When we start a new topic, we’re quickly trying to work out a few key things:

• What do pupils already know — or think they know?

• What misconceptions might get in the way?

• How do I get them interested before the harder content begins?

In practice, the first lesson of a topic often doesn’t give us very good answers.

Quizzes and whole class questioning tend to surface who feels confident, rather than what pupils are actually unsure about. They don’t always create the low-stakes space pupils need to ask the questions that really matter – especially the ones they’re worried might sound “silly”.

Explore a New Topic is designed to solve that problem.

What the activity is for

This is a pre-teaching lesson activity.

Pupils use Willow as a thinking partner to explore a topic before any formal teaching begins. The aim is to help them:

• surface what they already recognise or associate with the topic

• make sense of what the topic is broadly about

• see why it matters beyond the classroom and where it fits alongside other topics

• ask questions privately, without fear of being “wrong”

• build a rough mental map of what’s coming, key topics, terms and questions.

There’s no expectation that pupils understand things properly yet. The point is orientation, curiosity, and readiness.

Why this kind of lesson matters

No matter how clear a teacher’s explanation, pupils process ideas at different speeds and need different kinds of thinking time. Before teaching begins, many pupils are still working out what the topic even is.

Research has long shown that this matters:

If students’ initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught…

— Bransford, Brown & Cocking (2000)

Explore a New Topic creates deliberate space for that initial sense-making - in a way that feels low-stakes and pupil-led.

How the activity plays out

The structure is simple and flexible.

1. Start with what pupils already think

Pupils begin by chatting with Willow about the topic. They’re specifically asked about:

• things they’ve heard before

• words they recognise

• ideas from earlier years

• links to the news or everyday life

• worries, assumptions, or confusion

Willow stays with these ideas for a while. It asks gentle follow-ups, reflects what pupils say, and offers light clarification where helpful — without rushing into explanations or correcting everything.

2. Pupils choose where to go next

Once that initial exploration naturally slows, pupils are given a choice. They can decide whether they want to:

• explore some of the key words or ideas they’ll hear later

• talk about why the topic matters in real life

• get a big-picture sense of the kinds of questions and ideas they’ll study

• or ask their own questions about anything confusing or interesting

This moment matters. It hands agency to pupils and keeps the lesson exploratory rather than teacher driven.

3. Follow curiosity, not a script

From here, pupils take different paths — and that’s intentional.

Some want relevance.
Some want vocabulary.
Some want reassurance about what’s coming.

Willow follows their lead, staying high-level. If the conversation narrows or energy drops, it zooms back out and re-offers options, rather than pushing pupils deeper into detail we know they’ll cover with you in future lessons.

What teachers do during (and after) the activity

While pupils are exploring, teachers are free to circulate and listen.

This is where the activity becomes particularly powerful.

Through pupils’ conversations with Willow, teachers gain critical pre-topic insight, including:

• what pupils already recognise or misunderstand

• which ideas feel familiar, confusing, or intimidating

• what pupils are curious about

• what language they’re using — and misusing

This information is gold for planning as it can be used to decide where to start teaching, adjust the pace of early lessons, plan explanations that directly address misconceptions and choose examples that connect with pupils’ existing thinking.

If you’re worried you won’t get round to chat to all of your pupils about their conversation with Willow, fear not – you’re Activity Insights will summarise the key discussion points, misconceptions and themes discussed.

Why this feels different for pupils

There’s no fixed task to complete and the conversation happens away from their peers. That changes how pupils behave.

(Note – as a teacher, you have complete oversight of every message sent and received).

They’re more willing to admit uncertainty.
They try out half-formed ideas.
They ask questions they’d never ask publicly.

Willow acts as a thinking partner rather than an answer-giver - prompting pupils to explain, reflect, and notice what still needs attention.

That low-stakes environment encourages intellectual risk-taking, which is a key driver of deeper understanding later on.

When this works particularly well

Teachers use Explore a New Topic:

as the very first activity when studying a new unit (main task)
as a 10–15-minute starter before deeper teaching
as a homework task to prepare pupils in advance
when introducing abstract or potentially intimidating topics

It’s especially effective where pupils arrive with strong ideas from outside school - or where confidence is low.

The payoff

By the time teaching begins, pupils are usually:

• more curious

• less anxious

• clearer on what the topic involves

• more willing to ask questions

Teachers, meanwhile, are better equipped to plan lessons that meet pupils where they actually are.

It’s a small shift in how a topic begins, but it can have a huge impact on how the rest of the sequence feels.