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New Beginnings

7/1/2018

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2018 is already well-under-way, and at teachmrn.com, it begins with some exciting opportunities. As yesterday's post suggested, we're limbering up for the third year of the site, and there's some fresh content coming your way. Here's an idea of what's to come:

New Partnership!
First of all, it's a honour to tell you I've been invited by the lovely people at RealiseMe to be a guest blogger! They specialise in recruitment (which our profession very much needs at the moment) and I'm so pleased to have been asked to promote positivity within our sector by being a contributor. I'll keep you posted with each month's entry.

New Learning!
I'm so proud to have been accepted on the NPQSL course to begin my leadership journey. With this in mind, you can expect a lot of reflective posts, as I navigate my way through roles and responsibilities that I am going to experience for the very first time. I'll be sharing my notes as I progress through the course. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

New Challenges!
My favourite things about this world of blogging are the challenges and adventures it brings. The latest is going to be my second Learning First Canterbury Conference. I learn more and more each time I do it. It's always terrifying, but it's so good to meet teachers at my workshop, from around the country, to share ideas together. Check the sweaty video below for details. Deer in headlights comes to mind!
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Environment

7/9/2017

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The fifth and final part of my Learning First workshop is here! You can catch up on all the previous posts using the links below:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
​

I've never understood systems that connote the idea, "We've got Assessment Week in 3 weeks, so we need to be ready." Because surely you end up cramming, skimming and misplacing so much of what actually needs to be done? Try, "It's been a suitable amount of time since we learnt that thing, now would be a good time to assess it."

Additionally, the idea of 'Assessment Week' always amuses me. Be honest, and call it Test Week, because that's what it really is. You're constantly assessing daily anyway, otherwise you'd save all your marking for 'Assessment Week' too!

Managing assessment, is about taking charge of learning. Take charge of learning, and assessment will naturally fit in.

The final factor in my workshop, about putting learning ahead of assessment, was all about how to use your biggest resource; your classroom.

Catch the video below to see what my learners said...
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Goodbye

5/9/2017

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Giving up a class is never easy. They occupy your brain for a large chunk of the day, until the time comes when they're replaced with a series of fresh new faces. That day was today.

So, for one last hoorah, it's goodbye to the old, and hello to the new! I'm so grateful for the mature efforts you put in for the Learning First presentation; you really represented our class well. You can catch their work using the links below:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
However, with any feature film, comes bloopers (made entirely of awful impressions and completely fabricated stories. Rascals). This is how I'll remember you; witty, outgoing and unafraid.

To the new bunch, I loved meeting you today, and I'm really looking forward to what we can create. See you tomorrow!
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BROAD

12/8/2017

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My research dissertation was around the subject of teacher control; the title was something along the lines of, "To what extent does teacher confidence affect pupil achievement and self-esteem?" - the idea being, if a teacher isn't brave enough to let go, and is constantly providing a rigid example for children to copy, will they ever be able to match up to the standard in a way they could replicate on their own? Or will it be a constantly negative comparison to the version you created, leaving them ill-equipped?

Naturally, the conclusion was as fluffy as, "a mix of strategies is best" - this is the conclusion for everything in education. Often a rigid example (the support) is required near the beginning of learning something, and then you can loosen the strings as their experience broadens. Like learning to ride a bike.

With this in mind, the fourth part of my #LearningFirst workshop was about teaching the children the importance of Responsibility and Choice.
Strategies for improving teaching and learning:
1. Honest Modelling.
Your input should be you exampling what YOU would do, however, I think it's important that you let them know OTHERS may do it differently. Explain that if they're finding it tricky, to stick with the method that you have shown, but if they have a way of doing something themselves, that they can confidently explain, then that's alright! (Use their explanation to clarify any misconceptions too).

2. Provide options.
Imagine how far you would get through life without needing to make a decision. Would you ever achieve anything of any real value if you were constantly told what to do? My Maths is self-differentiated, and I veer away from guided groups in writing. Teach children the importance of making choices, and create a sense of pride in being an independent learner. You will also be able to promote more self and peer assessment through this route as they navigate their own decision making.

