And so this is my last blog of 2011 and a chance for me to look back over the last 12 months and think ahead to the future.
Right now I cannot believe that this time last year I didn't blog, tweet or use Facebook. I didn't have an IPhone, had never heard of Edmodo or Plannerlive and had no idea what a Teachmeet was. All of these things have significantly changed how I live, spend my time and influence what I do in the classroom. They have brought me back in touch with some old friends and linked me up with some fantastic people that I would never have come into contact with in any other way. Perhaps most importantly it has reawakened my love of teaching and reinvigorated what I do. My 1st Teachmeet came along at exactly the right time for me and gave me a renewed level of enthusiasm.
Other highlights of the last 12 months have to include Magic School as part of Challenge Week. In those 5 days I saw some of the most inspirational learning of my career. It was a pleasure to be part of and I can't wait for next year's event which promises to be even bigger and better.
So - what's next for the next 12 months. Some things I want to do include continue to experiment with new technology in the classroom. I have felt like I am back at the cutting edge again and want to stay there. Twitter in particular will help with this. I am very interested in 'flipping the classroom' which I have read about on a few American blogs. I think we are closer to doing this already than some schools and need to find a group to try this out on - Edmodo looks like it could be a great tool for this.
I want to pay more attention to detail from now on. I tend to be very good at big, bold ideas but not so hot on the nitty gritty and detail. This is something I will work on. This includes being more organised and tidier and making better use of time by identifying specific periods of time in the day to work in and prioritising what to do. I will also aim to do the most difficult and least appealing jobs (OK - so I mean marking) first.
I know that I am really good at entertaining and motivating students. They like being in my room and enjoy the lessons. I believe that they are learning many important things including a bit of History. But my exam results have not been great in the last couple of years - and whilst they are not the only measure of success I want my students this year to achieve better. Partly for them and, if I am honest, partly for me to vindicate my methods and my approach. This year I will look very hard at the best ways to prepare my kids for success.
I suspect there will be big changes ahead for me this year. It looks like the AST wagon is finally going to run out of steam and will be replaced by something else and I don't know where that will leave me. The new Master Teacher proposals are too vague at the moment to know whether this is what I want to do. This will also be the end of my 12th year at my current school and my beloved tutor group will leave - maybe it is time to look for somewhere else. What I am going to focus on is being positive - there have been lots of ups and downs this year and there will be more of both ahead but I want to keep smiling and keep looking at the positive in everything. That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Thanks to everyone who read any of this stuff in 2011 and particularly those of you who have been kind enough to comment - your words have been a source of inspiration. Happy New Year to you all and best wishes for 2012.
A few specific goals for 2012:
Reach 2,500 Tweets sent
Get to 500 Followers
Post 35 blogs in 2012
Post 1 photo online every day of 2012
Perform 5 acts of kindness every day of 2012
Saturday 31 December 2011
Monday 14 November 2011
I Believe in Learning Styles
I did a session tonight as part of a staff meeting on Learning Styles. It does seem to me that it has become a little unfashionable recently to look at VAKD and learning styles and accept its' validity as a model. I have to say that I still like the model and genuinely believes that it goes a long way towards explaining how each of us processes information, learns and remembers.
I have quite happily nailed my colours to the mast of NLP a long time ago and VAKD is a core part of NLP. It certainly explains how I think - I am predominantly a visual and digital learner. I think in pictures. I plan lessons by visualising what I see happening in the room, what the work the kids will do will look like, the images I will use on the board, what they will look like when they are working. I remember in pictures. My memory works like a film and I remember what things looked like. I make sense of information in my own head and need space to work things through. I am very aware of the voice in my head and talk to myself a lot. I rarely use sound, voices and discussion to make sense of things - I am not a strong auditory learner.
I think part of the problem is that VAKD was hijacked by companies and people who wanted to simplify it to make it easier to market and sell. So we get lots of simple questionnaires, charts and labels which mean nothing. One of the keypoints I push with students is to take more notice of your weakest learning style and not your strongest. If the teacher is predominantly using your weakest learning style you will struggle to understand what is going on.
I think Learning Styles strengthens students and builds confidence. It helps students to be aware of what they are best of and understand why they find some things more difficult - it's not because they are thick, they just need to approach it in a different way and be encouraged to by their teachers.
VAKD is a model - as such it is not intended to be perfect and all-encompassing. It has it's faults but also lots of strengths too and I will stick with it for a while until a better model comes along
I have quite happily nailed my colours to the mast of NLP a long time ago and VAKD is a core part of NLP. It certainly explains how I think - I am predominantly a visual and digital learner. I think in pictures. I plan lessons by visualising what I see happening in the room, what the work the kids will do will look like, the images I will use on the board, what they will look like when they are working. I remember in pictures. My memory works like a film and I remember what things looked like. I make sense of information in my own head and need space to work things through. I am very aware of the voice in my head and talk to myself a lot. I rarely use sound, voices and discussion to make sense of things - I am not a strong auditory learner.
I think part of the problem is that VAKD was hijacked by companies and people who wanted to simplify it to make it easier to market and sell. So we get lots of simple questionnaires, charts and labels which mean nothing. One of the keypoints I push with students is to take more notice of your weakest learning style and not your strongest. If the teacher is predominantly using your weakest learning style you will struggle to understand what is going on.
I think Learning Styles strengthens students and builds confidence. It helps students to be aware of what they are best of and understand why they find some things more difficult - it's not because they are thick, they just need to approach it in a different way and be encouraged to by their teachers.
VAKD is a model - as such it is not intended to be perfect and all-encompassing. It has it's faults but also lots of strengths too and I will stick with it for a while until a better model comes along
Monday 31 October 2011
Pace in the lesson
Today was the first day back after half-term and was an INSET day. I had been asked to run a session on Pace, Progress and Active Learning. I have to admit I do enjoy delivering INSET sessions - they make me raise my game because I still get really nervous before each one but they are a great opportunity to show off what you have been doing. I was also quite pleased to be asked to do this session as I do believe that setting and maintaining a brisk pace in lessons is something which I do quite well. I delivered the same 50-minute session 3 times this morning to 3 different groups. What was really interesting was the different reactions from each group - they were all positive but in different ways. In this blog I thought I would like to put in some of the stuff I did in the session and add in some extra thoughts.
When I was putting the session together I thought about what my key principles are in planning lessons and how they help me to put together pacy, active lessons. Here they are:
1. Plan the lesson properly
I have been teaching for over 20 years and I still plan every lesson I teach. Whilst I have had the occasional good unplanned lesson and the planned lesson that went totally wrong - almost all of my terrible lessons have been because I didn't plan it properly. Planning is the one thing I never compromise on - even if it does mean some very late nights.
2. Concentration span
I know some esteemed educationalists have criticised this idea and I know that it is not strictly true and that lots of things affect concentration but - I like the idea that concentration span is age in minutes + 2 minutes. As a rule of thumb I think it works very well and I plan my lessons in blocks of 15-20 minutes. If kids have been doing something for 20 minutes - there needs to be a really good reason why they haven't moved to something else. Often I will do a quick break-state activity or simply make them move to sit somewhere else just to refocus concentration.
3. Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic and Digital thinking styles
Again, I know it has become fashionable to ridicule learning styles and deny their existence - but I like them. I have done a lot of research into this and I am an NLP Practitioner and I do believe that we all use these representational systems to process information. I do believe that we all have the ability to use each of the systems but have a preference for one or more of them and, more importantly, one we are less likely to use. I do therefore plan every lesson with these things in mind. There is always a Visual element - a picture or image to hook some students in. There is always an Auditory element - an opportunity for those kids who think out loud to express their thoughts. There is always a Kinaesthetic element - an opportunity for movement but also to connect emotionally. There is always a Digital element - time for students to make sense of information in their own heads. Juggling all these elements helps to create pace in the lesson. A Kinaesthetic activity is often followed by a Digital one - movement, discussion and activity followed by a period of quiet processing and reflecting.
4. Movement in lessons
I have a general rule that no kid will finish the lesson sitting in the chair they started in. I don't have seating plans because they are obsolete 10 minutes into the lesson. Sometimes I will move them to help them think differently. Having just spent some time looking at the advantages of something, move seats to look at the disadvantages. Some kids find it easier to move mentally if it is accompanied by a physical move.
5. Time Team Task
When I was training to be a teacher, one of my tutors was the late, great Mike Hayhoe who tried, in vain, to turn me into an English teacher. The one thing he did drill into me was TTT - so much so that I do it without even thinking about it now. Every instruction I give the kids is based on Time - tell them how long they have to do it exactly; Team - how they are working - individually, pairs, groups; Task - exactly what they are doing. Like most of what Mike Hayhoe taught me - brilliantly simple. Keep reminding them of the time - nothing helps pace quite like a countdown.
So that is me and pace - hope it was of interest. Putting together the INSET session certainly helped me to reflect on what I do and why I do it.
This is the Learning Journey for my INSET session today:
When I was putting the session together I thought about what my key principles are in planning lessons and how they help me to put together pacy, active lessons. Here they are:
1. Plan the lesson properly
I have been teaching for over 20 years and I still plan every lesson I teach. Whilst I have had the occasional good unplanned lesson and the planned lesson that went totally wrong - almost all of my terrible lessons have been because I didn't plan it properly. Planning is the one thing I never compromise on - even if it does mean some very late nights.
2. Concentration span
I know some esteemed educationalists have criticised this idea and I know that it is not strictly true and that lots of things affect concentration but - I like the idea that concentration span is age in minutes + 2 minutes. As a rule of thumb I think it works very well and I plan my lessons in blocks of 15-20 minutes. If kids have been doing something for 20 minutes - there needs to be a really good reason why they haven't moved to something else. Often I will do a quick break-state activity or simply make them move to sit somewhere else just to refocus concentration.
3. Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic and Digital thinking styles
Again, I know it has become fashionable to ridicule learning styles and deny their existence - but I like them. I have done a lot of research into this and I am an NLP Practitioner and I do believe that we all use these representational systems to process information. I do believe that we all have the ability to use each of the systems but have a preference for one or more of them and, more importantly, one we are less likely to use. I do therefore plan every lesson with these things in mind. There is always a Visual element - a picture or image to hook some students in. There is always an Auditory element - an opportunity for those kids who think out loud to express their thoughts. There is always a Kinaesthetic element - an opportunity for movement but also to connect emotionally. There is always a Digital element - time for students to make sense of information in their own heads. Juggling all these elements helps to create pace in the lesson. A Kinaesthetic activity is often followed by a Digital one - movement, discussion and activity followed by a period of quiet processing and reflecting.
4. Movement in lessons
I have a general rule that no kid will finish the lesson sitting in the chair they started in. I don't have seating plans because they are obsolete 10 minutes into the lesson. Sometimes I will move them to help them think differently. Having just spent some time looking at the advantages of something, move seats to look at the disadvantages. Some kids find it easier to move mentally if it is accompanied by a physical move.
5. Time Team Task
When I was training to be a teacher, one of my tutors was the late, great Mike Hayhoe who tried, in vain, to turn me into an English teacher. The one thing he did drill into me was TTT - so much so that I do it without even thinking about it now. Every instruction I give the kids is based on Time - tell them how long they have to do it exactly; Team - how they are working - individually, pairs, groups; Task - exactly what they are doing. Like most of what Mike Hayhoe taught me - brilliantly simple. Keep reminding them of the time - nothing helps pace quite like a countdown.
So that is me and pace - hope it was of interest. Putting together the INSET session certainly helped me to reflect on what I do and why I do it.
This is the Learning Journey for my INSET session today:
Sunday 23 October 2011
Half Term Review
So - we got to half-term. I have to admit I have really enjoyed this half-term. It has been frantic at times and I can't believe where the time has gone but overall it has been great. I really like all the groups I am working with this year and have loved the new school day with tutors delivering PSHE - I love my tutor group and it is great to work with them, and making me a little sad as they are Year 11 and I don't want them to leave.
At the beginning of term I set myself some targets and thought it might be worth having a look at how I have got on so far.
1. Use lots of new technology.
Lots of work with edmodo this term and got more teachers trying it out. Just set up a new edmodo group for revision - the hope is to get all of Yr 11 onto it in the next half-term and use it as the 1st step for students to get revision advice. Ideally they will start giving each other advice
2. Audioboo lessons - did lesson reviews for most GCSE lessons but haven't done quite as many as I would like. Still having a bit of a problem persuading school to unfilter audioboo. I have used it with great effect with classes to record audio presentations. Yr11 did some brilliant analysis of what The Fresh Prince of Bel Air has to say about civil rights, Yr 7 told some great versions of the Robin Hood legends and Yr 8 were hilarious reporting on the Shocking State of the English Church in 1540. Recording on the iPhone was really quick and easy and helped to focus the kids and led to them raising their game. Have a listen at http://audioboo.fm/JohnGolding
3. Learn names quickly - OK so not so good but probably not a few more than normally at this stage of the year
4. Be more organised - surprisingly yes. My classroom -and desk- are still tidy, my folder is up to date and a couple of cool apps have really helped - Evernote has made virtually paperless in all meetings and AwesomeNote is brilliant
5. Provide better feedback - following OFSTED our school has been told to do more marking and provide better feedback but I wanted to do more myself anyway. I have certainly marked far more often and more rigorously. We have gone back to weekly homeworks and as I was one of the people pushing for that I did feel that I had to make sure I was marking it all. The truth is that marking regularly does become easier - there is less to do each week and it does help you to get to know the kids you teach better. It does allow you to get a glimpse into how they are thinking and whether any of the stuff you have been doing in lessons has worked. Mind you - still marking at 9.30 at night is not fun
6. Keep positive - been tested a few times but generally I feel much happier. I have now realised that I am genuinely happy as a classroom teacher and that I honestly don't want to be anything else. Yes some of the crazy decisions SLT make drive me mad and our school seems to love creating more bureaucracy - but I am trying to rise above it
7. Take risks - as always no problem. Big find this term has been Learning Journeys - best idea I have come across in years
8. And finally...blog - and again yes - every fortnight and had a great response on Twitter and Google + from the last one
So I am really pleased so far. Determined to have a good rest this week, recharge the batteries and get ready for next half-term. I always think this is where the real work starts. The groups have settled down, we have started to get used to each other and now we can focus on some great learning.
Have a brilliant half-term everyone
At the beginning of term I set myself some targets and thought it might be worth having a look at how I have got on so far.
1. Use lots of new technology.
Lots of work with edmodo this term and got more teachers trying it out. Just set up a new edmodo group for revision - the hope is to get all of Yr 11 onto it in the next half-term and use it as the 1st step for students to get revision advice. Ideally they will start giving each other advice
2. Audioboo lessons - did lesson reviews for most GCSE lessons but haven't done quite as many as I would like. Still having a bit of a problem persuading school to unfilter audioboo. I have used it with great effect with classes to record audio presentations. Yr11 did some brilliant analysis of what The Fresh Prince of Bel Air has to say about civil rights, Yr 7 told some great versions of the Robin Hood legends and Yr 8 were hilarious reporting on the Shocking State of the English Church in 1540. Recording on the iPhone was really quick and easy and helped to focus the kids and led to them raising their game. Have a listen at http://audioboo.fm/JohnGolding
3. Learn names quickly - OK so not so good but probably not a few more than normally at this stage of the year
4. Be more organised - surprisingly yes. My classroom -and desk- are still tidy, my folder is up to date and a couple of cool apps have really helped - Evernote has made virtually paperless in all meetings and AwesomeNote is brilliant
6. Keep positive - been tested a few times but generally I feel much happier. I have now realised that I am genuinely happy as a classroom teacher and that I honestly don't want to be anything else. Yes some of the crazy decisions SLT make drive me mad and our school seems to love creating more bureaucracy - but I am trying to rise above it
7. Take risks - as always no problem. Big find this term has been Learning Journeys - best idea I have come across in years
8. And finally...blog - and again yes - every fortnight and had a great response on Twitter and Google + from the last one
So I am really pleased so far. Determined to have a good rest this week, recharge the batteries and get ready for next half-term. I always think this is where the real work starts. The groups have settled down, we have started to get used to each other and now we can focus on some great learning.
Have a brilliant half-term everyone
Sunday 9 October 2011
I hate Learning Objectives...and love Learning Journeys
At last I can come clean and say it - "I hate Learning Objectives. I never use and I have never used them". That was such a relief. For years I have hated being told that unless Learning Objectives are up on the board my lessons cannot be "outstanding". This is totally crap - and 6 of my last 7 lesson observations were graded as outstanding even though there were no Learning Objectives on display. I hate Learning Objectives because I don't believe they do a damned thing to promote learning in the classroom - in fact I think they can actively block learning for the following reasons:
1. It is incredibly arrogant of us to believe that simply by saying what they are going to learn - they will learn it.
2. The Learning Objective takes away all the mystery from the lesson. Who in their right mind gives away their biggest and best secret at the start? Did Agatha Christie reveal the killer in the first paragraph? Did Hitchcock show you Norman Bates' mother in the first 5 minutes of Psycho? Did Bob Hope start a joke with the punchline? A good stripper never starts the show naked (or so I am told).
3. The Learning Objective can be an obstacle to learning - some kids will look at it and say "But I don't want to learn that today" or even worse "But I have already learned that" - where do you go as a teacher from there?
4. I hate that some people tell me to use a Learning Objective solely because "OFSTED like it". I don't even believe this is true. I think OFSTED want to see Learning Objectives in planning - and they are the 1st thing I put in all my lesson plans - they don't need to see it on the board. The most ridiculous thing I ever saw was a Foundation class teacher who put Learning Objectives up for her class because she was told to. Her class was made up of 4 year olds - none of them could read!
So - I have never used them. Recently however I came across something called Learning Journeys - and I love them. I found out about this by following a Tweet from David Didau @Learning Spy and checking out his blog http://learningspy.edublogs.org/2011/09/21/learning-journeys/. The idea is to give students a visual map of the lesson. Using images, arrows and keywords you can give them an outline of what is coming - but it is in the form of a puzzle. As a visual learner - I love it and couldn't wait to try it out. Over the last 2 weeks I have used them in every lesson from Yr7 to Yr 12. I use Powerpoint to put up a slide with Today's Learning Journey on it and usually 4-8 images. I also put some keywords on which relate to the specific skills which students will use during the lesson: investigate, communicate, analyse, create, visualise etc.
I deliberately do not mention the Learning Journey to students at all at the start of the lesson - it is simply up on the screen when they come in - but so many students notice it and have started to talk to each other about it. I often take the screen away during the lesson to look at something else but bring it back often and refer to some of the images but without explicitly explaining it. I want the kids to work it out for themselves. I love it when at some point in the lesson someone shouts out "Oh yeah. I get that now" and then proceeds to explain it to someone else.
I do feel as if I have only just scratched the surface with this and look forward to exploring it further and experimenting with it. I had 2 mini-lesson observations last week and both the teachers who came in were very interested in the Learning Journeys - so give them a try. Do also check out David Didau's brilliant blog and also a guy called Darren Mead http://pedagogicalpurposes.blogspot.com/ - who I believe inspired David. Thanks to both of you.
1. It is incredibly arrogant of us to believe that simply by saying what they are going to learn - they will learn it.
2. The Learning Objective takes away all the mystery from the lesson. Who in their right mind gives away their biggest and best secret at the start? Did Agatha Christie reveal the killer in the first paragraph? Did Hitchcock show you Norman Bates' mother in the first 5 minutes of Psycho? Did Bob Hope start a joke with the punchline? A good stripper never starts the show naked (or so I am told).
3. The Learning Objective can be an obstacle to learning - some kids will look at it and say "But I don't want to learn that today" or even worse "But I have already learned that" - where do you go as a teacher from there?
