Making effective use of plenaries: an introduction



Making effective use of plenaries: an introduction

Plenaries are an important component of lessons where students and teachers can reflect on and consolidate learning.[1] Whilst there is not yet an extensive evidence base for the impact of plenaries on student learning one study (involving over 100 classes) found that:

• there was a positive correlation between Ofsted judgements of school effectiveness and improvements since the last inspection and use of plenaries; and

• the quality of teaching and student response was higher in classes where the teacher used a plenary[2].

So it seems that plenaries can be of great value but it is important to make the most effective use of them. Although there is not a strong evidence base for plenaries there is extensive evidence about two key areas which have particular potential for making them effective.

Two key areas

In broad terms the evidence relevant to effective plenaries falls into two groups:

• issues related to effectiveness in Assessment for learning (AfL); and

• ways of supporting metacognition (thinking about thinking) and accelerating learning.

There is plenty of evidence, that AfL strategies improve learning[3]. These strategies involve teachers in designing activities to gain a window into students’ learning. Teachers use the evidence to plan next steps in learning, and help students to take responsibility for their own learning. Plenaries can provide an excellent opportunity to gain an insight into student learning and help them reflect on the progress that they have made. They can be used to consider the learning which has taken place during the main part of the lesson. Students can share with their teacher and peers what they have learned during the lesson.

Metacognition, that is involving students in thinking about their own thinking and learning, is also a powerful learning strategy. A recent review that focused on identifying the strength of the evidence for improving learning noted that the development of metacognition had a high level of impact for a low cost[4]. Plenaries can be the ideal time to use thinking skills approaches to help students gain an understanding of their own thinking and learning processes and to make connections between their learning in different contexts. Following the main part of the lesson students can be helped to think about the thinking and learning processes they used during the main task. They can also reflect on how they might use similar thinking and learning processes in other situations.

The important role of discussion

AfL and thinking skills offer much potential for enhancing plenary activities and discussion but getting the most from them will require the careful development of discussion both between the teacher and students, and between students.

Resources to help you

So, to help you make the most of your plenaries have a look at resources on this line. They highlight key evidence from the two key areas of AfL and thinking skills, along with some important research about promoting interactive discussion. There are also resources which can be used to investigate classroom practice. As the evidence base is not so mature you will find the resources are rather different from the other lines on the routemap, where it has been possible to provide more detail about practice.

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[1] Hattie, J. (2009) Visible Learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge Taylor and Francis.

[2] CUREE (2010 ) Research for Teachers: The enduring impact of early years education. London: GTCE

[3] For further information see CUREE (2007) Research for Teachers: Learning how to learn through AfL strategies. London GTCE.

[4] Higgins, D., Kokotskai, D. & Coe, R. (2011) Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning, Summary for Schools Spending the Pupil Premium. The Sutton Trust, CEM and Durham University

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