"Extension work"

[HubertTheGoat]

Mumsnetters are forever posting about how their clever children are given or not given "extension work". It's not a term I've ever actually heard used in education in the 10 years I've been teaching. Do any teachers use this term? It seems to imply 95% of the class do the same one task while one of two HA children do the same before moving onto something else. This just isn't what my classroom teaching looks like at all. Interested in others' thoughts!

I will have a task on stand by to give to students who need more stretch. I'm maths so normally a related nrich, open ended task I can project.

My subject is primarily taken by those in the G&T programme, and yes, extension work is a given. The vast majority won't get onto the extension, but those that have grasped the concept deserve the opportunity to deepen their understanding or to use it in new contexts. It's not a good use of learning time to be either sat doing work far too easy, or worse still, not doing anything at all.

Yes an extra challenge at the end of an activity is usual.
Both at my school and at ds' it's normally a problem or some sort of open ended investigation type thing to deepen knowledge.
What do your class do if they complete a piece of work with time to share?

My point wasn't really is an extra task normal, it was whether you use the term 'extension task' day to day. It's not a term I hear in the education sector.

It's not a good use of learning time to be either sat doing work far too easy, or worse still, not doing anything at all. Obviously this is the case. But HA children are given harder work from the beginning and I give them enough of it that they rarely will finish it! At a basic level, it might be everyone doing Grammarsaurus WT, EX or GD sheets. There might be some more problem solving or reasoning questions to hand if they finish (and children doing WT can move up to EX etc), but I don't specifically call these an extension task. I would never really have everyone starting on the same task because I teach two year groups and in say maths their ability ranges from Y1 to Y5/6 level. There isn't one base task from which to "extend".

My understanding is that this isn't really considered best practice any more, because those at the bottom are limited to only being able to do the work they are given.

I teach secondary so it is a bit different, but even in mixed ability groups, I will usually give everyone the same basic task, with extension and sometimes further extension work for those who complete it more quickly. It's not always the same students who use/need extension work, either- for example, if it's a more maths based task, some students will whizz through that and be ready for some real challenge, but with a more written task, they may not finish as quickly, or produce such high quality work, and it will be other students who need extension/challenge/whatever you want to call it questions.

We set from Y9, so after that point it's usually less of an issue, but I do keep banks of exam questions available for those who finish anything quickly!

But then at KS5, classes are essentially mixed again. I've got students in my A-level class who could get an A* and some who are working at an E grade. But obviously I don't want to limit any students. So, usually, all work from the same starting point, and then those who finish quickly AND to a high standard will be given additional work.

Agreed, but in reality I find the LA children finish quickly but aren't capable of doing much more, and also don't get the chance to really consolidate their learning. There's just no point in giving everyone the same to start with when the bottom end are learning say the 3x table and the top end know it inside out, can use it to solve short and long multiplication, are able to square and cube numbers etc. The highers starting off with 3x table questions is just a waste of their time.

I have all of mine start on the same activities. We have workbooks with different tasks. My weaker ones might not get everything done but they get through the practice/consolidation tasks. My more able ones will race through those (but I think they benefit from the practice as well....especially with setting out their work properly and showing their working, which some are quite lazy with) and then start on the problem solving tasks. If they finish those, I usually have extension tasks available. They tend to be more complex problem solving/ reasoning tasks.
I teach abroad, though. All of my class have to reach a basic standard by the end of the year. An attainment variety ranging from "Y1 to Y5/6" wouldn't happen. If they don't meet the requirements, they do not move to the next year group or are moved to a more suitable school. If they are only struggling in Maths, for example, their parents can apply for them to not get graded in that subject. I differentiate mostly by support and resources in that case but would still expose them to the year group standards.

This is something I'd have called the more difficult work 10 years ago, that I didn't expect everyone to be able to do, but it's not good practice any more. I think we're now supposed to be "teaching to the top" and "scaffolding" for those who find the work difficult. Or something.

My children are year 3 and 2 and always have a greater depth task to attempt.

Yes I use the phrase extension. Or sometimes 'Challenge' task.

My main task is differentiated by support/scaffolding/outcome/success criteria, not by giving different tasks or levels of sheets etc. But then there is still sometimes a place for an additional task that only a very few will get onto.

Extension tasks that are only accessed after completing the main tasks are sometimes inaccessible to those who are capable of doing them but slow workers. DD's friend was able but very slow at writing, and so rarely got to do those sort of tasks. When there were separate tasks from the outset, she tended not to be offered the hard task, because the teachers underestimated her capabilities - probably because of the slow writing and her never completing the easier tasks. She did start asking to be allowed to try the hard one, and fortunately the teachers were okay with that.