4. I hate that some people tell me to use a Learning Objective solely because "OFSTED like it". I don't even believe this is true. I think OFSTED want to see Learning Objectives in planning - and they are the 1st thing I put in all my lesson plans - they don't need to see it on the board. The most ridiculous thing I ever saw was a Foundation class teacher who put Learning Objectives up for her class because she was told to. Her class was made up of 4 year olds - none of them could read!
So - I have never used them. Recently however I came across something called Learning Journeys - and I love them. I found out about this by following a Tweet from David Didau @Learning Spy and checking out his blog http://learningspy.edublogs.org/2011/09/21/learning-journeys/. The idea is to give students a visual map of the lesson. Using images, arrows and keywords you can give them an outline of what is coming - but it is in the form of a puzzle. As a visual learner - I love it and couldn't wait to try it out. Over the last 2 weeks I have used them in every lesson from Yr7 to Yr 12. I use Powerpoint to put up a slide with Today's Learning Journey on it and usually 4-8 images. I also put some keywords on which relate to the specific skills which students will use during the lesson: investigate, communicate, analyse, create, visualise etc.
I deliberately do not mention the Learning Journey to students at all at the start of the lesson - it is simply up on the screen when they come in - but so many students notice it and have started to talk to each other about it. I often take the screen away during the lesson to look at something else but bring it back often and refer to some of the images but without explicitly explaining it. I want the kids to work it out for themselves. I love it when at some point in the lesson someone shouts out "Oh yeah. I get that now" and then proceeds to explain it to someone else.
I do feel as if I have only just scratched the surface with this and look forward to exploring it further and experimenting with it. I had 2 mini-lesson observations last week and both the teachers who came in were very interested in the Learning Journeys - so give them a try. Do also check out David Didau's brilliant blog and also a guy called Darren Mead http://pedagogicalpurposes.blogspot.com/ - who I believe inspired David. Thanks to both of you.
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| This is a Learning Journey of a Year 12 lesson on the 1905 Russian Revolution |
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| This is a Learning Journey of a Year 11 lesson looking at media representations of black civil rights in the USA |
Sunday 25 September 2011
Life-Walks in Tutor Time
My school has changed the day around this year. For reasons I can't remember - I think it had something to do with accomodating the IB- we now have 25 minutes tutor period in the afternoon and form tutors deliver PSHE and other tutor activities. This has had a mixed reaction from staff but I have really enjoyed it so far. I have a Yr11 tutor group that I have had since Yr7 and they are quite simply the best tutor group I have ever had. I really enjoy spending time with them each day and it has allowed me to try out some different ideas with them.
On Thursday's the theme for the year group is Review and it is intended that we help students review progress and targets. Last week I decided to try out a technique which I first came across on my NLP course a few years ago and have tried a couple of times but never quite like this.
Without explaining why I took my group outside. There are 23 of them and I have to admit I didn't have a clue if it would work or be a total (and very public) disaster. We went out to the basketball courts at the back of my classroom. I lined all the students up against one of the new fences which surround the courts. I explained to them that they were now standing at the first day of their life. The fence at the other side of the court represented the end of their life. I asked them to walk slowly and in silence towards the other side of the court and stop when they felt that they had reached the present point in their life. The key with most NLP techniques is to keep instructions vague and content-free allowing people to make their own sense of what is going on.
Each student began their walk and it was really interesting to see the different lengths of their journeys. Some kids took only 5-6 steps whilst some went almost a third of the way across. I had asked the students to bring their bags with them. I now asked them to put their bags down on the point they had reached and turn around to look back at where they had come from. I asked them to walk back and stop 3-5 times along the route. Each stop would be a significant event in their lives and they were to pause at each point for 10 seconds and relive the moment. Again - very little content given from me allowing them to make their own sense of it. Having reached the day of their birth again they turned around and came back stopping again at the same points to consolidate the experience.
The kids did this brilliantly. It was fantastic to see them all getting totally into the exercise and really reliving experiences. I was particularly pleased that the few kids who didn't get into it respected the others and stayed quiet.
I then asked all the students to walk to a line 2/3rds of the way across the court. They stopped on the line and looked back towards the beginning. I told them that this line represented a point in their future - it was up to them to decide when it was. The key point was that by this point they were successful (again I gave no context or definition for success). They would walk back to their bags (representing today) stopping and noticing 5 particular events which helped them to be successful.
Once again all the kids did it - most of them with eyes closed and in total concentration. It was a fantastic moment. At the end I suggested to them that in order to make any successful journey you need to have a pretty good idea of the route you will take. This exercise helped to give them that route.
As we left the basketball courts many of the students were buzzing - they wanted to talk to each about what they had just experienced.
The whole session made me very grateful to have such a brilliant tutor group and I am really looking forward to working with them throughout the rest of the year.
On Thursday's the theme for the year group is Review and it is intended that we help students review progress and targets. Last week I decided to try out a technique which I first came across on my NLP course a few years ago and have tried a couple of times but never quite like this.
Without explaining why I took my group outside. There are 23 of them and I have to admit I didn't have a clue if it would work or be a total (and very public) disaster. We went out to the basketball courts at the back of my classroom. I lined all the students up against one of the new fences which surround the courts. I explained to them that they were now standing at the first day of their life. The fence at the other side of the court represented the end of their life. I asked them to walk slowly and in silence towards the other side of the court and stop when they felt that they had reached the present point in their life. The key with most NLP techniques is to keep instructions vague and content-free allowing people to make their own sense of what is going on.
Each student began their walk and it was really interesting to see the different lengths of their journeys. Some kids took only 5-6 steps whilst some went almost a third of the way across. I had asked the students to bring their bags with them. I now asked them to put their bags down on the point they had reached and turn around to look back at where they had come from. I asked them to walk back and stop 3-5 times along the route. Each stop would be a significant event in their lives and they were to pause at each point for 10 seconds and relive the moment. Again - very little content given from me allowing them to make their own sense of it. Having reached the day of their birth again they turned around and came back stopping again at the same points to consolidate the experience.
The kids did this brilliantly. It was fantastic to see them all getting totally into the exercise and really reliving experiences. I was particularly pleased that the few kids who didn't get into it respected the others and stayed quiet.
I then asked all the students to walk to a line 2/3rds of the way across the court. They stopped on the line and looked back towards the beginning. I told them that this line represented a point in their future - it was up to them to decide when it was. The key point was that by this point they were successful (again I gave no context or definition for success). They would walk back to their bags (representing today) stopping and noticing 5 particular events which helped them to be successful.
Once again all the kids did it - most of them with eyes closed and in total concentration. It was a fantastic moment. At the end I suggested to them that in order to make any successful journey you need to have a pretty good idea of the route you will take. This exercise helped to give them that route.
As we left the basketball courts many of the students were buzzing - they wanted to talk to each about what they had just experienced.
The whole session made me very grateful to have such a brilliant tutor group and I am really looking forward to working with them throughout the rest of the year.
Sunday 11 September 2011
Reflections on the 1st week back
So, back at school for a week now and it is amazing how quickly the summer holiday becomes a memory. I do feel that it does take me a few days to really feel as if I am back at my best. In more fanciful moments I like to compare myself to a Premier League footballer who only really hits their best form by early October (this is probably the only thing I will ever have in common with a Premier League footballer however).
We started with 2 INSET days which, I have to admit, I found deeply frustrating. There was far too much sitting and listening and information-giving. It did however demonstrate how rubbish the lecture is as a teaching technique. After 15 minutes I had lost concentration and felt swamped by the sheer amount of information I was being expected to process and I found myself daydreaming, looking out of the window and, I have to admit, playing on my phone. I was also frustrated at the loss of 2 whole days of training opportunities. There was no training done - instead it was planning and preparation. This time is necessary but did we need so much? Could we have had some input into something new and exciting to try during the term ahead?
Wednesday to Friday were by far the best days of the week because they were days when I was teaching. Overall the groups seem pretty good so far. They have reacted very well to the new technology ideas in particular. Several students have signed up to follow the Humanities faculty on Twitter and my new Year 10 group are gradually finding their way onto edmodo. Hopefully by the end of next week there will be a lot more kids using it. Most pleasing of all was seeing more teachers and faculties using plannerlive - Science and English have posted homework on there this week. I am really pleased about that - it may be that this will be a revolution from below. If enough of us keep having a go with new technology by the time the School Leadership Team get round to discussing which new technologies they want to use it will be too late - they will already be embedded in the school because the best teachers are using it and large numbers of students are using it regularly.
So my New school year's resolutions are not doing too badly after just 1 week. New technology is being used - I also recorded a 5-minute summary of the Treaty of Versailles on Audioboo and posted it on twitter and edmodo for Year 10. You can hear it on http://audioboo.fm/boos/463103-the-treaty-of-versailles. I have tried really hard not to get wound up by the stuff I can't change - even on Monday and Tuesday. This week I am going to try really hard to learn 5 kids names each lesson. Even my room has stayed tidy - which my tutor group are finding very unnerving. --- and I have blogged again.
Hope this week is a good one.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We started with 2 INSET days which, I have to admit, I found deeply frustrating. There was far too much sitting and listening and information-giving. It did however demonstrate how rubbish the lecture is as a teaching technique. After 15 minutes I had lost concentration and felt swamped by the sheer amount of information I was being expected to process and I found myself daydreaming, looking out of the window and, I have to admit, playing on my phone. I was also frustrated at the loss of 2 whole days of training opportunities. There was no training done - instead it was planning and preparation. This time is necessary but did we need so much? Could we have had some input into something new and exciting to try during the term ahead?
Wednesday to Friday were by far the best days of the week because they were days when I was teaching. Overall the groups seem pretty good so far. They have reacted very well to the new technology ideas in particular. Several students have signed up to follow the Humanities faculty on Twitter and my new Year 10 group are gradually finding their way onto edmodo. Hopefully by the end of next week there will be a lot more kids using it. Most pleasing of all was seeing more teachers and faculties using plannerlive - Science and English have posted homework on there this week. I am really pleased about that - it may be that this will be a revolution from below. If enough of us keep having a go with new technology by the time the School Leadership Team get round to discussing which new technologies they want to use it will be too late - they will already be embedded in the school because the best teachers are using it and large numbers of students are using it regularly.
