Safety First
After the Lesson ...
AI is used here to generate imagined reflections on the lesson from the perspectives of four educational thinkers, “Nel” (Noddings), “Paolo” (Freire), “Jerome” (Bruner), and “BF” (Skinner). These perspectives are grounded in established pedagogical theory and support reflective evaluation of intent, implementation, and impact, contributing to ongoing improvement in teaching practice.
Nel – Ethics of Care
Dear teacher, I want you to understand that care is not an optional extra in education; it is the foundation upon which all meaningful learning rests. When learners feel seen, listened to, and taken seriously, they are far more willing to risk error and engage deeply. Your attentiveness to learners’ voices, languages, and experiences is not sentimental—it is intellectually rigorous. A classroom grounded in care is one where moral, emotional, and cognitive growth can occur together.
“The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter.”
Practical advice: Intentionally build relational trust before expecting intellectual vulnerability.
Jerome – Spiral Curriculum and Meaning Confirmation
Dear teacher, I want you to trust that learners can return to big ideas again and again, each time with greater depth and confidence. When you revisit concepts like danger, safety, and readiness, you are not repeating yourself—you are strengthening understanding. You honour your learners by presenting ideas in forms that are honest but accessible, rather than diluted. When you allow discovery to unfold through well-chosen questions and analogies, you invite learners to feel that understanding is something they arrive at, not something imposed upon them.
“Any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development.”
Advice: Keep planning for recurrence rather than coverage, and let important ideas reappear in new guises across weeks and activities.
Paulo – Dialogic and Transformative Education
Dear teacher, I urge you never to settle for reading that stops at the surface of the text. When you push your learners beyond factual recall, you affirm that education is about becoming, not merely knowing. Your questions about readiness, truth, and behaviour treat learners as moral agents capable of reflection and change. By connecting sacred text to lived experience, you resist turning education into narration and instead make it an encounter.
“Reading the word is not preceded merely by reading the text, but by reading the world.”
Advice: Keep asking questions that disturb comfort gently and open space for reflection, even when simpler questions would be easier.
Contrasting Commentary
B.F. Skinner – Behaviourism
Dear teacher, I am primarily concerned with what can be observed, measured, and reinforced. From my perspective, internal meaning, belief, or understanding is secondary to behaviour shaped through repetition and reward. I would encourage you to focus on correct responses rather than reflective dialogue, and on efficiency rather than exploration. However, I would struggle to account for the depth of engagement, identity, and transformation you seek in your learners.
“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”
Advice: Be cautious of teaching approaches that prioritise compliance and speed over meaning, dialogue, and inner conviction.
Checklist for This Type of Class
Planning & Structure
Revisit prior learning explicitly and meaningfully
Design lessons with a clear conceptual through-line
Plan for progression: recall → application → reflection
Learning Environment
Establish psychological safety before cognitive challenge
Normalise approximation and error as part of learning
Use humour and gentle obstruction to sustain engagement
Teaching Strategies
Embed language learning in real, shared experiences
Use movement and physical space to anchor concepts
Scaffold pronunciation and vocabulary through modelling and analogy
Feedback & Assessment
Give formative feedback that invites self-correction
Avoid public comparison that shames or fixes identity
Listen for adjustment, not perfection
Inclusion & Identity
Treat learners’ first languages as assets
Acknowledge cultural and personal backgrounds explicitly
Build dignity through recognition and respect
Depth & Meaning
Go beyond factual recall; ask “why” and “so what?”
Use analogy to bridge abstract ideas
Encourage ethical, spiritual, or value-based reflection through dialogue
Teacher Disposition
Maintain intentional control of pacing without domination
Be responsive to learners’ contributions
Teach with clarity, warmth, and moral seriousness
Good to go?
“No more being Mr Pink Fluffy Bunny” was some wise words of advice given me once. 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 you compromise the learning of my class or yourself 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 message 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 next 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 went on to talk about airmail and the cost of international phone calls in the past. We also talked about people we are connected with on the internet. They looked up PC on their phones and saw that it meant Personal Computers as opposed to Business machines of the past.
– The session started with us identifying the main features. The mouse, cable and monitor were immediately named. I went on to ask about the various sockets that were on the front. These included the microphone, headphones and USB. I also pointed out the DVD player. The power button was identified.
Turn on and log into a PC – Using the power button and identifying elements of the log in screen –
I did a naughty and turned off some of the computers by pressing the power button. I told them this was wrong. Eventually we turned on and went the start up screen. Several of them typed in the password given by Rach while I was 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. I replaced their passwords with random 4 letters intending for them to use the reveal tool to see what was typed. This would also involve them in using the mouse, cursor and left click. We saw an icon of the eye indicating the “eye icon” or “password visibility toggle”. We also saw icons of the cursor. Eventually they all turned on the computers 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.
Use the mouse effectively – To move to parts of the screen and to select and click icons and text –
They started off 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.
Identify keyboard features – And use the letters, numbers, spacebar, shift, enter –
We didn’t do a lot of work on the actual keyboard today. Mainly they used it to type names and password and to hit the return or enter button. We will do more on the keyboard in the next session.
identify 4 uses of a PC – Business, education, communication entertainment etc –
This was done early in the session as we talked about who we are connected with and as we answered the survey questions. We particularly looked at Amazon. Ebay and Temu. Life in the UK was identified as an activity requiring computer use. – 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 the level of competency. We will also have a break in the middle of the session.
After the Lesson ...
AI is used here to generate imagined reflections on the lesson from the perspectives of four educational thinkers, “Lev” (Vygotsky), “John” (Dewey), “Malcolm” (Knowles), and “BF” (Skinner). These perspectives are grounded in established pedagogical theory and support reflective evaluation of intent, implementation, and impact, contributing to ongoing improvement in teaching practice.
