Do you do this when thinking about the less able in your classes?

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Do you do this when thinking about the less able
in your classes?
This session should help you get your head out of
the sand and get you understanding, and enjoying
teaching, the less able. Practical teaching
strategies included!
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Who are the 'less able'?

• The less able are defined as pupils whose
  achievement and progress is significantly below
  that of the average learner.
• perform badly
• restless
• limited concentration
• difficulty in relating one lesson to the next
• limited memories
• often damage things
• present work in an untidy style.
• the paperwork says so!

How do we know if we are dealing with a 'less
able' pupil?
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Putting you in the position of a less able
learner
Noun
Definition please...
Please try really hard to follow this next part
Micro Teach
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A noun is the name of a person, place, thing or
idea. Whatever exists, we assume, can be named,
and that name is a noun. A proper noun, which
names a specific person, place, or thing (Carlos,
Queen Marguerite, Middle East, Jerusalem,
Malaysia, Presbyterianism, God, Spanish,
Buddhism, the Labour Party), is almost always
capitalized. A proper noun used as an addressed
person's name is called a noun of address. Common
nouns name everything else, things that usually
are not capitalized.   A group of related words
can act as a single noun-like entity within a
sentence. A Noun Clause contains a subject and
verb and can do anything that a noun can do
 What he does for this town is a blessing.  A
Noun Phrase, frequently a noun accompanied by
modifiers, is a group of related words acting as
a noun the oil depletion allowance the
abnormal, hideously enlarged nose. There is a
separate section on word combinations that become
Compound Nouns such as daughter-in-law,
half-moon, and stick-in-the-mud.
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Categories of Nouns Nouns can be classified
further as count nouns, which name anything that
can be counted (four books, two continents, a few
dishes, a dozen buildings) mass nouns (or
non-count nouns), which name something that can't
be counted (water, air, energy, blood) and
collective nouns, which can take a singular form
but are composed of more than one individual
person or items (jury, team, class, committee,
herd). We should note that some words can be
either a count noun or a non-count noun depending
on how they're being used in a sentence  He got
into trouble. (non-count) He had many troubles.
(countable) Experience (non-count) is the best
teacher. Whether these words are count or
non-count will determine whether they can be used
with articles and determiners or not. (We would
not write "He got into the troubles," but we
could write about "The troubles of Ireland."
 Some texts will include the category of
abstract nouns, by which we mean the kind of word
that is not tangible, such as warmth, justice,
grief, and peace. Abstract nouns are sometimes
troublesome for non-native writers because they
can appear with determiners or without "Peace
settled over the countryside." "The skirmish
disrupted the peace that had settled over the
countryside."
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The less able learner (probably) will always
give something a chance but when it is abundantly
clear understanding and success is out of their
reach, they will stop trying. Usually, that is
when difficulties for the teacher occur.
Huh?
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Failure to meet learner needs. Failure to
differentiate. Failure to deliver content
appropriately. Failure to allow pupils to
learn. Failure to engage the learners. Failure to
use common sense. Failure to use a variety of
delivery styles. Failure to include
images. Failure to do anything worthwhile at all
really!
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Split into two groups learners (micro teach but
no voice needed!) and observers (analysis of the
micro teach from multiple choice options!)
Whilst the learners complete the tasks, I would
like the observers to identify, by choosing the
relevant sign and sticking it in the playdough.
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Lets try it another way
Observers

• In the bag are signs.
• Take them out and lay them out in front of you.
• Read what they say.
• As I progress through the next 5 slides with the
  learners, please try to identify what teaching
  strategies I am using to help the learners to
  understand the topic.
• Choose the relevant sign from those given to you
  and place them in the play dough (which you will
  have in front of you).
• Please keep silent during the next 5 slides.

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Lets try it another way
Learners
Divide your whiteboard into 4. Put the words
step 1 in one quarter, step 2 in the next
quarter, step 3 in the next quarter, and step
4 in the next quarter. Look at the picture in
front of you.
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On your whiteboard, write down 8 things you can
see or touch if you could physically enter the
painting. Name only the singular items.
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On your whiteboard, write down 8 things you can
see or touch if you could physically enter the
painting. Name only the plural items.
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On your whiteboard, write down 4 things that you
cant really see or touch but that are in the
painting.
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On your whiteboard, write down any groups, or
collections, of things.
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Concrete nouns
Abstract nouns
Collective nouns
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The next slides are summaries of the training
points from this evenings session. Please
peruse at your own leisure. Any questions,
please come and see me! Good luck!
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Aspects of Learning

• Learning needs to relate to the way our brain
  works.
• The four aspects of brain based learning are
• Context factors surrounding the learning
  helping to carry the ideas to the learner
• Input the content, concepts and language of the
  learning
• Processing research and manipulation of data
  information
• Response metacognition and knowledge of how we
  learn.

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Learning Styles
A style is a preferred way of using one's
abilities. It is not in itself an ability but
rather a preference. Most teachers are best at
teaching children who match their own styles of
thinking and learning. .matching students
learning styles with appropriate learning
strategies improves the ability of the pupil to
concentrate and learn independently.
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Planning learning situations to cater for less
able pupils

• Create a learning environment that is
  consistently interesting and promotes curiosity.
• Combine text with pictorial, visual and other
  interactive experiences such as computer and
  video programmes with groups engaged in
  discussions to help pupils create and develop
  mental models and generalize their experiences.

• Know the needs of your pupils.
• Every pupil must be aware of their
  goals/objectives for lesson.
• The initial part of the lesson should be targeted
  at the lower end to make sure that everyone
  understands the topic at its most basic level.
• Flexible differentiation with negotiation let
  them choose the level.
• Interesting themes for activities leading to
  identifiable success for all pupils -not always
  the same goal.
• Non-threatening tasks continually build up
  self-confidence.
• Focused assessment with constructive feedback.

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Characteristics of a good lesson for a less able
learner

• Relating the work to the real world something
  the less able learner can identify with.
• Providing variety in your approach (VAK) with
  short, highly structured tasks.
• Organising the learning into small steps with
  frequent repetition.
• Keeping written instructions to a minimum.
  Bullet points with clear visual directions given.
• Frequent contact with teachers or CTAs to gain
  confidence, encouragement and reassurance.
• The inclusion of ICT as a motivational tool and
  so as to be able to produce high quality work.
• Use of drama.
• Opportunities for checks on understanding of
  vocabulary.
• And many more!!