A C C E L E R AT E D

LEARNING
Po c k e t b o o k

By Brin Best

Cartoons:
Phil Hailstone
C o n t e n t s Page

Getting the most out of this book, the background to

Introduction accelerated learning and characteristics of some 5
classrooms over the last century

Getting your
How to ensure your students are in the right
Students Ready
physiological and emotional state to learn
19
to Learn

Creating the How to create an environment that promotes effective

Right learning, from looking after learners brains to 37
Environment supporting them as they learn

Teaching Practical strategies that will help your students learn

Strategies effectively
47

Self-evaluation A framework to help you create an accelerated learning

Framework classroom
105

A brief history of accelerated learning, student

Further questionnaire, sources of further information on
Information
117
accelerated learning

Accelerated Learning 3
Introduction

Getting your
Students Ready
to Learn

Creating the
Right
Environment

Teaching
Strategies Te a c h i n g
Self-evaluation
Strategies
Framework

Further
Information

Te a c h i n g Strategies 47
 Before the lessons begins
The beginnings of lessons are vital because they help
set the tone for the rest of the lesson. Ensure you:

Arrive before the students to give

preparation time

Greet each student politely and in a
friendly way

Insist students enter quietly and settle
at their desks in an orderly fashion

Consider using music to set the tone for
the lesson

Make sure any equipment and
handouts are ready to give out, and on
the students desk if appropriate

Engage students interest with a question
or puzzle on the board

48 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Structuring a lesson
It is important that you provide an effective structure for all your lessons that
promotes your students learning. The following provides a brain-friendly 4-part
structure for your lessons.

Part 1: put the learning in context (about 5% of lesson time)

Explore what the students learnt in the previous lesson

Relate the learning to the overall syllabus

Make the learning outcomes clear

Explain what is coming in the next lesson

Mind-maps can be a very useful visual tool for this part of the lesson, showing
students how an individual lesson fits into the wider course they are studying

r r r r
Pa t Put the learning Pa t Pa t Main teaching Pa t
Starter Plenary
1 in context
2 3 and learning
4

Te a c h i n g Strategies 49
 Structuring a lesson
Part 2: starter (about 10% of lesson time)

Begin with a short activity which engages students interest a prop, story,
exciting stimulus material

Try to help students put what they already know about the topic in context

Prepare the students for the main teaching and learning that will follow

r r r r
Pa t Put the learning Pa t Pa t Main teaching Pa t
Starter Plenary
1 in context
2 3 and learning
4

50 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Structuring a lesson
Part 3: main teaching and learning (about 75% of lesson time)

Students should be carrying out activities for as much of this time as possible

You should act as a facilitator for their learning try not to talk for too long

Students should be engaged in multi-sensory learning that respects their learning
styles and intelligence profiles

All students should be set work which is of an appropriate level of challenge

Allow choice over how students carry out tasks

Learning should be broken down into achievable chunks

Find plenty of opportunities to develop thinking skills

r r r r
Pa t Put the learning Pa t Pa t Main teaching Pa t
Starter Plenary
1 in context
2 3 and learning
4

Te a c h i n g Strategies 51
 Structuring a lesson
Part 4: plenary (about 10% of lesson time)
Provides an opportunity for learning to be reviewed
Students should be given the chance to reflect on what they think the main learning
points of the lesson have been
You should include careful use of teacher questioning (see next page)

r r r r
Pa t Put the learning Pa t Pa t Main teaching Pa t
Starter Plenary
1 in context
2 3 and learning
4
This 4-part structure is adapted from the one used in the new Key Stage 3 strategy.

52 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Questioning
Effective questioning techniques are a really important part of your lesson.
Questioning helps you determine how much your students have understood, as well
as allowing you to stretch more able students.