Lev Vygotsky
Dear Teacher, when you place learners in conversation about who they are connected to across the world, you are rightly treating learning as a socially constructed process. I would commend your use of shared discussion, guided questioning, and collective problem-solving when learners struggled to log in or identify hardware, as these moments sit squarely within the Zone of Proximal Development. Your presence as a supportive guide, rather than a distant authority, allows learners to move from confusion to competence through interaction. However, you must ensure that no learner is left unsupported, particularly those with literacy barriers, as social mediation must be accessible to all.
My advice is that you intentionally pair learners or structure peer support so that social interaction becomes a reliable scaffold rather than an incidental one.
John Dewey
Dear Teacher, your decision to let learners physically turn on computers, handle the mouse, and even make mistakes with the power button reflects sound educational judgement. I would strongly support your use of real tools and authentic tasks, such as using Paint and logging in, because understanding grows out of direct experience. When you paused to discuss global connectedness and the history of communication, you enabled learners to reflect on experience and link it to meaning. Yet I would caution you that the pace of the session risks overwhelming learners, as experience must be followed by time for reflection if it is to become educative rather than merely exhausting.
My advice is that you deliberately build in short reflective pauses where learners articulate what they have just discovered and why it matters.
Malcolm Knowles
Dear Teacher, you are right to treat your learners as adults by setting clear expectations around punctuality and communication while remaining empathetic to genuine difficulties. I would also endorse your emphasis on relevance, particularly when you connected computer use to shopping, communication, and Life in the UK, as adults are motivated by immediate usefulness. Your flexible response to issues of access, such as data shortages and literacy challenges, respects learners’ need for dignity and autonomy. However, you should involve learners more explicitly in self-assessing their confidence and readiness, as adults benefit from greater ownership of pace and process.
My advice is that you make learners’ goals more explicit at the start of the session and revisit them at the end to reinforce purpose and progress.
Contrasting Commentary
(Speaking frankly with Rigour and Challenge)
B.F. Skinner
Dear Teacher, I find much of your lesson design unnecessarily indulgent. Allowing extended discussion, tolerating incorrect actions with equipment, and adapting activities on the fly undermines efficiency and control. You should have drilled correct procedures—such as powering on devices and logging in—through repetition until errors were eliminated. From my standpoint, your concern for meaning, relevance, and learner experience distracts from the primary goal: the reliable production of correct digital behaviours.
My advice is that you isolate a small number of core actions and rehearse them repeatedly so that basic procedures become automatic before you broaden the task.
Checklist for This Type of Class
A. Preparation
☐ Ensure all equipment is fully off at the start
☐ Check Wi-Fi access and backup devices
☐ Anticipate low literacy and plan verbal/visual alternatives
B. Establishing the Learning Environment
☐ Set clear ground rules with empathy
☐ Normalise mistakes as part of learning
☐ Build trust through humour and transparency
C. Teaching Digital Skills
☐ Teach one core skill at a time
☐ Model first, then guide, then observe
☐ Use real tasks (login, Paint, passwords)
☐ Explicitly name icons, buttons, and actions
D. Supporting Understanding
☐ Link tasks to real-life relevance
☐ Encourage learners to talk about what they see and do
☐ Use repetition and recap frequently
E. Differentiation and Inclusion
☐ Pair learners informally for peer support
☐ Offer extension tasks for early finishers
☐ Reduce reliance on text where possible
F. Pacing and Wellbeing
☐ Build in a mid-session break
☐ Plan fewer objectives per session
☐ Allow time for consolidation and reflection
G. Reflective Practice
☐ Note learner confusions for next time
☐ Adjust pace based on observed competence
☐ Protect tutor energy – intensity is not sustainability
What have I been doing?
This was the last session of term and there were 7 children waiting outside the classroom as the teacher had not dismissed her class for the day. I went in and set the room. When signalled by the teacher I called in my crew of chessmates. The chess display board was up. I then thought “why do stuff that could otherwise be a learning or consolidation activity?” So I called on the two youngest to slot the pieces in. This was their 10th week of chess and they made a good go of it.
Today I sat down with one of the children who had special educational needs; Mo by name. He picked up a pawn and nervously put it down in a jerky fashion. He had moved it diagonally. Oh No! Ten weeks of teaching and he can’t confidently move a pawn. What have I been doing? Never mind, I was glad for a chance to redeem myself while the others played out their games, doubtless with a smattering of seemingly aimless and thoroughly illegal moves.
Del triumphantly held up his opponent’s king and claimed a win. He became deflated when I said in our club it is illegal to pick up or even touch your opponent’s king. You can touch any other piece when you are capturing it but not so the king. So I called it a draw. One of the reasons for this rule is that it is so difficult for the adjudicator to adjudicate on anything when pieces have been lifted a long way from the board and only to be replaced in a wrong square. That is a recipe for a thousand arguments and upsets. This means I’m going to have to build in some etiquette about keeping your hand near to the board until your move is finished. Also important is the practice of having just one player’s hand over the board at a time. At this level children so easily get confused about whose turn it is. Having the hands of both players hovering over the board at the same time just adds to the mess.
Back to our pawn moving game. I first asked Mo to move the “a” pawn forward. Of course he moved the “a” rook because it was nearest the letter “a” on the edge of the board. We’re in for a long haul here. I corrected him and touched each file calling out the letter and the pawn on it. Then I’m back to calling the moves again. This time mixing up the letters. He moves them slowly and hesitantly but correctly. Time to reintroduce the idea that pawns can move twice on the first go. So I say “move the “a” pawn two squares” etc. Then it’s his turn to instruct me. This he does with the same hesitancy. At least he is consistent in that. But he does manage to give the instruction when I prod and help him by asking him to complete our phrase which I have begun. Wow. all this for one child. But he is getting it. I’m sure that by repeated movements we will reinforce his learning.
So much for me to get right next term. So much of the success of a session is just down to good housekeeping and etiquette. Before we even get down to strategies and tactics for the game itself I have to devise a strategy and tactics for starting up, closing down and packing away. Maybe then we won’t get to a point late in the term with fundamental errors being made. Planning. Planning. Planning.
