Challenge

The teacher assesses the pupil’s current understanding and learning needs. The teacher then presents the pupil with Challenge and provides support for the learning process.

Points Arising from Research

Challenge is closely related to stress, but the dividing line between these is different for different pupils
The brain is not prepared for learning when it is under stress
Challenge is motivating for pupils, particularly boys
Too high a level of challenge produces stress and is counter-productive
Too low a level results in boredom and is demotivating
Appropriate structure and pace should make the learning experience challenging and enjoyable
Pupils are more likely to thrive in a learning environment that encourages high expectations and promotes the belief in every learner that they can achieve and succeed

Key Elements of Challenge

Benefits:

Challenging tasks provide opportunities for collaborative and independent work
Such activities develop skills and attitudes which are valued in the world of work and in society generally
The provision of appropriate levels of challenge allows pupils to succeed, which helps develop self-esteem
Success in challenging tasks helps develop independence and a sense of responsibility
Collaboration over challenging tasks promotes skills of communication between learners
Pupils perceive challenging tasks as meaningful
The process of mutual support in tackling a challenging task helps develop supportive and positive interdependence between pupils and teachers

Environment:

The creation of stress should be avoided
The teacher may welcome the class in a friendly way and make interpersonal connections in order to relax pupils
The physical environment of the classroom should give appropriate messages, suggesting that active pursuit of challenge is encouraged
Pupils can be given a degree of choice and a sense of control over what and how they learn
Teachers should plan for T&L experiences that are interesting, that stimulate enquiry and are, above all enjoyable
Teachers should strive to offer experiences and contexts that eliminate artificial ceilings on learning
Questioning of pupils should be carefully gauged to avoid causing individuals stress
The atmosphere in the classroom should be one of respect between all learners and teachers
Resources should be readily available to allow for pupils to engage with challenging tasks
The teacher should recognise effort and show that it is valued
The layout of the classroom should facilitate pupil discussion and collaboration, but also where possible the opportunity for independent working
A culture of “We are all learners together “ should be actively fostered

Tasks:

Prior to setting tasks, the teacher must have appropriate and relevant information on the current levels of understanding of pupils, their needs and support required
The teacher needs to consider the best way to organise and provide a range of appropriately challenging tasks and activities
A range of tasks should be available to provide each pupil with appropriate levels of challenge
An element of choice in tasks will help engage all pupils
A wide variety of experiences, exploiting a wide range of resources, including those available in the local community, will be likely to stimulate and motivate pupils
Pupils should be led to address their own levels of knowledge and understanding
Pupils should respond to the challenges of others
Tasks should not be repetitive, trivial, or merely mechanical
Part of the challenge should involve pupils justifying their thinking
Play games of enquiry that will extend pupils’ understanding of questioning skills (lateral thinking puzzles are effective and enjoyable)
Teachers’ questions should extend and probe pupils responses
Pupils need to be explicitly shown develop effective questioning skills in order to build on responses and explore ideas

Broader Context:

Just as building challenge into curricular activities promotes skills needed in society in general, so it is possible to create activities in a non-curricular context which will assist pupils in school work. For example, Outward Bound courses have been used to provide pupils with focussed challenges in order to develop personal skills, interpersonal skills and attitudes to challenge in the classroom. Problem-solving days can work in a similar way. Work which benefits the local community is particularly recommended.

ICT:

Researching topics on the internet can provide challenging tasks for pupils. Print materials can also be very effective resources for open-ended research and investigation, but ICT resources offer more extensive material in accessible format. “Webquests” are examples of such activities.

Reflection and Discussion

Do you create the right balance between stress and challenge?
Can you think of tasks which could be amended to present pupils with more of a challenge?

Do the suggestions relating to the classroom environment sound realistic and could you improve yours to promote the notion of challenge?

How can we resolve the tension between creating a stress-free environment and maintaining sound discipline?

Do we ensure pupils are secure in understanding that wrong answers do not indicate ‘failure’ but are an essential part of exploratory learning?

Some Activities for Consideration of Promoting Challenge in the Classroom

Key element	Objective	Action
Some examples and suggestions
Benefits	The provision of appropriate levels of challenge allows pupils to succeed, which enhances positive self-esteem.	In a mixed ability class, groups can be formed to tackle challenging tasks, with less able pupils reporting findings. Each group member can take a task of appropriate difficulty to contribute to the final product.
Environment	The physical environment of the classroom should give appropriate messages, suggesting that teachers should create a secure learning environment where the active pursuit of challenge is encouraged.	Displays of products of challenging tasks gives a sense of pupils influencing the environment. Resources arranged accessibly give the message that pupils should make decisions about using them.
Tasks	Tasks should not be repetitive, trivial, or merely mechanical.	Ask pupils to respond in unexpected ways e.g. "Write a poem about a triangle" or "Draw a picture of the poem you've read"
Broader Context	It is possible to create activities in a non-curricular context which will assist pupils in school work.	Is there a whole-school opportunity here? Is it worth considering a challenge within the community, for example? Each pupil (group?) to learn some new skill? (How to tie a bow tie? How to juggle?)
ICT	"Webquests" are examples of such activities.	The internet offers ready-made quests (see reference below). Teachers can also prepare them