All Present and Correct?
“No more being Mr Pink Fluffy Bunny” were some wise words of advice once given to me. The giver meant that I had to take responsibility and be prepared to say hard things to my learners. I still like to be thought of as “nice” but if anybody compromises the learning of my class I need to be able to address that directly.
We started with 6 learners. Two more came in late and so I laid out ground rules that they must be on time or drop a text to say that they will be late. Absent this, they would not be admitted to the lesson. I fully understand that emergencies occur and I am definitely sympathetic to these but communication is essential. The learners were all ESOL learners although the focus of the lesson was to be Digital Skills rather than English. This would be a challenge. The first part of the lesson saw us go through some survey questions and discuss them so that they would be ready to complete it on their phones. One learner did not have the literacy skills to engage with this well. I highlighted this to Rach, our teaching assistant. I was nervous about this. Then we noticed that two learners didn’t have data on their phones. This was sorted by putting them onto the Guest Wifi and lending Rach’s phone to another who had more difficulties.
The surveys were completed in double quick time. We thought about the name of the course (Connected Lives) and saw that we were connected by the internet. The countries the learners mentioned being connected with were Somalia, USA Canada, Sweden, Italy, Romania, Bangladesh and Portugal. This sort of connectedness was quite exciting to talk about. We continued by identifying the main features of a computer. The mouse, cable and monitor were immediately named. I went on to ask about the various sockets that were on the front and back. These included those for the microphone, headphones and USB. I also identified the power button.
Next I did a naughty and turned off some of the computers by pressing the power button. I told everyone this was wrong. Eventually we turned on again and went to the start up screen. Several of them typed in the password given by Rach while I had been out of the room looking for it. When I got back I asked them all to type it in. We talked about the reasons for passwords. Eventually they all turned on the computers again although two of them tried turning on the screen instead of the base unit. Next time I shall make sure that all elements are off at the beginning.
They started off the next task by moving the mouse to the four corners of the screen. Following this I asked them to click in the search bar at the bottom and to type in the word “Paint”. The task was then to draw a large box taking up most of the screen. For those who finished early this was extended and they had to draw a coloured box within the box. Some great results which were both accurate and wildly inaccurate. We didn’t do a lot of work on the actual keyboard today. Mainly, they used it to type names and passwords and to hit the return or enter button. We will do more in the next session. An amazingly exhausting session. Full on with no prisoners taken as far as my body and mind were concerned. Slow down next time because I am more aware of their attainment levels. We will also have a break in the middle of the session. Note to self: “Be kind to everybody – even yourself”.
After the Lesson ...
AI is used here to generate imagined reflections on the lesson from the perspectives of four teachers. These perspectives are grounded in established pedagogical theory and support reflective evaluation of intent, implementation, and impact, contributing to ongoing improvement in teaching practice.
Zahida — Learning as social
Drawing on Lev Vygotsky, I really admire how you used dialogue and shared problem-solving to move learning forward. Your interaction around passwords, hardware, and even mistakes sits squarely in the Zone of Proximal Development, where learners succeed with guided support. Vygotsky reminds us that “learning awakens a variety of internal developmental processes” through social interaction, and your co-working with Rach exemplifies this. The way learners helped each other normalised confusion as part of learning rather than failure.
takeaway: Keep designing tasks that learners can only fully complete together.
Bob — Framed discovery
If we view your lesson through Jerome Bruner, the key strength is how discovery is framed rather than left open. You allow learners to explore functions such as mouse movement and basic software use, but within narrow, clearly defined tasks. Bruner argues that understanding develops when learners uncover principles for themselves, provided the structure is tight. Your extension activity maintains engagement without disrupting the core sequence.
takeaway: Use discovery selectively and always within clear boundaries.
Liz — Learning through cycles
From David Kolb’s perspective, your session moves through repeated cycles of action, reflection, and re-attempt. Learners try, encounter difficulty, discuss what happened, and then try again with adjusted understanding. You also model this cycle in your own reflection on pace and learner attainment. Learning here is iterative rather than linear.
takeaway: Build intentional opportunities to revisit the same action with greater clarity.
Contrasting Commentary
Ron — Instruction first
Approaching your lesson from B. F. Skinner, there is a clear point of tension. Allowing novices to experiment with core procedures, such as powering devices, risks reinforcing incorrect behaviours. Skinner’s work would argue for explicit demonstration, repetition, and immediate correction before exploration. From this view, efficiency and accuracy take precedence over experiential error.
takeaway: Decide where direct instruction should precede hands-on experimentation.
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From pedagogical principles to teaching takeaways
1. Use authority to secure access to learning
Make expectations explicit and non-negotiable
Intervene quickly when learning time is compromised
Separate behavioural boundaries from personal relationships
2. Scaffold across multiple dimensions
Plan for language, literacy, confidence, and access barriers
Use assistants and peers as intentional learning supports
Extend tasks without accelerating the whole group
3. Regulate pace and cognitive load
Limit the number of new actions per session
Rehearse core procedures multiple times
Build breaks into the session design