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.

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.

This was "Breaking Free"

"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.

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:

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.