3. Foster Creativity.
One of the things that makes marking more bearable is that I have 30-ish pieces of work that all different! Disseminate the information they need and watch what they do with it. My class and I have an agreement, whatever they present to me at the end of the lesson needs to be informative and aesthetically pleasing. Try it, you'll be amazed at what they produce. You'll also be maximising the occasions that they find themselves solving problems.

4. Use responsibility as an assessment tool.
Often, the argument against providing less support is that they 'can't be bothered if you don't help them'. If this is the case, your classroom ethos is wrong, not the fact you haven't given them a structure. My children know that taking the easy way out is not going to get them anywhere - a fact they can apply to life. Granted, they're also aware it's going to be tough at times, but then I echo the thought above - teach them what pride feels like.
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You can catch up on the previous #LearningFirst posts using the links below:
Intro
The Day
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
We are forever talking about a broad and balanced curriculum, so let's consider how many life lessons outside of that we can start teaching without even needing to plan them!
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Process

10/6/2017

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The #LearningFirst Conference is a few months gone now, but there many more in the pipeline! Check them out! As part of the workshop I delivered, I wanted to present five ideas to put learning first in your classroom.

Previously, I've blogged the first 2 ideas. You can catch up on them below (all resources and videos are included):
1. Believe in Life Without Levels
2. Take Charge of Assessment

The third idea, to put learning first, is probably the most common sense, but the least used, and below reveals the all-too-common reason why. I've coined it...
Process Over Performance
What does that mean?
Believing in 'process over performance' means that you're going to put the needs of the learners as a higher priority. Allow me to illustrate; when I first came in to teaching, I would sit for hours with all the learning objectives I needed to teach, and the number of weeks I had to teach them. Then, with the 'Week Commencing' date, I would map in any key dates or observations and build the objectives around them. We'd find ourselves tailoring lessons for the sake of our own performance, rather than creating a sensible order of learning for the children - a process.
Upon reflection, it's a ridiculous thing to have done in terms of making good progress with the children. But the pressures were such, that as staff, we knew what would be held in favour by observers.

​For example, there's no such fury as an uptight leader watching a Shape or Measure lesson where the children might not be sat at their desks in near silence. Equally, 5 minutes taken out of writing time in order to complete some drama (a great scaffold for the writing), would be cast aside too! 
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It's madness to think that we would sacrifice the next logical step in the learning process, the very key to making progress, for the sake of how this, as a lesson, might appear. We would try and cram the steps we know to be necessary, into what little time available, so that we could appear to be at the point required for the observer - forgetting that by skimming all the previous steps in the process, learners were left unstable for the lesson being observed!
In this business, there is no time to waste to appease the assumed beliefs of others. Take your class, look at what they need, and teach it to them in a way they understand; promote a sensible learning process, above the tricky mind-games of proving your own performance. It takes bravery, but the progress will speak for itself.

Follow these links for examples of how Process Over Performance will benefit:
In Writing
In Reading

In Maths
...Foundation Subjects - Coming Soon!
In thinking this through today, my brain has raced with a list of Process Over Performance strategies which I'll share another time - once I've translated them from a no-doubt garbled mess.
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Take Charge

11/3/2017

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January's #LearningFirst conference is but a distant glimmer in the past, although new dates have recently been added! Watch this space. Today's entry reveals the second part of my workshop. If you missed the first, you can catch up here. 

Under a levels culture, the process of assessment often felt like it was forced upon you; everything geared up to an 'Assessment Week' where a set of numbers would be generated, pigeon-holing both you and your children. It connoted judgement, fear and malpractice. However, by putting learning first (within the new curriculum), of which assessment is very much a necessary part, you can genuinely do a better job.
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Under the old National Curriculum, and associated strategies, I would sit for hours, writing the objectives out, fitting them to the weeks I had (because we are under a strange illusion that coverage is more important than grasping anything) and then plan and teach based on the timings I had meticulously worked out.

