SEND teaching is said to be one of the most rewarding education sectors to work within, we’re sure many of our SEND supply teachers would agree. There are countless resources designed for the wide spectrum of needs within the SEND sector, which help teachers formulate and adapt their teaching practices.
Rosenshine, (professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois) developed a set of 10 key findings for teaching practice based on research. It focuses on learning instruction, teacher performance, and student achievement.
Rosenshine’s 10 Principles of learning
- Begin the lesson with a review of previous learning.
- Present new material in small steps.
- Ask a large number of questions (and to all students).
- Provide models and worked examples.
- Practice using the new material.
- Check for understanding frequently and correct errors.
- Obtain a high success rate.
- Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks.
- Encourage independent practice.
- Plan monthly and weekly reviews.
Rosenshine’s seminal Principles of Instruction is very popular as it does an excellent job in helping teachers to link practice to cognitive psychology, supporting the formation of a sound theory of action – that mental model teachers need providing a link between their actions and the learning process. There are multiple explanatory references to ideas about memory and cognitive load theory. For each practical strategy, there is an underpinning model based in evidence.
There are four very clear strands that run through the 10 sections – reviewing material, questioning, explaining and modelling, practice. Each of one these can be a focus areas for improvement so there are multiple ways to engage with the ideas and to find a focus for deliberate practice. If you’re interested in reading her book ‘Rosenshine’s 10 Principles of learning’ it’s available via Amazon.
Here’s the latest SEND school Government update regarding the impact of Covid