Training & CPD
Cognitive Load
As a research-driven school we know that learning happens when we successfully transfer new information from our working memory into our long-term memory. A priority area for Teaching and Learning at Queensbridge is to develop teacher understanding of this process, so that our lessons show incremental learning and build on previously taught concepts and ideas.
Teachers are currently being supported in understanding ‘Cognitive Load Theory’ and how to implement strategies in the classroom that optimise the load on children’s working memories.
Progress is knowing more and remembering more, and a key facet of Teaching and Learning at Queensbridge from training in September 2021 will be trialling research-based strategies that can increase knowledge retention in our pupils and deepen their understanding of key concepts and ideas.
Mark Less, Mark Better
In 2019, Queensbridge undertook a study into the effectiveness of immediate verbal feedback compared to written feedback. This research was based around the study ‘A Marked Improvement’ (EEF, 2016) and aimed to provide teachers with a written marking format that had a more beneficial impact on children’s learning and on their ability to improve their work.
The findings showed that immediate feedback in place of written marking increased pupil engagement. Teachers are now able to spend more time directly responding to live learning and identify misconceptions. This research was carried out with funding and support from the Department for Education and Education Development Trust.
Dialogic Teaching Methods
Lessons at Queensbridge use dialogic teaching methods in order to raise pupil engagement and attainment. This practice is based on research by Robin Alexander and Neil Mercer, as well as a 2015 study by the Education Endowment Foundation, which found that children in Dialogic Teaching schools made additional progress across the curriculum.
Teachers at Queensbridge are supported in embedding a Dialogic Teaching approach through regular CPD training, which includes using IRIS Connect software to film classroom interactions. Through using this software, teachers are supported to reflect on their teaching and provide feedback to each other. By using Dialogic Teaching methods, pupils are encouraged to actively listen to the ideas of others, as well as to agree, disagree, build on the ideas of others and change their minds based on discussion and evidence. Pupils are taught to argue and challenge ideas, as research shows that the act of doing this strengthens understanding. Pupils evaluate and reflect ‘metacognitively’ on learning activities. At Queensbridge we want our learners to be confident orators, who listen to the ideas and knowledge of those around them.
Our teaching centres around a model of long-term memory
