Paired Placements: the driver-navigator model

Paul Wilson

12 November 2010

pjwilson@marjon.ac.uk

Introduction

• Aim: outline of partnership guidance to paired placements …

… in particular the driver-navigator model

• Applicable to other phases of ITE and subject areas

Background

• Previous practice

• Schools and trainees

• Developing placements

TDA Conference

• Nov 2006

• Smith (2004), Sorensen (2004)

• TDA Multiple Placement Project (Menendez and Oulton, 2007)

Partnership Project

• TDA funded 07, 08, third year within partnership

• Emphasis on active roles for both partners

• Development of partnership practice

• The driver-navigator metaphor

ImpactUsing an evaluative framework, compared with solo placements, on these groups

• Trainees• Providers • Pupils• Schools

Trainees

• Learning from each other

• Meeting trainees’ needs (Wilson and Edwards, 2009)

• Opportunities to take on challenges

• Preparation for collaborative practice

• Concerns over missed opportunities for ‘solo’ experience

HEIs

• Finding placements

• Developing practice with the partnership

• Innovative approaches

• Focus on best placements

• Improved organisational efficiency, reduced journey time etc.

Pupils

• Positive evaluations of impact on pupils

• Better lessons, better learning

• Innovative approaches

• Better classroom management

• Better support to individuals

• Improved assessment

Schools• Better lessons than solo placements

• Less demand on school resources than two solo placements

• Reduces need for ‘lower level’ support

• Professional development of staff

• Opportunity to observe own classes

• Opportunity to create new pupil groupings

• Demands on school resources

• Demands on staff

Outcomes • Need for careful pairing – empathy, trust,

confidence

• Shared responsibility and engagement - no ‘free rides’

• Need for solo / paired balance

• Continuum of collaboration

• Need for careful preparation / training – both in college and at start of placement with a focus on roles and feedback

Partnership guidance• Planned provision of placements

• Pairing: empathy and trust

• College-based preparation

• Mentor developing paired practice at the start of the placement

• Timetabling and allocation of teaching group

• Mentor meetings - the ‘sandwich’

• The driver-navigator model

Driver Navigator model

• Classroom roles

• Planning

• Assessment

• Evaluation – principles

• Evaluation - mechanisms

• Driver – leads lesson in the classroom

• Navigator – assistant in the classroom

• Fixed roles with a particular class - avoids confusion

• Both responsible for the class – shared responsibility for planning, assessment, evaluation, resources, supporting pupils, managing pupils and marking

• Importance of navigator’s awareness of the rationale behind the approaches used

• Managing the progression of lessons• Identifying objectives, learning activities

and outcomes• Producing resources• Strategies for differentiation and inclusion • Clear roles for both partners• Identifying key areas for evaluation and

feedback to feed into the planning, teaching, evaluation cycle

• Use outcomes to assess the pupils’ performance against the objectives.

• During the lesson the navigator has the main responsibility for assessing every pupil against the learning outcomes.

• The navigator reports back on pupils’ performance against the outcomes

• Empathy, trust and sensitivity

• Positive and constructive

• Agreed format for feeding back

• If in doubt – don’t say it! Only offer critical feedback within agreed areas for evaluation, or if expressly invited.

• Be careful not to give an impression to the pupils that you are assessing each other

• The planning, teaching, evaluation cycle

• Start with initial feedback from driver

• Review pupils’ learning based on achievement of learning outcomes

• The navigator’s feedback on agreed areas

• Positive feedback should may also touch upon other aspects of the lesson, outside of the agreed focus for evaluation.

• Refer to standards

Next

• Roll out across other subject areas

• Involvement of mentors in modelling the navigator’s role – training implications

Review

• Aim: outline of partnership guidance to paired placements …

… in particular the driver-navigator model

• Applicable to other phases of ITE and subject areas

References

• Menendez, J. and Oulton, C. (2007), Report on TDA’s Pilot Multiple Placement in Mathematics and Science 2007: Accessed on 16/2/09 at http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/attachments/707d4ade-b695-4cac-9978-4b5564183522.doc

• Smith, J.D.N. (2004), Developing Paired Teaching Placements, in Educational Action Research 12 1 pp 99-125

• Sorensen, P., Greenwood, Y., Linden, A. and Watts, R, (2004), Paired Student Placements in Partnership Schools: TDA report accessed on 16/2/09 at http://partnerships.ttrb.ac.uk/viewarticle2.aspx?contentId=11868

• Wilson, P. and Edwards, J., (2009), Paired ITE teaching placements: implications for partnership development, Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics, Volume 29 Number 2 pp 82-87

• Wilson, P. (2010), Developing Good Practice in Initial Teacher Education using Paired Placements; available from pjwilson@marjon.ac.uk