Transcript Explaining At Key Stage 3

Explaining At Key
Stage 3..keeping things
complicated!
"If you're not learning, I'm
just talking."
Slogan on a T-shirt
“The hardest thing to explain is
the glaringly evident which
everybody had decided not to
see.”
Ayn Rand
The danger of over simplification
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All black people were slaves
All Germans were Nazis
All people in Africa are poor
All people in the North wear flat
packs
All Asians are Muslims
All homeless people are lazy
So try these…
How would you go about explaining
the off side rule in football to a
group of 11 year olds?
How do you explain to somebody how
to ride a bike?
How do you explain to somebody how
to tie a tie?
Objectives
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To demonstrate the significance of explaining as
a teaching skill
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To show how teachers can analyse the quality of
explanations
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To demonstrate the principles of planning
explanations
The forgotten skill?
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Explaining is a neglected skill when
compared to questioning
A survey of 200 pupils by Wragg in
1989 on the importance of 32
teaching skills had explaining in first
place
What do we mean by “explaining”?
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Explaining may be defined as “giving
understanding to another.”
Pupils’ understanding of explanations
depends on the same principles that
underpin most learning
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Experience
Connecting new
information to
what we already
know
Reasons to focus on improving
explanations at Key Stage 3
For a nosebleed: Put the nose much lower than the
body until the heart stops.
For drowning: Climb on top of the person and
move up and down to make artificial perspiration
To keep milk from turning sour: Keep it in the
cow
Good explanations usually
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Help pupils to use what they already
know and have experienced
•Provide concrete experiences in the
classroom to help pupils who may
lack adequate experience
(Ecosystem example)
Good explanations usually
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Be as clear and effective as possible
in communication
•Check for understanding and allow
pupils to rehearse their
understanding (role of pairs/threes)
Five types of explanation
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Concepts
Similarities and differences
Cause and effect
Purposes
Processes
•Can pupils hear and see the explanation?
•How often do we use pupils as a resource to
explain?
1. Concepts..using props and
examples that will be familiar to pupils
(i) Concrete familiar-terms in everyday use and
observable (e.g. (sea) wave, trench etc
(ii) Abstract familiar-terms in everyday use but not
easily observable (e.g. design, democracy, health,
flow (in dance) etc
(iii) Concrete technical-terms used by
specialists but are observable (e.g.
thermosetting plastic, moulding etc)
(iv)Abstract technical-terms used by specialists but
are not observable (e.g. urbanisation,
choreography etc)
2. Similarities and differences
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This type of explanation is linked to
forming concepts BUT goes further.
It is important in establishing and
clarifying classifications, for
example the similarities and
differences between festivals such as
Christmas, Diwali and Passover.
3. Causation
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The pattern here is
how one thing
leads to another in
a causal sequence.
(e.g. the outbreak
of war or the
origins of an
artistic
movement.)
(Wilf Smith
example)
4. Classifying causes again
(or purposes)
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Here we try and explain WHY things
are done and what they are to
achieve. (RE/MFL example)
For example at the start of a lesson,
piece of work or topic so that pupils
are clear about the objectives.
5. Processes
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Here we focus on HOW things
happen or work. For example how
one plays a forehand stroke in tennis
or plays an Indian rhythm in music
Handout 5.2 and 5.3
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In groups share three explanations from
part C of the pre-course task…or Handout
5.3 as a substitution.
Try and classify them using the categories
defined.
We are trying to create a shared
dialogue so that back in schools we
can discuss the impact of
“explanation” with greater
sophistication
Some possible answers
Example
Type of explanation
1. Types of Caribbean music
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2. How to book a room in French
on the phone
3. Designing an evaluation for a
meal in Design and Technology
Similarities and differences
explanation
Concept explanation (if looking
at a particular type of music, say
calypso)
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Process explanation
Process explanation..if
explaining the stages one should
go through
Purpose explanation..if the focus
is on why one evaluates
Concept explanation..if the focus
is on the nature of the evaluation
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Some possible answers
Example
4. The meaning of push and pull
factors in migration
5. The origins of the anti-slavery
movement
6. The differences between
Sikhism and Hinduism
7. How to serve in tennis
Type of explanation
Concept explanation
Similarities and differences
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Causal explanation
Similarities and differences
explanation
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Process explanation
Understanding characteristics of
good explanations
1.