Now, I'm not saying that coverage isn't important - you have to learn how to manage the time you have available - but I was determined to find a more efficient solution.
Strangely, I considered asking the children what they already knew, before teaching them anything! By this, I don't mean a fluffy 'KWL' grid (or whatever they're called). I decided I would sit therm with a set of questions that I would have originally planned a series of lessons on, to see what would need more attention. I call it an 'Entry Quiz', and the findings are invaluable to me as a teacher:
  • I have discovered, in some cases, some objectives can be completely ignored (or can be used to form other challenges that don't require teaching) because my children have shown adequate capability.
  • I have noticed common misconceptions through their answers, which helps me nail the input of each lesson.
  • I have adapted my questions to cause them to keep encountering the aspects they find most tricky, in order to get the most practice.
All in all, it's imperative that you take charge of the teaching and learning cycle, including assessment, in order to make the best progress possible. It's ludicrous that a diary date dictates 'when you assess' because you know you're formatively assessing all the time, because how else would you teach without knowing what they need to learn? Be transparent, call it Test Week.
The same is true of English; it's a total waste of time to plough through the objectives in your year group when there are many pieces of criteria that aren't embedded, especially while we are still in this transition phase, with some year groups having not completed the new curriculum from the beginning.

For this reason, I developed my own assessment system that I felt would work. There are lots of creases still to iron out, but I'm grateful for the staff in my school for taking it on board and being so patient with me. 

Again, take charge. Many of the systems out there are created by people who have no idea in what capacity it will need to be used. So take a little time to think about what you actually need, and create your own!
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Finally, to the lovely person who requested them after the workshop, I have compiled a collection of my Entry Quizzes, and you can download them below. I hope you find them as useful as I do!
entry_quizzes.pdf
File Size: 269 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Beyond Levels

11/2/2017

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The #LearningFirst conference was a fairly accurate insight into my classroom manner:
  • Ramble on for far too long.
  • Seek out every possible tangent.
  • Give the learners next to no time to process anything.
  • Wave them off to break time.
It's a winning formula, I think you'll agree, alongside my many other flaws. 

My presentation consisted of 5 points that I described as putting learning first in my classroom, and as part of the package of nerves I delivered, I want to share them here in installments too. So let's begin with the first...
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Believe in Life After Levels!
Despite the new assessment regime being in action for a couple of years now (and the first round of 'the new SATs') many still struggle with the disappearance of beloved levels. In a strange way, they gave people a sense of safety. However, in order to put learning first, a life beyond levels needs to be embraced and taken full advantage of. Here's a rundown of my actions in a world where levels existed (some of this was the result of of me being an inexperienced teacher, but I strongly believe you will likely relate):
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This photo shows an early page from a notebook. I have a fresh notepad every year, and it's my life from September 1st, to the end of the school year. You'll notice that a mix of inexperience and pre-decided labels gave us the license to group our children from the moment we met them. Needless to say, within a year or so in my career, this changed quickly, even with levels still in effect. 

This approach - grouping pupils by level - then led us to teach as such; for those pupils sitting at the roughly 1A table, we needed to start seeing evidence of 2C criteria across their books. Equally, those at the 3B table, needed to start showing 3A qualities.

The trouble with this system is that they'd need to be taught separate things. The idea being we couldn't teach the 'higher' stuff to the 'lower' pupils because they'd miss important stepping stones, and we couldn't stick with 'lower' kids because then we wouldn't be stretching the 'uppers.' Of course, we have ourselves and often a TA, but that would still leave 3 out of 5 tables unsupported.

So what would we do?
Simple. In a climate where we would be judged on an "average points score", if we pushed the uppers as far as they could go (moving further to the right on a grid with a similar design to below), their accelerated progress would make up for the lack of appropriate teaching the ones in the red still weren't making.
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Genius! Although upon reflection, also an embarrassment. For those struggling to understand Life Without Levels, how about we swap images like above, for ones like this (for clarity, I haven't designed this because I think diagrams are a necessity. I'm hoping it could illustrate my ideals):
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Within your year group, you focus on your designated programme of study.
You teach your programme of study to such a high standard that there is little way your learners can get it wrong.
As you teach, you spot those who find it difficult and you focus on them, while you supply those excelling within your standards with a variety of problem solving activities in which to apply the learning. Change the question, flip the approach, apply a real-life context. Constant revision.

