Teaching → Dr Jake Madden

How to plan an effective lesson!

Effective teachers know their students, have strong content knowledge and possess a wide repertoire of teaching strategies. They are well planned and very intentional about the practices they implement in the classroom. Effective teachers do not leave learning to chance!

School leaders (and indeed the school community) can identify the effective teacher through the preparation of their lessons. This is the teachers’ “bread and butter”. Researchers show that effective teachers include a number of distinct processes and stages in their lesson planning.

At Al Yasat we have taken the research and built a targeted lesson outline that ensures not only quality teaching and learning but also consistency across the school. We call it the “8 Elements of an Effective Lesson”. It helps teachers direct their planning to the needs of students, while implementing our school’s written curriculum; it offers school leaders direction in our class observations and walkthroughs; it provides a platform for our coaching and mentoring practices and most importantly; it is embedded in the best practice research and the many studies of what works in enhancing student learning.

Let me introduce the elements to you.

Beginning of Lesson

Element One: The Essential Question

We believe in the use of an inquiry approach to our teaching and learning and the need for students to have an understanding and the purpose of the lesson. We know that good questions direct students to dig deeper into content and processes, and delve deeper into the subject matter. More importantly they propel students to learn to ask their own questions. And within a subject they help focus content on the crucial and important parts of that subject. This is more than just letting the students know what they are learning to do in the lesson. It is about connecting prior knowledge to future applications.

Essential questions are non-judgmental, open-ended, meaningful, purposeful and they relate to the students. It is through the essential question that we as teachers, connect to our students.

Element Two: An Initiating Strategy

The purpose of an initiating strategy is to help students frame their thinking and focus on the concept at hand. The most important part of a lesson occurs during the first five minutes. If the activity engages students right away, you know there will be enough “sparks” to fly for the rest of the lesson and your job will be relatively easy. If the activity however is not challenging, repetitious, (”We’ve done this before!” Sound familiar?) there will be “lulls” that more often than not, result in discipline problems. The key of course, is to keep the “sparks flying,” but it all really depends on how you can spark up your classroom right away.

Simply google “best lesson plan hooks” and you will have plenty of ideas to “hook” your students into the lesson.

The Main Body of the Lesson

Research tells us that 80% of what a child learns is from their peers. Therefore we need to be more student centred with bulk time in co-operative/collaborative activities.

Element Three: Limiting Teacher Talk

We all love to talk in the classroom! So, we should; after-all, we are teachers! But ‘teacher-talk’ can (not solely) be a root-cause of poor behaviour and debilitate student’s acquisition of knowledge and skill during a lesson. Reducing teacher talk and allowing more time in lessons for students to be active participants in their learning, we believe is an important aspect of developing outstanding teaching and learning.

Element Four: Use of Graphic Organisers

Graphic organizers are important and effective pedagogical tools for organizing content and ideas and facilitating learners’ comprehension of newly acquired information. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences posits that students are better able to learn and internalize information when more than one learning modality is employed in an instructional strategy. Since graphic organizers present material through the visual and spatial modalities (and reinforce what is taught in the classroom), the use of graphic organizers helps students internalize what they are learning.

For today’s classroom, nothing is more essential to successful teaching and learning than strategy-based instruction. It is through the use of specific teaching strategies and learning tools that students can be more successful learners. Graphic organizers are teaching and learning tools; when they’re integrated into classroom experiences, students are better able to understand new material. Creating a strong visual picture, graphic organizers support students by enabling them to literally see connections and relationships between facts, information, and terms.

Graphic organizers have dual functions. They are effective as both a teaching and learning tool. As an instructional strategy it helps teachers:

Introduce a topic
Activate prior knowledge and linkit with new information
Organize content to be presented and a visually summarize the lesson once taught
Assess student comprehension, identify and address any questions or clarifications needed

Element Five: Differentiated Groups

Carol Ann Tomlinson is a leader in the area of differentiated learning and describes differentiated instruction as factoring students’ individual learning styles and levels of readiness first before designing a lesson plan. Research on the effectiveness of differentiation shows this method benefits a wide range of students, from those with learning disabilities to those who are considered high ability.

Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all students using a variety of instructional strategies, or it may require the teacher to deliver lessons at varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of each student.

We know that teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom:

Design lessons based on students’ learning styles.
Group students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments.
Assess students’ learning using formative assessment.
Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.
Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students’ needs.

Element Six: Targeted Instructional Strategies & Active Teacher Movement

Connected to the differentiated groups is the need to decide on the essential teaching strategy for that engages small groups of students. Educational researchers have known for decades that a student learns best when teaching is targeted to what he/she is ready to learn. If the material is too easy, students can become bored and disengage. If it is too hard, students will flounder and may choose to misbehave or give up rather than face continued failure. In either case, little is learnt. But if teaching is targeted at what students are ready to learn, powerful progress can be made.

Choosing appropriate teaching strategy is the key to this element. It is not about “busy work” while you work with a group of students. It is your direct intervention, checking for understanding, monitoring and providing feedback as you move from group to group.

The active teacher is roaming, identifying the disengaged student, and bringing them back on task.

Element Seven: Higher Order Questioning

In today’s world it is necessary, but not sufficient, for students to achieve minimal competence in areas such as reading, writing and numeracy. Beyond the achievement of minimal competence, students also need to develop what are often called ‘higher order’ thinking skills including critical literacy, critical numeracy and cross-curricular competencies. A useful conceptualisation of higher order thinking skills distinguishes two contexts in which these skills are employed: contexts where the thought processes are needed to solve problems and make decisions in everyday life; and contexts where mental processes are needed to benefit from instruction, including comparing, evaluating, justifying and making inferences. The ability to employ higher order thinking skills in both these contexts is seen as essential in a rapidly changing world and the first context in particular is being adopted as a starting point for international assessment programs.

Afterall, isn’t this is the outcome of implementing the vision of the school.

Remember: Retrieving relevant knowledge from long-term memory (recognizing, recalling)
Understand: Determining the meaning of instructional messages, including oral, written, and graphic communication (interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, explaining)
Apply: Carrying out or using a procedure in a given situation (executing, implementing)
Analyze: Breaking materials into its constituent parts and detecting how the parts relate to one another an to an overall structure or purpose (differentiating, organizing, attributing)
Evaluate: Making judgments based on criteria and standards (checking, critiquing)
Create: Putting elements together to form a novel, coherent whole or make an original product (generating, planning, producing)

Information learned and processed through higher-order thinking processes is remembered longer and more clearly than information that is processed through lower-order, rote memorization. This may be the most important benefit of high-order thinking. Knowledge obtained through higher-order thinking processes is more easily transferable, so that students with a deep conceptual understanding of an idea will be much more likely to be able to apply that knowledge to solve new problems.

End of Lesson

Element Eight: Summarise and Reflection

The closure of the lesson is the time when you wrap up a lesson plan and help students organize the information in a meaningful context in their minds. This helps students better understand what they have learned and provides a way in which they can apply it to the world around them. A strong closure involves summarising and reflecting on the lesson. It can help students better retain information beyond the immediate learning environment. A brief summary or overview is often appropriate; it doesn’t have to be an extensive review.

In order to maximise the lesson there are a number of tactics which can support you to make the time more organised and productive.

- End early. Don’t try to cover too much material in one hit. Don’t mistake pace for manic activity. Leave at least eight minutes to finish off the lesson properly.
- Use a structured plenary/reflection to end the session. This should be a group or individual reflection on what has been learned.
- Ask the pupils to identify two or three key points they have learned from the lesson. These can be shared in small groups either written or as drawings and cartoons. A review of these points could become a regular feature of a homework routine.
- Summarise the learning.
- Set the scene for the following lesson.
- Have clear routines for an organised departure. Don’t fall into the trap of not clearing away apparatus in good time.
- Vary the way in which the pupils are dismissed, for example, row-by-row, small groups, alphabetically, one by one after answering a question. This will help keep the lesson focused right until the end.

The impact of effective lessons can not be underestimated, even for the more experienced teachers. Our lesson expectations offer teachers guidance and support for the teaching and learning, but more importantly, helps lead to improved outcomes for our students.