Use a wide range of questioning techniques

Pitch the language and content level of questions appropriately

Ask open as well as closed questions to explore deeper understanding

Prompt and give clues where necessary

Allow thinking time (at least five seconds for simple questions and ten seconds or
more for more complex ones)

Invite answers from particular individuals as well as asking the whole class

Wait before commenting on a students answers, thereby allowing him/her to
revise or expand their response, and encouraging others to contribute too

Do not favour students with higher ability or according to where they are
seated (you will tend to neglect those closest to you and those right at the back
of the room)

Encourage students to devise their own questions

Te a c h i n g Strategies 53
 Varying your teaching style
The most successful teachers use an extensive repertoire of different teaching
techniques to stimulate interest among their students. Providing variety will help
increase your students motivation. Use the checklist below to help you vary your
teaching style.
Reflect back over the last half-term and indicate with a tick whether your students have:

Used a newspaper Done some individual or group research

Played a game Done some extended reading
Answered questions from a book Done a brainstorming session
Had a discussion Drawn a graph or used statistics
Made a model Drawn a diagram or cartoon
Done a quiz or test Used music in their work
Written an essay Been outside the classroom for a task or activity
Written a newspaper article Worked with an outside speaker
Worked in a pair or a group Sat in different places from usual
Had a debate Worked in the school library
Done a role play Worked on a poster
Made up a play or a TV/radio script Worked with somebody they dont know very well

54 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Student tasks
Tips for explaining and introducing tasks:

Always give the tasks verbally and in writing to include different types of learners

Make sure that all students understand what they have to do

Carefully differentiate all tasks to ensure all students can achieve success

Chunk down new information and tasks to make them more accessible

Give a time frame for the tasks to help students manage their own learning

Te a c h i n g Strategies 55
 Student tasks
Tips for setting tasks:

Where possible, offer choice in the tasks undertaken or the way the results are
presented

Include a wide variety of tasks that appeal to different types of learners and
different intelligences

Allow plenty of opportunity for pair work and group work, as well as
individual work

56 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Student tasks
Tips for when students are working:

Circulate widely to check they

are on task, progressing well
and finding appropriate
answers

Do not insist that students
work in silence as long as
their talk is focused on the
tasks

Try to maximise the amount
of time when students are
carrying out and reflecting
on tasks

Te a c h i n g Strategies 57
 Showing what students have learnt
It is important to give your students opportunities to show what they have
learnt. This can be done by students:

Checking their own written responses

Reading out their responses to others for discussion

Giving presentations to the class

Completing tests, quizzes and
mind-maps

Students also demonstrate their

knowledge in their written work,
allowing you to give constructive
feedback and judge how they
are progressing.

58 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Review
Students need plenty of opportunities to review what they have learnt, for
example by:

Writing out summary points

Drawing a mind-map of a lesson or topic

Naming the most important thing learnt from a lesson

Preparing flashcards or summary diagrams

Review is also an essential element of revision for tests and formal examinations. It
transfers information to the long-term memory, particularly if done a week, a month
and six months after first studied.

Make sure at the end of every lesson there is an activity which sums up what has
been learnt and prepares the students for the next lesson. This could take place as
part of a plenary, which is a key feature of the Key Stage 3 strategy.

Te a c h i n g Strategies 59
 Homework
Homework is a valuable way of extending accelerated learning beyond the
classroom, providing the opportunity for a range of tasks to be carried out which help
embed learning.

Homework is effective when: Homework should not be:

It is used to extend and enrich learning
Simply finishing off work

It builds on what has been learnt in the done in lessons
lesson
Optional

It takes advantages of the opportunities in
Given only to those who
the students home lives, eg: parents/carers, work hard
grandparents, local features of interest
Given only to those who

It is enjoyable do not finish a piece of
work in class

60 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Learners with different learning styles
The brain receives information about the world through the five senses
or channels:

Sight (the visual channel)
Taste (the gustatory channel)

Touch (the kinaesthetic channel)
Smell (the olfactory channel)

Sound (the auditory channel)

Studies of how we learn have identified three primary channels through which
learning occurs: auditory, kinaesthetic and visual.

However, not all individuals prefer to learn through the same combination of channels,
and for most people a single one tends to dominate. This has given rise to an exciting
development in teaching and learning where individuals preferred learning styles are
assessed and used to create richer and more inclusive learning experiences (see
www.support4learning.org.uk for examples of learning style questionnaires).