After the Lesson ...
AI is used here to generate imagined reflections on the lesson from the perspectives of four educational thinkers, “Lev” (Vygotsky), “Jerome” (Bruner), “Maria” (Montessori), and “Jean” (Piaget). These perspectives are grounded in established pedagogical theory and support reflective evaluation of intent, implementation, and impact, contributing to ongoing improvement in teaching practice.
1. Lev Vygotsky – Social Development & Scaffolding
“What the child can do in cooperation today he can do alone tomorrow.” — Vygotsky
My friend, you are working very much in tune with my thinking. When you sit beside Mo and guide him gently, you are placing him right inside his Zone of Proximal Development, where your support becomes the bridge to his future independence. You’re giving him language and structure as tools, and these tools are what lift him into higher forms of reasoning. And when you create that social, shared learning atmosphere in your club, you’re recognising that children don’t learn in isolation — they grow through interaction, just as I’ve always insisted.
2. Jerome Bruner – Spiral Curriculum & Structured Reinforcement
“Any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development.” — Bruner
You know, you’re doing exactly what I’d encourage: circling back to core ideas so your students can deepen their grasp with each encounter. When you revisit pawn movement or notation, you’re not repeating — you’re spiralling, helping the children strengthen and refine their understanding. I can see that you’re presenting chess in ways that match their developmental level while still remaining intellectually honest. And when you hand over the instruction to them, even hesitantly, you’re giving them the chance to encode and own the knowledge — which is where genuine competence comes from.
3. Maria Montessori – Prepared Environment & Independence through Order
“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.” — Montessori
Ah, yes — the way you shape the environment of your chess club pleases me greatly. When you offer order, clarity, and predictable routines, you create the conditions in which a child can choose their actions with confidence and intention. I love that you invite the youngest children to help set up the board; you are giving them purposeful work that aids their development. And by reducing the distractors — the hovering hands, the chaotic movement — you are cultivating a space where concentration can flourish, which is the root of all meaningful learning.
Contrasting Commentary
(Speaking frankly with Rigour and Challenge)
Jean Piaget – Stage-Based Readiness and Natural Development
“When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself.” — Piaget
My dear colleague, I must be candid with you: I believe you are trying to impose structures before the child is developmentally prepared for them. When you expect young learners to grasp abstract conventions — file labels, rule-based logic, strict procedural etiquette — you may be working ahead of the cognitive stage they are currently in. Children pass through invariant stages, and no amount of adult insistence can accelerate these transitions. Be careful: too much explicit correction risks producing mimicry rather than genuine understanding. I would urge you to allow more exploration and self-discovery so that the necessary mental structures can form naturally, rather than being pressed upon them prematurely.
Checklist for Running a Session Like This
A. Foundation Before Flow
Ensure all children can confidently execute basic moves before introducing strategy.
Revisit fundamentals regularly (a “spiral” return to core concepts).
B. Establish Clear Rituals and Etiquette
One hand over the board at a time.
Hands stay near the board during moves.
Kings must not be lifted or handled during capture declarations.
Codify what counts as a legal/illegal move and rehearse it explicitly.
C. Use Every Moment as Learning Opportunity
Let pupils set up boards to reinforce piece recognition and spatial orientation.
Use transitions (setting up, packing away) as embedded learning routines.
D. Scaffolding and Differentiation
Work 1-to-1 with learners who need more time.
Use simple, repeatable prompts (e.g., “Move the a pawn two squares.”)
Gradually transfer responsibility by having learners give instructions back to you.
E. Manage Cognitive Load
Reduce visual clutter and simultaneous actions.
Minimise confusion about whose turn it is.
Teach one concept at a time and practise it deliberately.
F. Frequent Formative Checking
Check for understanding little and often (e.g., “Show me the c pawn.”).
Observe live play for recurring misconceptions and address them immediately.
G. Reflect and Adjust
Regularly evaluate which fundamentals need reinforcing.
Adjust planning for next term based on observable gaps, not assumptions.
H. Build a Predictable Session Structure
A simple, repeatable format might include:
Opening routine (boards out, etiquette reminder).
Short focused skill rehearsal (e.g., pawn movements).
Guided play with teacher circulating.
Etiquette/housekeeping reinforcement.
Closing reflection (children share one thing they learned).
Bury your stupid pride!
After the Lesson ...
AI is used here to generate imagined reflections on the lesson from the perspectives of four educational thinkers “Lev” (Vygotsky), “Jerome” (Bruner), “Paolo” (Friere), and “BF” (Skinner). These perspectives are grounded in established pedagogical theory and support reflective evaluation of intent, implementation, and impact, contributing to ongoing improvement in teaching practice.
Lev —
“Teacher, what you’re doing in that classroom is exactly what I’ve been trying to tell educators for years. When you let learning emerge from interaction—when you draw language out of your learners through objects, stories, or shared jokes—you are creating the social conditions that make development possible. Do not worry that the class veers from the plan; those dynamic, cooperative moments are where learners grow. Every time you guide them through a phrase, model pronunciation, or help them take the next linguistic step, you’re working right inside their Zone of Proximal Development. Keep leaning into those co-constructed moments. That’s where real learning is being born.”
Quote:
“What the child can do in cooperation today, he can do alone tomorrow.”
Paolo —
“My friend, your classroom is a deeply human place—and that is what matters most. When your learners share their stories of danger, hardship, or survival, you honour their dignity by listening and turning their experiences into meaningful learning opportunities. This is dialogue in the truest sense: not merely exchanging words, but encountering one another as people shaped by history, struggle, and hope. When you welcome lateness with compassion or weave their narratives into the lesson, you treat them as subjects, not objects of teaching. Continue to teach in that spirit. It transforms both you and them.”
