| Classroom Observation: Question 50: What form did the
plenary take? |
Conclusion: 66% (12) of 18 schools where I saw a complete lesson had a
plenary. 50% of the plenaries put the emphasis on teacher input while 50% put the emphasis
on student input: 25% involved students reporting back to the class; 25% involved
additional knowledge from the teacher and 25% involved additional questions from the
teacher. The remaining plenaries involved a finishing activity (17%) or an activity which
prepared students for the next lesson (8%).
Summary of findings:
These results are based on observations in 26 classrooms. Out
of the 18 schools where I saw a complete lesson:
- · 33% did not have a plenary
- · 66% did have a plenary
Of those schools that had a plenary:
- · 25% 3 involved students reporting back to the class
- · 25% 3 involved additional knowledge from the teacher
- · 25% 3 involved additional questions from the teacher
- · 17% 2 involved a finishing activity
- · 8% 1 was an activity which prepared students for the next lesson
50% of the plenaries put the emphasis on teacher input while 50% put the emphasis on
student input.
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| Classroom Observation: Question 50: Individual Schools |
Key: A "user" is a school that already uses the loan service. A
"non-user" is a school that does not currently use the loan service.
1. School A: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
There was no plenary - just playtime.
2. School B: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
Three groups of students (5 boys and 2 girls) shared their findings in response to
question sheets with the rest of the class. One student held up the artefact while they
and the others read their sentences from their literacy books.
3. School C: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
There was no plenary as it was break time.
4. School D: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
The teacher asked the students to come to the carpet with their labels. She read out
each set of guesses around one object and then told the students what the object actually
was. She did this in turn with each of the artefacts.
5. School E: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
There was no time for a plenary.
6. School F: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
At the end of each drawing that the teacher did in response to the students'
descriptions she asked a student to reveal the real loan so that they could make
comparisons and contrasts between the two. The teacher also asked further questions about
the loans - their age and function.
7. School G: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
The two boys took their work back to their teacher who asked them about what they had
found out.
8. School H: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
I did not see a lesson.
9. School I: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
I did not see a lesson.
10. School J: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
The teacher blue-tacked the students date sequence of vehicles onto the board at the
front of the class. She gave each table a chance to bring the next right answer up to the
board for tacking. Each time the teacher would ask for students at that table to point out
something about the development of the subsequent model (the development of doors, the
addition of roofs, the change of shape and materials, and so on). At the end of this
section, the teacher told the students what they had learned during the activity.
11. School K: User: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
When the students came to the teacher to show her their drawings they were encouraged
to colour the animals in when they were finished.
12. School L: Non-user: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
For the plenary the teacher asked me to talk about the museum and the loan service -
putting learning from objects into a wider context.
13. School M: Non-user: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
There was no plenary.
14. School N: Non-user: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
There was a sharing time at the end of the session where the students could volunteer
to share one amazing thing that they had found out in their research.
15. School O: Non-user: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
I was not shown a lesson.
16. School P: Non-user: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
I was not shown a lesson.
17. School Q: User: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
The teacher repeated the concept of a landscape picture with the students:
Teacher: "Have we been doing portrait or landscape today?"
Student: "Landscape."
Teacher: "Is a landscape this way or that way?"
Student: "That."
Student: "Does it matter?"
Teacher: "Not if the subject matter is still landscape. But landscapes are usually
that way."
The teacher finished by asking each student about which picture they focused on and about
what materials and processes they used.
18. School R: User: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
I was talked through the lesson by the teacher which did not have a plenary but did
have an exhibition.
19. School S: User: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
I did not see a plenary with the loans.
20. School T: User: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
I did not see a plenary with the loans.
21. School U: User: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
I was not there for the entire lesson so I did not witness a plenary session.
22. School V: Non-user: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
At the end of the presentations, the primary students were asked to join in actively
by doing any of the following: a modern version of knucklebones; writing with a quill;
looking at the Tudor house loan and having a digital photograph with a dressed up
"Tudor" student.
23. School W: Non-user: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
The plenary was a peek at the final loan all together for questions and comments. The
teacher ended the session by saying "You have been very good, boys. You've
concentrated well and asked good questions."
24. School X: Non-user: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
There was no plenary.
25. School Y: Non-user: Secondary
What form did the plenary take?
At the plenary, the teacher asked for the collective thoughts on what age and what
building all the artefacts were connected to. "Old house" and "old
church" were the two main guesses for the building. Many of the groups also guessed
"Medieval" for the time period. The teacher then collected the objects and said
a sentence or two about what each one was before excusing the students.
26. School Z: Non-user: Primary
What form did the plenary take?
There was no plenary.
12 schools had a plenary session. They involved the following input:
Students reporting back to the class:
- · 3 groups shared their findings with the class. School B: User: Primary
- · The students reported what they had found out to the class. School N: Non-user:
Primary
- · The teacher asked the students what they had found out. School G: User: Primary
Additional knowledge from the teacher:
- · The teacher read out the students work and told them more about the artefacts. School
D: User: Primary
- · The teacher asked for students conclusions then told them more information about the
artefacts. School Y:Non-user: Secondary
- · I was asked to speak to the class about the loan service. School L: Non-user: Primary
Additional questions from the teacher:
- · The teacher asked further questions about the loans. School F: User: Primary
- · The teacher repeated the concepts learned and asked the students about the materials
and processes they used to make their art work. School Q: User: Secondary
- · The teacher asked for the students answers and then asked them to elaborate further.
School J: User: Primary
A finishing activity:
- · The students coloured in their pictures. School K: User: Primary
- · The primary students were asked to join in a variety of activities set up by the
secondary students including looking at the Tudor house loan. School V: Non-user:
Secondary
An activity which prepared the students for the next lesson:
- · There was a look at another loan to be used in the following session. School W:
Non-user: Secondary
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