Navigating mainstream education as an autistic student
MathsDepartment
Diagnostic Questioning: Multiple Choice Questions in Maths
Creating engagement through task variation
AssistantHeadteacher
Making Revision Stick: From Cramming to Curriculum
Editor's Forward
Simon
It’s been quite a year. We launched a new teaching and learning strategy grounded in five evidence-informed pedagogical pillars, celebrated an Outstandingverdict across all categories in our Ofsted inspection, and more recently, added another success with our Section 48 report. With this strong foundation, it feels timely that this edition delves deeper into the theory and practice behind our approach exploring how these pillars are being implemented and adapted in real classrooms, and how they’re shaping pupil progress and teacher development.
Eleanor opens with a sharp overview of our Five Pillars: Pace and Purpose, Clarity of Instruction, Assessment for Learning (AfL), Mastery, and Adaptive Teaching Each is rooted in cognitive science and classroom research from Rosenshine’s principles to the EEF’s guidance and together, they provide a coherent framework for high-quality teaching.
Nyssa then unpacks what this looks like in Modern Foreign Languages, showing how careful task design and variation can promote both engagement and retention. Her work exemplifies deliberate practice, ensuring students revisit and apply knowledge in increasingly complex contexts essential for building long-term memory.
Aggie brings deep insight to Adaptive Teaching, drawing from both her role
as Assistant SENCO and lived experience. Her piece challenges us to move beyond surface-level differentiation and instead think about universal design, inclusive pedagogy, and the power of strength-based approaches when supporting learners with ASD.
On Assessment for Learning, Tom explores the power of hinge questions in maths one of the most actionable tools for responsive teaching. His reflection touches on formative assessment as feedback for the teacher, helping us calibrate instruction in real time and close gaps before they widen.
As we enter exam season, I share some thoughts on revision examining metacognitive strategies, tackling poor proxies for learning (like passive note copying), and increasing explicit modelling of effective revision techniques. It’s a reminder that even during exam prep, high-impact teaching habits matter.
Alex’s article explores how adopting a "Marathon Mindset" built on grit, resilience, optimism, goal setting, and a growth mindset can help pupils overcome challenges and achieve long-term success and draws from education and psychology.
Looking ahead, with oracy set to play a more central role in the national curriculum, our book review focuses on TransformingTeachingThrough Talk a timely exploration of dialogic teaching and the role of structured classroom talk in deepening understanding. We also round off the edition with a valuable free leadership resource for current and aspiring school leaders, focused on instructional coaching and professional growth.
As always, I hope this collection prompts reflection, sparks discussion, and offers practical takeaways to inform your practice. And if you’re interested in contributing to the next issue of More , we’d love to hear from you.
The Five Pillars
By Eleanor Gregory
The past year has been an exciting one for Teaching and Learning at St Thomas More. Last year we launched our Teaching and Learning Framework; The 5 Pillars. This term it has received a make over, ready for the new academic year.
The 5 Pillars is a clear, cohesive, and research-driven approach to classroom excellence. This framework translates pedagogical strategies into practical, everyday teaching routines tailored to our school’s context. We want our pupils to be able to go into the world with as many opportunities available to them as possible. This starts with high quality teaching in the classroom. Our 5 Pillars showcase how we plan and teach our lessons, drawing significantly from Dough Lemov’s extensive research.
Embracing the marathon mindset to support positive outcomes and success for our pupils
By Alex Rosen
While writing this piece for Moremagazine, exploring how a “Marathon Mindset” can enhance positive outcomes for children, I came across an article by Bridget Phillipson, our current Secretary of State for Education, emphasising the importance of teaching children the value of ‘grit’ to address the rising mental health crisis in schools. She asserts that without grit, pupil absence increases significantly, and outcomes diminish. She highlights compelling data: pupils missing just ten or more days than their peers have a 50% reduced chance of achieving good GCSEs. Moreover, they earn, on average, £10,000 less at age 28 demonstrating the long-term impact of attendance and resilience.
The origins of the marathon race trace back to the legendary run of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger who, according to legend, ran approximately 26 miles from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to deliver news of Greek victory over Persia. This feat required more than physical endurance; it embodied a “marathon mindset” characterised by resilience, determination, focus, mental toughness, and an unwavering commitment to a goal.