So my New school year's resolutions are not doing too badly after just 1 week. New technology is being used - I also recorded a 5-minute summary of the Treaty of Versailles on Audioboo and posted it on twitter and edmodo for Year 10. You can hear it on http://audioboo.fm/boos/463103-the-treaty-of-versailles. I have tried really hard not to get wound up by the stuff I can't change - even on Monday and Tuesday. This week I am going to try really hard to learn 5 kids names each lesson. Even my room has stayed tidy - which my tutor group are finding very unnerving. --- and I have blogged again.
Hope this week is a good one.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday 3 September 2011
Magic School
At the end of last term I ran a Magic School for a week as part of our school's Challenge Week - it was without doubt the best teaching experience of my career. The set-up was simple: 25 kids from Yrs 7-9, boys and girls, 5 days to teach them as much magic as possible and perform a show for an audience of Yr5-6 kids on the last day.
I know a small number of magic tricks but was able to call in the help of an old friend, Dr Alan Jones who is, amongst a long list of talents, a professional magician and teacher - the week could not have worked without him. Al and I had met up a few times during the year to plan what to do and Al had put together a fantastic magic kit for each student involved containing cards, vanishing balls, rope etc and a brilliant book called Crafty Conjurors which he had written.
On the first 2 days Al and I threw as many tricks as we could at the kids and gave them opportunities to play and experiment. Wednesday and Thursday were taken up with planning for the final show and practicing tricks and Friday was the final performance and a review.
Despite our planning the reality was that neither me or Al really knew what was going to happen during the week - and that's what made it so exciting. We could not anticipate how the kids would react to the week or how quickly they would pick things up. What happened exceeded all of our ideas and ambitions. We got a superb model of how learning can happen and a glimpse of how schools could operate more effectively.
After the first 2 days Al and I stopped teaching. We had demonstrated lots of tricks and illusions and now the kids just went away and worked with them. From that point on we were helpers and advisors - far more powerful roles. Kids showed us what they could do and we gave them advice on how to improve it. The kids had time and space to go away and work at their own pace and on what they wanted. We had 4 rooms that the kids go to and we circulated around them - but some groups would be left on their own supervised by a TA for up to 45 minutes - and they worked. We couldn't stop them working! Kids were coming in at 8 in the morning to practice, working through breaks and lunchtimes, doing stuff at home - even though we never mentioned homework. The only time we came close to telling kids off was when we had to throw them out of school at the end of the day.
The final performance was spell-binding - the quality far exceeding what we expected them to achieve. Every student performed - and we had always made it clear that performing was optional. The kids showed amazing responsibility, resilience, creativity and team-work. There were so many highlights: I tweeted about what we were doing and the kids were knocked out to get replies from such professional magicians as Piff the Magic Dragon, Josh Jay, David Copperfield and, best of all, Penn and Teller; some students really struggled with particular tricks but stuck with them and got them right; several teachers were amazed at the transformation in 1 particular Yr 8 boy who has caused problems during the year with his behaviour - he was amazing at Magic School - I think it was the first time some teachers had seen him smile; every kid personalised their trick - changing it from how we did it to something unique and personal; for me the best moment was when 1 extremely shy Yr7 boy stole the show with a hilarious performance as the mad magical scientist - he discovered that he was funny.
By the end of the week I was exhausted - but exhilirated. We are already making plans for next year's event and I aim to run a fortnightly magic club at school. The kids already arranged extra shows themselves in the school library on their own.
The whole experience did make me think about what school should be like - this is what happens when kids are truly motivated and stimulated - but also given time and freedom to experiment and play. The real challenge this year needs to be looking for ways to recreate this experience in all my lessons - let the magic continue
Tuesday 23 August 2011
New (School) Year Resolutions
I always look forward to the start of the new school year - I guess the day I don't will be the time to call it a day. I am glad to say that I think I am looking forward to the start of this year more than I have in ages. For the first time in several years I have got a good timetable and, unlike last year, most of the time I will be teaching History. At the beginning of last year I was feeling really negative about teaching - largely because I was teaching a lot of English and PSHE but last year was a real turning point for me. I discovered lots of new ideas and technologies during the year which really reignited my excitement and enthusiasm for teaching.
I have decided to make some new resolutions for this year - who knows if I will keep them but I am hoping that by writing them down it gives me more of an incentive to do them.
1. Use lots of new technology.
Last year I got into Twitter, blogging, edmodo, audioboo and plannerlive. This year I will use them more extensively - I would love to reach the point where every student I teach is using at least 1 of these technologies regularly to improve their learning.
2. Audioboo lessons
I only got into audioboo at the end of the year but will take it much further this year. The aim is to do audioboo summaries of each GCSE and AS lesson so that students can access 5 minute summaries of the key points of each lesson at home.
3. Learn names quickly
I have always been really bad at learning names. As a visual learner I am great at remembering faces but rubbish at names. The target is to know every students' name by half-term. I am going to try and use at least 5 new names every lesson.
4. Be more organised
I have a reputation for being the untidiest teacher at school. My desk is always a mess - but deep down I would love to be more organised. At the beginning of the summer holidays I gave my room a good clear out and it looks fantastic now - I will try to keep it this way. I intend to spend 5-10 minutes each day tidying (I know even as I write this that this is asking way too much!)
5. Provide better feedback
I have always disliked marking and would rather spend my time planning the next lesson. However, I am now realising that I am doing my students a big disservice. Their work deserves to be marked and they have the right to get feedback on how well they did it and how they can improve it - quickly. I owe them that. This year work will be marked quickly and regularly. I have tried to work out a rota for marking which might help
6. Keep positive
I have a tendency to get wound up by some of the things that happen at school - particularly decisions made by management which I disagree with. This year I am going to try to focus on the things I can affect and not get bothered by the stuff I can't do anything about.
7. Take risks
This I know is the one that I will definitely keep. I have always been experimental in the classroom - it is one of the things I enjoy the most about teaching. I haven't got a clue what I am going to do that is new yet - but look forward to finding out what it will be
8. And finally...blog
I started blogging last year and got into it for a while and then slipped off. The thing is that I know I feel so much better about teaching (and me) when I blog. It helps to keep me positive and also gives me time to reflect on what I do. The aim is to blog at least once a fortnight - let's see what happens
So that's the plan. If there are any other teachers out there - I would love to know if you set yourself any resolutions. Good luck to all of us this year in the classroom - enjoy yourselves.
I have decided to make some new resolutions for this year - who knows if I will keep them but I am hoping that by writing them down it gives me more of an incentive to do them.
1. Use lots of new technology.
Last year I got into Twitter, blogging, edmodo, audioboo and plannerlive. This year I will use them more extensively - I would love to reach the point where every student I teach is using at least 1 of these technologies regularly to improve their learning.
2. Audioboo lessons
I only got into audioboo at the end of the year but will take it much further this year. The aim is to do audioboo summaries of each GCSE and AS lesson so that students can access 5 minute summaries of the key points of each lesson at home.
3. Learn names quickly
I have always been really bad at learning names. As a visual learner I am great at remembering faces but rubbish at names. The target is to know every students' name by half-term. I am going to try and use at least 5 new names every lesson.
4. Be more organised
I have a reputation for being the untidiest teacher at school. My desk is always a mess - but deep down I would love to be more organised. At the beginning of the summer holidays I gave my room a good clear out and it looks fantastic now - I will try to keep it this way. I intend to spend 5-10 minutes each day tidying (I know even as I write this that this is asking way too much!)
5. Provide better feedback
I have always disliked marking and would rather spend my time planning the next lesson. However, I am now realising that I am doing my students a big disservice. Their work deserves to be marked and they have the right to get feedback on how well they did it and how they can improve it - quickly. I owe them that. This year work will be marked quickly and regularly. I have tried to work out a rota for marking which might help
6. Keep positive
I have a tendency to get wound up by some of the things that happen at school - particularly decisions made by management which I disagree with. This year I am going to try to focus on the things I can affect and not get bothered by the stuff I can't do anything about.
7. Take risks
This I know is the one that I will definitely keep. I have always been experimental in the classroom - it is one of the things I enjoy the most about teaching. I haven't got a clue what I am going to do that is new yet - but look forward to finding out what it will be
8. And finally...blog
I started blogging last year and got into it for a while and then slipped off. The thing is that I know I feel so much better about teaching (and me) when I blog. It helps to keep me positive and also gives me time to reflect on what I do. The aim is to blog at least once a fortnight - let's see what happens
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Farewell to Hybrid History
Like a number of History teachers around the country I was extremely disappointed to discover that OCR has dropped the Hybrid History Pilot course with immediate effect. This is a huge shame as I believe that this was one of the most innovative and creative courses put forward for any GCSE students in the last 10 years. I had a great time teaching it and I know the kids really enjoyed it. It was hard work - particularly as most of the content and resources had to made from scratch, but it was worth it.
We did the International Terrorism unit to start off which really challenged students' perceptions of terrorism, protest and the effect of 9/11. I teach in Cornwall and there are times when the rest of the world can feel like it's a long way away - this unit involved students in big current world issues.
I have to admit that I was always surprised at how much kids genuinely enjoyed the Medieval Kings unit - I think the fact that it was so different from the other history they had covered made it exciting and the 4 hour exam predated the new Controlled Assessment.
The Heritage Marketing Unit was superb - the highlight of the course each year as it encouraged students to consider the role of history in today's society and to think outside the box. Over 5 years students produced new marketing materials and strategies for the Cornish Records Office and for Bodmin Jail and the ideas the kids came up with were fantastic.
