Learning, Teaching and ICT

 Last week, I posted my reflections about the Participation and Learning Seminar in Edinburgh, and on Thursday of this week we hosted our 2nd Local Authority discussion group  event. This was the ‘Meet the pupils’ evening.

These  local events have been organised by the six representatives who attend the National events. We felt that it was important to ‘spread the word’ to others in the Authority who didn’t have the opportunity to attend the seminars arranged by LTS.

We also want to hear what strategies other teachers in Falkirk schools are using to give children their own ‘voice’.

It was a great CPD event for all who attended (and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of teachers who took the time to come along). The children from the various schools spoke confidently to the adult audience about how their voices are heard. During the informal ‘question and answer’ presentations, we heard about innovative ways to use pupil councils and learning logs. We also heard children from one primary school who were encouraged to leave sticky notes about important decisions on a special board in the entrance area of the school.  

The two pictures below show the P5 children from Carronshore  and their teacher, Miss Law.

 These children talked about the online ‘voice’ spaces they have been given.  It’s a step beyond just being part of their class blog. As I listened to them talk, I wondered if they were getting the same ‘buzz’ from talking to teachers as some pupils from my own class did last year

I was their taxi driver home – and they made it clear to me that they had thoroughly enjoyed the experience as well. Even although they are two years younger than the primary 7 children I taught, I got the impression that none of them would forget the evening that they got the chance to teach the teachers.

Almost a year on and thoughts of that case study are still never very far away:-)

FRIDAY

On Friday I attended the Participation and Learning Seminar in Edinburgh.

Michael Fielding, Professor of Education at the Institute of Education in London and Alison Peacock, headteacher of the Wroxham School, Hertfordshire, lead the seminar on participation and pupil voice. 

The seminar was planned as part of the work of the Participation and Learning Network being facilitated by Learning and Teaching Scotland.

I really enjoyed the whole day, and was inspired enormously by both speakers. I’ve decided to write down some short bullet point reflections here.

From Michael Fielding:

• How do we ensure that giving pupils a voice is not an elite process? Is it becoming a ‘tick box’ activity where we select only the good communicators to be chosen to represent the others on, for example, a Pupil Council? How do we ensure that all pupils are heard?
• Is the best way forward to have Management model good practice, or should they look for good practice in classroom teachers and provide the opportunity for these teachers to share their ways with others – not a ‘top-down’ approach, but a distributed leadership model? This would presumably help to give teachers ownership, and not feel that it’s just another new innitiative imposed from above.
• Is one way to get out of the ‘ticking boxes’ culture, to keep asking the questions, “Why are we doing this anyway? What are the values we are trying to establish?”
• How do we create communal spaces where the pupil / teacher gap merges?  …… “A place where adults and young people can have an open dialogue”

Michael is also a big fan of Edward Braithwaite’s “To Sir With Love”  I’m very familiar with the film, of course (saw it when it first did the rounds in cinemas!), but I never knew that it was a book. I’ve just ordered it on Amazon . Accoring to Michael, the best scene from the book wasn’t included in the film version.

From Alison Peacock – a sharing if practical ideas tried out in her own school by creating:

• an atmosphere of inclusion and trust
• creative learning through experience
• exciting and irrisistable learning opportunities
• risk taking situations because – if leaders take risks ….  then teachers will take risks ……. then pupils will take risks

Practical examples:

• create opportunities for ‘Learning Assemblies’ where pupils take the lead
• introduce ‘Learning Review Days’ where pupils talk about their learning and teachers then put something in place to move that learning forward. Teachers are accountable at these meetings because they have to then ask the pupils if what was put in place worked. Pupils are accountable, because they have to explain what did/didn’t work. Parents are included in these meetings.
• provide opportunities for outdoor learning. Some children find it difficult in a classroom situation, but come in to their own in a more informal outdoor environment – learning can still take place sitting on a log.
• create learning networks for teachers in catchment areas. Open ended discussions take place after a question is posed. An option might be to then use the ‘together voices’ to send ideas for change off to those in charge.
• provide opportunities for children to find out who they are through Emotional Photography experiences. The children are encouraged to use props, etc. in photographs of themselves to show how they feel. This way they learn that it’s Ok to be happy/sad, etc. The photographs are framed (Cardboard?) and they then write on the frame.
• allow children to teach lessons. Videos are made of these (we saw a pupil teach the 6x table – there were rhymes, raps, etc!)

I think Alison’s main message was that there are ‘other ways’ and that learning (and teaching!) doesn’t have to be boring. She explained that we need to recognise the emotional dimensions of learning and always look for new ways forward, but that organised structures need to be in place so that a sense of freedom can be realised.

SATURDAY

On Saturday, along with about 200 others, I attended the launch of  The Association of Chartered Teachers in the Scottish Parliament building.