How does this mindset help in developing positive outcomes among our pupils and this socalled “grit”? The popular adage “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” reminds us that progress takes time and deliberate effort. Just as a runner must pace themselves and stay motivated throughout a race, a child's educational journey demands patience, sustained effort, perseverance, and consistent focus on long-term objectives. Achieving meaningful growth is not an overnight process; it’s something we must nurture and develop in our pupils.
Coined by Carol Dweck in Mindset:TheNewPsychologyofSuccess(2006), this concept emphasises that success stems from viewing setbacks as opportunities for growth. Dweck advocates for believing “I can get smarter” and “Effort makes me stronger.” These beliefs foster perseverance and motivation, much like athletes who train harder to improve their marathon times. We’ve all witnessed students who, in Year 11, suddenly believe they can "just do it," exemplifying the power of a growth mindset along with a well-known marathon shoe brand’s key strapline.
Goal Setting
Without a goal, we are mindlessly drifting through our marathon training or revising the same material over and over again with no purpose. Edwin Locke’s goal-setting theory, TowardaTheoryofTaskMotivationandIncentives(1978), paved the way for what we now know as SMART targets, enabling us to drill down to the specific tasks required to achieve our goals.
Goal setting requires an outcome. Providing our pupils with a realistic target whether it be an end-of-topic test or the end-of-year exam that is both specific and time-bound will enable them to aim high and achieve.
Optimism
Research by Martin Seligman (2012) with college swimmers demonstrated that optimists handle disappointment better, maintaining motivation and resilience despite setbacks. Developing optimism involves encouraging pupils to focus on the present and fostering a classroom environment rooted in positive thinking. Instead of dwelling on failures, reinforce the idea that “there’s always another opportunity to improve,” inspiring students to see setbacks as transient rather than permanent.
As Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s fastest marathon runner (sub-2 hours), says: “Believing you can succeed controls your mind and pushes you forward.”
Determination and Resilience
Phillipson’s emphasis on grit appears to draw inspiration from these qualities. Angela Duckworth’s book Grit:ThePowerofPassionandPerseverance(2016) defines grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Her research shows that students with grit are more likely to graduate and succeed.
The3Psmodelby Martin Seligman (1990) Personalisation, Pervasiveness, and Permanence further explains resilience. Understanding these thought patterns allows educators to help children reframe negative experiences, breaking the cycle of self-blame, overgeneralisation, and hopelessness. This, in turn, fosters a resilient mindset capable of enduring long-term challenges.
Encouraging students to view obstacles as integral to their journey develops resilience. This steady, focused approach equips them to navigate academic challenges, periods of self-doubt, and setbacks with confidence. Like marathon runners crossing the finish line, students who cultivate grit and resilience unlock countless opportunities higher education, careers, and personal growth through perseverance, a steadfast mindset, and a clear goal.
Understanding the 3Ps and how to develop grit will enable us, as educators, to identify how we can “step in” and change the narrative for the young children in front of us.
So, does Phillipson have a point?
Absolutely. Instilling grit can significantly benefit our young people but it’s only one facet of the broader Marathon Mindset. True success stems from a combination of a growth mindset, resilience, goal-oriented effort, optimism, and the willingness to keep moving forward traits that, together, will prepare our children for the demands of the world they are about to enter.
Bibliography
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit:Thepowerofpassionandperseverance . Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset:Thenewpsychologyofsuccess . Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1978). Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives. OrganizationalBehaviorandHumanPerformance , 3(2), 157–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(68)90004-4
Phillipson, B. (2024). Whyteachingchildrengritcouldimproveschoolattendanceand outcomes
Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learnedoptimism:Howtochangeyourmindandyourlife Seligman, M. E. P. (2012). Flourish:Avisionarynewunderstandingofhappinessandwellbeing
Creating a more engaged classroom through variety of purposeful tasks
By Nyssa Muheim
Teachers have a plethora of activities and approaches at our disposal in order to pass knowledge across to our pupils and build their learning, but most importantly we need tasks that actually benefit students and guide them in self-regulation of learning. We must build their motivation to learn rather than passively completing tasks or waiting for the teacher’s corrections. Dylan Wiliam argues:
“...the richer the environment, the smarter the kids grow up to be...If you are allowing students to choose whether to participate in your classroom, you are exacerbating the achievement gap...So because environment creates intelligence and intelligence creates environment, what we have to do is to create classrooms which are inclusive, where the level of cognitive demand is high, and where participation is obligatory...Thinking is really hard and that’s the challenge: to create classrooms where it’s not optional.” (Wiliam 2016)
Blumenfeld and Meece (1988) also elaborate on learning strategies:
It is, therefore, our goal as teachers at St Thomas More, to create the conditions for learning in our lessons that reflect this environment
in which all pupils participate, critically think, and become motivated and active learners. In the MFL department, we do this by enacting our pillars for learning, utilising interactive instructional teaching and tasks, and treating feedback as active tasks.
