The Chatta approach is an evidence-informed classroom method which removes barriers to learning for all students of all ages and in all subjects.

Every subject, Every level, Every age

Every Chatta activity begins with relevant and meaningful context. It can be related to any subject content. For example, an aspect of language or grammar, a scientific process, mathematical calculation or a fairytale. Literally anything the lesson content and teaching objectives are focused on. Activities at the beginning of a Chatta lesson should be varied and engaging to spark interest and can include anything and everything a teacher may use to support learning, e.g. games, demonstrations, objects of interest, lectures, videos, simulations, experiments, off-site visits or visiting speakers.

Thinking in Pictures

Images should be presented by the teacher using Chatta storyboards. These could be sequential in narrative form or non-chronological. The purpose of the images is to act as visual cues.

Examples may be key milestones in a story, main points in a description or explanation or simple images to represent a theme, topic or concept.

If you imagine explaining how you would prepare a drink for a guest at home, and the steps involved, the thoughts and memories you go through as you compose and present your explanation will all be things which could be presented as images in a sequence.
Selecting images is an important and simple part of the Chatta approach and, as a teacher, your skill at this will develop very quickly with practice.

Turning thoughts into words

The language used comes, at first, from the teacher. If the teacher wants the students to use specific vocabulary or features of grammar these words should be demonstrated for the students, along with any subject content coverage, or story narration.

In a Chatta activity, a teacher models language several times before the students begin to practise and apply the language. The teacher also uses this part of the lesson to make a recording of their own voice with the Chatta software.

Throughout the modelling stage the teacher makes reference to the images, perhaps by pointing or even just glancing. The teacher’s choices of words should be composed and spoken in real-time, during the lesson. The teacher should deliberately make some words and phrases used different on each occasion, whilst conveying the same meaning and modelling the same style and features of language.

This is easy and gets easier with practise. Here is a simple example:

"First of all, I opened the cupboard and chose a cup for the coffee."

Is the same as:

"Firstly, I took a coffee cup from the cupboard."

And also the same as:

"The first thing I did was select a cup from the cupboard."

The students (of all ages) should not be expected to learn by rote or repeat words and phrases parrot fashion. The modelling of language being composed and presented by the teacher ‘in the here and now’ is critical in the support of the student’s own spoken and written sentence composition.

Talk is the halfway house between thinking and writing

Having introduced the students to the context of the activity, the images and the modelled language, the next stage of the activity is for them to speak and practise.

Scaffolded Talk
For younger pupils (9 and under) and for teachers wishing to support students with additional support needs, "scaffolded talk" is the first step. The teacher should compose a sentence for each image and leave a pause for the whole class to call back a missing word. The teacher should do this for each image.

For example:
Teacher: 'First I took a coffee ......'
Class: 'CUP'

Paired Talk
All Chatta activities should include partner work and students should be prepared for this. The time spent on this activity can vary depending how the teacher chooses to lead it.

The students should have a partner and number each other 1 and 2 with number 1 going first.

Number 1 should explain, narrate or describe and apply the appropriate language for the first image and then number 2 for the second and so on. The pupils take turns to speak and listen (the Chatta images remain on view).

This can be repeated with number 2 going first, and pupils encouraged to improve their words and phrases based on ideas they share. The teacher should listen to pairs and highlight good examples.

This form of oral rehearsal is extremely valuable.

To extend this practice session, the teacher could direct that partner 1 speaks for the first two images before swapping to partner 2 etc. The teacher can also ask that each partner has a turn at completing the spoken task for each image and sharing feedback.

Presentation to the Group
The final oral activity is delivering a presentation to the class. The teacher goes first. Without notes or written prompts the teacher should explain, describe or narrate orally using the Chatta images as cues. This is an opportunity to model pace, tone, eye contact, gesture and expression, but above all composing sentences and engaging with an audience in the ‘here and now’.

One or more of the students should be invited to present to the class next, the expectations of the teacher should be high as this stage of a Chatta activity can sometimes be a surprise for pupils and teacher alike in terms of what the students are capable of.

A further activity at this stage can include the teacher and then a pupil giving the oral presentation without viewing the images (standing or sitting in front of the screen leaving the images
visible to the class).

Writing takes thought the furthest distance it has to travel.

Writing can take place at this stage of the Chatta session although it doesn’t have to. A writing outcome may not be appropriate or may not be the intention of the teacher.

The students will be ready to write.

As a teacher this is a good time to stand back and observe, or join in and participate in the writing activity.

The students will be composing and writing their own sentences and the Chatta board should remain on display.

The key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents.

Teachers using the Chatta approach are encouraged to share the Chatta content with parents and carers. This is simple to do and there is a separate short online training course explaining how to do this.