Top 12 AFL Strategies

Not a red pen in sight!

Lesley Ann McDermott

Progression Traffic Lights

• Use traffic lights as a visual means of showing understanding. Laminate for display.

RED, AMBER, GREEN• Either give students red, amber, green cards which

they show on their desks or ask for raised hands.• At the beginning of the lesson ask for prior

knowledge.• Review in the plenary session.

Instant feed back to inform your planning. RED = don’t understand, know nothing, not confident...AMBER = know a little, nearly there...GREEN = totally get it, got is sussed, confident learner etc...

Think, Pair, Share• Pose an opened ended question or problem to which

there may be a variety of answers.• THINK: Allow ‘thinking time’ and direct them to think

about the question.• PAIR: Students then work in pairs to share ideas, discuss,

clarify and challenge.• SHARE: Share ideas with another pair or with whole class• It is important that students need to be able to share

their own partner’s ideas as well as their own. • Peer interaction and thinking time are powerful factors in

improving responses to questions.

Numbered heads together

• Divide students into groups of 4, students each given a number 1-4

• Teacher poses a question or problem.• Each individual in the group has to

contribute an idea, answer or solution. • The group then have to agree on

which idea will be their group answer. • Teacher calls out a number randomly

1-4.• Students with that number raise their

hands, and when called on, the student answers for his or her team.

ABCD TF YN cards• Laminate lettered cards A, B, C, D, or T, F, Y, N,• Ask Multiple choice questions: A, B, C, D.• Even better when there is more than one correct

answer to spark a discussion, or when the answers depend on the assumptions the student makes.

• Ask True/False or Yes/No questions.• Students hold lettered cards up in response.

A B C D T F Y NIf you can’t afford active vote or get hold of active vote

this is a cheaper alternative!

Class basketball• Pass a soft ball to one student to give one main

idea from the lesson to share with group.• The ball then passes to another student to give

another main point of the lesson.• Once a student has taken part s/he cannot be

passed the ball again.• This continues until the teacher thinks the main

points have been given.

Student created problems

• Students in pairs/groups pose a question for the class to answer – write it on mini whiteboards or post its.

• At end of the lesson take the questions and ask other groups to answer them.

• Students in groups then work on answers –

• Groups feedback to class with answers.

Find the fib

• Write two correct statements about the lesson and one fib

• Ask students to tell you which one is the fib and why?

One, Two, Review, Review

• ONE: ‘I’ – ‘I learned this...’• TWO: ‘you’ – ‘You thought/added...’• REVIEW– ‘I now know...’ – what they have learned from

paired conversation• REVIEW – ‘I didn’t know/think this because...’ – allows

reflection on thought processes.• Starts with the individual’s contribution and then

moves onto the paired learning experience.

One‘I’

Two ‘You’

Review- I now know...

Review – I didn’t

know/think of this

because...

Two Stars and a Wish• Peer assessment, self assessment or teacher assessment• Identify two positive things the student has done well and

what you wish they could do in the future.

• It may be assessment, behaviour, presentation driven. Ask if they can act on the wish next time or there and then for immediate action.

• This could be recorded in their books on a sheet.

Smiley faces• Got it sussed. Ready to move on!

• Nearly there! Understand some parts but not all.

• Unsure. Do not understand and need to look at it again!

Good for checking knowledge on revision lists.

Students draw smiley faces to indicate how comfortable they

are with the topic. .

Thumbs • I get it

• Sort of – half way there...

• I don’t get it

Check class understanding of what you are

teaching by asking them to show their thumbs.

Post it

• Set an area of wall space for students to stick post it notes.

• Groups, pairs, individual can answer. • Instant feedback to inform your planning.

What I have learnt? What I have found easy??

What have I found difficult?

What do I want to know now?

Top 12 AFL Strategies