Pillars for learning
Our pillars for learning are: Pace and Purpose; Clarity of Instruction; Assessment for Learning; Mastery; Adaptive Learning. These appear differently in every lesson due to the differences amongst pupils; as a result, adaptive learning is one of the most important pillars as it takes into consideration how all of these pillars must be malleable to create a successful and inclusive classroom.
To demonstrate adaptive learning, one particular strategy that has benefited certain classes in MFL is the creation of worksheets that reflect the planned lesson. We use these particularly to help with pupils who easily disengage or struggle to copy down material. While providing a tool that can help them remain focused and not fall behind, they still must engage with each aspect of the lesson – but they are given a resource that keeps them on task and tracking not only what is currently going on in the lesson, but giving them a preview as well of the lesson’s endpoint.
While this does impact teacher workload, it can be adapted for different classes where perhaps not the whole lesson is printed, or the final task is printed so pupils can see what they are aiming to achieve at the end. For pupils whose motivation and confidence are already more developed, it also provides them with the independence to challenge themselves and continue their learning while other pupils receive more guidance.
Interactive instructional teaching and tasks
Discussing Wiliam’s formative feedback strategies, Tom Sherrington writes:
“Instructional teaching has to be highly interactive so that teachers are getting feedback from their students about how well their schemas for the material in hand are forming and how fluent they are becoming retrieving and using what they’ve learned. The challenge for teachers is to involve as many students as possible which leads to the need for good questioning routines and good knowledge-check routines” (Sherrington, 2019).
Creating structured tasks that involve as many students as possible – whether they be retrieval or practising the new material that was instructed – can be a challenge. Some strategies we have used in the languages department – and that can be used across subjects – include tasks such as “cops and robbers,” “sentence stealers,” and paired dictation. As Wiliam discusses, strategies to aid pupils in their learning include both treating “students as owners of their own learning” and “Activating students as instructional resources for one another” (Wiliam 10).
Cops and robbers is a retrieval task that can be used at any point in the lesson, but in languages I tend to use it as a starter to retrieve knowledge from recent lessons. In the “Cops” box, pupils write as much vocabulary as they know about the current module. After a denoted amount of time, they are then instructed to find a certain amount of information and vocabulary from other pupils at their table and write it (or steal it) in the “Robbers” box. After their time robbing runs out, they then must come up with a sentence using the vocab from their cops and robbers boxes. This could also be a summary of the information learned in the module so far.
One languages teacher who has become known worldwide for his active instructional approach is Gianfranco Conti. His approach is called Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) –in which teachers teach “chunks” of language rather than singular words through intensive practice in order to reduce cognitive load and address the limits of working memory. One such activity we use in languages is Sentence
Stealers. It is a useful speaking task for languages that encourages production of language and practising pronunciation. Ten sentences are written on the board and each pupil must choose a sentence to write down. Pupils are then encouraged to move around the classroom and guess the sentences of the other pupils. If they guess the sentence correctly, they can steal the sentence from that pupil, and the other pupil must choose and write down a different sentence. The goal for the students is to steal as many sentences as they can from other pupils. The benefit for teachers is the pupils practise the phrases on the board repeatedly, activating their working memory through consolidation of oral and written information.
Paired dictation is another example of one of Conti’s EPI tasks that reflects the idea of chunking information, involving all pupils, and checking knowledge. Paired dictation involves partner work in which two copies of the same text are given to each partner, but different words are missing from the text. One at a time, each partner will read their text and the other will write down the missing words, paying attention to their spelling and their listening skills. To build upon this task, teachers can ask pupils to write down the text from memory or have one partner read the text and the other must write exactly what they hear without the support of a written text.
