The Power of Live Modelling in Lessons

Many of us will have used modelling in lessons in order to support our students with their understanding of new concepts and complex topics. Indeed, it features as Barak Rosenshine’s (2012) Fourth Principle of Instruction. One aspect of modelling I would like to write about today is live modelling, an extremely powerful tool to help develop our students’ knowledge of new material in all subjects.

Live modelling, when used to its full potential, is one of the most effective ways in which we can provide clear guidance to our students and can equip them with the necessary skills to develop into confident, independent learners.

One of the key aspects of modelling is showing students the ‘right’ way of doing something. However, are we always doing this in the most effective manner? Let me explain…

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With the use of PowerPoints and restrictions of time due to heavy content curriculums, we are often led to show students the ‘right’ way of completing a task by giving them model answers and hints. This can be classified as providing models; however, are we actually showing students how to get to that answer?

“It must be noted…that modelling is not as simple as showing a student how to complete a task, whether that is hitting a tennis serve or completing a quadratic equation.” (Crockett, 2019)

Here are two examples of modelling I have been experimenting with recently:

1. In many subjects modelling can be providing students with a handout showing a model answer and, in some subjects, the correct working out. For written subjects this could simply be providing a model paragraph for students to gain an insight into What a Good One Looks Like. For formulaic subjects this could be done by providing students with a few examples of model answers and worked out steps. mm

2. Live modelling, the second example, is more so about showing students how to actually work out or produce an answer. This can be done by collectively working through an answer with a class and letting students lead this activity, with the teacher as a facilitator. One of the most effective aspects of this method is that students will make mistakes whilst getting to the correct answer. However, the beauty of this is that the teacher will be able to address these misconceptions instantly, and in some instances students will recognise these and find the right way forward through discussion. Addressing these misconceptions whilst collectively getting to the correct answer will help students to develop a more solid understanding of the process of reaching this answer.

"When we’re on a journey, we need to show them how to get to their destination. It’s no good just telling them.

Making mistakes, unintentionally or otherwise, is one of the powerful aspects of live modelling. We need to show our pupils that we too are not immune to getting things wrong. If we don’t, how are they ever going to learn that failing and picking yourself up is a vital step on the road to making genuine progress". (Lowbridge-Ellis, 2018).

It’s therefore this second method (live modelling) which I propose to have the potential of being a very effective way of prompting and developing student understanding.

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I recently decided to put both of the above approaches to the test with two of my teaching groups from the same year group, both of whom were getting ready to write their first essay for this academic year. The essay was to be marked out of 20 and both groups are of a mixed ability.

When preparing Group A for the essay, I showed them a model paragraph which I had produced and spoke about the different elements of this paragraph. Some students chose to copy out the paragraph, whilst others attentively listened. Very few questioned how I had produced the paragraph. All in all, this form of modelling took me around 5 minutes and I felt that the students had taken on board what I had shown them.

When teaching Group B, I decided to take on a live modelling approach. Instead of providing the students with a paragraph I had made, we spent around 20 minutes, as a class, producing what we thought would make a good paragraph. This was done on the classroom whiteboard and students contributed their ideas. Collectively, the students formulated a paragraph and it was interesting to see that they were questioning elements of the paragraph in a lot of depth. For example, one student would provide a sentence, and another would then add more detail to it. My role in this activity was simply to write the paragraph on the board and to guide the students through questioning. There were times during which I would ask students if they could further improve aspects of the paragraph or if something could be done better. Furthermore, we were able to address misconceptions in a clear manner.

Finally, I showed the students a copy of the mark scheme and they ensured that their paragraph met the success criteria. After this activity, I asked the students to produce their essay, which was set for homework.

The table below outlines student marks out of 20.

Group A (modelling)	Group B (live modelling)
15	15
15	7
13	16
14	13
9	15
10	14
14	16
15	8
15	17
13	18
14	14
9	15
13	16
16	18
14	7
13	12
16	17
13	13
13	14
12	18
13	15
18	16
	16
	16

Table 1 (October 2021)

As you can see from Table 1, seven out of twenty-two students in Group A (31%) received a mark of 15 or above (75%+). In contrast, fifteen out of twenty-five students in Group B (60%) received a mark of 15 and above. Furthermore, the average score for Group A was 13.5 whilst it was 14.4 for Group B. With this being the classes' first essay, both average scores were acceptable, however the students who had attended the live modelling lesson had evidently performed better.

Whilst the live modelling activity took longer in comparison to the approach adopted for Group A, it actually ended up saving time in the long run. This is because it was easier providing feedback to Group B, who were already more aware of the requirements of the mark scheme and most misconceptions which had arisen when collectively structuring the paragraph.

The results above imply the potential benefits of live modelling as a way of promoting better student understanding and progress, so I am going to focus on continuing to experiment with live modelling as a key Learning and Teaching strategy for my other year groups. This will help to see whether this result is a one-off or whether it represents something that is worth further use.

Please feel free to share your opinions regarding Live Modelling in the comments section below or to email me: m.quraishi@crgs.org.uk .

Written by Mehreen Quraishi, History and Latin

References:

Crockett, Ben. (2019). Mastering Modelling. Available: https://researchschool.org.uk/durrington/news/mastering-modelling. Last accessed 10th November 2021.

Lowbridge-Ellis, D. (2018). Don’t Be Afraid Of Live Modelling. Available: https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2018/11/20/live-modelling/. Last accessed 10th November 2021.

Riches, A. (2019). Effective teacher modelling. Available: https://www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/effective-teacher-modelling/. Last accessed 10th November 2021.

Rosenshine, B. (2012) Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know. American Educator, 36(1), p12-39.

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