The Victorian Society in Depth unit allowed us to take a more traditional period of history and look at in a different light. This year we looked at why the Victorians were fascinated by horror and invited in a professional magician to demonstrate how Victorian mediums fooled audiences to believe in spirits and ghosts, recreated a Victorian school and held a competition to decide who was the greatest Victorian (narrowly won by Charles Darwin, just ahead of Jack the Ripper and Oscar Wilde). I also teach Modern World GCSE and love it - but the Hybrid was a hell of a lot more fun.
So the course is gone - and OCR should be particularly ashamed of it's timing by cutting a course after students have been recruited. However, the resources still exist and the ideas can be changed and adapted for Key Stage 3. A lot of our Medieval Kings stuff has already drifted into Year 7. We put together a great resource box looking at the images on medieval kings' seals with the Record Office which has been used by several schools and goes down really well with Year 7. You know what teachers are like - we never throw stuff away and can recycle anything.
The hope has to be that the spirit of the Hybrid course can be kept - this is the type of history we should be teaching - history that enthuses and inspires kids, that challenges perceptions and forces students to ask questions. A great course that will be missed - but which will still have some effect for a long time.
We did the International Terrorism unit to start off which really challenged students' perceptions of terrorism, protest and the effect of 9/11. I teach in Cornwall and there are times when the rest of the world can feel like it's a long way away - this unit involved students in big current world issues.
I have to admit that I was always surprised at how much kids genuinely enjoyed the Medieval Kings unit - I think the fact that it was so different from the other history they had covered made it exciting and the 4 hour exam predated the new Controlled Assessment.
The Heritage Marketing Unit was superb - the highlight of the course each year as it encouraged students to consider the role of history in today's society and to think outside the box. Over 5 years students produced new marketing materials and strategies for the Cornish Records Office and for Bodmin Jail and the ideas the kids came up with were fantastic.
The Victorian Society in Depth unit allowed us to take a more traditional period of history and look at in a different light. This year we looked at why the Victorians were fascinated by horror and invited in a professional magician to demonstrate how Victorian mediums fooled audiences to believe in spirits and ghosts, recreated a Victorian school and held a competition to decide who was the greatest Victorian (narrowly won by Charles Darwin, just ahead of Jack the Ripper and Oscar Wilde). I also teach Modern World GCSE and love it - but the Hybrid was a hell of a lot more fun.
So the course is gone - and OCR should be particularly ashamed of it's timing by cutting a course after students have been recruited. However, the resources still exist and the ideas can be changed and adapted for Key Stage 3. A lot of our Medieval Kings stuff has already drifted into Year 7. We put together a great resource box looking at the images on medieval kings' seals with the Record Office which has been used by several schools and goes down really well with Year 7. You know what teachers are like - we never throw stuff away and can recycle anything.
Sunday 27 March 2011
Edmodo and Teachmeets
A few weeks ago I went to my 1st Teachmeet. If you haven't come across these yet, then you probably haven't been on Twitter enough. The idea is that teachers get together informally and swap ideas, tools and resources. As it seems to run through the internet it does tend to be dominated by IT teachers - which is great for me as that is an untapped resource as far as I am concerned.
I came away with tons of ideas - the first of which is edmodo. This is a brilliant free website which acts as a social network for teachers and students. As the teacher you set up groups for the classes you teach - it gives you a code which the students use to log in. You can upload resources and web links to it, send them messages and, most importantly, they can contact you.
I have been using for the last 2 weeks with my Yr 10 and Yr 11 GCSE History groups and it has been brilliant. The kids really like it and find it easy to use as "it is just like Facebook".
Just this weekend, 3 students have posted specific questions about homework or coursework. It took me just a few minutes to type in a reply which will really help those kids to get great grades and move on. I used to think that things like this would intrude on my private life and get in the way but the technology now allows this to be really easy and within my control. There is even an App for edmodo so you can access it on the Iphone.
Give it a try - I heartily recommend it. Go to www.edmodo.com - it takes less than 5 minutes to set up.
If you are already using edmodo - let me know what else you are doing with it.
Look out for Teachmeets - they are the best CPD I have seen in years.
I came away with tons of ideas - the first of which is edmodo. This is a brilliant free website which acts as a social network for teachers and students. As the teacher you set up groups for the classes you teach - it gives you a code which the students use to log in. You can upload resources and web links to it, send them messages and, most importantly, they can contact you.
I have been using for the last 2 weeks with my Yr 10 and Yr 11 GCSE History groups and it has been brilliant. The kids really like it and find it easy to use as "it is just like Facebook".
Give it a try - I heartily recommend it. Go to www.edmodo.com - it takes less than 5 minutes to set up.
If you are already using edmodo - let me know what else you are doing with it.
Look out for Teachmeets - they are the best CPD I have seen in years.
Monday 14 March 2011
Models of Understanding
I stole this idea from Mike Hughes - I am a thief but I am an honest one. I always admit when I am stealing ideas.
I like activities which utilise what kids will do anyway. Have you ever marveled at just how much junk kids carry in their bags? And how they want to empty it out all over the table too? This activity gives them the freedom to do that but also develops creativity and enhances understanding by helping them personalise information.
Give students 7 minutes to make a free-standing model using whatever is on the table, in their pockets or in their bags. Give them a key word, idea, personality, event or group that the model must represent. Usually you get a minute or two of confused muttering and emptying of bags before someone comes up with an idea that someone else copies, picks up or adds to. Everytime I have done this I have been amazed at what kids come up with.
Today I did this activity as a starter with 2 Yr9 groups. We were looking at the main themes of Nazi propaganda. I gave each group a theme on a strip of paper that they had to keep secret from other groups, build their models and then see if other groups could guess their theme.
I like activities which utilise what kids will do anyway. Have you ever marveled at just how much junk kids carry in their bags? And how they want to empty it out all over the table too? This activity gives them the freedom to do that but also develops creativity and enhances understanding by helping them personalise information.
Give students 7 minutes to make a free-standing model using whatever is on the table, in their pockets or in their bags. Give them a key word, idea, personality, event or group that the model must represent. Usually you get a minute or two of confused muttering and emptying of bags before someone comes up with an idea that someone else copies, picks up or adds to. Everytime I have done this I have been amazed at what kids come up with.
Today I did this activity as a starter with 2 Yr9 groups. We were looking at the main themes of Nazi propaganda. I gave each group a theme on a strip of paper that they had to keep secret from other groups, build their models and then see if other groups could guess their theme.
"Heroes" - sadly Justin Bieber gets everywhere
This one is "Strength" - well it made sense to them!
Great fun as a starter and one that has loads of replay value.
Thursday 10 March 2011
Using De Bono's 6 Hats
Later today I am doing a short presentation at TeachMeet Bude on using Edward de Bono's 6 Hats so this seemed like a good time to organise my thoughts about one of my favourite teaching tools. I love de Bono's ideas and think that the 6 Hats stuff is fantastic because of its' simplicity and versatility.
Most people are aware of the basic premise of the technique - 6 hats, each of a different colour and each hat controls the way in which you are directed to think: yellow for positives, white for information and/or questions, black for caution and problems, red for emotions, green for new ideas and creativity and blue for an overview and/or next step planning.
I teach all of my groups from Yr7 to Yr13 the basic technique of 6-Hats as early in the year as it is relevant. I use a simple A3 sheet with 6 white hats on for students to record their ideas on and the 1st lesson with the groups tends to follow the same pattern.. I usually tell them a bit about de Bono - his name often gets a laugh and they are usually impressed to learn that de Bono has made serious money out of the idea to the extent that his hobby is collecting Pacific Islands. Pointing out that his clients include Disney, Microsoft, Nike, Gordon Brown, Barak Obama and McDonalds also tends to encourage kids to give his idea half a chance. I identify an area, topic, idea or statement for the students to focus on. Give them a yellow pencil to colour in any hat and then give them 2 minutes maximum to note down all the positives, advantages etc. De Bono has synaesthesia - senses mix together so he feels colour, so linking colours to ways of thinking is natural to him. Tight time limits are really important in focussing students on 1 way of thinking - too long and they will drift into other ways of thinking. I also make it clear that if they can't think of anything linked to that hat - they can do nothing, that's fine. I then make all students move to a different table in the room. I find that the sensation of physically moving helps kids to switch ways of thinking - being in another place makes it easier to think in another way. White hat is next - usually I ask kids to write down questions which would have a factual answer rather than an opinion. 2 minutes then move on to another table and the black pencil. 2 minutes to record disadvantages, problems, worries - this one I always keep to 2 minutes at the most - killing ideas is very easy. Red is next and this is the shortest - 1 minute usually - kids write down gut feeling reactions and emotions with no justification. This is the only one where I don't ask kids for feedback. Green hat is new ideas. I usually break away from the topic at this point and play the old game of holding up a tin or box and giving kids 3 minutes to come up with as many weird uses for it as possible - 37 in 3 minutes is still the record in my room. I find that this gets the creative ideas flowing and kids are far more likely to come up with off-the-wall but extremely exciting ideas. I usually stress to the kids with this hat that the 2 most damaging reactions to ideas are the words "no" (which demoralises) and "yes" - which stops the next idea from coming. Blue hat is the final one. My room is arranged into 5 group tables so by this time the kids are back where they started having been around the whole room. On a double lesson - I did do this with a Yr12 group in 5 different places around the school including the middle of the astroturf. The blue hat can either be the final summary or next-step planning. Once you have been through this with kids you can g back to the tool and go through it much faster each time
Here are some of the ways in which I use the technique:
Most people are aware of the basic premise of the technique - 6 hats, each of a different colour and each hat controls the way in which you are directed to think: yellow for positives, white for information and/or questions, black for caution and problems, red for emotions, green for new ideas and creativity and blue for an overview and/or next step planning.