Quote:
“Dialogue is the encounter between men, mediated by the world, in order to name the world.”
Jerome —
“What you’re doing with those pocket objects and personal stories is precisely the narrative, exploratory learning I championed. You let your learners discover language as they handle items, guess meanings, and share their memories—and in doing so, you help them construct understanding rather than receive it passively. The danger stories, the laughter, the shared surprises: these are more than activities—they are frameworks through which your students make sense of themselves and the world in English. Keep letting them piece meaning together through storytelling and exploration. That’s how knowledge becomes their own.”
Quote:
“We become aware of ourselves and our world through the stories we tell.”
Contrasting Commentary
B.F. Skinner —
“Teacher, I must confess: your classroom would trouble me. There is far too much spontaneity, unpredictability, and emotionally rich interaction for my behaviourist system, which relies on careful control of stimuli and reinforcement. You allow the environment to shift moment by moment, and you trust human meaning-making more than measurable behavioural outcomes. From my perspective, learners should be shaped through repeated patterns, drills, and consistent rewards—not through storytelling, community warmth, and improvisation. We simply operate from different assumptions about what learning is.”
Quote:
“A science of behavior must consider the organism as a machine.”
Checklist for Running This Type of Class
A. Planning and Flexibility
□ Prepare a clear plan but hold it lightly.
□ Allow spontaneous events (objects, stories, arrivals) to become learning opportunities.
□ Build lessons that can be shortened, stretched, or resequenced without stress.
B. Using Real-life Narratives
□ Invite learners to share personal stories in a structured, safe format.
□ Use stories to teach vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and discourse features.
□ Celebrate diversity of experiences; treat lived experience as curriculum.
C. Scaffolding Language Use
□ Provide sentence frames (e.g., “Can we try ___?”).
□ Model pronunciation and connected speech clearly and repeatedly.
□ Use multimodal aids—objects, drawings, gestures—to support understanding.
D. Building Community and Emotional Safety
□ Welcome latecomers and newcomers warmly; integrate them with zero shame.
□ Foster a tone of humour, empathy, and shared journey.
□ Encourage participation without pressure; validate all attempts.
E. Managing Teacher Identity
□ Accept that simplifying language is not a loss of expertise but an act of care.
□ Prioritise learner comprehension over performing intelligence.
□ Be comfortable modelling imperfect, adaptive communication.
F. Activity Design
□ Mix physical movement (circulation, object handling) with seated tasks.
□ Use games that embed real language practice (e.g., letters, questions, phrases).
□ Ensure each activity has a clear linguistic outcome (vocabulary, fluency, accuracy).
G. Ethical and Spiritual Sensitivity
□ When embedding faith content, use accessible language and check comprehension.
□ Present reflective questions gently and allow space for interpretation.
□ Treat the moral dimension as dialogue, not monologue.
on and on and on
What a great start to the lesson. It was an extended warmer. Read for that, my introduction went on longer than anticipated (by whom?). I rushed it for the four chess mates present today. But nevertheless it went well. They set up the board. They’re just about getting used to the idea of white on one and two and black on ranks seven and eight. Master Confidence made a great and fine distinction when he said white queen white square and shaded queen on shaded square. Why? Because actually our boards are dark green and white. I congratulated him on this and we moved on. This time we would go through the Opera game again. But they would have to call out the moves and I would move like a claw hand at the fairground. I needn’t have worried that Miss Expansive would be all at sea. She managed the first couple of moves very confidently. But then I had to make sure everybody got a chance by ordering that they speak the moves in turn. That was how we got to see that they know the moves well.
We got through to Bishop B4 then in came Leadson, late from swimming. He is a revelation. Late to the course and yet eager and with a good memory. We played on with me allowing alternative moves and discussing them. We got all the way through to checkmate with the words fork and pin being remembered and used by them. This was really encouraging. How to continue without encountering the dreaded b word (boring)? Just ensure that they know they are making good suggestions and that this is significant. Nothing succeeds like success.
In the end I go and play through the game at 90 miles an hour just so that they see it as a whole rather than discounted with chat. Finally to make a challenge and to allow them to see what can be done I close my eyes and move the pieces by touch and feel. Calling out the moves for reinforcement. They enjoyed adjusting the pieces as I obviously didn’t get them inch perfect. They would call out I adjust before doing so. This was all good.
Finally it was time for them to have their own free games. But I just couldn’t help myself. In order to win the right to a free game they had to call out the first two moves of the Opera game fluently with no ums and ahs and no unnecessary words. I did my usual long winded explanation of one move and yawned at the end of it. They got the point. Use the fewest number of words possible. A4, or Bishop captures g7 etc. Not “you pick up the white piece on the square called b2 and lift it towards the square called g7 simultaneously picking up the pawn, that’s the little piece with one point”. You get the idea. I want them using chess language when appropriate and more descriptive language at other times. The descriptive language shows understanding and appreciation. That happened when Master Confident said that the escaping knight said to the threatened rook “you’re on your own”. He could see there was no helping that rook. In the independent games there was a little squabbling and playfulness but they had earned the right to pay
After the Lesson ...
AI is used here to generate imagined reflections on the lesson from the perspectives of four educational thinkers “Lev” (Vygotsky), “Jerome” (Bruner), “John” (Hattie), and “BF” (Skinner). These perspectives are grounded in established pedagogical theory and support reflective evaluation of intent, implementation, and impact, contributing to ongoing improvement in teaching practice.
Lev Vygotsky
You have created a learning environment where thinking is made public and shared, and that is precisely where development occurs. By modelling first and then inviting pupils to call out moves in turn, you are working squarely within each child’s Zone of Proximal Development. The shared language of chess becomes the cultural tool that allows them to think more clearly and independently. Given time, what they now do together, they will soon do alone.
“What the child can do in cooperation today, he can do alone tomorrow.”