7 Ways to Support Your Professional (Educational) Reading

Every effective teacher wants to be a better practitioner tomorrow than they are today. They are always looking to improve. While attending conferences and workshops, undertaking courses or joining a professional association are helpful activities to develop your prowess as a teacher, the reading of academic journals and educational texts/books is a good way to meet your own learning needs.

Professional reading for teachers is one of the simplest ways to improve practice. Great teachers want to be better tomorrow than today. Courses and conferences help, but reading gives you steady, low-cost learning. It also lets you choose what you need, when you need it.

If you struggle to find time, you are not alone. The goal is not to read everything. The goal is to build a habit that supports your classroom work.

Why professional reading for teachers matters

Reading keeps your thinking fresh. It helps you test assumptions and sharpen decisions. It also gives you practical strategies you can try the next day.

It works best when you read with a clear link to your pupils. That link might be engagement, behaviour, SEN support, questioning, or assessment. When the reading connects to a real problem, you are more likely to act.

Professional reading for teachers: 7 habits that work

1) Set clear targets

Choose a realistic target for a term or semester. Start small so you can win early. For example, one article a week or one book each half term.

Write your target down and review it monthly. Adjust if your workload changes. Consistency matters more than volume.

2) Schedule a regular reading time

Put reading into your week like any other priority. Fifteen minutes is enough to keep momentum. The best time is the one you can repeat.

Try common “anchor” times, such as:

before breakfast
during your commute
after a staff meeting
after dinner, before screens

3) Keep a live reading list

Your day-to-day teaching throws up questions. Capture them as they appear. This makes your reading purposeful, not random.

Use a note on your phone or a small notebook. Add topics like SEN strategies, learning centres, feedback, or questioning. When you next browse a journal or bookshop, you will know what to look for.

4) Read with a purpose, then take action

Before you start, write one question you want answered. While you read, take short notes. Keep them simple so you will use them later.

Aim to leave each reading session with:

one idea to try this week
one question to discuss with a colleague
one quote or model worth saving

5) Join or start a school book club

Reading is easier when others expect you to show up. A book club creates gentle accountability. It also turns reading into shared practice.

Keep it light and consistent. Meet for 30 minutes every two to three weeks. Choose short chapters or one article at a time.

6) Write about what you read

Writing helps you think clearly. It also helps you remember and apply ideas. You do not need to publish in a journal to benefit.

Try one of these formats:

a short reflection for your team
a one-page summary with “what I will try”
a quick post on your staff platform or blog

7) Keep a book with you

Carry a book, or carry access to one. Reading moments appear in small gaps. Waiting rooms, trains, and quiet mornings add up over time.

Use what fits your life:

a paperback in your bag
an e-reader app on your phone
an audiobook for walks and commutes
a podcast linked to your current topic

A simple weekly routine you can start now

Keep it easy for the first four weeks. Pick one topic, one text, and one time. Then repeat.

Monday: 15 minutes reading
Wednesday: 10 minutes notes and one action step
Friday: share one idea with a colleague
Next week: try the idea in one lesson

Professional reading for teachers works when it becomes normal. Start small, stay steady, and connect reading to real classroom choices. Over time, you will build both knowledge and confidence.

Learning for the Future – Building the Right Learning Environments

In recent years it seems every country has revised their curriculum articulating the knowledge and skills that students need for the new global workforce. With the close scrutiny that accompanies changes to current practice, the debate on quality and success follows. The consequence of such scrutiny has seen international comparative studies of student achievement, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA], been used as the performance reference. This focus is such that “a global competition in educational achievement in core subject matter areas like reading, arithmetic/mathematics and science” has emerged.

A 21st century curriculum is now a live issue in almost every education system. Governments revise curricula to describe the knowledge and skills students need for a changing workforce. With that change comes scrutiny, and debate about what “success” looks like.

International comparisons often shape that debate. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures how 15-year-olds use reading, mathematics, and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges, so it is often treated as a reference point. OECD+1

Why curriculum reform attracts so much debate

Curriculum is never neutral. It signals what a society values and what it rewards. When you change it, you change what teachers prioritise, what students practise, and what families expect.

