substantive communicationExample A discussion about family including: • Family members • Ages • Interests • Pets (in the target language)

42. Substantive communication Purposeful communicative tasks can provide opportunities for substantive communication in the target language

43. Quality learning environment

44. Quality learning environment Focuses on what makes the classroom a place where students and teachers work together productively.

45. The elements • Explicit quality criteria • Engagement • High expectations • Social support • Students’ self-regulation • Student direction

46. Explicit quality criteria • Students have a clear understanding of how well the teacher expects them to do something. • Students have a reference point to which they can compare the quality of their work. • ‘Quality criteria’ tell students what constitutes a good answer or product and how to achieve it. • Procedural information tells students what they have to do.

47. Explicit quality criteriaStrategies • Provide work samples or models. • Make statements about the quality of work required often during a lesson. • Provide detailed criteria with tasks and explain them clearly. • Use the criteria to give feedback on students’ work while they are doing it as well as when it is completed.

48. Engagement • Students are interested and on task most of the time. • Students are attentive and focused. • Students take initiative to raise questions. • Students contribute to group tasks.

49. Engagement What are some strategies that you use to engage students?

50. EngagementStrategies • Use group work with varied roles for all students so that all will be included. • Make the learning meaningful for students by relating it to real life and to issues in which they are interested e.g. youth culture. • Provide scaffolding for students who need more support, and open-ended tasks that provide for a range of responses.