Jerome Bruner
You are not merely teaching moves; you are inducting your pupils into the structure of chess itself. By revisiting the Opera Game and encouraging them to articulate tactical ideas like forks and pins, you are helping them see patterns that will transfer to future games. Your insistence on precise chess language sharpens their thinking, while your openness to alternative moves preserves the spirit of discovery. This balance is the mark of deep teaching.
“We teach a subject not to produce little living libraries on that subject, but rather to get a student to think… for himself.”
John Hattie
Your lesson is effective because the learning is visible—both to you and to the pupils. When you require them to name moves fluently and without hesitation, you make success criteria clear and measurable. The immediate feedback you give, combined with your public celebration of correct thinking, ensures that pupils know not only whether they are successful, but why. This clarity accelerates learning and confidence.
“The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback.”
Contrasting Commentary:
B.F. Skinner (Behaviourist Perspective)
From my perspective, your lesson would benefit from tighter control of stimulus and response. While the pupils clearly enjoy discussion and metaphor, this introduces variability that may distract from efficient learning of correct moves. I would encourage you to define correct responses more narrowly and reinforce them consistently through repetition and immediate correction. Mastery, in my view, comes not from exploration but from the reliable strengthening of desired behaviours.
“The consequences of an act affect the probability of its occurring again.”
Note: These imagined reflections are voiced through “Lev” (Vygotsky), “Jerome” (Brunner) and “John” (Hattie) drawing on their real pedagogical approaches (using AI).
Practical Teaching Principles for this type of Chess Lesson
Preparation & Warm-Up
Begin with an extended but purposeful warm-up that activates prior knowledge.
Reinforce foundational routines (board set-up, colour orientation, piece identity).
Celebrate small conceptual distinctions made by learners.
Instructional Delivery
Use clear modelling: show moves, think aloud, and demonstrate strategies.
Employ turn-taking to ensure equitable participation and to assess understanding.
Scaffold gradually: “I show → we try together → you apply independently.”
Language & Reasoning
Teach precise disciplinary language (e.g., “Bishop takes g7”, “fork”, “pin”).
Encourage descriptive or metaphorical reasoning to deepen conceptual grasp.
Reduce verbosity by modelling concise chess notation when appropriate.
Feedback & Metacognition
Provide immediate, specific feedback on both moves and language.
Ask learners to justify their choices (“Why this move? What does it threaten?”).
Reinforce success publicly to build confidence and motivation.
Differentiation & Support
Adjust pace for newcomers without diluting challenge for more confident players.
Use whole-class structures (calling moves in turn) to level the playing field.
Introduce multimodal tasks (e.g., eyes-closed demonstrations) for varied learning styles.
Classroom Climate & Behaviour
Set interaction norms before transitioning to free play.
Use structured challenges to reinforce learning.
Praise effort, reasoning, and respectful competitive behaviour.
Closure & Reflection
Replay the full game at normal speed to give learners a holistic mental model.
Reinforce key tactical motifs (forks, pins, checkmate patterns).
Invite quick reflections on the day’s learning.
Three Shredded Wheat!!!
Just four today. But what a four! Four lively chatty girls in years four and five. There is some chatter about a school camping trip and the like as we come into the chess room but I let all that go as I think about how I will start the lesson. They continue, seemingly oblivious of my presence, and their voices get louder as they contest the right to speak and to be right. So I get a chess set out and begin laying it out without a word from myself. One of them notices and I simply say I was disappointed that they had spoken and carried on as though I wasn’t there. Another says she had stopped talking. Too late. I had a point to prove and would continue for a while playing out a game myself. They could watch. And that they did as each quietly protested that they had ceased talking. They hadn’t. I really should remember that this is an after school club not a lesson. It is at the end of the school day and they are here voluntarily. But still there are some standards that have to be taught and kept. Chattiness and joking I like but there is a time to stop and listen. And so they do.
Now that we are settled I go through the Opera Game at some speed once. Then again with a little storylike commentary to give some meaning and context to the moves. Finally, I play just the first six moves hoping, not against hope, that they will remember some of them. That’s one objective for today’s lesson: to be able to play those first six moves. That’s an achievement. To be clear, I reckon that this is not a big ask. I teach at another school where the energy levels are just as high but the listening is better. They would manage these moves well enough and without fuss. Anyhow, I try to make things interesting by challenging these girls. Each of them will keep moving the pieces until they make a mistake. We’ll keep up with this until all of them have managed the moves. We could be in for a long haul. Miss Little is the best of them by a mile. I don’t let on but it is obvious although even she makes mistakes and is upset with herself. I feel I have to manage this and make sure her disappointment doesn’t spill over into negativity for her and for others. Yet we have to keep her challenged. I advise that it is best if they choose to go last in our little game. Why? So that they can learn from the errors of others and so that they can see the correct moves repeated. Miss Turkey resiles from her decision to go first. Good. She’s listening.
One player makes some pretty weird moves which I say that a bishop can’t make even if he has had 3 shredded wheat for breakfast. That dates me. I must think of a more contemporary advert or reference. Bishops must religiously stay on their diagonals. I will each of the children on while trying not to interfere or encourage audibly. I want to take this approach so that I have been seen to be fair to each of them. No way that is going to work out when under my breath I whisper “Wow” for each unexpected correct move. Eventually two of them manage them all.
Once we have success I get the chance to introduce the touch move rule. I impress this upon them and go on to say that a grandmaster contravened the “let go” rule and this was considered cheating. Then there was the nicety of the “I adjust” rule. They loved that and tried it out loads. So a lot was gained today even through the chatter. Eventually I paired them off, with each pair having one confident player and one not so confident. Now they had to practice the first five Opera Game moves and then play on against each other. I was so happy with the results especially for Miss Pedantic who eventually got it.
