#38 Step away from the board when modelling
It helps you slow down and makes sure all your students can see!
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💡 A tip to try in class this week 💡
I have written lots about modelling and worked examples, including:
No matter how you deliver your worked examples - in silence, asking students questions, whatever - here is an idea that will sound so obvious that you will think I have lost it (again). The idea is: make sure you regularly step away from the board. And if you do your worked examples under a visualser, make sure you regularly move your pen out of shot.
Why? Well, here are a few reasons:
To make sure everyone can see
This is the most obvious reason, but also one that is easy to overlook. If you stand to the left or the right of the board, there is a good chance you are blocking the view of some students on that same side of the room. Consider the view of the flip-chart that students on this side of the room are getting in a lesson I watched recently:
Regularly stepping away from the board reduces this issue.
It slows you down
The Curse of Knowledge is a perennial problem in teaching. What we consider a simple process is likely to be much more demanding for our students, and hence we may go through a worked example too quickly. Regularly stepping away from the board slows us down and gives our students an opportunity to catch up
It provides a cue for students to think
I do my worked examples using Silent Teacher. Every time I pause, I want my students to ask themselves: What has he just done? What do I think he will do next? This type of reflective behaviour does not come naturally to most students, and so they need prompting to engage with it. Stepping away from the board can act as a cue for students to ask themselves these questions, whilst also giving them time to fully engage in them.
What do you think of this idea?
What would you need to change to make this tip work for you?
When could you try it for the first time?
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🏃🏻♂️Before you go, have you… 🏃🏻♂️
… tried last week’s tip about improving concentration during the first few questions of a test?
… read my latest Eedi newsletter about helping students listen to each other?
… listened to my latest podcast about surviving and thriving during an Ofsted inspection?
… read my Tips for Teachers book?
… considered booking some CPD, coaching or maths department support?