Under no circumstances do you move them on to the next set of criteria, as this risks losing understanding for the sake of pace, leaving them insecure for the next teacher. It also means you're taking yourself away from the ones who need you the most.

​Don't refer to it as 'holding them back' - grow up. 

Assessment - you're looking for evidence to tell you, "To what degree are my learners able to..." and then you use this information to plan ahead, to delve deeper into the concept - which will bring me nicely onto the second point next time.
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Countdown

21/1/2017

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The countdown to the #LearningFirst Conference is down to single figures, and I might be the most frightened I've ever been. Saying that, I'm so grateful to everyone at @BeyondLevels, and Canterbury Christ Church, for offering me the opportunity to push myself outside of my comfort zone - I'm excited to learn from this experience.

As part of a packed programme, I've been asked to present a workshop, detailing different ideas regarding living in a world without levels, which, to me, is the best scenario; take back control of assessment, and put learning first. Amongst an itinerary of PhDs, Masters Graduates and big names, I'm hoping to be the reassuring voice of you - the teacher. I'm petrified, but looking forward to meeting you.

Naturally, my learners are far braver than I am, so I've roped them in to help me. Here's a preview of what you can expect...
​See you at the weekend!
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Until It's Gone - An Advert For Teaching

18/1/2016

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Those who know me, professionally and personally, will be aware I've had to take 2 weeks 'off'; a little hospital trip to destroy a worrying lump. I did everything to avoid the procedure being in school time, but the recovery time has been longer than my optimism had predicted, despite trying to schedule it all during the Winter break.

​I have felt like a total vegetable; mind-numbing tv, no physical movement, and the worst bit? I've missed work. My colleagues, my kids and the supportive families that leave them in our care each day. In case you weren't aware, I'm a bit of a geek. I love my job, and with all the current articles regarding the 'teacher recruitment crisis', I want to tell you some of the best things about this warming profession.​
​
Education needs you!
A career in Education exercises your imagination!
​One of the aspects I like most is the opportunity to create. Whether it's designing a unit of work, planning a sequence of lessons, or thinking of a way to communicate something in a memorable way, you can really think out of the box and experiment with finding the best way forward. With all learners benefitting from different methods, it's your job to help as many as you can. Find or design the resource, provide the experience; whatever works!

A career in Education challenges you!
​Personally, I could never head to work, stay at the same desk, and leave hours later. I also couldn't wander around the same shop all day. Teaching is a never-ending puzzle; a constant problem to solve! If the last strategy didn't work, find a new one! Twin that with the Tetris-like juggling of a packed timetable and it's almost like an arcade game! If you like to be intellectually stimulated, teaching is for you. 

A career in Education is rewarding!
It's the fluffiest cliché, but the most true. There's nothing like the feeling of seeing a moment where a student begins to understand something. It's in the eyes; a change in thinking as they finally make a break through, and with the inevitable, associated struggles that come alongside the two listed above, the sense of pride as their teacher is tremendous. It's a profession full of cognitive and emotional embrace.

​A career in Education is varied!
While the day-to-day timings are broadly the same, the content of each working day is totally different and never dull. Adding to that, you meet a range of people, both in and out of the classroom from a wide variety of backgrounds, with all manner of colourful histories. Yes, some of these histories can cause difficulties, but a bit of empathy goes a long way. If you're lucky, you'll get a chance to get to know these people and the journey they have taken to your meeting.

​A career in Education will make you laugh!
​They say never work with animals or children. Depending on how brave you were planning that lesson, you might find yourself doing both! Young people, often accidentally, say the funniest things; they make the best dinner-time stories with their strange wonderments and most logical explanations for the most complicated phenomena. Leave your troubles at the door and prepare for a giggle. Humour is an underrated tool in the classroom; it makes everyone feel welcome and has all participants eager to return, making the whole learning process a lot more enjoyable.
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.
​Rumi
At times it will be emotional; some of your learners have come to you from a place you couldn't even imagine. Yet, they're relying on you to help them. At times it will be stressful; there are often deadlines set by an invisible boss. Yet, what job doesn't involve quality assurance from a foreign body creeping from their ivory tower? At times it won't feel worth it; that lesson didn't go as well as you hoped. Yet, that's life isn't it? Tomorrow will be different!

