Are your classroom plenaries effective enough?

In a classroom you should do everything for a reason. A lot of teachers, often when they are being observed, think that they must include a plenary at the end of the lesson. This should never be to ‘tick a checkbox’ or for an observer’s gratification, but for you and your pupils to embed and consolidate learning.

Three important things to consider when thinking about plenaries:

1. It has to be planned.
2. You have to have sufficient time for them.
3. You have to get the kids to do the work.

This post questions the reasons why we have a plenary, alongside some examples of how we can optimise these tasks. Ditch the “tell me what you have learned this lesson” and replace it with a more meaningful task for both you and your pupils.

Effective Plenaries

Here are 5 key features of an effective plenary:

1. The plenary allows the teacher to assess the whole class’s understanding at once.
2. They are planned into a lesson where appropriate to summarise learning and this is not necessarily at the end. Mini plenaries can be used as an effective form of assessment at transition points within a lesson, although make sure pupil learning or consolidation is at the heart of a mini-plenary, not just a tick box exercise (Phil Beadle, 2013).
3. They are differentiated to the needs of your class. This is tricky! Allowing your class to access the plenary is critical but some challenge is needed so you can assess what they do not know.
4. An effective plenary should highlight the pupil’s misconceptions; once identified they need to be addressed either at the time or within the lessons that follow.
5. They give the pupils the opportunity to reflect on what and how they have learnt and guides them to their next steps to success.