Reform also raises a hard question. Are we strengthening core learning, or are we chasing the latest idea?

How PISA influences the conversation

PISA is not a curriculum, but it influences curriculum choices. It provides comparable data across countries and focuses on applied literacy in reading, mathematics, and science. In many places, headlines about rankings create pressure to “improve performance” quickly. OECD+1

Two cautions help here:

PISA is one lens, not the whole picture.
Test results can inform decisions, but they should not define the full purpose of schooling.

Designing a 21st century curriculum with skills and knowledge

Alongside PISA, many systems have pushed “future skills”. The Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) framed this as a blend of strong core subjects and explicit skill development, shaped for a world where change is constant and learning never stops. ERIC+1

In practice, the 21st century curriculum is not a choice between knowledge and skills. It is about teaching knowledge in ways that build transfer, judgement, and independence. That requires deliberate planning, not wishful thinking.

Common skill areas to plan for

Most frameworks point to a similar set of skills that sit across subjects:

critical thinking and problem solving
collaboration and communication
creativity and innovation
digital and media literacy

Personalised learning environments: promise and pitfalls

Many schools responded to these pressures by redesigning learning spaces and programmes. Personalised learning environments can be powerful when they are designed around learning, not furniture.

The risk is surface change. The room looks modern, but classroom routines and expectations stay the same. If your teaching model does not change, the environment rarely changes outcomes.

If you have a short video that captured your school’s earlier vision, it can still be useful. Use it as a reflection tool. Ask what you would keep, what you would change, and what evidence you have gained since then.

Practical questions for school leaders

If you are leading curriculum review, use questions that keep you grounded:

1) What must every student know well?

Name the essential knowledge and the progression over time. Keep it tight, and protect it.

2) Which skills will we teach explicitly?

Do not assume skills appear by accident. Plan where they are taught, practised, and assessed.

3) How will we know it is working?

Use multiple measures. Include student work, teacher judgement, wellbeing data, and assessment results.

4) What will we stop doing?

A 21st century curriculum needs space. If everything stays, nothing improves.

A simple action plan for your next term

Map your curriculum aims to a small set of outcomes.
Audit where key skills are taught and assessed.
Review tasks and units for depth, not coverage.
Use PISA-style “real world” problems as one task type, not the only one.
Revisit learning spaces and technology to ensure they serve pedagogy.

A 21st century curriculum works best when it is coherent. It protects core knowledge, teaches skills on purpose, and gives teachers the time and tools to do great work.

A few years ago, as part of an educational refurbishment to attempt to meet the learning needs of the “millennials” as a means to develop the necessary capabilities and aptitudes to embrace the future, a personalised learning environment was created. This short video highlights our vision at the time. Time, and the explosion of personalised learning environments would indicate we were at the forefront of learning innovation.

The Greatest Gift Teachers Can Give Students

Students of the 21st century are constantly defined as being techno savvy and engaged in the digital world. Perhaps as Vicktor Frankl, a renowned psychiatrist explains in a 1972 presentation, our greatest gift as a teacher is to not only recognise the student’s search for meaning but help them become who they want to be.

This focus on learning is further explored in Sir Ken Robinson’s presentation at the 2010 TED conference. In the presentation Sir Ken discusses the need to transform learning to meet the needs of the digital learners. (His wristwatch reference is a clear example of what schools need to address when planning elearning experiences).

The greatest gift a teacher can give students is the provision of a personalised learning environment. Knowing that all children learn differently, at different times and in different circumstances. it is important that our schools create the conditions that engages all students in their learning.

…..and this is not an easy task!

Why Data is Important for Teachers

Over the years schools have evolved in the use of data. As our understanding of data grows we are more able to meet the needs of our students. Data, in the form of assessments, anecdotal records on student learning activities and even information on out of school events, can be used effectively to improve student learning.

Schools have come a long way in how they use data. As our understanding grows, so does our ability to meet student needs. Whether it’s through assessments, anecdotal records, or wellbeing indicators, data can be a powerful driver of learning—if it reaches the right hands.

The key is giving teachers timely access to useful data. Effective teachers use it to understand their students, track progress, and guide next steps. But data alone doesn’t improve learning. Knowing how to interpret it does.

