S5 E12 - The Secret Weapon for Effective Retrieval Practice

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Curriculum organisers are powerful tools for implementing effective retrieval practice in the classroom. These simple three-page documents provide clarity for teachers about what to teach while helping students understand exactly what they need to focus on during retrieval and review activities.

• Originated from Joe Kirby's "knowledge organisers" at the Michaela School in London
• Provide clarity for teachers on what content to cover without dictating teaching methods
• Include student-friendly vocabulary definitions, key understandings, and questions with answers
• Connect to assessment through achievement standards and language functions
• Help break down instruction into manageable parts following Rosenshine's principles
• Enable teachers to evaluate what students already know to make connections to new learning
• Support students' cognitive load by organising content clearly
• Can be used to scaffold language development for all students, especially EAL learners
• Include simple rubrics with A-E performance descriptors as success criteria

Creating curriculum organisers for each unit will help you deliver concise, strong, targeted teaching right from the start. While implementing evidence-based practices has its complexities, understanding what students need helps us engineer success for them and for ourselves.

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