These three examples demonstrate participation of all pupils in their learning with the focus on practising and checking knowledge throughout the tasks. Following up the tasks with a good questioning routine furthers their learning and encourages pupils to recognise their own progress and success. Following on from these tasks in plenaries or subsequent lessons can also help pupils to practice retrieval and receive useful feedback through additional tasks.
Feedback as active tasks
Tom Sherrington identifies 5 R’s of ‘action feedback’ - in which feedback is considered, “less in terms of a review of what has gone before and more in terms of very specific actions that students should take in order to move forward” (Sherrington 2017). As such, feedback is an active part of any lesson following on from or being inclusive of Assessment for Learning. These kinds of tasks used in languages reflect the pillars of teaching and learning as well as demonstrate task variety – incorporating both prior learning and new information into tasks, therefore allowing for formative assessment and learning in the same breath.
While identifying these as feedback tasks, they also are relevant to retrieval activities, activating prior knowledge that can be built upon. To begin each lesson in languages, we always include a task that focuses on memory and recall – as within the study of languages, there is no such thing as a lesson without retrieval practice. However, such use of retrieval and activating memory can be implemented at any time in a lesson. While some of the tasks we use are more language learning specific, the focus on recalling information from previous lessons makes them useful across subjects.
The examples below include starters or plenaries, a module revision task using a clockface where each section of the clockface is a minute of vocabulary recall, and a delayed copying task that activates memory of work learned in that lesson or previously.
The retrieval challenge makes an excellent do-now task as pupils can visualise what work they have a better understanding of and what they need to revise via what information they are able to recall. In the 5 R’s of action feedback, this task encourages pupils to “Revisit and respond” to previous lessons and the first R of “re-learn and re-test." In the boxes, the teacher provides vocabulary or questions from last lesson, last week, last month, and last year or the last topic and pupils can get marks for each that they remember – with more marks for those questions remembered from further back. Pupils can write down the information that they need to relearn for the questions that they could not answer, or “Research and record” answers that they could not complete.
The delayed copying task is an example of “Rehearse and Repeat” and can also be made into a delayed dictation. The teacher shows a sentence on the board that includes vocabulary or knowledge from that lesson or a previous lesson. Pupils then have 10 seconds to memorise what they see before the sentence disappears. Only once the sentence is no longer on the board can they write it down. This practises their literacy, spelling, understanding, and memory through lots of the same style of work, as “Students need to do lots of the same type of questions to consolidate their understanding before being challenged with a wider variety” (Sherrington 2017)..
Conclusion
Through a variety of tasks that utilise the Pillars for Learning, interactive instruction and participation, and active feedback, we can create an inclusive classroom in which teachers are able, “To think of motivation not as a cause of achievement, but as an outcome” (Wiliam 2). In MFL and across the school, it is our goal to teach activities that encourage our pupils to see the endpoint of their learning in a classroom in which every pupil must participate and take responsibility for their learning as well as their response to their learning. In doing so, pupils are forced to think – a challenge that we cannot dismiss if our pupils are to be successful in the classroom and beyond.
Resources
Blumenfeld, C.P. etal.(1988) ‘Task factors, teacher behaviour, and students’ involvement and use of learning strategies in science ’, ElementarySchoolJournal .
Conti, G. (2020) Myapproach:ExtensiveProcessingInstruction(E.P.I.) –animportant clarificationinresponsetomanyqueries , TheLanguageGym (https://gianfrancoconti.com/2020/01/09/my-approach-extensive-processing-instruction-e-p-i-animportant-clarification-in-response-to-many-queries/ )
Lawson, M.J. etal.(2023) ‘The levels of cognitive engagement of lesson tasks designed by teacher education students and their use of knowledge of self-regulated learning in explanations for task design’, TeachingandTeacherEducation , 125, p. 104043. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104043.
