Pro Tactics™: Walleye

In 2014, Mark Martin MBE aka @urban_teacher an Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Education Practice, posted a picture of his ′Teaching Routine′ on twitter after teaching 10 years in some of the most challenging schools in the UK. Being observed hundreds of times, his classroom routine always seemed to help him achieve a good or outstanding lesson mark. Even when Ofsted entered his room, they could never find faults with the rapport he has with his learners or his high expectations. Mark decided to create a diagram on PowerPoint to show other professionals what methods he used in his lessons to inspire and motivate his learners. He randomly tweeted the PowerPoint slide out to his twitter followers and the response was well received by many teachers online.

The ′Teaching Routine′ diagram developed when Gaz Needle and Rebeca Zuñiga drew their own interpretations of the teaching model. As a result, the ′Teaching Routine′ went viral, and many teachers across the world started asking for resources and guidance on how to use these strategies in their lessons. This was the birth of the ′Teaching Routine′, and with the help of educators around the world, we were able to put this book together so teachers everywhere, from rural areas to inner city schools, are able to access this great resource to enhance their teaching and learning in the classroom.

The ‘Teaching Routine’ takes the teachers and learners through different stages of a lesson. The steps guide the teacher with setting up activities or scenarios in order for learners to maximise their learning. The learning outcome of the ‘Teaching Routine’ is to help teachers create excellent learning environments and building genuine connections with learners.