Tough Love - The Return

John Bayley returns to observe a Year 9 class to see how the behaviour management techniques used by Teaching Awards winner David Torn have helped turn a tough class around, in this classroom management video.

Having been provided with a framework for good behaviour at the beginning of the year, the class is now learning how to work together.

David, the 2007 Teacher of the Year for London secondary schools, has turned the rows into tables and established mixed ability paired work into every lesson to encourage student speaking and listening.

The class develop their powers of argument by creating criteria, which they work out for themselves through group discussion.

John notices that David encourages the secondary pupils to elaborate their answers by continually pushing them to give him more and allowing them plenty of time to reflect before replying. He also notes the absence of levelling criteria in the lesson, with David preferring to put emphasis on verbal and written feedback.