Understanding What the Data Tells Us

One major barrier is teacher confidence with data. School leaders play a critical role here. They need to help teachers unpack the meaning behind the numbers and identify the impact on learning. When teachers see what data can do, it becomes more than a number—it becomes a tool for teaching.

Students also benefit. They need to know where they are in their learning and where they’re heading. Strong teachers show them what success looks like and help them get there.

What Kind of Data Do Teachers Need?

Teachers need more than academic records. They need a full picture—how students learn, how they behave, and where they’re going next. A clear understanding of the curriculum, benchmarks, and performance standards enables teachers to plan effective lessons and learning experiences.

Importantly, this knowledge must be shared across year levels. What counts as an ‘A’ in one class should match another. That’s where moderation and collaboration matter.

Using Data for Planning and Reflection

Data helps teachers make informed decisions about:

What students need next
Which teaching strategies are working
Where to adjust their approach
How to differentiate instruction

Teachers use data to identify individual learning needs, plan support, revise key concepts, collect evidence for reporting, and reflect on their own practice. It sharpens focus and adds clarity to what’s happening in the classroom.

When used well, data doesn’t reduce teaching to numbers. It empowers teachers to meet students where they are and guide them further.

What Makes an Outstanding School?

While every school is concerned with school improvement initiatives as a means to improve student learning, research would suggest that the vast majority of these fail. The problem lies in the emphasis on what teachers believe ought to work rather than investigating and using evidence of what does work. It is not simply the programs that schools offer.

Every school strives for improvement, yet research suggests that many school improvement initiatives fail. Too often, schools rely on what they believe should work rather than focusing on evidence-based practices that do work.

Improvement is not simply about programmes, textbooks, or commercial solutions. Instead, when we look at what makes an outstanding school, certain key characteristics emerge.

1. Knowing What Outstanding Looks Like

If school leaders and teachers cannot define excellence, they are unlikely to achieve it. Many educators continue doing what they’ve always done, hoping for better results. Outstanding schools:
✔ Have a clear vision of success
✔ Define high standards for teaching and learning
✔ Continually assess and refine their practices

Without a shared understanding of what makes an outstanding school, progress remains stagnant.

2. Teachers Working in Teams

Collaboration is a key driver of success. In outstanding schools, teachers:
📌 Work in professional learning communities
📌 Share best practices and strategies
📌 Support each other in raising student achievement

A collegiate culture allows schools to tap into collective expertise, leading to more effective teaching and learning.

3. Responding to Student and School Data

Data-driven teaching is essential. Outstanding schools use student data to:
✔ Identify learning gaps and strengths
✔ Differentiate instruction to meet individual needs
✔ Adjust teaching strategies based on real evidence

Instead of guesswork or intuition, these schools make informed decisions that drive student success.

4. Focusing on Effective Teaching

The quality of teaching is one of the most significant factors in student achievement. In outstanding schools, teachers:
📌 Know their craft deeply
📌 Continuously refine their skills
📌 Adapt to student needs and changing educational landscapes

Responsive teaching ensures that students remain engaged, challenged, and supported.

5. Going Beyond Classroom Teaching

Outstanding schools attract and retain highly motivated teachers—those who go beyond just teaching. These educators:
✔ Take on extracurricular activities
✔ Identify student needs and develop solutions
✔ Show a commitment to student growth beyond the curriculum

This culture of initiative helps schools create well-rounded learning experiences for students.

The Journey to Outstanding Takes Time

There is no quick fix or silver bullet for creating an outstanding school. It requires:
📌 A strong leadership vision
📌 A culture of continuous improvement
📌 A commitment to collaboration and innovation

One useful resource for leadership teams is “The Leadership Triangle: From Compliance to Innovation” by Paul Kimmelman. This book explores how schools can navigate compliance requirements while fostering true innovation and improvement.

Ultimately, what makes an outstanding school is its ability to stay focused, work collectively, and commit to long-term excellence.

What steps is your school taking towards outstanding?