So now with just a few minutes left and with time running out we all gathered at my table and I explained why each move had been taken. We went for control and contesting of the centre. That was easy enough. Next time I’ll have to lay down trails of tiddlywinks to visualize that control. Then we saw how, although black captured the pawns, this was done because of moving the same piece multiple times whereas white got more pieces out of the changing room and out onto the pitch ready to play. And so we hurriedly the ended our session with more chatter and giggling. Next week we will build on what we did today. But I’ll also have to give some fundamental teaching and practice on moving that Bishop without any shredded wheat.
After the Lesson
Now that the teacher had shut up shop as far as the lesson was concerned, three figures emerged from the back of the room. They each had something to say to the teacher.
Lev spoke first,
Your decision to let the girls watch the opening moves before attempting them themselves beautifully illustrates learning within the zone of proximal development—they saw what they could not yet do alone, but could achieve with guidance. The peer pairings later on were an excellent way of turning social interaction into cognitive growth, since children internalise strategies first between people and then within themselves. I would only encourage you to continue making use of dialogue and shared problem-solving, for it is in these interactions that their higher psychological functions will flourish.”
Then Jerome:
“I was struck by your use of storytelling and metaphor—the changing room, the pitch, even the tiddlywinks—for these narrative hooks give the moves meaning and make them cognitively ‘grippable.’ The way you modelled the Opera Game at different speeds is exemplary of scaffolding, gradually withdrawing support so the children could take increasing responsibility. What you are doing is tempting them intellectually, inviting them into the culture of chess, and that invitation is precisely what turns a skill into understanding.”
And finally Jean spoke up:
“These children are in the concrete operational stage, so your use of physical demonstration and simple, logical explanations—like why developing pieces matters more than re-moving the same one—fits their developmental readiness very well. They learn best through active manipulation and discovery, so giving them repeated chances to try the six moves on their own aligns perfectly with how they build mental structures. As they practise, they accommodate their errors and gradually construct a more stable understanding of chess principles, which is exactly how knowledge grows.”
Note: These imagined reflections are voiced through “Lev” (Vygotsky), “Jerome” (Brunner) and “Jean” (Piaget) drawing on their real pedagogical approaches.
Checklist for Running This Type of Class
Below is a distilled guide a teacher could use week to week.
A. Setting the Climate
☐ Begin calmly; establish presence without confrontation.
☐ Allow warm, natural chatter but signal clearly when focus must begin.
☐ Maintain humour and rapport while upholding boundaries.
B. Structuring the Learning
☐ Start with a clear, small, achievable objective (“first six moves”).
☐ Demonstrate the concept more than once in different modes (quick, narrated, slowed-down).
☐ Use metaphors or visual aids to anchor abstract ideas (e.g., centre control, movement patterns).
☐ Introduce rules and conventions gradually (touch-move, let-go, etc.).
C. Scaffolding and Practice
☐ Move from modelling → shared practice → individual attempts.
☐ Let students learn from each other’s attempts before their own turn.
☐ Pair confident and less confident learners strategically.
☐ Give repeated chances to practise until success is experienced.
D. Feedback and Emotional Support
☐ Give quiet, specific feedback that celebrates correct decisions.
☐ Manage disappointment sensitively; prevent frustration from derailing engagement.
☐ Reinforce effort, thinking, and process—not just correctness.
E. Fairness, Autonomy, and Growth
☐ Ensure each learner receives equal attention and challenge.
☐ Encourage students to notice and correct mistakes independently.
☐ Promote reflection: why did we play this move? What was its purpose?
F. Closing the Session
☐ Re-explain the logic of the moves to consolidate understanding.
☐ Highlight the strategic theme (e.g., centre control, development).
☐ Preview next session and note what needs reinforcement (e.g., bishop movement).
☐ End with warmth and a sense of shared accomplishment.
The very first session
My first job of the afternoon on this first day of term was to go to the playground to wait with the children as they finished off their snacks. I asked the first six or seven children for their names. I usually repeat names several times in conversation in my attempt to learn them. Them being seated on the ground and in line made it far easier to memorize. The trick would be to do this once they moved and got in different positions.
We got to the classroom in an orderly manner and I sent them one at a time to put their coats and bags on the window sill. Eventually they sat down in front of me. I said we wouldn’t do much chess today but that we would learn names. It was time for my old joke; if my first name is Joe and my second name is King then what is my full name? When they said this fast enough the penny dropped. One or two saw that I was Joe-king. Following this I gave them my actual name. Then I went around the class asking names and repeating them inordinately (for memory’s sake). When I came to one whose name I should have known because he had been with me last term I masked my forgetfulness by asking for the first letter of his name. This triggered my memory successfully. But I thought that this was a useful technique anyhow, even for new children and so we went along until we had all of the names. I asked if it was better than I said “Oy you at the back on the right”. We agreed that this would not be respectful. This is why it is so important to learn the names.
Once we finished the naming activity I asked them to gather around a table for a demonstration. Now all 19 of these five and six-year-olds were around a nest of three tables so that they could see what was going on. I asked what the square mat on the table was. Somebody said it was a chess board. Good start. I asked how many squares were on it. Another offered the number 64. I said, “If you answer a question please give your name first”. I asked how many rows and how many lines. We called the rows ranks and asked when we line up in ranks. For a school photo. Who else lines up in ranks? Soldiers. Then what is a file? A line where you line up one behind the other as opposed to shoulder to shoulder. I got them to line up shoulder to shoulder and pointed out their ranks. Then they turned ninety degrees and ended up one behind the other and that counted as a file.
Now it was time for the pieces and their movements and positions. I got out a piece and asked what it was. Somebody offered the answer “pawn”. That’s good. I gave out all eight pawns to the younger children to keep them engaged. I put the first one down on square a2 and asked them to put theirs down one at a time on starting squares, This they did and mostly successfully called out the names of the squares as I allowed them to say “b and 2” or “c and 2” etc. Once they were all down, I moved one of them forward and invited the children to move the pawns one at a time and to call out the name of the square onto which they had moved it. They saw that on the first go pawns can move two squares. This was mission successful. Great. But I do get nervous that some of them are wondering why we aren’t just playing chess but I feel they need the reinforcement and the vocabulary.
