TheSameAs

I came up with this idea after realising something quite crucial. After the introduction, when I was 'hostessing' the class (walking around from pupil to pupil), and assisting, I had no way of recollecting who I had assisted.

SAFE was born. My class now write the word SAFE on the top left of every single one of their pieces of work (written, photocopied, typed, whatever). I or the classroom assistant then rings a letter according to what level of support they have been given. The definitions are given below:

S - Supported
A - Assisted
F - Finished
E - Extended

Supported
The child was in a separate teaching group after the main introduction, being given extra help in the learning intention.

Assisted
The child has been helped at some point during the 'work' section of the lesson.

Finished
The child has finished what is expected of them in class. This normally leads to:

Extended
The pupil has been extended from the learning intention of the lesson. This might also occur if I have noticed a change in understanding during an introduction.

The beauty (in my opinion) of this system is that the assessment is next to the work, it is an assessment of my involvement, and it is phenomenally simple to see class or individual achievement at a glance. A simple skip through the books of a child alerts me to the fact that they are extended often (move them up a group), need assistance regularly (move their position in class), or are supported AND extended (check to see if they are performing as expected, or simply copying).

It also tells you who are your middles in involvement. The ultimate of course is that every single letter is circled. They struggled, you helped, they succeeded, you won the right to a biscuit at break.

This genuinely works. Give it a try, if only for one particular child, group, subject, or whatever. It is a lot quicker than writing 'worked with assistance' under five children's pieces of work each day, which qualifies it as a Teaching Hack.