Connect-Extend-Challenge

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What is ‘connect-extend-challenge’ and what does it mean? In my opinion, it is a way to improve learning by analysing the process or ‘how we learn’. It is also useful for planning to ensure that for any given topic the three steps are included. It is a method useful in both teaching and self-evaluation and I will use it to evaluate my own learning and teaching.

I used to think that all of my tasks had to be completed and checking books was important. Now I think that some tasks are more important than others and need prioritising whereas some tasks don’t really need to be done.

Charles Hummel’s framework of the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ relates the importance of a task against the urgency to complete it to create a diagram (shown below). Tasks are assigned to a quadrant in order to prioritise them.

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The first quadrant is labelled ‘important but not urgent’ and most teaching tasks should fall here, these are the things we consider important. For me, these are planning and preparation. Time spent planning and clearly thinking things through is never a waste and no activity can effectively contribute to learning without the right materials prepared ahead of time.

The second quadrant is labelled ‘important and urgent’ and many tasks fall here although they should not. For me, these tasks are thinking of new activities and assessing the students as they learn in class. It is important to be able to think of activities ‘on the go’ and use new ways to demonstrate and practise ideas, especially in my position as an English as a second language teacher to primary students in Bangkok, Thailand.

The third quadrant is labelled ‘urgent but not important’ and tasks that fall here are usually the unavoida...

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...framework of the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ relates the importance of a task against the urgency to complete it to create a diagram (shown below). Tasks are assigned to a quadrant in order to prioritise them
“In 40% of studies feedback had a negative effect on performance.” (Kluger and DeNisi, 1996)

Assessment is counter-productive when it is “grade only marking” or “grade and comment”. (Black and Wiliam, 2009)
Formative assessment is "the process used by teachers and students to recognise and respond to student learning in order to enhance that learning, during the learning." (Cowie and Bell, 1999)

“We learn when we teach because we rehearse ideas and improve.” (Bruner)

“Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people and then inside the child.” (Vygotsky, 1978).

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