Our next step was to go through a game. I got those who knew how, to set out the pieces on the board. Once this was done I asked them to watch a game that I would replay. It was the Opera game. I did this at pace, at times tracing the moves with my fingers and saying when a piece could capture another (with its “laser”). I would use descriptive language to point out positions. I said that when the king was trapped that was the end of the game. Lots of talking. One girl described the castling move another child thought it could only be done on one side (queen-side). We clarified this. The head teacher came in to tell me about the new arrangements for dismissal. I told her what we had been doing in terms of learning names and then proceeded to name all of the children (what a showoff I might have thought – but I couldn’t help myself. I just love an audience). Finally I went through the game again at pace without commentary so as not to tax their patience. And so we finished.
After the Lesson
The classroom was quiet now, the last of the children had gone. Pawns and pieces were all packed away. Now four figures were waiting to share some thoughts. They were Lev, John, Stephen, and Paulo. The lesson had been going on under their watchful gaze, Now it was time to talk.s if they’d been watching the lesson.
Lev spoke first,
“When you had the children line up shoulder-to-shoulder for ranks and then one behind the other for files, I couldn’t help but smile. That was scaffolding — you gave them something physical and social to hold on to while they reached for an abstract idea. In that moment, you lifted them into a zone where they could achieve more together, with your guidance, than they could alone.”
John tapped the chessboard gently.
“What struck me was how you let them learn through doing. You didn’t just explain ranks and files; you let them feel it, compare it to lining up for a photo, and connect it to something real. Even the name-learning was an experience, not a lecture. That’s how ideas stick — when they’re rooted in the children’s lived reality.”
Stephen leaned back, grinning.
“And your humour! That ‘Joe King’ joke, the laughter over pawns and moves — it created safety. Their affective filters dropped, and they were free to absorb what was happening. Watching you replay the Opera Game with commentary, and then silently, gave them input just at the edge of their ability. That’s the kind of natural exposure that lets learners acquire without anxiety.”
Paulo crossed his arms, but his voice was warm and deliberate.
“What stayed with me most was the way you honoured their names. That wasn’t just memory work — it was respect, recognition. You showed them: ‘You matter here.’ That is the foundation of dialogue. And when you asked, ‘What do we call this line of squares?’ you gave up the power to simply declare the answer. You invited them to think, to draw on their own world — soldiers, school photos — and to bring their own meanings into the lesson. That act transforms the classroom from a place of deposit into a place of co-creation.
“Even in the Opera Game replay, I saw this. When you paused and asked what the castling move meant, and a child thought it could only be done on one side, you didn’t silence their mistake. You treated it as a contribution — as knowledge to be worked with, not dismissed. And then, when another child added what they knew, the group together clarified the idea. That is dialogue. The game became more than a demonstration; it became a shared story, a conversation, where every voice — even the uncertain one — had dignity.”
Note: These imagined reflections are voiced through “Lev” (Vygotsky), “John” (Dewey), “Stephen” (Krashen), and “Paulo” (Freire), drawing on their real pedagogical approaches.
All on board!
All quiet in the back office this morning. Not a sound as the new term arrives without the usual cheery greetings. Today is enrolment day, and I’m in early, waiting for my classes to take shape. Down at the front desk, only one learner sits patiently, unaware of what’s coming. Another joins her, then another. Soon we’re in business, and we head upstairs to the classroom — the real engine room.
Today we’re trying out technology with our most basic English learners. Their phones — the digital Swiss knives they carry everywhere — will be pressed into service for initial assessments. After introductions, one by one they point their devices at the QR code that opens a new world. None of them is confident, and most press the wrong buttons, but with some gentle help we’re ready to begin.
I reassure them that people do survive this ordeal — and so will they. My job is to cajole, encourage, and nudge them forward to produce the data we need. I’ve spent hours designing these assessment tools, and now they’re out in the open, flaws and all. The learners are under stress, and they don’t yet have enough English to soften it with feedback. A dozen gazes are fixed on their screens.
Mrs. Kulnar goes first. I explain how to navigate the questions, and she scrolls slowly through the beginner-level grammar tasks. I repeat the demonstration with the next two arrivals. My colleague joins in — she has the advantage of sharing a language with most of the learners, while I focus on the speaking and listening tasks. Mr. Chittagong and Mr. Dhaka arrive, nervous but willing. I ask them about their daily lives, type in their answers, and then play a short recording they must respond to.
More learners arrive and soon the long conference table is alive with tapping, scrolling, and pinching. Frowns, smiles, and looks of concentration appear in turn. I move around the room, reminding them this is not all that English class will be. I use a lot of digital tools, but I aim for something livelier and more human. That day will come. For now, these phones are my allies, gathering the data we need to begin the term.
After the Lesson
Lev:
“I see the seeds of the zone of proximal development here. Your learners cannot yet complete these tasks unaided, but with your scaffolding — gestures, demonstrations, gentle prodding — they stretch further than they could alone. Notice also how your colleague’s shared language forms another scaffold. This moment shows that learning is not an individual act but a profoundly social one.”
John:
“What strikes me is the balance between experience and structure. Yes, the assessments are rigid and data-driven, but for these learners, even fumbling with a QR code is a lived experience that builds familiarity with tools they’ll encounter again. You rightly promise that richer, more imaginative experiences are ahead — for learning thrives where experience connects with meaning, not mere mechanics.”
Stephen:
“I hear echoes of my affective filter hypothesis. The learners’ anxiety is high — new technology, a strange classroom, and a test all at once. But your reassurances lower the filter, making input more comprehensible and less threatening. You provide just enough language they can follow, paired with context and demonstration. That combination makes acquisition possible, even in the midst of assessment.”
