Teachers are currently co-constructing a ‘The Cedar Park Way’ - a collection of Teaching Techniques, inspired by the evidence and research of Doug Lemov. The list of Teaching Techniques will continue to grow, as we develop our consistent practice across the school. Teaching Techniques should be seen in all classes every day.

Teaching Teaching One: 100%

Teachers expect 100% compliance from children for all instructions given in class and will wait for this to be achieved. This could be ‘hold up your purple pen’ or ‘close your text book’. It also works well with non-verbal instructions, with children simply following an action started by the teacher.

Teaching Teaching Two: STAR

We expect pupils to sit up straight and to track the person speaking in class, as a mark of respect and to demonstrate that they are listening. Children appreciate what a peer has said by either giving them a thumbs up or nodding their head. Responding is part of Teaching Technique Three, which is Habits of Discussion.

Teaching Teaching Three: Habits of Discussion

There are four elements to habits of discussion:

1. The instigator: The first person to speak. This will be determined by the teacher, either using cold calling or hands up.

2. The builder: Children can choose to build on what a peer has said by making a building block seat signal with their hands.

3. The challenger: Children can challenge a thought, opinion, answer or concept by shaking their hand (palm facing the floor).

4. The summariser: Children could be asked to summarise a discussion or concept. Again, this could be chosen by the teacher using cold calling or hands up.

In EYFS and Year 1, children may only be using one or two of the roles above. Classes should have sentence starters displayed in class to support children’s discussion skills.

At Cedar Park, we believe in a consistent approach across classes, based on evidence informed teaching methods. We have developed a Teaching and Learning Handbook that shapes the way in which children learn at Cedar Park.