I teach all of my groups from Yr7 to Yr13 the basic technique of 6-Hats as early in the year as it is relevant. I use a simple A3 sheet with 6 white hats on for students to record their ideas on and the 1st lesson with the groups tends to follow the same pattern.. I usually tell them a bit about de Bono - his name often gets a laugh and they are usually impressed to learn that de Bono has made serious money out of the idea to the extent that his hobby is collecting Pacific Islands. Pointing out that his clients include Disney, Microsoft, Nike, Gordon Brown, Barak Obama and McDonalds also tends to encourage kids to give his idea half a chance. I identify an area, topic, idea or statement for the students to focus on. Give them a yellow pencil to colour in any hat and then give them 2 minutes maximum to note down all the positives, advantages etc. De Bono has synaesthesia - senses mix together so he feels colour, so linking colours to ways of thinking is natural to him. Tight time limits are really important in focussing students on 1 way of thinking - too long and they will drift into other ways of thinking. I also make it clear that if they can't think of anything linked to that hat - they can do nothing, that's fine. I then make all students move to a different table in the room. I find that the sensation of physically moving helps kids to switch ways of thinking - being in another place makes it easier to think in another way. White hat is next - usually I ask kids to write down questions which would have a factual answer rather than an opinion. 2 minutes then move on to another table and the black pencil. 2 minutes to record disadvantages, problems, worries - this one I always keep to 2 minutes at the most - killing ideas is very easy. Red is next and this is the shortest - 1 minute usually - kids write down gut feeling reactions and emotions with no justification. This is the only one where I don't ask kids for feedback. Green hat is new ideas. I usually break away from the topic at this point and play the old game of holding up a tin or box and giving kids 3 minutes to come up with as many weird uses for it as possible - 37 in 3 minutes is still the record in my room. I find that this gets the creative ideas flowing and kids are far more likely to come up with off-the-wall but extremely exciting ideas. I usually stress to the kids with this hat that the 2 most damaging reactions to ideas are the words "no" (which demoralises) and "yes" - which stops the next idea from coming. Blue hat is the final one. My room is arranged into 5 group tables so by this time the kids are back where they started having been around the whole room. On a double lesson - I did do this with a Yr12 group in 5 different places around the school including the middle of the astroturf. The blue hat can either be the final summary or next-step planning. Once you have been through this with kids you can g back to the tool and go through it much faster each time
Here are some of the ways in which I use the technique:
- Real-life problem solving - my Year 11 COPE students do a unit on Problem-Solving in which they have to consider what to do post-16. They select 1 option from a choice including stay at our school Sixth Form, go to a college, look for an apprenticeship etc and then 6-Hat it: yellow - why is college a good idea? white - what course will you do? how will you get to college? what grades do you need to get in? black - what will the problems be in going to college? red - gut instinct feeling about going to college? green - what other courses could you do there? what other colleges could you go to? blue - overall opinion - what are you going to do next?
- Historical problem-solving. With Yr 7 we take the role of William the Conqueror in 1066 immediately after the Battle of Hastings. What will he do next? Yellow - advantages of ruling England, black-problems, white - what does he need to know (nice link into Domesday Book), red - how will he/Normans/English feel? green - what new things could he do? blue- what to do next? Another version with Yr 12 takes the role of Lenin in November 1917 having just led the October Revolution. Same process- similar discussions. Yr 8 do this with the problem of what to do with freed slaves in America in 1865 after the end of the Civil War.
- Review of a personality. Yr13 take Irish politician Daniel O'Connell - yellow - his achievements, white-factual dates, offices held etc, black- weaknesses, failures, red- how did people in England and Ireland feel about him, green - new ideas or developments he was responsible for, blue - overall assessment of him. This process helps students to a far more balanced and analytical assessment and evaluation of a figure. We do the same thing with personalities such as Gladstone, Disraeli, Henry VIII, Hitler, Martin Luther King. I have also used the same process to analyse a historical source for usefulness and reliability
- Planning - choosing A2 coursework titles for individual research, generating ideas for group activities
- I also use the technique in 1:1 interviews with students in our regular round of tutor interviews - I just don't usually explicitly tell them. "So, what's gone well this term Anna? And what were the results of the Maths module exam you did last term? What hasn't gone so well? How do you feel about the problems Chloe and Steph had with each other last week? What new thing have you done this term? So what targets do you want to set yourself for the next few weeks?
- Students can use the technique to peer-assess each other's work or self-assess. Giving them the framework allows them to critically analyse and evaluate without getting into personal reactions and opinions. It also provides usually at least 6 levels of feedback
As you can see I am a huge fan of De Bono's work. If you get the chance to read any of his books they are very easy to access- he has some great activities for generating creativity. It is one of the tools that the more you use it, the more uses you find for it. I do find that students only really grasp it when I have used it in 2 different contexts, i.e. problem-solving and then review of an individual. That is when they get its' value and versatility. It is even better if they then come across it in another subject.
If you are interested in De Bono or 6-Hats - give it a try and please let me know what you have done with it.
Sunday 6 March 2011
What is progess in learning?
I have noticed on Twitter at the moment that there is a series of article being written about the purpose of education - some of them have been really interesting. I don't pretend to be as esteemed as any of the excellent people contributing to that debate but it did start me thinking.
We have OFSTED in on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and so I have spent all day planning lessons. SLT at my school seem to be pushing providing evidence that children have made progress in every lesson as the most important thing for teachers to 'showcase' (the latest buzzword). I have no problem at all with the concept of students improving and constantly looking to get better but how fast can that ever really happen. Is it realistic to expect students to make any significant progress in 1 hour? What are they making progress in? To me most real progress is very small and incremental or there is that occasional moment of illumination in which students make a giant leap forward and then try to consolidate it.
My gut feeling is that we are being asked to measure something which is unmeasurable. Real progress is spasmodic, unpredictable and unique for every single student in the room. The best we can do is provide opportunities for progress in every lesson, give students the incentive and confidence to ask questions and give them the space to reflect on what they are doing. I don't know if any of the lessons I planned today will do that or how I would measure progress if they did. To me students will have made progress if they have come out of my lesson with a question in their heads that they had never heard of before.
We have OFSTED in on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and so I have spent all day planning lessons. SLT at my school seem to be pushing providing evidence that children have made progress in every lesson as the most important thing for teachers to 'showcase' (the latest buzzword). I have no problem at all with the concept of students improving and constantly looking to get better but how fast can that ever really happen. Is it realistic to expect students to make any significant progress in 1 hour? What are they making progress in? To me most real progress is very small and incremental or there is that occasional moment of illumination in which students make a giant leap forward and then try to consolidate it.
My gut feeling is that we are being asked to measure something which is unmeasurable. Real progress is spasmodic, unpredictable and unique for every single student in the room. The best we can do is provide opportunities for progress in every lesson, give students the incentive and confidence to ask questions and give them the space to reflect on what they are doing. I don't know if any of the lessons I planned today will do that or how I would measure progress if they did. To me students will have made progress if they have come out of my lesson with a question in their heads that they had never heard of before.
Sunday 20 February 2011
Why did the Germans vote for the Nazis?
As a historian I think that the rise to power of the Nazis is one of the most important topics to teach. There has been a lot of debate about too many schools doing too much 'Hitler' and it is an easy trap to fall into. Personally I find the rise to power stuff far more interesting than the rest in that it allows students to look at the nature of elections and democracy - including its' potential faults. I also want students to realise that Germans are normal people and very similar to us - they are not intrinsically evil.
This is one of my favourite exercises to run and I do it every year with Yr 9. I have just finished it with 2 groups and the results have been the most impressive and thought-provoking I have done.
Students start off with a simple cloze exercise to give an outline of the situation in Germany in 1932. I stick the answers around the room hidden under tables, behind filing cabinets etc to liven up the traditional cloze exercise. I then discussed with students what people would be unhappy about in Germany and students were given a sheet showing a brick wall on which they were allowed to write 1932 German grafitti - a risk I know but actually the responses from the kids were great. Surprisingly no swear words.
I then gave each student 1 of 5 profiles. Each profile titled Mr A, Mr B etc described a stereotypical German from 1932 and included a former soldier now unemployed, a mother of 4, a Jewish businessman, a disillusioned young man and an industrialist, and outlined their main views and problems. Students had to come up with a list of things that would make this person's life better. All students who had looked at the same person joined up to add their views to a combined list.
Students were then put into 5 groups and informed that they were now the 5 political parties that would contest the 1932 election. Their 1st task was to come up with a name, colour, slogan and symbol for their party. Over the next 3 lessons each group had to put together an election campaign including a speech, party manifesto and extras - posters, leaflets, badges etc. The groups were encouraged to go for something original in their campaign. 1 group had the slogan - "stepping to a brighter future" and made 30 footprints with the name of each student in the class on and laid them on the floor leading to an election box at the front of the room. Some groups bought chocolates and made cakes. The energy and enthusiasm from all the students was superb. Each lesson had a particular "extra" to focus attention - a radio interview, a visit from one of the people profiled at the beginning (another teacher!).
Election day itself saw some fantastic speeches and campaign presentations. Students were given back their original profiles and at the end of each presentation they had to judge it in role as A, B, C etc. They seemed to handle this dual role really well and although there were lots of shouts of "Can we vote for ourselves?" they did respond in role. At the end of the presentations each student was given a ballot paper and allowed to vote in secret. Votes were counted and the winners announced to much excitement.
The following lesson was the more important one for me. Each student was given a sheet of paper with the 5 profiles on and a box in the middle. The promises from the winning group were put in the box in the middle and students drew lines from each of the 5 Germans to specific promises which would have appealed to them. The reverse of the sheet was identical but this time I used a powerpoint which gave 1 at a time the promises made by the Nazi party in 1932 - with each of my Yr 9 groups the promises were identical. They had made the same promises as the Nazi Party. The final 'reveal' and 'sucker punch' was when I unveiled the name of the party from 1932 - the Nazi Party. Students were genuinely shocked - there was one of those brilliant moments when there was silence followed by a deep intake of breath. 1 student said she actually felt disgusted with herself - a tough reaction but a really powerful one. The discussion which followed was inspirational with students asking perceptive questions about how people had voted and the similarities between their experience and 1932.
This was one of those lessons that made you realise why being a teacher is so important. If anyone is interested I can email all the resources I used for this activity.
This is one of my favourite exercises to run and I do it every year with Yr 9. I have just finished it with 2 groups and the results have been the most impressive and thought-provoking I have done.