The most powerful learning takes place when all three channels are used
simultaneously.

Te a c h i n g Strategies 61
 Characteristics of auditory learners
Approximately 34% of people have an auditory learning preference. They tend
to have the following characteristics:

They use phrases such as that sounds right, I hear what you are saying, That
rings a bell

When relaxing, they prefer to listen to music

They prefer to talk to people on the phone

They enjoy listening to others, but are eager to talk themselves

They forget faces but remember names

When inactive, they tend to talk to themselves or others

When angry, they express themselves in outbursts

They are not fond of reading books or instruction manuals

62 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Learning activities for auditory learners
The following activities are suitable for learners with an auditory learning
preference:

Hearing a presentation or explanation

Reading aloud to themselves

Making a tape of key points to
listen to

Verbally summarising in their
own words

Explaining the subject to
another student

Using their own internal voice
to verbalise what they are
learning

Practising spellings by saying
the correct word before trying to
write it

Te a c h i n g Strategies 63
 Characteristics of kinaesthetic learners
Approximately 37% of people have a kinaesthetic learning preference. They
tend to have the following characteristics:

They use phrases such as That feels right, I found it easy to handle,
That touched a nerve

When relaxing, they prefer to play games and sport

They prefer to talk to people while doing something else

They are slow talkers, who use gestures and expressions

When inactive, they tend to fidget

When angry, they clench their fists, grit their teeth and storm off!

64 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Learning activities for kinaesthetic learners
The following activities are suitable for learners with
a kinaesthetic learning preference:

Copying demonstrations

Making models

Recording information as they hear it,
preferably in a mind-map

Walking around as they read

Underlining/highlighting new
information/key points

Putting key points on to index cards and
sorting them into order

Getting physically and actively involved in
learning

Practising spellings by writing with a finger
in the air or on the desk, while
simultaneously saying it aloud

Te a c h i n g Strategies 65
 Characteristics of visual learners
Approximately 29% of people have a visual learning preference. They tend to
have the following characteristics:

They use phrases such as I see what you mean, I get the picture, That
looks right

When relaxing, they prefer to watch a film or video, go to the theatre or
read a book

They prefer to talk to people face-to-face

They are fast talkers and do not enjoy listening to others

They forget names, but remember faces

When inactive, they tend to doodle or watch someone or something

When angry they are silent and seethe

They are well dressed, tidy and organised

66 Te a c h i n g Strategies
Learning activities for visual learners
The following activities are suitable for learners with a visual learning preference:

Writing down key facts or drawing a mind-map

Visualising what they are learning

Creating pictures/diagrams from what they are
learning

Using time lines, for remembering dates

Creating their own strong visual links

Using pictures, diagrams, charts, film,
video and graphics

Practising spellings by seeing the
word before writing or saying it

The information on different learning

styles on the previous pages is based on
material that first appeared in The
Learners Pocketbook by Paul Hayden.

Te a c h i n g Strategies 67
About the author
Brin Best
Brin Best BSc, PGCE, FRGS, FMA, MCIJ is managing director of
Innovation for Education Ltd, an education training, publishing and
consultancy company based in Yorkshire. He has fulfilled a wide
variety of roles within education, including classroom teacher,
college lecturer, head of department, school development officer
and LEA advisory teacher. He writes and speaks widely on
education issues and has a special interest in teaching and learning.
He is carrying out a part-time PhD into accelerated learning at
Leeds University. Whilst a teacher his department and students
received numerous national awards for their work, and in 2000 he received a
Millennium Fellowship for his pioneering work on environmental education. Brin is
also the series consultant for the Teachers Pocketbooks Series.

He can be contacted at:

Innovation for Education Ltd, 6 Manor Square, Otley, LS21 3AP.
Tel. +44 (0) 1943 466994 Fax +44 (0) 1943 465550
[email protected]
www.innovation4education.co.uk

Further Information 125