Become The Teacher
With the technique, Become The Teacher, students who have achieved a benchmark standard (for example, who have completed all the tasks you have set to a good standard) either:
Work with other students who require support.
Create resources that could be used to support other students.
Why use this technique?
As much as possible, we are trying to minimise learning and achievement gaps in our class by keeping the learning of everyone as close together as possible, but without holding any students’ learning back. No mean feat, but Become The Teacher can help with this (as can Create Your Own). Rather than students moving on to learn new content (creating the sort of gap we are trying to avoid), by ‘becoming the teacher’, they are given an enriching opportunity to apply their learning, consolidating their knowledge and skills. This taps into a cognitive principle called the generation effect - using existing knowledge to do something new with or create something new strengthens this knowledge and develops understanding.
Beyond these benefits, we often find that the explanations and resources given and created by students are even better than those given and created by us.
Focused reflection
How well do you currently use this technique?
Is it a technique you will focus on developing?
If so, what are the key features you will focus on (things to do, and not do)?