Students start off with a simple cloze exercise to give an outline of the situation in Germany in 1932. I stick the answers around the room hidden under tables, behind filing cabinets etc to liven up the traditional cloze exercise. I then discussed with students what people would be unhappy about in Germany and students were given a sheet showing a brick wall on which they were allowed to write 1932 German grafitti - a risk I know but actually the responses from the kids were great. Surprisingly no swear words.
I then gave each student 1 of 5 profiles. Each profile titled Mr A, Mr B etc described a stereotypical German from 1932 and included a former soldier now unemployed, a mother of 4, a Jewish businessman, a disillusioned young man and an industrialist, and outlined their main views and problems. Students had to come up with a list of things that would make this person's life better. All students who had looked at the same person joined up to add their views to a combined list.
Students were then put into 5 groups and informed that they were now the 5 political parties that would contest the 1932 election. Their 1st task was to come up with a name, colour, slogan and symbol for their party. Over the next 3 lessons each group had to put together an election campaign including a speech, party manifesto and extras - posters, leaflets, badges etc. The groups were encouraged to go for something original in their campaign. 1 group had the slogan - "stepping to a brighter future" and made 30 footprints with the name of each student in the class on and laid them on the floor leading to an election box at the front of the room. Some groups bought chocolates and made cakes. The energy and enthusiasm from all the students was superb. Each lesson had a particular "extra" to focus attention - a radio interview, a visit from one of the people profiled at the beginning (another teacher!).
Election day itself saw some fantastic speeches and campaign presentations. Students were given back their original profiles and at the end of each presentation they had to judge it in role as A, B, C etc. They seemed to handle this dual role really well and although there were lots of shouts of "Can we vote for ourselves?" they did respond in role. At the end of the presentations each student was given a ballot paper and allowed to vote in secret. Votes were counted and the winners announced to much excitement.
The following lesson was the more important one for me. Each student was given a sheet of paper with the 5 profiles on and a box in the middle. The promises from the winning group were put in the box in the middle and students drew lines from each of the 5 Germans to specific promises which would have appealed to them. The reverse of the sheet was identical but this time I used a powerpoint which gave 1 at a time the promises made by the Nazi party in 1932 - with each of my Yr 9 groups the promises were identical. They had made the same promises as the Nazi Party. The final 'reveal' and 'sucker punch' was when I unveiled the name of the party from 1932 - the Nazi Party. Students were genuinely shocked - there was one of those brilliant moments when there was silence followed by a deep intake of breath. 1 student said she actually felt disgusted with herself - a tough reaction but a really powerful one. The discussion which followed was inspirational with students asking perceptive questions about how people had voted and the similarities between their experience and 1932.
This was one of those lessons that made you realise why being a teacher is so important. If anyone is interested I can email all the resources I used for this activity.
Saturday 12 February 2011
The Secret of Really Good Teaching
I am an Advanced Skills Teacher and arrogant and conceited enough to believe I am a really good teacher. The thing is, I don't believe I have any special talent or ability that makes me special, gifted or particularly suited to teaching. I just work really hard at it!
I believe that the secret to really good teaching is dead simple - planning. After 21 years I still plan every lesson. I like lesson planning. I feel it is a creative process: putting together a good, purposeful, inspiring lesson to me is not that different from an artist painting a picture, a musician playing a tune or a writer penning a story.
Four of my last five lesson observations have been rated "Outstanding" - and the fact that one of them wasn't hurt like hell. I do a lot of INSETsessions with teachers on VAKD and teaching strategies and often get the response "Oh but you can't be outstanding and all singing and dancing every lesson". And I think - why not? Who says you can't? I do plan every lesson with the intention that it will be an outstanding lesson. I go into the room, every lesson, with the intention that it will be outstanding. Of course - it isn't every lesson - but should that stop me from trying for it?
I know that lesson planning takes time. It should be the number one priority for every teacher when they are not actually in the classroom, teaching. I have met very few lazy teachers. The vast majority of us work really hard and like working hard - we generally have a very positive work ethic - but we all have only a certain number of hours that we can devote to the job. I believe that the bulk of that time should be spent on planning - not other things.
If a teacher is not planning their lessons, the school should ask the question: "What is stopping them?" If it is because they don't know how to plan outstanding lessons - then help them. Give them more time and match them up with other teachers. If it is because they are too busy doing other things related to school - take that other work away. What is more likely to improve the educational experience of a child on Monday morning? The hour Mr F spent planning the lesson or the hour he spent analysing data, writing reports, doing marking or planning strategy? The biggest single factor in improving a child's performance in school is the teacher planning and delivering outstanding lessons more often. Just think how amazing schools would be if 75% of all lessons every day were outstanding. If I can be outstanding - anyone can. They just have to be prepared to work at it.
Oh - and if a teacher is not planning their lessons because they believe they don't need to - get them out of this profession. They don't deserve to be in it and our children deserve better.
I believe that the secret to really good teaching is dead simple - planning. After 21 years I still plan every lesson. I like lesson planning. I feel it is a creative process: putting together a good, purposeful, inspiring lesson to me is not that different from an artist painting a picture, a musician playing a tune or a writer penning a story.
Four of my last five lesson observations have been rated "Outstanding" - and the fact that one of them wasn't hurt like hell. I do a lot of INSETsessions with teachers on VAKD and teaching strategies and often get the response "Oh but you can't be outstanding and all singing and dancing every lesson". And I think - why not? Who says you can't? I do plan every lesson with the intention that it will be an outstanding lesson. I go into the room, every lesson, with the intention that it will be outstanding. Of course - it isn't every lesson - but should that stop me from trying for it?
I know that lesson planning takes time. It should be the number one priority for every teacher when they are not actually in the classroom, teaching. I have met very few lazy teachers. The vast majority of us work really hard and like working hard - we generally have a very positive work ethic - but we all have only a certain number of hours that we can devote to the job. I believe that the bulk of that time should be spent on planning - not other things.
If a teacher is not planning their lessons, the school should ask the question: "What is stopping them?" If it is because they don't know how to plan outstanding lessons - then help them. Give them more time and match them up with other teachers. If it is because they are too busy doing other things related to school - take that other work away. What is more likely to improve the educational experience of a child on Monday morning? The hour Mr F spent planning the lesson or the hour he spent analysing data, writing reports, doing marking or planning strategy? The biggest single factor in improving a child's performance in school is the teacher planning and delivering outstanding lessons more often. Just think how amazing schools would be if 75% of all lessons every day were outstanding. If I can be outstanding - anyone can. They just have to be prepared to work at it.
Oh - and if a teacher is not planning their lessons because they believe they don't need to - get them out of this profession. They don't deserve to be in it and our children deserve better.
Tuesday 8 February 2011
Creating, and destroying a capitalist society - in 1 double lesson
I had one of those brilliant experiences today - a lesson that took on a life of its own and became a fantastic learning experience. This was a mixed ability Year 10 group of 22 students, studying GCSE Modern World History and beginning a unit on the Cold War. The aim was to try to get students to get to grips with the concept of capitalism and. like all my best lessons, was nicked from another teacher.
Each student was given 4 normal playing cards at random. 2 students volunteered to play the part of the "bank". The aim for each student was to trade their cards to get a winning hand. Winning hands were as follows: 3 cards of the same suit - 3 points; 3 cards of same value - 3points; 3 cards of any suit in a run (i.e. 2,3,4) - 3points; 3 cards in a run of same suit - 6 points. Whenever students had a winning hand they must go to the bank who would keep a running score of their total and give out 3 new cards. Students should trade cards with anyone else 'blind' - seeing only back of cards. The first round lasted 10 minutes. At the end of the round the bankers added up the scores - the 2 students with the highest score were invited to step outside the classroom and were allowed to either change 1 rule or add in a new one. At the end of each round the 3or 4 students with the highest score could add/change rules. As teacher I play no part at all and just kept observational notes of what happened.
I have run this experiment before but not for a few years and not with this type of result. In the 1st round every kid played and thoroughly enjoyed what they were doing. At the end of the stage 2 girls 'won' with a score of 24 points. They decided to introduce a new rule that they did not have to queue at the bank - long time waiting to bank scores was a big problem. All students continued to play the 2nd round although there were a few minor grumbles about the top 2. At the end of the round the top 2 girls had extended their lead and were joined by a boy who had also scored quite well. They decided that in the next round all other students had to show the top 3 their cards before they traded. This took us to the end of the first hour - and a 15 minute break. All the students were still thoroughly enjoying themselves but some were refusing to follow the latest rule and were starting to refuse to trade. Despite this the top 3 students had extended their lead. After break, things got really interesting. The top 3 decided that any student who refused to trade would be sent out of the classroom as punishment. Very quickly almost all the class were in the corridor whilst a small number were still playing. The group in the corridor began to call themselves the Resistance and a real sense of rebellion grew. At the end of the round the top 3 were still in the lead but had noticed they weren't scoring as well with most students not involved. They decided to double all points values if students obeyed the rules but no point if they refused to play. The top 3 were unfortunately unaware of the fact that the rest of the students had made a secret deal with the bankers that meant any points the top 3 earned in the next round would be taken off their total rather than added on. This final round was hilarious with the top 3 happily adding to their scores whilst the rest stood in the corridor. The final results were brilliant - the top 3 were still just in the lead but had had their scores greatly reduced.
The last 20 minutes of the lesson involved me feeding back on what I had observed. We had started with equality. Very quickly the highest scoring (richest) were making rules that only benefitted themselves and were intent on gettting richer. The lowest scoring (the masses) grew resentful, started to unite together, incited rebellion and carried out acts of sabotage and revolution! All of this came from the students who were then discussing the merits and drawbacks of capitalism and comparing it to communism. I must add - this is not a grammar school or academy or top set. This is a mixed ability group of normal Cornish kids - who had a great time developing their political, economic and historical understanding. No facts - so Michael Gove would have hated it.
