Sutton
Marvellous mistakes: normalising error
All teachers had either continued with marvellous mistakes or had introduced it, using the phrase with everything, including friendships. Children repeat back ‘marvellous mistake’. They point them out in others and are happy to help sort mistakes out, including the teacher’s. Teachers had deliberately modelled mistakes which children then worked with others to spot or solve.
One teacher didn’t use ‘marvellous’ but had discussions with children about how we learn from mistakes and is saying ‘mistake moment’ and giving lots of praise when noticing mistakes, encouraging and giving children the opportunity to have another try. This works well. Children are more willing to accept their mistakes.. The PETI acronym had also been used (Practise, Effort, Time and Input – which do you need?’). Children are choosing more input, more practise or more support from an adult. These children are happy to see that they ‘don’t get it yet’.
Videos of how the brain works and how it learns from mistakes had been shared, as well as a video of Bill Gates talking about the mistakes he made when he first started out.
Task/learning related praise
All teachers said they had tried hard to give task or learning related praise but often trip up saying ‘Well done/good girl’ without the naming of the achievement. With mistakes it had been easier to focus on the learning. It was hard, therefore, to spot the impact of this strategy.
Most children enjoyed learning based praise but some children need more reassurance that may be less learning based – more persuasive to get them focused on the work.
Positive praise is often given to children that don’t follow the rules as often as others. Praise for following school rules and values was useful. A bank of words to use would be useful.
SC: task related praise is simply naming the achievement in the moment, whether that is academic (Well done-you’ve written a great adjective there), learning behaviour (I noticed you really concentrating on that tricky problem-you didn’t give up) or school values (That showed respect-thank you for using one of our values). A bank of words should not be necessary if you just ‘say what you see’.
Comparative reward systems
One teacher was not allowed to take away comparative rewards – house points or weekly writer award (which causes lots of excitement). There was a divide between infants and juniors. Children don’t like the house cup. Staff like the rewards.
Another teacher eased off on rewards to see whether children noticed, and they were unfazed saying there used to be cheating. Merit points were scrapped and the behaviour reward system was changed to traffic lights. Class of the week rather than child of the week is focused on the ‘skill of the week’. Children are generally happy to have rewards removed as it reduces the comparison effect.
Two teachers had previously used Dojo points and the class didn’t notice when they were removed. Being in the Golden Book and weekly rewards were given to every child in turn. Only parents have been difficult about the removal of rewards.
I set up a display board entitled ‘Proud Pieces’ to give all children the opportunity to celebrate work they were proud of. The board has photos of every child and children can ask to have work copied and put on display by their photo. We talk a lot about things they are proud of, what they want to celebrate etc. and bit by bit the children have started to ask for their work to be put on the display. Some children found it difficult to choose at first but now all children have at least one piece of work up. There is a lot of variety and children have celebrated work you might not necessarily choose. I might include work they found tricky at first but have made progress with or mistakes they have made and then corrected.
It is wonderful letting them choose what to celebrate and giving them the chance to celebrate everything, including the ‘not perfect’.
Gemma Reeves Stanley Park Junior School
Mixed ability
Four of the five teachers changed learning partners every one or two weeks, selected randomly. There were positive reviews of this strategy. Some children can get stressed about who they’re going to be with next.
Three teachers saw mixed ability as ‘layered learning’ where children are randomly placed, they support each other, are excited for challenges and there is no barrier to their learning.
One teacher uses compliment slips.