Paulo:
“I cannot ignore the power dynamics at play. Assessment day risks turning learners into objects, reduced to data points on a screen. Yet you resist this by moving among them, reminding them this is not the whole of their education. That gesture restores dialogue and dignity. Your task is always to ensure that these tools serve liberation, not control.”
Note: These imagined reflections are voiced through “Lev” (Vygotsky), “John” (Dewey), “Stephen” (Krashen), and “Paulo” (Freire), drawing on their real pedagogical approaches.
Creating an Open Space for Dialogue
- Encourage discussion where multiple voices are valued (Freire, Bakhtin, Dewey).
Some learners are ready to fill silences and to dominate discussions. Teachers are often tempted to do the same. Remember to be patient and gentle with quieter learners. Take what little they have said and make much of it by developing it. But don’t embarrass them by gushing praise.
In one lesson we were practising discussion for a speaking and listening assessment. I set up the practise by saying that each group of three learners would only “pass” the mock assessment if they made sure they were including all of them in the discussion. I made it clear that the best talkers would only pass if all of the talkers passed. It worked. The more confident used their skills to create dialogue.
Practical Check: Am I giving space for students to question, disagree, and contribute insights rather than only receiving mine?
If you have any questions about teaching or learning English. You can ask them here.
I’ve been a teacher of all age groups from 1 to 70 during the last 40 years. See if I can help you with advice.
TeacherTalkTime
The lesson felt a bit dry today. I think I did too much talking. How do I mitigate this? When I see the class just being quiet and not sharing I tend to talk instead.
At one point, we were thinking of big, newsworthy things, one-offs, first time events. I acted out and gave clues for 4 – moon landing, Berlin wall, 1st black US president and King Charles’ Coronation. They found this very interesting and enjoyed trying to guess. Some offered some comments and opinions on these events.
I gave them a chance to think and share other such events. After a long silence Carmel, the youngest, fumbled and offered votes for women – surprising but gave us something to talk about. But then silence again, so I talked some more.
There is a question or two in all that – how can I prevent myself talking too much? How can I tell if silence is shyness, ignorance, or lack of clear instruction from me?
I remember a number of such scenarios myself. It can feel like swimming in treacle – not that I’ve ever tried that. But I have walked through mudflats. Anyhow, I’m reminded of a fairly new class of about 18 Entry 3 learners. I had hoped they would be conversing with each other in the few minutes before their lesson began. But they didn’t know each other well and they were largely silent. It was as though they had nothing to talk about. So I asked them just two questions. Firstly, how old each of them was. Then where they came from. I added the ages and listed the countries. Then I said they had over 800 years of experience between them and they came from a dozen countries. The penny dropped very quickly. They realised they had tons to ask about, talk about and share. Bingo!
What do I conclude from this? Talking with strangers about nothing in particular or about random subjects in a foreign language in a class setting can be intimidating. It’s my job as a teacher to lower the barriers to participation. That might be by modelling, encouraging or by selecting an activity and a subject that empowers and the learners.
One of the first questions in the teachers mind should be “Why are we all here”. The learners will have a whole bunch of reasons. You need to know why they are there and why you are there. That takes discussion and questions and working out. The question you have asked focuses on speaking skill, so you’ll work out between you what the learning and teaching programme will be.
First think about the learner level. If you have beginners you might be looking at basic enunciation of the sounds, syllables and words. Truth be told, this is important at all levels. If the level of the learners is a little higher and they are able to be understood by native English speakers then you may want to look at features of connected speech. That will help them to sound less like daleks and more natural and fluent. If you have judged them correctly, the learners you are talking about know enough to talk about some interesting topics. So your issue is how to get them into it. There are loads of ways you might try.
A lot will depend upon what part of the lesson this speaking activity is. If it’s a warmer then it will need to be very short and you’ll need to know that it is well within the grasp of your learners because you are dependent on their prior knowledge. The warmer will allow both you and them an open door into the rest of the lesson. You might ask for a relevant story or episode to be shared in the group.
If the speaking activity comes in the main part of the lesson it could be a response to an audio or reading activity. The learners will then have something to go on. There will have been context given to them. They will also have vocabulary and language structures to prompt and aid them.
Finally this might be a formative assessment in which you are expecting them to show speaking skills by presenting to the whole class or by taking part in a conversation or discussion. That will involve teaching appropriate skills such as turn taking, offering suggestions and clarifying.
To start with allow them space and opportunity in the setting of a small group or pair group to share what they know. This can build up confidence and familiarity with the subject as they hear themselves and others speak about it.
You have lots of ideas yourself but I would suggest taking just one subject and make that the focus of your “acting”. You could start by asking the class to vote on which one they would like to hear about. This gives them a sense of agency and ownership. It might even be that they are choosing something of relevance and interest to them. All of this is good for motivating and engaging learners. Your aim is to encourage participation and the engagement of skills and knowledge which the learners already have. Your aim should be for them to produce language rather than listen to yours. Of course many learners will want to hear you and your English and that is good. But in a speaking activity you want them to do the speaking. So reduce teacher talk time here. I know the embarrassment of painful silences but if you have set up the activity well and have made the instructions short, simple and clear then that’s half your job done. Pick out main verbs such as talk, tell, recall, ask, answer and emphasise them. Make sure that the instructions are understood by asking learners to repeat them. Then let them get on with it. You might even briefly leave the room if that helps. One method I use for this kind of exercise is to go into “party mode” so that they have to stand up and circulate and make sure that at least 5 people have heard their contribution within the 5 minutes of the exercise.
As to how can you tell whether the reluctance is because of shyness or ignorance; you get to know that as you interact with your learners over the weeks. This takes time. Shyness you can help with by gentle encouragement and perhaps humour. Ignorance can be helped by making sure that the instructions are understood. Careful planning and design of your task will mean you have thought about what outcomes you are looking for. Make sure that your instructions are simple, clear and short. Then be patient, watchful and … quiet.
HTH
Ferris