Janine Griffiths
1602396
Discuss three specific strategies that support the delivery of effective teaching and learning in a classroom. Use academic literature and examples from your own setting to support your response.

From as far back as 200 BC Greek Philosopher Plato was contemplating how individuals learn. How do they know things? How do they know to question things they did not know? Hughes and Vass (2001. p.9) discusses how throughout time the advances in the understanding of how the human brain functions has enabled many psychologists to enhance learning considerably by developing specific learning strategies. This assignment will discuss three strategies and how they support in the delivery of effective teaching and learning within the classroom. 
Millar and Devereux (2004, p.58) contemplate the difference between teaching and learning. They mention how in previous years the teacher would teach basic skills, i.e. mathematical formulas. However according to research that is not necessarily learning as the children may not fully understand the concept. They discuss how although these skills are likely to be used in the future by many children, a small amount may not fully understand the purpose of the skill and how it can be used in different contexts. Nisbet and Shucksmith (1986, p. 17) agree and suggest that a more effective way of teaching is by introducing learning strategies. They describe a learning strategy as a skill with a purpose and offers the children the opportunity to ‘learn about their learning’ and a chance to find strategies that work for them, helping them to become independent learners. Cullan (1991, p.44-46) supports this and has observed how the children often use these strategies away from the lesson and during their play or free time. She also noted that this was often not seen if the child was not offered the supporting resources. This showed the importance of not only providing the strategies but then offering opportunities for the child to use what they have learned out of the lesson. Within the setting both foundation phase and key stage 2 offer opportunities for the children to use the skills away from the lesson. For example, during a lesson on money the children were read a story about a pet shop and the cost of different pets. The children then pretended to be the shop keeper, but each customer only had £1 so they then had to work out the change they would need to give. They were given real coins to use but also different resources to help including Numicon and Number lines. The Numicon had each coin glued to the correct number, i.e. A 10p piece stuck on the number 10 shape. The enhanced provision in the classroom that week was a grocery shop and it was noted that whilst the children were playing they were using the skills learned to give change to their customers, it was also observed that they were using the same skill and resources to work out the change for different amounts from the original £1 taught in the lesson. Another challenge that week was a car parking game where the children had to build a car park out of building bricks, however they had to buy the bricks they needed from the building site. It became clear that they were not only using the lesson and resources to work out the change of one item, but they were adding multiple numbers first then giving change. It appeared that the children were using different ways to work out the change, some were using the Numicon pieces, some were counting using their times tables skills while others used a Number line to count back from the amount. For the children to successfully learn they need to be given opportunities to use these skills in different situations and be given a variety of resources. The children could see that it was not just for a pet shop but could be used in other situations and the different activities also helped ensure most children were found within these areas at some point during the week.  
Crawford (2005, p7) claims that the classroom environment is an important teaching and learning strategy and has a considerable influence on a child’s ability to think critically and actively learn. He stated that for a child to learn successfully they must be emotionally secure within their environment. They need to feel safe to attempt new tasks and offer their opinion without the feeling of being judged by either the teacher or their peers. They should be encouraged to attempt things and learn from their mistakes.  He also discusses how the teacher should model behaviour for the children by questioning their own knowledge and ideas and by opening classrooms discussions and using high level questioning i.e. why? Why not? What if? Educators can encourage children to be more involved in their own learning and not just a listen and learn situation. Long (2000, p.11) agrees and draws further on the importance that for a child to learn successfully they must ‘think about their thinking’ and he draws from Blooms Taxonomy of learning theory (1956) and states that successful learners must think critically, offer predictions, gather information and then evaluate their thinking. On the first day in their new class each child within the setting is encouraged to be part of the class team. The children take ownership of the class by making the class charter containing rules for both the children and the adults. The seating layout is very group orientated encouraging the children to actively have discussions and work as a team. At the start of each topic we use the TASC wheel to introduce it and to allow the children to not only access their prior knowledge but encourage them to lead the topic by using the terms “What do you already know? What do you think will happen? What would you like to find out? How could we find out?” and finally at the end of the topic they revisit and evaluate their previous thinking with “What did we find out? Were we on the right track?” This has proven to be a successful resource as often once the topic has been introduced the children have been observed researching the topic during their free time or bringing in research they have spent the weekend investigating. Within every lesson the children are encouraged to explain how they came to that conclusion and asked could they do it a different way. The adults within the classroom also avoid criticism both in books and during conversations, but instead offers corrective advice and discusses with the child how it could have been done differently. 
Another strategy used is Scaffolding. In the setting the whole class is involved in the initial introduction of the lesson, when the activity begins a small number of lower ability children will be supported by an adult. The adults job is to offer direction and encouragement to the children who may struggle to work independently. This in education is known as Scaffolding a term first used by the Psychologist Jerome Bruner in the 1960s and is a process where the educators first demonstrate what is expected of the child and once they show a good understanding the adults slowly take a step back and remove the support, ensuring they remain close by to offer support again if needed, for example recently the children were researching a famous author and then creating a fact file. This was quite a challenge to a few children who struggle to pull information from text. The adult sat with them and gave them highlighter pens. The adult read the first paragraph and highlighted an interesting fact, she then asked a child to read the next paragraph while the others followed and when they heard a fact they knocked on the table showing they had heard something interesting, after a short discussion on whether it was a fact they would want in their fact file they highlighted that section. Each child read a paragraph and repeated this step until it became clear they were spotting the facts before the knock, the adult then asked them to do the next paragraph themselves and took a step back withdrawing support. By breaking up the text and discussing the facts it became an easier and less daunting task. Aubrey and Riley (2016, p.109) discuss Bruner’s theory and concur that if a child experiences positive interaction and given the help they need while attempting new challenges they will hopefully continue to use these skills unaided, helping them to be independent learners in the future. Bienmiller and Meichenbaum (1999) however show the impact that too much support can have. Their research shows that ‘Reverse Scaffolding’ can prevent rather than encourage learning as too much support can lead to learned helplessness and they rely on adult support constantly.
There are many different types of Learning Strategies in education and when used correctly can make a positive impact on children’s learning. Schumaker and Deshler (1992) state that teachers who use learning strategies are not just teaching children curriculum but also skills to tackle tasks with confidence both inside and outside of the classroom environment. Educators must motivate and encourage children to be actively involved in their learning. As Moore (2000) mentions in her thesis teachers need to do more than just give facts and explanations to children. They should encourage children to be active learners, exploring, predicting, discussing and thinking critically, and they must feel comfortable enough to make mistakes and learn from them. After all the main reason for education is to prepare them for adult life.