Each student was given 4 normal playing cards at random. 2 students volunteered to play the part of the "bank". The aim for each student was to trade their cards to get a winning hand. Winning hands were as follows: 3 cards of the same suit - 3 points; 3 cards of same value - 3points; 3 cards of any suit in a run (i.e. 2,3,4) - 3points; 3 cards in a run of same suit - 6 points. Whenever students had a winning hand they must go to the bank who would keep a running score of their total and give out 3 new cards. Students should trade cards with anyone else 'blind' - seeing only back of cards. The first round lasted 10 minutes. At the end of the round the bankers added up the scores - the 2 students with the highest score were invited to step outside the classroom and were allowed to either change 1 rule or add in a new one. At the end of each round the 3or 4 students with the highest score could add/change rules. As teacher I play no part at all and just kept observational notes of what happened.
I have run this experiment before but not for a few years and not with this type of result. In the 1st round every kid played and thoroughly enjoyed what they were doing. At the end of the stage 2 girls 'won' with a score of 24 points. They decided to introduce a new rule that they did not have to queue at the bank - long time waiting to bank scores was a big problem. All students continued to play the 2nd round although there were a few minor grumbles about the top 2. At the end of the round the top 2 girls had extended their lead and were joined by a boy who had also scored quite well. They decided that in the next round all other students had to show the top 3 their cards before they traded. This took us to the end of the first hour - and a 15 minute break. All the students were still thoroughly enjoying themselves but some were refusing to follow the latest rule and were starting to refuse to trade. Despite this the top 3 students had extended their lead. After break, things got really interesting. The top 3 decided that any student who refused to trade would be sent out of the classroom as punishment. Very quickly almost all the class were in the corridor whilst a small number were still playing. The group in the corridor began to call themselves the Resistance and a real sense of rebellion grew. At the end of the round the top 3 were still in the lead but had noticed they weren't scoring as well with most students not involved. They decided to double all points values if students obeyed the rules but no point if they refused to play. The top 3 were unfortunately unaware of the fact that the rest of the students had made a secret deal with the bankers that meant any points the top 3 earned in the next round would be taken off their total rather than added on. This final round was hilarious with the top 3 happily adding to their scores whilst the rest stood in the corridor. The final results were brilliant - the top 3 were still just in the lead but had had their scores greatly reduced.
The last 20 minutes of the lesson involved me feeding back on what I had observed. We had started with equality. Very quickly the highest scoring (richest) were making rules that only benefitted themselves and were intent on gettting richer. The lowest scoring (the masses) grew resentful, started to unite together, incited rebellion and carried out acts of sabotage and revolution! All of this came from the students who were then discussing the merits and drawbacks of capitalism and comparing it to communism. I must add - this is not a grammar school or academy or top set. This is a mixed ability group of normal Cornish kids - who had a great time developing their political, economic and historical understanding. No facts - so Michael Gove would have hated it.
Sunday 6 February 2011
Philosophy of Teaching
I believe that every good teacher should have their own defined philosophy of teaching. Teaching is the most important job in the world - no contest with anything else. All of us who step into the classroom each day are honoured - to do this job is a privilege. I know that sounds kind of crap - but I also believe it is true and that we should know why we are doing it and what we are trying to achieve.
My philosophy in teaching is that students should leave my classroom with more questions than answers. Every student who comes into my room should say something in every lesson, do something in every lesson and be challenged. I want my lessons to be an experience that students will remember. I want every student in my classroom to really feel that they are part of the lesson and not just an observer of it. I want students to be puzzled, confused and pushed to the point of almost breaking - that point where they reach cognitive dissonance and don't know what the hell is coming next or where its' coming from - but want to get there. I want every student to change seat at least once in every lesson so they can change perspective and viewpoint and experience. I want every student to be talking about the lesson as they walk out of the room.
This is my philosophy of teaching - it is my aim and intention in preparing every lesson. I know I won't always get there - but that doesn't stop me trying for it every day. I don't know if anyone else likes or agrees with my philosophy of teaching - and don't really care. If your philosophy of teaching is different - great. If you haven't got one - should you really be doing this job?
My philosophy in teaching is that students should leave my classroom with more questions than answers. Every student who comes into my room should say something in every lesson, do something in every lesson and be challenged. I want my lessons to be an experience that students will remember. I want every student in my classroom to really feel that they are part of the lesson and not just an observer of it. I want students to be puzzled, confused and pushed to the point of almost breaking - that point where they reach cognitive dissonance and don't know what the hell is coming next or where its' coming from - but want to get there. I want every student to change seat at least once in every lesson so they can change perspective and viewpoint and experience. I want every student to be talking about the lesson as they walk out of the room.
This is my philosophy of teaching - it is my aim and intention in preparing every lesson. I know I won't always get there - but that doesn't stop me trying for it every day. I don't know if anyone else likes or agrees with my philosophy of teaching - and don't really care. If your philosophy of teaching is different - great. If you haven't got one - should you really be doing this job?
Sunday 30 January 2011
The Teachers' Playground
My main aim in setting up this blog is to open up discussions between teachers about the most important thing we do: teach. I have been teaching for over 20 years now and absolutely love it but, like so many others, get frustrated that too many things get in the way of just teaching. To me, the most important work any teacher should do, outside the classroom, is plan. I still plan all of my lessons. Whilst I have had the occassional good unplanned lesson - all of my disasters have been partly caused by my lack of planning. Yet how often do we as teachers ever get INSET or meeting time to plan?
On this blog I intend to put some of my planning and lesson ideas. They are for anyone to have and use. Ideally other teachers will offer some ideas of their own. Teachers are constantly being told what must go in a lesson and what we must cover. Just this week Michael Gove informs us that we must teach more facts! This is probably the scariest thing I have heard in a very long time. Surely in a fast-moving and constantly changing world, cold facts are the last things our students need. Now more than ever they should be learning and developing skills which they can adapt to the new workplaces and problems they will have to face. I hope that this blog can be a playground for teachers - somewhere we can experiment with teaching ideas and strategies. A place where we can try something without it being part of performance management or a new intervention to raise grades by 2 sub-levels. A place where teachers can try something just because they have a hunch it might make a difference.
This is an activity I use as as starter or a plenary and which I call - Hello, did you know? Give each student a scrap of paper and ask them to write down 3 things they can remember from last lesson - it can be anything at all and can be done as they enter, unpack bags etc. When done, ask each student to read their points silently to themselves twice, stand up, fold their piece of paper into 4 parts and put into their sock or shoe. They now must talk to at least 10 people. There is a strict script to follow which I demonstrate with 1 volunteer. Say "Hello" to each other. Person 1 says, "Did you know...(and gives 1 piece of info from their sheet). Person 2 says, "Thank you. Did you know...(and gives another piece of info from their sheet). Both say "Thank you " and move - I usually ask them to shake hands. After a few minutes - and play yourself- ask all students to sit down, take out their peice of paper and add any info they have just been told to their sheet. Follow up with verbal feedback asking students to tell them something someone told them. If you do this as a plenary allow students to leave at end of shake hands stage. They will still have the piece of paper in their sock - which guarantees they will think about your lesson once more today (hopefully!)
Hope this is of some use.
On this blog I intend to put some of my planning and lesson ideas. They are for anyone to have and use. Ideally other teachers will offer some ideas of their own. Teachers are constantly being told what must go in a lesson and what we must cover. Just this week Michael Gove informs us that we must teach more facts! This is probably the scariest thing I have heard in a very long time. Surely in a fast-moving and constantly changing world, cold facts are the last things our students need. Now more than ever they should be learning and developing skills which they can adapt to the new workplaces and problems they will have to face. I hope that this blog can be a playground for teachers - somewhere we can experiment with teaching ideas and strategies. A place where we can try something without it being part of performance management or a new intervention to raise grades by 2 sub-levels. A place where teachers can try something just because they have a hunch it might make a difference.
This is an activity I use as as starter or a plenary and which I call - Hello, did you know? Give each student a scrap of paper and ask them to write down 3 things they can remember from last lesson - it can be anything at all and can be done as they enter, unpack bags etc. When done, ask each student to read their points silently to themselves twice, stand up, fold their piece of paper into 4 parts and put into their sock or shoe. They now must talk to at least 10 people. There is a strict script to follow which I demonstrate with 1 volunteer. Say "Hello" to each other. Person 1 says, "Did you know...(and gives 1 piece of info from their sheet). Person 2 says, "Thank you. Did you know...(and gives another piece of info from their sheet). Both say "Thank you " and move - I usually ask them to shake hands. After a few minutes - and play yourself- ask all students to sit down, take out their peice of paper and add any info they have just been told to their sheet. Follow up with verbal feedback asking students to tell them something someone told them. If you do this as a plenary allow students to leave at end of shake hands stage. They will still have the piece of paper in their sock - which guarantees they will think about your lesson once more today (hopefully!)
Hope this is of some use.
Friday 28 January 2011
What's it all about?
This blog is about the stuff that interests, fascinates and amuses me. I am, first and foremost, a teacher and I am fascinated by how we all learn and new ways of helping students learn. On this page I hope to throw down all the ideas I come across for new teaching ideas and would invite anyone to come and steal them and use them. If you do steal them - add to the blog and tell me how you used them.
Today I had the privilege of watching an old friend and inspiration teach. Dr Alan Jones did a session with my Yr11 History group on the origins of Victorian spiritualism. It was superb to watch him hold an audience of 23 kids mesmerised for 2 hours with a mixture of history, magic and theatre. What I noticed from a teaching view point was the use of a quiet voice to draw an audience in and fascinate them. Great stuff and made me realise that I need to listen closely to my own use of voice
Today I had the privilege of watching an old friend and inspiration teach. Dr Alan Jones did a session with my Yr11 History group on the origins of Victorian spiritualism. It was superb to watch him hold an audience of 23 kids mesmerised for 2 hours with a mixture of history, magic and theatre. What I noticed from a teaching view point was the use of a quiet voice to draw an audience in and fascinate them. Great stuff and made me realise that I need to listen closely to my own use of voice
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