1. Learning Pit Strategies
Pit Strategy
Description
How this could be used in my lessons
Pre planned groups
Either set or mixed ability. I like to use set ability as this allows each group to be given a different set of outcomes dependent on where they should be at the end of the lesson.
You can give groups completely different tasks dependent on the children within that group.
Be dynamic with groupings – swap group members during lesson to aid struggling groups or push groups that are flying.
E.g. Lorraine is leading her group really well but Sian is lagging. Swap them over, allowing Lorraine's group to push Sian on and Lorraine to push Sian’s group on.
Key Question/
Problem
An engaging, “cunning” problem or question that students spend the lesson or part of the lesson trying to answer. This problem or question will allow students to cover the content of the lesson.
E.g. By answering the question “How does sweating cool you down?” students will have to work out what evaporation is and how that relates to energy transfer. Or
Giving them the solution for a simultaneous equation and students have to work out how the answer was found OR
Giving students an emotive word or picture and students have to find ways of linking a piece of text to this word or picture
Not all students will be given the same problem or question necessarily
Choice of tasks
You can direct different students to different tasks depending on their starting point, which you have diagnosed from pre-topic tests or start of lesson task.
Also allow students to chose the way they present their findings/answer their question. e.g. if using a concept map, is there an alternative concept map or a completely different way of showing their understanding?
Concept maps
Break up problems and key questions by providing concept maps. This can take the students through the steps of their learning, enabling them to get to their end point.
Concept maps can contain key questions to move learning forward
e.g. “what emotions does this picture trigger?” “underline any words in the text that create a similar emotion”  “how is the author projecting this emotion?”
Concept maps can be easily differentiated by wording questions differently or setting them out differently.
Careful because not all students learn better this way – I usually give students the choice of whether they want to use them or not. More often than not they do though.
Diagnosis
Before a topic or at the start of the lesson find out what the students already know. This can be done through Doddle quizzes, baseline tests, or starter activities where students discuss a picture or misconception. By doing this you are allowing the students that already have some knowledge on the topic to progress from the word go rather than waiting for the others to catch up.
Therapy
Those students that lack a lot of the prior knowledge needed for your lesson (identified from diagnosis) can be given strategies to catch up. This may be that you put them all in the same group and they have a slightly different task. Or you can distribute them throughout groups so that other students can bring them up to speed.
If diagnosing at the beginning of the lesson, sometimes I set up a “therapy desk” where students can go and complete a simple task which enables them to “catch up”
Differentiated Criteria
If using set groups, you can give them a list of criteria “where should you be at the end of the lesson”? And, using the resources provided they work towards this criteria. Students could come up with their own criteria.
You can give different groups a completely different set of criteria. Concept maps usually help a lot when using this strategy.
Recourse Pack
Give students images, key facts, diagrams, clues, model answers in order to work out the tasks given to them. E.g. if asked to link a mathematical problem to it’s answer, have a few different worked examples of other similar problems as resources
Help Desk
For those students struggling, have information/help available. This may be a key words definition list or a diagram or even a few sentences with some hints. Students can go to these recourses if needing help during lesson
Challenge Card
Tasks ideally should be differentiated so that each student is being appropriately challenged. However if students are flying or finishing, direct them to a challenge card which will bring their learning on further
Group Roles
Giving group members roles allows all students to get involved. For example I like to use a “questioner” in my groups that will be a bit like a devils advocate, in that they counteract the groups ideas, causing their understanding to develop further.
Progress Check
Progress obviously needs to be assessed constantly through the lesson. This can easily be done through questioning individuals. Below are some nice ways of getting the learners to assess their progress as well as the teacher:
Stop the class and get them to complete a true or false quiz on what they may know so far
Ask students to find someone they have not spoken to yet and ask them a question about what they have learnt so far
Have a sheet with a question or diagram on it which you use as a progress checker. You go around the room showing students the sheet and asking a variety of questions about what you have on the sheet.
Many of these techniques allow the learners to assess where they are so far. For example if they are no able to answer many of the quiz questions, they can go to the help desk or ask a group member for extra guidance.
Application
At the end of lesson or beginning of next lesson, check understanding by getting students to apply what they have learnt to a new concept or situation