Sherrington, T. (2019) RevisitingDylanWiliam’sFiveBrilliantFormativeAssessmentStrategies. , Teacherhead . ( https://teacherhead.com/2019/01/10/revisiting-dylan-wiliams-five-brilliantformative-assessment-strategies/ )
Sherrington, T. (2017) #FiveWaysofGivingEffectiveFeedbackasActions , teacherhead ( https://teacherhead.com/2017/12/18/fiveways-of-giving-effective-feedback-as-actions/ )
Wiliam, D. (2006) ‘Assessment for Learning: Why, What and How’. CambridgeAssessment NetworkConference , Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 15 September
Navigating school as an autistic student
By Aggie Zielinski
“Let’s continue to listen, learn, and create schools where every student feels they belong.”
For many autistic students, mainstream school can be a mix of excitement, opportunity, and overwhelming challenges. While inclusion is an important goal, the reality of navigating a neurotypical environment can often be exhausting. Mainstream schools are designed for the majority, but for autistic students, everyday aspects of school life can be overwhelming. Bright lights, loud corridors, sudden changes in routine, and the constant social demands of the classroom can create sensory overload. Many students struggle to concentrate when their brains are constantly filtering out background noise.
Beyond academic learning, schools also teach social norms. This ‘hidden curriculum’ can be difficult for autistic students, who may struggle with unspoken rules of friendship, sarcasm or body language. Many students want to make friends but find it difficult to understand the rules of conversation. They may rehearse what to say in social situations but still struggle with tone or timing, which can lead to misunderstandings. This can result in feelings of isolation, despite a strong desire to connect with peers. Structured social support, such as buddy systems or lunchtime clubs, can help bridge this gap and create opportunities for positive social interactions.
Many autistic students, particularly girls, engage in masking suppressing their natural behaviours to fit in with their peers. Masking can involve mimicking social cues, forcing eye contact or hiding sensory discomfort. While this can help them navigate social situations, it is mentally exhausting and can
lead to burnout. Students who mask often spend their entire school day making sure they appear ‘normal’, which can leave them completely drained by the time they get home. For many autistic individuals, making eye contact and smiling is often expected but can be uncomfortable or distressing. They may force themselves to comply, yet a lack of smiling doesn’t mean they are unhappy. When they feel safe, they are more likely to show their natural resting face rather than perform social expectations that feel unnatural. It is important to recognise the signs of masking, as students who seem to be coping well may actually be struggling.
Providing a safe, judgment-free space where students can be themselves is crucial for their well-being.
Autistic girls often present differently from boys, leading to later diagnoses or being misunderstood. While some may struggle openly, others internalise their difficulties, leading to anxiety or perfectionism. They are often perceived as quiet or shy rather than needing support, which can result in their challenges being overlooked. Many autistic girls are labeled as sensitive or overthinkers rather than being recognized as neurodivergent.
While there are challenges, autistic students also bring unique strengths to the classroom. Many have intense focus, strong memory skills, and a passion for specific subjects. A teacher who understands and nurtures these abilities can unlock a student’s full potential. Some students find comfort in subjects with clear rules and structured information, such as history or math. Having the opportunity to explore their interests without being discouraged can boost confidence and motivation. Embracing these strengths not only benefits autistic students but enriches the learning environment for everyone.
A positive experience in mainstream school depends largely on understanding teachers and an inclusive school culture. Small adjustments such as clear instructions and predictable routines can make a significant impact. When teachers take the time to understand autistic students, they feel safer and more valued, which allows them to engage and learn more effectively. By listening to autistic voices and making thoughtful changes, schools can create an environment where all students, regardless of neurotype, can thrive. Inclusion isn’t just about being in the same classroom it’s about being understood, supported, and given the opportunity to succeed. Let’s continue to listen, learn, and create schools where every student feels they belong.
Easy explainer:
• Autism affects the way people communicate and experience the world around them.
• Every autistic person is different. Some are able to learn, live and work independently, while many have learning differences or co-occurring health conditions that require specialist support.
• Common symptoms of autism are:
• delayed or absent speech
• difficulty with listening, concentrating and understanding
• frequent repetition of words and phrases
• taking things literally
• difficulty sensing and interpreting people’s feelings
• difficulty expressing feelings
• over or under sensitivity to sound, touch, taste, smell or light
• rituals or repetitive behaviours
• disliking changes to routine
• difficulty making friends and socialising
Fast fact - Stats:
• It is estimated that around 700,000 people in the UK have a diagnosis of autism - that is more than 1 in 100.
