How about Plenary Prefects?

Last week, I tweeted my #PedagooFriday idea of the week:

Plenary prefects. Simple idea, big effect. #pedagoofriday

— John Smith (@HoDTeacher) September 13, 2013

Having been invited to expand on my tweet, here is a brief introduction to the idea.

I have always struggled to make plenaries meaningful and embedded in my day-to-day practice. If executed badly, the plenary can come across as an awkward bolt-on to the lesson: all too often rushed through while students shuffle their feet, ready to leave the classroom. So when I read of the idea of Plenary Prefects through the guest post of Shaun Allison (https://twitter.com/shaun_allison) on the blog of astsupportaali ( http://cheneyagilitytoolkit.blogspot.com/2013/04/plenary-prefects.html), a light came on: this is the way to incorporate meaningful plenaries into everyday practice.

This is the way I do it…

I enter student names into a random name generator. The fruit machine link below seems to go down well:

http://www.classtools.net/education-games-php/fruit_machine

This student is now the Plenary Prefect and is handed the Star of Responsibility:

The Plenary can occur several times a lesson, or at the end. Other students are invited to add their own ‘Key Points’ and ‘Common Mistakes’. It has been surprising how quickly and enthusiastically the students have taken to this – well worth a try!