The learning diaries provide a framework for pupil/teacher dialogue. Below are some ideas to support teachers using the diaries.

Sharing learning objectives

Each diary contains the learning objectives for each unit of work. This ensures pupils know what it’s possible to achieve by the end of the unit. Teachers need to give pupils time at the beginning of the first lesson to read these.

Pupils setting their own target

There is a space on the front of each diary for pupils to record their target. This will enable pupils to have ownership of the target they have set for themselves. Teachers need to give pupils time to do this in the first lesson.

Accessing prior knowledge

Pupils are encouraged to think about what they know already about the topic and to write about this in order to share it with their teacher. Again, teachers need to give pupils time to do this in the first lesson.

Developing thinking questions

Learning outcomes are made clear for each lesson alongside useful vocabulary, prompt questions, and space for pupils responses. The questions in the diaries are a mixture of open and cloze questions to support pupils of different abilities. The cloze questions are there to support special needs pupils. The open questions are for the middle and higher ability pupils and invite them to explain on what they’ve learned. Teachers can adapt these questions as they need to.

Go to the London Gifted & Talented site for some more ideas about developing thinking questions

Encouraging pupil/pupil, teacher/pupil and whole class dialogue

Small group and whole class discussion can help pupils when they are pondering their answers to the questions in the diaries. Paired pupil discussion of the questions can help pupils to articulate what they know and what they still need to find out. Teacher’s intervention in the paired discussions can support pupils’ pathways to improvement. Teacher selected paired feedback to the whole class can enable the least successful learners to learn from the most successful.

Developing peer and self-assessment

Pupils are encouraged via the questions in the diaries to assess their own work objectively. Teachers can encourage pupils to engage in peer review of their completed or partially completed work. Pupils can assess how they feel about their success as a learner through the traffic lights and through the evaluative questions at the end of each diary. Both peer and self-assessment will help pupils to become increasingly independent in their learning.

Providing written teacher feedback to pupils

There are spaces in the diaries for teachers to provide written feedback to pupils.

The feedback is most helpful where it is linked to learning objectives and explains to pupils what they have done well, with reasons, and where and how they can improve. At the end of the unit there is space for pupils to record their attainment, following discussion with their teacher.

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