Shining a Spotlight On Different Types Of Student Progress
Thoughts on some different ways progress can be made by secondary school students
Progress is the heartbeat of teaching.
For 30 years, I’ve delved into this with my students in maths, financial maths, and computer science. Progress means more than just passing exams. It’s about watching students debate, solve problems, and truly apply their knowledge.
Each learner’s journey is unique, and their milestones can vary. Here are some reflections from my three decades in education.
Helping students to progress with the skills they already have
Students come to lessons with a variety of skills already. I like to recognise these skills and work to improve them. I do this by presenting work at different levels to them throughout a lesson and seeing how they work through those challenges.
Some years ago I taught a lesson where students had to design and make a cone shape to hold ice cream. At the end of the lesson they all got to eat the ice cream. That motivated them…
