Staff and pupils across the country have returned to school, finding themselves at the beginning of a brand-new calendar year.
Freshly made salads and soups replace unhealthier options in staffrooms, as many of us look to live up to the age-old mantra, “new year, new me”.
This time of year famously provokes a great deal of reflection about the habits we want to adopt – and those we’d like to leave behind – in the name of self-improvement.
For us educators, this extends to our teaching. The tentative optimism that a new year brings presents the perfect opportunity for us to consider our professional habits, and make deliberate decisions around those we want to build or avoid in our practice going forwards.
The power of deliberate teaching habits
The value of well-established teaching habits cannot be underestimated, freeing up precious working memory.
Deliberate teacher habits can support pupils to develop independent learning behaviours. A classic example of this is the widespread use of routines, during which educators set habits that then prompt pupil behaviours needed for simple classroom management tasks, such as moving pupils from the classroom door to their seats.
However, it is essential that we continue to monitor the impact of our teacher habits, to ensure that they are still effective in supporting independent learning behaviours and positively affecting pupil outcomes.
What do independent learning behaviours look like?
Independent learning behaviours look different across subjects and phases:
Pupils at every stage of learning can be supported to achieve if they are able to choose strategies to help them learn well independently.
Whatever the strategy, we cannot assume that pupils will adopt independent learning behaviours automatically. They need to be modelled and taught explicitly – and that’s where deliberate teacher habits come in
Deliberate teaching Habits linked to the 7‑step model
In her blog and planning tool ‘Modelling Independence – the seven-step model’, Julie Kettlewell explains how to support pupils’ independent learning using the EEF’s seven-step model, from Recommendation 2 of the Metacognition and Self-Regulation Guidance Report.
The model provides a scaffold for explicitly teaching metacognitive strategies allowing the teacher to build solid knowledge and understanding before gradually releasing responsibility from the teacher to pupil.
Getting into the habit of using the 7‑step model when planning a learning sequence could support teachers in developing their pupils’ independence.
Reflecting on our deliberate teacher habits at each stage of the model might prompt us to make small tweaks to our practice, which then might have a lasting impact for pupils.
Coming soon…
So, if like me you’ve set yourself some new resolutions for the classroom this term, keep a look out for a series of resources that exemplify deliberate teacher habits linked to the 7‑step model.
The EEF will soon be releasing tools to support school leaders, offering practical starting points to deliberately support our pupils in the habit of independent learning.