Thread by @MrThorntonTeach

Booklets - a thread on my current process in designing them and using them.

I’ve just finished my most recent one, so time to reflect

I’ll probably blog this up eventually, initially I’d planned to talk at @TMHistoryIcons but I’m useless at sorting my life out 🤷‍♂️

/n

Rationale -

I’ve a new Y9 cohort who are LPA, so I wanted to both make the course accessible but challenging and apply #cogsci principles

Also, something @MrSamPullan tweeted last year, “use the notes, don’t do the notes” struck with mea reduce time on heavy note making

All in one place

These booklets contain everything:
- Content
- Activities
- Assessment
- Feedback
- Retrieval Practice
- Homework

This means no printing or flapping about for sheets, resources etc and contents pages are SUPER useful and can be RAG’d for revision

Practice

As I saw in @adamboxers SLOP booklets and his blog, lots of practice!! Be this disciplinary skills (sources, chronology) or written communication

Both in many forms, planning, quizzing and extended writing

Modelling

I love modelling, especially I, We, You and scaffolding. The booklets contain tons of worked examples, live modelling, completion examples, example pairs and the gradual phasing out of teacher guidance

Lots done using visualiser or using @mrwmhistory ppt

Reducing Cognitive Load

Students get overviews of each topic, KO’s and keyword banks to provide them with the big picture, key concepts etc

content is introduced in smaller steps, lots of practice and tons of questioning & instruction - I annotate my own booklet as prep

Metacognition

I’ve really wanted to improve students metacognitive thinking, so I’ve including exam checklists, exam wrappers and lots of planning and reflection *its not perfect yet, more to do on this*

This also links to the modelling I do, and activities linked to this

Dual Coding - I’ve been trying to ensure that I both follow *some* of @olicav design principles and use DC for timeline recap and review I’m

Retrieval

Lots of opportunity in starters and recap sections to review, retrieval and apply knowledge - I’d say my classes fingertip knowledge has improved

Next year plan is to use more responsive quizzing, using @MissBKearns retrieval map, targeting issues weekly

Slowing down

Cornel Note pages and blanks for students to review their learning, messy planning and making notes etc - my Y11 feedback on looking at V1 was the booklets needed more of this

Assessment

All of our assessments are included, with spaced testing quizzes and also on exam questions (from previous units e.g. migration, cattle industry in AW)

I’ve also added Socrative quizzes, so we can do live feedback as they are doing the quiz and fix any gaps/errors

Feedback

All assessments have clear feedback sheets, which we highlight and provide whole class feedback.

Students have an exercise book complimenting their booklet, here we go through WCF and students redraft in their booklets/books.

I also do WCF on the booklet too

Homework

Self marking quizzes are based on Knowledge Organiser than is included at the front, and another separate copy.

Creativity

I’m also aware that I still want to teach the same lessons as I’ve done before, so I’ve kept the same activities we’ve always done!

Thanks also to @SPBeale @KKNTeachLearn @mrwmhistory @26mxw @missHRhistory - who I’ve also nicked lots of ideas off

Focus on history

The continued focus throughout the booklet is good history

- Big pictures, zooming in and out
- Local history
- Powerful imagery
- Fnowledge, lots of it
- Practice of disciplinary skills

*EQ focus in our KS3 booklets*

Literacy

Keyword banks, lots of definitions and using language to drive historical thinking (thanks to @JamesVWoodcock for this)

Being flexible

I’m not chained to the booklet, it’s not a rigid thing and I’ve often gone off piste to re-explain, model and do different activities which have gone in our messy planning books

Im also ‘behind’ the dept at the mo, as we’ve taken our time, re-covering stuff etc

Feedback

So far my Y9 have enjoyed using the booklets, and I’m trialling with my Y10 top set using the WW1 booklet. Will do student voice & some comparison with other groups.

Lucky to have shared copies of AW booklets with colleagues on twitter, so far so good

Pro’s

I love making them, it’s made me a better teacher as I’ve really honed in on the core knowledge students need to know

I’ve thought more about sequencing the learning more than ever, and moving on from thinking just about learning at a lesson level, but as a journey

Cons

Time consuming, bloody time consuming, I reckon I’ve spent 100 hours (my wife could probably attest to that) making my WW1 booklet over 2 years.

Next steps

- More focus on key words, use of Frayer model and more explicit vocab teaching
- More blank pages for students messy planning and note summaries
- Building in more extension/challenges for those who finish quick

Lastly, a big thanks to @bennewmark and @adamboxer1 who’s blogs were useful in my initial teaching and planning of these, alongside some others @teacherhead, @jo_facer @shaun_allison @HughJRichards @lizzy_francis

Argh *whose!

Pain of finishing this with a wild 3 year old hanging off you and shining a torch in your eyes