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How do you know?
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Some features you might look for
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| Does the design of courses or programmes of study take account
of equal opportunity?
Is the balance of key elements and skills appropriate
for all pupils?
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- Curriculum content promotes access for
all pupils, both girls and boys, and prepares them for life in a multiracial,
multicultural and multifaith society
- Problem solving/investigative work forms
an integral part of the teaching programme
- Opportunities are planned to develop team
and group work
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| How well do the courses or programmes take account of national
and local guidance? |
- Programmes of study and courses for all
pupils are based on national and local guidelines and reflect policies
on equal opportunity
- There is reinforcement of concepts and
skills and progressively more demanding tasks which recognise each pupil's
ability to succeed
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| Are courses or programmes in keeping with the school aims
relating to equality? |
- Curriculum materials:
-positively represent sections of society
and challenge prejudice and injustice, and racist and sexist views
-promote personal development and encourage
pupils' self-esteem, cultural identity, aspirations and career choice
in non-stereotyped ways
-enable children, young people and
adults to understand the roots of discrimination and to challenge
it in themselves and others
-focus on and deal with harassment
or denigration and strategies to combat these
- Courses develop knowledge which is able
to be applied in different contexts
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| Are there appropriate opportunities for pupil choice? |
- There are opportunities for collaborative
and independent learning
- Choice reflects school policies on differentiation,
equal opportunities and assessment
- There is an appropriate range of choices
for pupils of all interests and abilities, including partnerships with
FE colleges and other schools
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Some ways of finding out
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| Use co-operative
teaching with peer evaluation and classroom observation
Management work alongside teachers and pupils;
sample pupils' work; observe the outcome of class work
Discuss planning, organisation and management
of learning
Ensure self-evaluation takes place through
discussion among management, class teachers and learning support staff
Review documentation, course materials and
forward plans
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How do you know?
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Some features you might look for
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| How effectively do teachers interact with the whole class,
groups and individuals? |
- A range of teaching styles and learning
strategies is used which helps all young people and adults to engage
actively in learning
- Approaches vary to suit the context and
the needs of all pupils
- Teachers are flexible in responding to
pupils' academic, personal and social development
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| How effective are
teachers' discussions with pupils in promoting learning and building confidence? |
- Teachers prompt while groups or individuals
are working
- Teachers take account of the needs of
bilingual pupils
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| How successful are teachers at encouraging and valuing pupils'
contributions? |
- Teachers make it clear that the achievements
and progress of each pupil are valued
- A variety of responses is used, for example,
building on pupils' answers, praise, correcting misunderstandings, encouraging
pupils' questions and comments
- Teachers provide well-considered feedback
on pupils' progress
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| How skilled is teachers' questioning?
How effectively do teachers listen to and use pupils'
responses?
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- A range of styles is employed, for example,
checking understanding; challenging stereotypes and assumptions; asking
for recall, evidence, conclusions, further exploration or explanations;
posing problems; using positive examples
- There is skilled use of a question and
answer technique incorporating signing and the use of technology, where
appropriate
- Questions are inclusive of all pupils
- There is a flexible response to the direction
of any discussion
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| How much care do teachers take to involve all pupils? |
- Talk is used in varied contexts, for example,
with classes, groups and individuals
- Distribution of questions around the class
is sensitive to the progress of pupils
- There are appropriately challenging demands
on all pupils in contributing to discussions and answering questions,
irrespective of gender, ethnicity or ability
- All pupils feel able to initiate discussion
and ask questions of the teacher
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| How much effort do
teachers put into ascertaining the source of language and learning difficulties
so that they can do something about them? |
- Well-timed intervention
- Efforts to identify the source of difficulties
and misunderstandings
- Willingness to repeat, or provide alternative,
explanations
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Some ways of finding out
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| Checklists based
on a selection of 'Features to look for'
Discuss video-recordings of teaching activities
with other teachers
Arrange mutual observation during team-teaching
Ask pupils to note down the range of opportunities
for talk
Discussion with learning support department
Talk to pupils
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