Responsive Teaching Techniques

In today’s diverse classrooms, a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work. That’s where adaptive teaching steps in. It’s not about creating three versions of every lesson—it’s about responding in real time to students’ needs, using assessment and professional judgment to make meaningful adjustments. Current research supports this shift: - EEF champions adaptive teaching as more effective than fixed differentiation—especially for supporting disadvantaged and SEND learners. - Ofsted no longer emphasizes “differentiation” in lesson planning, but looks for evidence of adaptation during delivery. - Dylan Wiliam reminds us: “Flexible learning, not multiple lesson plans.” - John Hattie’s meta-analyses highlight the power of formative assessment (effect size 0.77) and teacher clarity (0.84)—core elements of adaptive teaching—in accelerating progress. In practice, it means: 1) Checking for understanding continuously 2) Re-teaching or re-framing based on student responses 3) Scaffolding with purpose 4) Keeping expectations high—for EVERY student Let’s move beyond rigid planning and embrace a more dynamic, learner-centered approach. #AdaptiveTeaching #TeachingAndLearning #EducationResearch #EEF #VisibleLearning #EdLeadership #InstructionalStrategies #TeacherDevelopment

Formative assessment is the foundation on which responsive teaching is grounded. It gives us a window into student learning while the process is still unfolding, not after it’s finished. With instant insights, we can adjust, reteach, or extend learning in real time. In my previous discussions on building AI pedagogy for the classroom, I highlighted formative assessment as a key tool for guiding AI integration. You can go through all the vetting steps to choose an AI tool for instruction, but the real test comes when you observe how students learn with it. Often, formative assessment uncovers details that would otherwise go unnoticed, gaps in understanding, unexpected strengths, or misconceptions that AI tools alone cannot reveal. Formative assessment can take many forms: • Quick exit tickets or warm-ups • Short surveys or polls • Direct classroom observation • Peer or self-assessment using rubrics • Feedback on drafts and assignments The cycle of formative assessment (i.e., setting clear goals, eliciting evidence, interpreting results, giving feedback, and adjusting instruction) keeps learning student-centered and dynamic. Now with AI in our classrooms, formative assessment acts like a GPS. It constantly recalibrates and helps you stay on course toward deeper learning outcomes. In the first comment you will find link to the PDF guide that features formative assessment resources including AI tools. Feel free to use it in your PD, workshops, and with your students. #FormativeAssessment #AIinEducation #EdTech #Teachers #AssessmentforLearning

What exactly *is* responsive teaching? And what 2 things need to be in place for it to flourish? Let's go... ↓ Responsive teaching entails adjusting our approach, to meet the needs of our students, regularly throughout the learning process. We can contrast this with 'rigid' teaching, where we simply follow a plan or our own intuition. It's a bit like using a smartphone app vs road atlas*. Google maps can identify a crash on the M25 (big motorway around London) and re-route us accordingly. An atlas would just deliver us blindly into congestion. The more we make small course-corrections as we go, grounded in rigorous data, the more efficiently we help our students get from A to B. (*due attribution → pretty sure I first heard this analogy from Dylan Wiliam) So what? Why should we care? Responsive teaching is important because it's super hard to predict exactly what our students will know at any given point... and yet learning happens best when people build *on* and *with* what they already know. Part of this prediction problem lies in the relationship between teaching and learning. Just because we've taught it doesn't mean they've learnt it. Aiiieee. In fact, due to initial differences in prior knowledge, we can almost GUARANTEE that our students will come away with a different understanding to that which we had anticipated. A few might well get it perfectly... but some will inevitably build only a partial understanding... and others may even develop a misconception. If we assume they've learnt what we've taught (and as result, we just stick with our plan or our own intuition) it's likely we'll drift further off track, and the variation (gap) in student understanding will grow even greater 🤦 How can we be more responsive? There are 3 foundational features: 1/ Avoiding assumption Adopting the mindset of assuming our students haven't learnt anything until we have evidence to suggest otherwise. 2/ Checking for understanding Assessing what they know (and don't), regularly throughout the lesson, in reliable and efficient ways. 2/ Pivoting accordingly We intentionally consider course-correction, which could be: → Moving on as planned → Re-teaching a particular aspect to the whole class → Moving on and targeting specific students for early support. CAVEAT Responsive teaching may be powerful, but it's not easy to implement. It requires: ✅ Substantial mental bandwidth ✅ A high degree of skill ✅ A big dose of humility (because we'll often find that our teaching just didn't work) This is why strong classroom routines and fluency in the basics (such as behaviour management or explaining ideas) are critical things to crack first. SUMMARY • Responsive teaching entails making small course-corrections in our teaching. • This is key because it’s hard to predict (and plan for) what our students know at any given time. • This works best when we automate the basics and embed strong routines. 👊