by Sophie Brand 50

Changing the landscape of learning such as asking pupils to complete work on whiteboards or using a Surface Pen on a Whiteboard App in rough had a marked effect on pupil work rate.

The use of the Collaboration Space had a similar effect on pupil accountability. Any entries into OneNote by pupils are initialled which means that it is easy for the teacher to see the rate of work completion by each individual student as shown by Figure 7 (the black X is for Pupil one and O for Pupil two).

D) Key Conclusions: Teaching Without Organs • A 'Teaching Without Organs' (TwO) approach to teaching means thinking about and embracing new possibilities in the classroom and overcoming any boundaries or limits. • A TwO approach to the classroom means not being limited by the organisation of the classroom space and considering ways to overcome restrictions on pupil or teacher mobility. For teachers this might mean asking an observing teacher to map where most of the interactions are taking place, or self-mapping your own mobility then thinking about ways to change this. • A TwO approach to feedback means thinking about new possibilities for giving feedback. This might mean giving feedback 'live' on One Note, or by using the teacher comment function on SENSO. This removes the restrictions on pupil interaction caused by static seating plans. • A TwO approach to group work means finding new ways for group work to take place and to ensure that pupils remain accountable, through a high work rate and low work avoidance. This might mean thinking about the technology we are giving pupils, such as the Surface Pen, and thinking about the different ways these could be optimised.

E) Reflections on the Master’s Degree I wholeheartedly recommend the Master's in Teaching & Learning at Oxford University. Each year students who complete the degree participate in the annual research poster conference at Oxford, which bears similarity to the research evening completed at Berkhamsted by EPQ students and the new teaching and learning evening held last academic year. By participating in such events, we can model academic curiosity to our pupils and show continuous professional development. Students on the course were divided into small subject specialist groups for seminars. The course enabled me to connect with teachers and school leaders in a variety of school contexts throughout the UK (and overseas) and closely follow their research journeys with interest over the two years.

BIO Sophie Brand is Teacher of Economics at Berkhamsted and a member of the Digital Innovation group. She has a particular interest in Philosophy and Education which she researched as part of the MSc in Teaching and Learning at Oxford.

Improving Children’s Vocabulary: Does it Progress Their Writing?

Research BookTrust recognised that during lockdown many children had less access to books which would have impacted language development and communication skills. The ‘Bridging the Word Gap’ study explained that this is a critical time for a focus on vocabulary development, especially with Covid-19 and the much-publicised broadening of the attainment gap. It suggested that three quarters of teachers thought that school closures contributed to an increase in the number of pupils with a vocabulary deficit. Biemiller (2003) previously discussed considerable differences in vocabulary sizes amongst 7-yearolds. Higher performing children demonstrated a vocabulary size of 7100 words, while lower performing children only knew 3000 words. My thoughts were led to think about how, if this were true nearly 17 years ago, what must vocabulary differences look like now with a pandemic, and increased use of technology and social media?

Research states that the conditions of lockdown meant that many children have had to face greater barriers to reading as some children lacked access to books because schools and libraries were closed. They had a lack of quiet spaces at home and a lack of school or peer support which had a negative effect on their ability to read and their motivation to read for enjoyment had decreased. Bruner believes that language is crucial for children’s development. He suggests the use of words can aid their development and stimulate their problem-solving skills. This research helped direct my school improvement project.

Data To gather data on variations in pupil performance I completed a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of Year 2 data from 2018 to 2021. I used this tool to give me a focus for my School Improvement Project (SIP) by analysing the progress and attainment levels of individual pupils and groups.

From overseeing data from the previous three years (2018-2020), I found many strengths. Overall, the data showed that there were low percentages of children who did not meet the expectations in maths and reading (ranging from 7% to 16%). It also showed high percentages of children who exceeded the expectations in maths and reading (ranging from 21%-46%).

Between the years of 2018-2020, the independent writing data suggested that 27% (2018-2019 cohort) and 21% (20192020 cohort) of children were below in their independent writing. In 2021, after a global pandemic the percentage is at 34% (2020-2021 cohort). I looked at why this percentage was increasing as part of the School Development Plan (SDP). I planned to introduce a strategy to potentially improve children’s language and vocabulary exposure, story structure, and awareness of the key features of writing.

Previous data shows progress, but I wanted to explore why there was a higher percentage of children now falling below after the pandemic. There was also an element to my studies to make progress with all children and not simply ‘just’ looking at the learners who were not meeting the expectations, as only 5% of children exceeded the expectations in writing in 2021.