• Around 100,000 children in the UK have autism.
• If you include their families, autism is part of daily life of 2.8 million people.
• 70% of children with autism attend mainstream schools.
Diagnostic Questioning
By Tom Stockwood
In my maths lessons I have found the use of diagnostic questions to be a great way to both assess the progress of my students and to break up the lesson.
The diagnostic, or hinge, questions that I use are multiple choice. I put a question on the board and then give the students four options, one of which is correct. The other three options are plausible answers, which they might get if they make a small mistake in their working.
I ask the class to calculate the answer and write down the letter of the answer they believe to be correct. Once all the class have their answer, I ask the class to shut their eyes. This is so that they are unable to cheat and copy the answer of the people around them. Once the whole class has their eyes shut, I ask them to raise their hands if they think the correct answer is A, then B, then C, then D.
The benefits of using diagnostic questions in this way is two-fold. Firstly, it allows me to efficiently check the progress of my entire class, rather than just seeing how those students who are keen to answer are progressing. It also adds variety to the lesson, having the students put their pens down and use their bodies for active learning instead.
I have found the website diagnosticquestions.com to be an excellent resource for diagnostic questions, providing a vast number of questions for free. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try using diagnostic questions in their lessons.
An example of a question from diagnosticquestions.com can be seen below.
Conclusion
Incorporating diagnostic questions into my lessons has not only helped me gauge student understanding more effectively, but it has also made learning more interactive and engaging. This simple strategy provides instant insight into misconceptions, supports more inclusive assessment, and encourages active participation from every student. For teachers looking to quickly check progress and deepen mathematical thinking, diagnostic questions are a powerful, low-prep tool worth exploring.
Bibliography
Diagnostic Questions. (n.d.). Home . Accessed May 2025, from https://www.diagnosticquestions.com
Making Revision Stick: From Cramming to Curriculum
By Simon Ruggiero
The exam is approaching. You have 32 units to cover. You begin working through the material, instructing students to copy notes in silence for later review. You hand out model answers and key formulas. Soundfamiliar?In the run-up to exams, this kind of lesson is tempting. It feels purposeful, efficient even rigorous. But we know from research that cramming doesn’t work, and this approach relies heavily on poor proxies for learning. Material may be covered , but it hasn’t been learned . A silent classroom may feel productive, but silence doesn’t equal cognitive engagement.
So how do we design revision lessons that actually strengthen memory and understanding?
Poor Proxies for Learning – Coe (2013)
Students are busy: lots of work is done
Students are engaged, interested, motivated
Students are getting attention: feedback, explanation
Classroom is ordered, calm, under control
Curriculum has been ‘covered’ (presented to students in some form)
At least some students have supplied correct answers
Build Revision into the Curriculum
Spaced practice revisiting material over time is significantly more effective than last-minute, massed revision. In one study, students who used spaced practice outperformed those who revised everything at the end of a course. Interestingly, the study also found that female pupils were more likely to adopt spaced strategies than male pupils, offering one possible explanation for the gender gap in achievement.
The implication is clear: revision should not be reserved for the final weeks. Instead, it needs to be embedded into the curriculum throughout the year. As teachers, we need to plan backwards mapping how many lessons we have left, identifying key knowledge and skills, and allocating time to revisit them systematically.
When combined with interleaving switching between topics to encourage connection-making and cognitive flexibility spaced practice becomes even more powerful. Rather than blocking similar tasks together, interleaving forces students to retrieve and apply knowledge in varied contexts, strengthening their long-term retention.
Retrieval Over Review
We also know that students' preferred revision strategies re-reading, highlighting, passively reviewing notes are among the least effective (Dunlosky et al., 2013). These are low-effort tasks that feel productive but rarely lead to durable learning.
Instead, effective revision requires retrieval practice the act of bringing information to mind. When students are asked to recall and apply what they’ve learned, the learning becomes more durable and transferrable. In this way, revision lessons are not just about whatto revise, but howto revise.
A Model That Works: The Memory Clock
One useful framework is the Memory Clock, popularised by Sandringham Research School and now embedded in practice at St Thomas More. This model emphasises that the bulk of any revision lesson should be dedicated to students actively engaging with material, not passively reviewing it.
