Evaluation of TASC in Schools

Belle Wallace (2007)

The following is a summary from:

DISCOVER/TASC: An approach to teaching and learning that is inclusive yet maximises opportunities for differentiation according to pupils' needs.

Belle Wallace and June Maker

In The Handbook of Giftedness (in press) ED. Larisa Shavinia

During the academic year from September 2005 to July 2006, several follow-up studies were carried out in a wide range of UK primary schools in the local education regions of: Barnsley, Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. The primary schools included Nursery, Reception, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils aged 3 to 11 years. In all, 350 schools supplied their evaluations of the impact of their TASC work: this number of schools contained more than 4, 000 teachers with some of the evaluations reflecting on the whole school development, and some of the evaluations reflecting on the work of inpidual teachers in single classrooms. The evaluations were based on qualitative teacher and pupil responses to TASC projects carried out by the pupils centring on and developing topics taken from the UK National Curriculum. In addition, a range of quantitative evaluations were carried out based on the assessment levels outlined by the UK National Curriculum guidelines. Teachers in all the schools had received in-depth Continuing Professional Training (CPD) in the principles and practical applications of the TASC Framework, they then implemented one or more TASC projects, and shared their work and evaluations with colleagues within the schools, or across clusters of schools. All introductory TASC projects are hands-on, practical activities utilising the full range of the human abilities, with the slogan: ‘Maximum Thinking! Minimum Writing!’. Thereafter, teachers scrutinise their half-termly planning and decide how they can weave the TASC Framework across the curriculum, as often as possible introducing projects that use the whole TASC Framework, but also making constant use of sections of the TASC Framework whenever this is feasible.

NOTE: The information with regard to the Evaluation of the TASC Framework was updated in September 2009. Currently, the schools that have contributed specifically to the TASC evaluation number 750 with 10,000+ classrooms now represented. Additional LAs who have contributed to the evaluation include: Doncaster, Caerphilly, Rotherham, St Helen's, Bexley, East Sussex, Southampton, with clusters of schools around the country also contributing. Of course there are many more schools engaged in developing TASC activities.

The following characteristics were common throughout the teacher assessments:

1. Motivation, Independence and Engagement

All teachers reported that pupils’ motivation and engagement with the learning tasks were increased to the point where they hardly needed to intervene in the learning activity. The TASC Framework supplied the structure which all children were keen to engage with, and the teacher’s role became that of a facilitator rather than an instructor.

• ‘I have never experienced pupils so intent on their chosen project. They were totally engaged and I did not have to keep them on task.’
• ‘I found I was almost redundant! I had time to observe the children and saw a number of children in a new light.’
• ‘Children who are never engaged with learning and who generally need constant supervision just got on with the task they had decided on. They were making their own decisions, I realised it was because they had ownership.’
• ‘I have several children who are Statemented (requiring intense, usually inpidual, support) and several children on the Special Needs Register (requiring general learning support), but you really couldn’t pick them out from the rest. They were engaged and contributing to the group.’
• ‘The more able children took to the TASC Framework straight away and needed no extra support, but when I provided the minimum support for lower ability children, they could refer to the TASC Framework for further support. Even for these children I was just a ‘gofer!’
• ‘Disaffected boys are hard to motivate! But I couldn’t stop them! They talked all day about their project - not about soccer - their usual conversation!’

2. Self-esteem, Enjoyment and Success

All teachers reflected that the children enjoyed their work, and entered fully into the celebration of their success.

• ‘Some children who always struggle were so happy that they could just do ‘re-thinks’! They realised that TASC is error free because they can go backwards and forwards in the TASC Wheel and put their thinking right!’
• ‘There is always a happy buzz when the children are working on their TASC project. They constantly ask if today is a TASC project day!’
• ‘The celebration of their TASC work sent all children and parents home with smiling faces. We didn’t rehearse their feedback to parents - the children explained the kinds of thinking they had been doing quite easily.’
• ‘Although a lot of the discussions are class or group work based, every child created their own mini-beast. They took pride in their own creation.’
• ‘A child who is normally the ‘outsider’ was an accepted member of the group. I realised that he is an excellent practical problem-solver and when the group praised his work, he just beamed!’