The Role of Teachers as Researchers in Student Success

As a principal focused on improving student learning I was heartened by the recent presentations at the Dubai International Education Conference recently held at Al Ghurair University, Dubai. With the key message that the teacher is the centre of improving student attainment, the various keynote and concurrent presentations offered insight into the effective impact of the role of the “Teacher as researcher.”

The teacher as researcher can be distinguished from their colleagues as they attempt to better understand their TEACHing practice and how it impacts upon their students. In researching the relationship between teaching and learning the teacher researcher actively contributes to the conversation of what makes a difference to student learning. This is an evidenced based process and involves reflective inquiry, working in collaboration with other teachers, their students, parents and the community.

Interpreting real time data, analysing the data and them making informed decisions based upon this information is pivotal to improving the school outcomes. The challenge is ensuring that all schools improve. However, as shared by Professor David Lynch (Southern Cross University):

“It is interesting to note that the latest figures released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (Dubai’s education authority) show that the number of private schools in Dubai will reach 250 by the year 2020 or 16 per year. There are currently 169 private schools in Dubai as of last year, but this number will increase by almost 50% in the next six years to accommodate the projected 50% increase in student population from the current 243,000 level to 366,000 by 2020 or by 24,000 per year. One of the big challenges for the UAE is to prepare or engage enough teachers to meet this demand profile.”

With the rapid increase in the number of schools in Dubai to meet the increasing demand and the KHDA prescribed inspection process identifying what makes an “outstanding school” on what constitutes an outstanding school will continue to create much debate. To help foster the dialogue perhaps our latest publication “Creating the Outstanding School” will help.

How to Overcome Summer Brain Drain in Schools

The summer break (although almost over) is often referred to by educators as the “Brain Drain” holiday. Commonly referred to as the “Summer Brain Drain,” learning loss happens to nearly all students during the months of June, July and August. Researchers are now in agreement with what parents have already known (see ‘Summer Brain Drain’ Robs Some Students of Skills Gained During School Year). In fact there is a school of thought that suggests that “Most students — regardless of family income or background — lose 2 to 2 1/2 months of the math computational skills that they learned during the school year.” Over the life of a school student it is possible to lose up to two years of learning!

Furthermore, there is some scholarship that suggests teachers too face a similar regression in learning. When everyone returns from the long break, while the main talk in the staff room might be about time spent with family and friends, I would hope there will be time for some professional learning as well. (In the article Sizzling Summer Tips for Super Teachers there are a number of great ideas to help teachers prepare for the new academic year).

However, the beginning of a new academic school year signals the start of new beginnings with teachers working overtime to minimize the impact of the summer break on learning. Watching teachers breathe new life into their classrooms and seeing students enthusiastically engaged is a sight to behold.

Enjoy the year!

Building Teacher Professional Learning

One of the rewards of leading an international school is working with a community drawn from a rich mix of cultures and backgrounds.

One of the rewards of leading an international school is working with a community drawn from a rich mix of cultures and backgrounds. Teachers bring with them a range of experiences, worldviews, and classroom approaches shaped by the systems in which they trained. These differences can be a powerful strength, encouraging innovation, adaptability, and global perspectives in our schools.

But diversity also brings complexity. For principals and heads of school, aligning a team of international educators around a shared purpose is no small task. While the goal is clear (ie raise student achievement), the pathways teachers take can vary significantly.

Some teachers arrive from content-heavy traditions. Others are used to inquiry-led or standards-based models. Views on assessment, behaviour, curriculum design, and teacher collaboration can differ. Without strong leadership, schools risk drifting into fragmentation or well-meaning inconsistency.

The challenge is not to eliminate difference, but to connect it. A clear vision, shared expectations, and sustained professional learning are essential. Leaders must create the conditions for staff to learn from each other, reflect on their practice, and co-design what effective teaching looks like in their school.

Leading an international school is not about uniformity. It’s about coherence. It’s about building a professional culture where all teachers, regardless of background, understand how their work contributes to the whole. That clarity helps students too. Because when adults align around what matters most, learners benefit.

Educators interested in the international arena may enjoy reading the article, Raising Student Achievement: The work of the Internationally Minded Teacher which can be found at the International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change (www.ijicc.net).

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