Stuck, or finished early
1 of 4
One task, a different way in
Everyone does the same task. A learner who cannot start gets a way in. A learner who finishes gets a harder question about the same task. This is a Level 2 Carpentry sheet. Which step will stop someone?
The handout
Level 2 Carpentry: halving joint
Mark out and cut a halving joint in the 45 mm pine.
1. Square a line across the face, 45 mm from the end.
2. Gauge half the thickness along both edges.
3. Saw down to the gauge line. Chisel out the waste.
Pick an activity. Each takes two or three minutes.
One task, one way in, one next step, written before the lesson.
Why this works in your room
One way in and one next step keep every learner on the real task.
For your learners: The learner who is stuck gets a start and not an easier job. The learner who is done gets harder thinking and not more of the same.
For you: Nobody is waiting on you, so you can spend your time with the learners who most need it.
Before the lesson
Five minutes
Find the step most likely to stop someone.
Write a way in and a next step on the sheet.
Stuck: the way in
Do one thing, then step back
The first line done, a half-covered example, or key words with pictures.
Say: That is the first line. What comes next?
Finished: the next step
Harder, about the same task
Explain why. Find the mistake. Try a new case. Teach a partner.
Put it on the sheet so nobody has to ask.
Watch out for
An easier sheet, or doing the hard part for them.
Staying at their elbow so the help never comes away.
Next time
Do this for the main task of one lesson.
If the lesson is planned in Lesson Weaver, a Digital Companion makes both from the plan.
Elsewhere in Bradford ThreadWorks
Prompts to paste into Copilot
Two prompts to paste into Copilot. They are our own wording, not Big 4 training. Change what is in brackets, and leave out learners' names.
Three ways in
I teach [subject] to [level] learners. The task is: [describe the task]. Give me three ways to help a learner who cannot get started, without making the task easier. Each one should be something I can prepare in five minutes.
A harder next step
I teach [subject] to [level] learners. The task is: [describe the task]. Give me three next steps for a learner who finishes early. They must be harder thinking about the same task, not more of the same, and need no extra equipment.
Support that is taken away again
Rosenshine's review of what the most effective teachers do lists providing scaffolds for difficult tasks as one of ten principles. A scaffold is temporary: it gets the learner started, and it comes away as they become able to do the task without it.
Rosenshine, Principles of Instruction, 2012 (opens in a new tab)How sure is this?
Moderately. Temporary scaffolds are well supported. A next step for early finishers is common practice, and this page names no study that tests it on its own. “Lower the language, not the thinking” is from STEP ON Stage 3.
No source claimed