I felt very proud to be part of the Association. The speeches were uplifting (as was the music!) and I’ll ‘bullet point’ just a few of the messages I heard on the day:

• It has to be a group decision as to what our role now is – it’s important not to sit passively and be told the way forward
• We are now in a unique position to take things forward
• Achieving Chartered Teacher Standard is not about ‘essay writing’  – it’s about the Art of Teaching which is at the Heart of Learning.
• It’s important that the Standard for Chartered Teacher is far removed from the Standard for Leadership
• We now have an opportunity to create local and national Chartered Teacher Networks to make sure that we have a say as to where the Association goes.

Thanks to David and Dorothy and all the others who helped organise the great launch

This week, I went along with two other chartered teachers to speak to a represenative from HMIE. It was an informal discussion about our views on the CT initiative, generally. We focussed on a number of areas and – as usual – I’ve been having thoughts about the issues raised ever since!

The picture from my graduation ceremony below appeared in the TESS newspaper – so I presume it’s OK to post it on here

I completed all 12 modules with the (now named) University of the West of Scotland. All the modules took place online and, apart from Evelyn W - a colleague from school, I had never met any of the people I graduated with face to face. It wasn’t until everyone was seated that we began introducing ourselves and put a face to the names we had collaborated with over the last 5 years or so.  

I suppose that chartered teachers who attend courses in nearby universities can also feel quite isolated if there are no other school colleagues to bounce ideas off in their own establishments.

One of the points discussed on Thursday, was the fact that it’s possible to have a number of CT’s working in the same school – and for everyone to be unaware of each others’ existence.  Indeed, on my route to becoming a CT, I met at least 5 people from other schools who told me in confidence that they had enrolled in the program and didn’t feel in the position to tell colleagues or Senior Management that this was the case.

One of the recommendations in the Report of the Chartered Teacher Review Group is that any teacher who embarks on the scheme should inform their Headteacher of this. Everyone in my school was aware that I was enrolled in the program. I would have found it very difficult to have completed most of the modules otherwise. So much action research was involved and it was necessary for me to gain the approval of the SMT to make the (sometimes) quite radical changes to the way I delivered the curriculum.

At the meeting, we also discussed whether or not enrolling on the Chartered Teacher program should require prior recommendation from a headteacher (like the SQH scheme?). This seems strange to me. I didn’t sign up for the course because I thought I was some kind of ‘super teacher’ better than my colleagues. I signed up because, after having completed the 4 year B.Ed course 10 years earlier, I felt ready for a ‘fresh injection’ of professional study. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly … but certainly didn’t think that I needed permission from the HT to enroll. It was my time, my effort, my money I gained an enormous amount from the program … what if I’d needed an invitation, and that invite never arrived?

Invitations have been sent out for the 3rd ‘getting together’ of chartered teachers in this authority. The invite is to those who are ‘on route’ as well as those who have achieved the full CT standard. The first meeting was very well attended, although very few turned up to the second one (including me – I was ‘up to my eyes’ in the final dissertation write up). The timings of the meetings are something that will be put to the group at the 3rd meeting.

I’ve also received my ticket for the Launch of the Associated of Chartered Teachers Scotland next weekend -looking forward to it!

It will be great to meet up with some other CT’s there and to listen to their views on some of the issues currently being discussed.

These two examples of evaluation forms puzzled me. They were filled out after one of my CPD courses.

Example No. 1

Example No. 2

At first I was ‘in the huff’ at the comments left by the person who filled out the example no. 1 evaluation. This person was just ‘fairly satisfied’ with my efforts to persuade her that what I was saying was relevant to her needs, and all the effort I had put in to the preparation of the course was just  ’fairly satisfactory’.

In contrast, I loved the comments left in evaluation no. 2! 

This person had obviously appreciated all the work I had done – and had left the session with lots of ideas ready to be put in to practice.

It’s interesting, however, that the person who filled out the no. 1 evaluation sheet is the one who has been emailing me with questions about how she can take things further in her own situation. She appears to reflect on responses .. and then asks more questions.

So who actually did get more out of the course? And what should I (and others who I need to pass these evaluation sheets on to) take from the ticked boxes?

Was ‘evaluation no.2′ person just being polite? …… And was ‘evaluation no. 1′ person listening – but thirsty for more? Should I re-design the course content of my CPD presentations as a result of evaluation sheets… or should I re-evaluate the way I look at these feedback forms?

I’m not sure – but in writing this post I’ve been forced in to thinking about all this.

 I blame Jaye and her twitter comment for making my head hurt thinking about it all

Meanwhile …… below is a recent presentation I prepared on Powerpoint …. and here’s a link to the same presentation using prezi http://prezi.com/12821/   

I need to think about writing another blog to reflect on this, too?  – don’t tell Jaye – she’ll have my head hurting again ;-)