Research and analysis

What makes great pedagogy? Nine claims from research

Literature review from the national research and development network.

Documents

What makes great pedagogy? Nine claims from research

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternative.formats@education.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The national research and development network was created by the National College for School Leadership.

In this paper, research literature is used to advance 9 strong claims about the characteristics of highly successful pedagogies:

  1. Effective pedagogies give serious consideration to pupil voice.
  2. Effective pedagogies depend on behaviour (what teachers do), knowledge and understanding (what teachers know) and beliefs (why teachers act as they do).
  3. Effective pedagogies involve clear thinking about longer term learning outcomes as well as short-term goals.
  4. Effective pedagogies build on pupils’ prior learning and experience.
  5. Effective pedagogies involve scaffolding pupil learning.
  6. Effective pedagogies involve a range of techniques, including whole-class and structured group work, guided learning and individual activity.
  7. Effective pedagogies focus on developing higher order thinking and meta-cognition, and make good use of dialogue and questioning in order to do so.
  8. Effective pedagogies embed assessment for learning.
  9. Effective pedagogies are inclusive and take the diverse needs of a range of learners, as well as matters of student equity, into account.
Published 1 September 2012