This term, I redesigned my A-level Philosophy revision lessons with this model in mind. By building in regular retrieval, spacing, and interleaving within my revision lessons, students were more engaged and crucially better prepared. The structure not only improved outcomes, but students reported enjoying the clarity and variety of the format. My aim now is to embed this approach into our curriculum year-round.
1. Review
- Interleavingtwo similar topics to encourage synoptic thinking
- Recall definition and explanation connections between terms
- Teacher fills gaps and addresses misconceptions
2. Practice
- Diamond 9 to encourage deeper thinking and develop evaluation exam skills
- opportunities to applylearning with practice exam question
At our school, we don’t allow study leave because we know that many students struggle to revise effectively at home. That makes the time we have with them in school even more precious. If revision lessons are to be worthwhile, they must be designed deliberately, based on what we know about how memory and learning work.
• Don’t assume students know how to revise. Model effective strategies and build them into lessons.
• Use the Memory Clock to ensure most of the lesson is spent on active recall.
• Embed revision across the year through spaced and interleaved practice.
• Apply the same principles to homework “just revise” isn’t enough. When revision is built into the curriculum, rooted in retrieval, and structured around cognitive science, we don’t just prepare students for exams we make learning stick.
Bibliography
Astbury, L. (2022). “Building study habits and revision routines” in EducationEndowment Foundation . Link: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/eef-guest-blogbuilding-study-habits-and-revision-routines [Accessed 5/25]
Coe, R. (2013) ImprovingEducation:ATriumphofHopeoverExperience.Link:
Dunlosky et al (2013 Jan) Improving Students’ learning with effective learning techniques: promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology“ in PsychologicalSciencein thePublicInterest . 14 (1) 4-58. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26173288/
Griffin, R, MacKewn, A. VanVuren, E., Ken, W. (2012) “Do Learning and Study Skills Affect Academic Performance? An Empirical Investigation” in ContemporaryIssuesinEducation Research.V5 n2 109-116. Link: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1073168
Esner, M. “Lessons in Revision” in HeathfieldTeachShareBlog.Link: https://heathfieldteachshare.wordpress.com/2020/11/05/lessons-in-revision/
Maberley, L. “Revision Techniques and Memory Clock” in Sandagogy . Link: https://sandagogy.co.uk/learning-steps/revision-techniques-and-memory-clock/ Quigley, A. (2018). “Top 10 Revision Strategies.” Blog post. Link: https://alexquigley.co.uk/top-10-revision-strategies/ [Accessed 5/25]
Alice Stott and Amy Gaunt’s Transforming Teaching and Learning through Talk (2018)
Oracy is set to play a central role in the government’s curriculum and assessment review, making now the perfect time to revisit Oracy:TheKeytoEmpowering StudentVoiceby Gaunt and Stott. Originating from School 21 in Stratford, this book draws on the pioneering work of the school in embedding oracy across the curriculum, further supported by the launch of the charity Voice 21.
While we all incorporate speaking activities into our lessons, the book challenges us to think more deliberately about how we structure classroom talk. By providing targeted scaffolding such as Voice 21’s speaking ‘role cards’ and sentence stems teachers can enhance not only articulacy but also critical thinking skills among students.
Packed with practical strategies, Oracy offers a wealth of ideas for fostering more effective student discussions, using talk as a tool for learning. Most importantly, it empowers young people to find and use their voice with confidence. For educators seeking to deepen their impact, this book offers invaluable insights on how purposeful, wellstructured talk can transform the classroom.
Resources from: https://voice21.org/
ResourcesontheWeb
The Leadership Handbook (5th Edition) by
Nick Hart
Nick Hart, the author of Creating a Strong Culture and Positive Climate in Schools (2022) and Impact (2022), has released an invaluable resource for educational leaders at every level. Now in its 5th edition,TheLeadershipHandbookserves as a comprehensive encyclopaedia on educational leadership. With 250 slides packed with insights, this resource covers a wide range of topics, from teaching and learning to workload and wellbeing, SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), school culture, and continuous school improvement. It’s a powerful tool for anyone looking to enhance their leadership approach and drive meaningful change within their school. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or an aspiring one, this handbook offers a wealth of practical strategies and evidence-based guidance to help you navigate the complexities of school leadership. Click here to download.