​Come in. I'm about to return, and I think you should come with me.
Balance, peace and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognising your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.
Thomas Kinkade 
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Welcome to my 2015 Office!

6/9/2015

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I take my classroom almost too seriously. It needs to be practical, attractive and inspiring but also easily maintained. Every summer, for a couple of weeks, I rope in as many helpers as I can get to help sort my creative chaos; a series of bright ideas, with the best intentions, all aimed at promoting independent learning and community spirit.

This is the result of Summer2015's efforts:

Our Learning Walls
Much to the frustration of a previous colleague, I used to back ALL my boards in white. However, I soon realised that posters, models/images and reminders, often on white themselves, would get lost in the background. With that in mind, I chose black backing with borders the same colour as the subjects' respective exercise book.

Why the little whiteboards?

I have a grand plan to write up my week's objectives, so the children can see where our learning is heading; the end product of the hard work we will be putting in. Whether that's solving a problem using the methods we learnt, or writing something including the skills we rehearsed, I'm hoping my learners will be able to move their name tag along the lessons to show they are ready to move on. It'll be a good way for me to focus my feedback and organise extra support and revision where needed.

Spelling Spy?
My English wall features a "Spelling Spy". I was inspired by my class last year, who used to enjoy finding words that could have belonged in their spelling list that week. The number of times quiet reading would be disturbed by, "Mr N! I've found another word with 'tion'!". I decided to capitalise on that this year, and provide a space for the words to be collected.

Toolbox?
With the changes in the English Curriculum, and the apparent disappearance of 'Writing Genres', teaching writing got a little blurred; too many people with too many ideas of what 'good writing' is. In my opinion, the genres were a great way of showing off various types of language in different contexts. Writing instructions, for example, to best show off time conjunctions, or descriptive writing to best see the impact of adjectives and use of the senses. I can only assume we became too reliant on the genres and writing became very predictable. I will use this Tool Box idea to keep a reminder of all the different strategies we learn, so we can use them at any time; aiming to remedy the previous problem regarding genres, that we only use brackets in a newspaper to reveal a spectator's age! 
The Den
I have never liked 'The Book Corner.' What's inviting about that!?! This is our den, where there happens to be some books! I have compiled this collection with a bit of personal investment and clever bundle purchasing online. Some of them are childhood favourites of mine.

My school have a big focus on reading.

To encourage avid readership, the black board features "The Reading Race"; space for my learners to tick off how many books they read, and an area for them to recommend a book to others (via the trusted sticky note on the board method).

It is my aim to fill the top half with class photos, motivational quotes and such. Like your living room at home!

Key Vocabulary
The white board is where I will be putting key vocabulary for our topics, as well as space for the children's questions about each subject.

If we are asking questions, it's only fair we also display the answers, so there's room for that too!

Let's watch our knowledge grow!

Cushions & Rugs
Just because why wouldn't you?
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Foundation Subjects
My new school teach subjects fairly discretely. I've not worked in this way for a long time so I am looking forward to experiencing it again. Therefore, rather than a 'topic/theme' display, I have chosen to give an area for each subject. Whereas the Vocabulary board is dedicated to important language, posters and reminders, this board is solely for children's work and successes. Photos of PE, annotated maps or creative timelines, reports and fact-files; this board will become a scrapbook of each term's learning completed by the students. 
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General
My final spaces are designed for those that go the extra mile.

On the left, alongside our behaviour traffic light system, we also have the 5 qualities we will be looking for in our learners. Reasoning, being Reflective, Responsible, Resilient and Resourceful. I will be using sticky notes to add the names/moments where we have shown those qualities.

On the right, our homework! A very simple and visual way to see who I can expect to see in the 'In' tray, and who needs to get a move on!
And there you have it! My 2015/16 classroom! I'd love to hear what you think, any suggestions for additions and ideas for next year! Our classrooms are where we spend most of our teaching lives, so take pride in them and make them yours; the children will appreciate your efforts!
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