Unfortunately, there's no magical or mathematical formula for teaching. The best results come from collective teacher efficacy, including strong teacher-student relationships, high expectations, and a safe environment (The Visible Learning Research 2023). But once you've nailed down a lesson objective, how do you sequence the lesson and its theory to maximise learning outcomes? If only there was an order of operations for teaching. For equations, we use BODMAS. So, why not apply BODMAS to lesson sequencing too? Sure, we’ll need to change what the acronym stands for but hopefully it’ll be memorable. And isn’t that the sign of a good lesson?

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B - Background 

Start by building on what students already know. Lessons should support cumulative knowledge growth, not exist in isolation. Knowledge, skills, and understanding develop gradually through a series of connected lessons, typically spanning one to four weeks (Borich, G. D. 2004.). 

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O - Objective of a lesson 

Present the big picture alongside detailed knowledge. Teachers often forget that while they already see the big picture, their students are still piecing it together. For effective learning, it's important to teach the overarching concept and the details simultaneously. To enhance engagement and prevent students from feeling lost or confused about the purpose of their learning, make sure the learning objective of the lesson is clear and that students understand how this objective relates to their everyday experiences.

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D - Direct instruction 

Whether you take a top-down or bottom-up approach of delivering the detail, it's useful for students to see an outline of the lesson pathway. This helps them form connections and understand how the information fits together. An organiser, like a mind map, can be handy here. As you go through direct instruction , students can be annotating or building their mind maps, adding definitions, models, key terminology and details, mirroring how the brain categorises information. Incorporating ual coding by pairing visuals with text enhances students' understanding and retention by engaging both verbal and visual memory systems.

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M - Mastery

Provide students with regular opportunities to master what they've learned through activities, discussions, and questions. Incorporate these opportunities into every lesson to help students broaden their understanding, construct meaning, and consolidate key outcomes. 

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A - Assess 

Evaluate students' understanding with formative assessments, quizzes, or class discussions. This helps gauge their grasp of the material and identify areas needing further clarification.

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S - Success measure 

Wrap up the lesson by summarising the key points and discussing how the lesson objectives were met. Reflect on the lesson's success, address any remaining questions or misconceptions, and encourage students to reflect on their learning and improve their metacognition.

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This is the sequence used in the 7-10 Edrolo resource. We hope that by routinely following this sequence, you can deliver lessons that are structured, clear, and engaging, helping students to see both the forest and the trees. My tip would be to use the Sum it up slide to help show students the pathway for the lesson. This could be printed out and students could annotate this during the lesson with their own definitions, technical vocabulary, or alternatively have students make their own mind map during the lesson and ask them the bigger picture at the end!

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References 

Big Picture • Evidence Based Teachers Network. Available at: https://ebtn.org.uk/big-picture-2/ (Accessed: 26 May 2024). 

Borich, G. D. 2004. Effective Teaching Methods. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Strategies for effective lesson planning CRLT. Available at: https://crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p2_5 (Accessed: 26 May 2024). 

The Visible Learning Research (2023) Visible Learning. Available at: https://www.visiblelearning.com/content/visible-learning-research (Accessed: 26 May 2024). 

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