Cranford Review 2021

# BUSINESS
Business Department
Remote Teaching Dream Team
While
we were remote teaching from January to March 2021, the Business Department used this
as an opportunity to reflect on our ability to provide accurate feedback to the A-Level
Business students, that was also motivational and facilitated their development.
To give the project a starting point, we conducted a focus group with our students to identify what they liked
and disliked about our current approach to assessment. Based on the results, our students were satisfied with
the consistency, transparency and accountability of assessments and feedback. However, students disliked it
when they felt their work was compared to others, had limited guidance of when an assessment would happen
and what would be covered. They also said that they wanted more informal assessment opportunities, and
exemplar materials for post assessment reflection.
The department also analysed the expected outcomes for this cohort in January and identified that zero students
were exceeding their target grade, only four students were performing at their target grade, and on average
students were performing three and half sublevels below their target.
After completing this primary research, the department used secondary research to identify suitable theorists
and current best practice to enhance their remote teaching provision. Key theorists and approaches identified
were; Herzberg’s seven Principles of Motivation, Keeley’s guidance on formative feedback and Lemov’s
approach to delivery.
Following this research, the department implemented the following changes to our remote teaching provision;
embedded high challenge/ low stake testing using applications such as Quizlet, Nearpod and Kahoot; removed
names from tracking sheets and encouraged students to use appropriate nicknames during activities; produced
a timetable for assessments; allowed students to have bespoke assessments based on their own areas for
development; and contacted the examination board for additional exemplar materials as well as starting a bank
of our own outstanding student work.
To assess the impact of our intervention, we completed another focus group and analysed the latest data entry.
The students now said they felt reduced pressure, a greater sense of ownership and autonomy, and really
enjoyed the gamification of activities and revision. The data for the cohort showed that, four students were
now exceeding their aspirational target grade, only one student was not performing at their aspirational target
grade, and the average achievement level had increased by just under three sub levels.
In summary, we believe our department, practice and students have thrived during lockdown. We appreciated
the opportunity to combine our own research with the latest pedagogical theory, in order to transform our
students’ virtual teaching experience. Moreover, we plan to keep progressing with our action research, so that
the school can remain ‘beyond outstanding’, we lead from the cutting edge and continue to transform our
community.
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