Keys…(the things which are critical
to understanding) You’ve got to
understand this before you understand that
May include
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An example
An analogy
A generalisation
An explanation will often
have a series of linked
keys. Identifying and
sequencing them will be
crucial
Entertaining explanations in
lessons
“Get them out from behind those desks!
We are not designed to sit slumped
behind a piece of wood for an hour and
ten minutes…nor are we designed to sit
for three hours in front of a television
screen or computer terminal!”
Alistair Smith
Understanding characteristics of
good explanations
The “Hook”
Sometimes explanations start by grabbing
interest and attention.
(i)
Avoiding dental decay
(ii)
Edward Grieg and his pocket!
(iii) The use of story (Explaining why people
feared Hell in the Middle Ages).
2.
Understanding characteristics of
good explanations
How many orange Barrys on his
donkey are there in your lessons?
•Pupils will not automatically be motivated to
learn because
(a) You are
(b) They have to be
Understanding characteristics of good
explanations
“not as an optional extra.”
•A sense of humour
•Awe
•Consistency
•Passion
•Suspense
•Compassion
•Intrigue
•Empathy
•Curiosity
•Hitting goals
•Novelty
•Discovery
•Surprise
•Competition
•Achievement
•Overcoming
obstacles
More reasons to focus on
improving explanations at Key
Stage 3
The body consists of three parts-the brainium, the borax
and the abominable cavity. The brainium contains the
brain, the borax contains the hear and lungs, and the
abominable cavity contains the bowls, of which there are
five--A,E,I,O and U.
Germinate: To become a naturalised German
Magnet: Something you find crawling all over a dead cat
What are the styles and
techniques of good explanation?
1.
Get the attention of the class before you
start by
a. Insistence
b. Give them something to do (Date/title)
2.
Make your first sentences attention
grabbing
a. Surprise them
b. Serious/quiet sincerity
What are the styles and
techniques of good explanation?
3. Keep your voice level to the minimum necessary
A. Low= expectancy….sense of importance…creates a mood of
confidence
B. BEWARE the noisy teacher!
C. A quiet teacher makes a quiet class
4. Vary the volume and pace to give variety
a. Use of pace
b. Feelings
c. Use of silence
What are the styles and
techniques of good explanation?
5. Make sure that the students never lose sight of the
structure of the whole exposition
•“Do you understand?”
6. Watch your language
a. Keep it simple
b. Keep it short
c. Be human
What are the styles and
techniques of good explanation?
7. Remember that much communication between
teacher and students is non-verbal
a. How you look
b. How you stand
c. How you move
Watching video of explanation
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(i)
(ii)
Year 8 mixed ability art lesson
Year 8 mixed ability geography
lesson
How do the teachers help their
pupils to understand?
What things are (potentially)
distracting, unclear or hard to
understand?
In the art lesson there is
Technique
Example
A clear signpost
(a sequence to add to the
sculptured heard, referred to as
a matchstick and light bulb)
Keys
are “soggy arms”, “fish and
chips” and “headless snake”.
Hooks
“Biting off the arm”, “the
cleaners won’t like me”
Voice emphasis
Use of hands and body
Props
Teachers forearm and various
shaped pieces of newspaper
Humour
Ever present
Strong connections with pupils
experiences
References to shapes they are
familiar with
In the geography lesson there is
Technique
Example
A clear signpost
Provided in the lesson
introduction
Keys
Atmospheric pressure
High pressure and low pressure
The wind results from
differences in pressure
Voice emphasis
Is present although less
pronounced than in the art
lesson
Props
Balloons and diagrams
Strong connections with pupils
experiences
Pupils are provided with firsthand experience through the
balloon demonstration
Planning explanations..using
departmental meetings
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Try and spend 3 or 4 minutes
planning an explanation for their
partner.
Concentrate on some of the KEYS
and perhaps one other feature
Which bits can you use back in class?
Final thoughts on
Improving the quality of
explanation
To prevent contraception: wear a
condominium
For dog bite: put the dog away for several
days. If he has not recovered, then kill it
Ready for more?
Part One
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Pupils rate explanation as the
number one teaching skill
Explanations are an appropriate
focus for departmental development,
updating in schemes of work, staff
induction, performance
management, school improvement
groups etc
Ready for more?
Part Two
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Examine one unit of work and
identify what concepts should be
clearly explained to pupils.
Discuss how these concepts are (and
could be) explained