3. Diminished Anti-social Behaviour, and Increased Socially Acceptable Behaviour

All the teachers commented on the positive change in pupils’ emotional and social behaviour.

• ‘On TASC days - the Incident Book is empty! Children choose to stay in and continue at playtimes, eating their snacks and lunch while carrying on with their project.’
• ‘My class is a very challenging class and I was sceptical that working in the TASC way would make any difference. But I was amazed at what the children already knew and how excited they were because they could choose which questions they wanted to explore. I really was surprised that they could work without arguing and shouting!’
• ‘Some children who are the lowest in ability (language and mathematics) and who are usually very disruptive, really shone when they realised that they could solve the problem in any way they chose. The most disruptive child has shown himself to be a very able leader and he revelled in the fact that the group appointed him the leader. He worked very fairly and gently when he was monitoring the group’s progress. When things went wrong, it was he who helped to sort them out’.
• ‘We realised that the whole school attendance picked up! One parent asked what we had done to X because she got up early for school - usually she has to be nagged and dragged up!’
• ‘A very quiet group of girls have blossomed. They are speaking up and taking the lead, whereas previously, they just got on with their work and said very little.’

General Comments from the teachers

• ‘The atmosphere in the school is very different now. We are looking at all the pupils with new eyes. The SATs (National Standard Attainment Test) only looks at Literacy and Numeracy, so we drill that in the Spring Term before SATs week. But we have discovered those children who are very able in other ways. We are now looking at children across the full spectrum of human abilities.’
• ‘Our very able children on the Register (language and mathematics) have exceeded all our expectations. We realised that they were just coasting. We have been amazed at what they have been able to do! But we have extended our concept of ‘more able’ and now we celebrate every child.’
• ‘It is so much more exciting to work in the TASC way because the children respond better. You still have to do the background planning to assemble possible resources and you still have to guide what it is possible to do in the time and space; but we share the planning with the children now, and they can understand what is possible and what is not feasible. Their questioning skills have leapt in depth and breadth!’
• ‘Our Standards in SATs have been the highest ever, and we think it is because the children are so motivated and on task. We still have to be concerned about our SATs results but we are going for the thinking first!’

General Comments from the children reported by the teachers

• ‘TASC Projects give us a chance to show what we can do. They are a break from school work.’
• ‘TASC days are a chance to be creative and not have the teachers telling you all the time what to do.’
• ‘I realised that TASC is already in my head but I didn’t know it! I use the TASC Wheel to guide my thinking.’
• ‘TASC days ‘confidences us up’ so we are not afraid to speak out in front of other people.’
• ‘TASC gives us a full packed education! We didn’t realise until afterwards that we had done research, history, ICT, art, craft, DT, drama, speaking and listening. We even did some Literacy and we enjoyed it!’
• ‘TASC days are exciting because ‘you can open up your creative side’. Teachers don’t say that’s wrong and it takes a lot of pressure off you.’
• ‘My mind is usually disorganised and whizzing around! The TASC Wheel helps me to organise my thinking better.’

The initial step in teacher development has to be the practical experience of trialling the TASC Process leading to the realisation that the TASC Problem-solving Approach actually does lift motivation and self-esteem, and also promotes independent learning: this is in line with the government initiative to Personalise Learning through providing learners with Ownership and Independence. The cohort of teachers reported collectively above, have undertaken to continue to develop their TASC approach, and they and the children will continue to be monitored throughout the academic year from September 2006 to July 2007. The next stage is for teachers to discuss how they and the children will monitor and assess the improvement of their problem-solving skills: they also need to learn how to analyse the types of problem-solving activities they and the children are negotiating. This development links directly into the DISCOVER work developed by June Maker and her associates.

Excerpt from

DISCOVER/TASC: An approach to teaching and learning that is inclusive yet maximises opportunities for differentiation according to pupils' needs.

Belle Wallace and June Maker

In The Handbook of Giftedness (in press) ED. Larisa Shavinia