College Guiding Statements Children come first when: 1. The College cultivates the whole child Students at the College enjoy a balanced education which aims, through an excellent academic and co-curricular programme to develop their individual intellectual, physical and emotional well-being. 2. The College values community well-being and provides a safe learning environment Students, parents and staff are provided with a secure and safe environment to promote personal, social and emotional well-being and growth. 3. The College shapes children to become global citizens who have an understanding of the complexities of an ever changing world Through developing an understanding of the needs of global communities, an awareness of the world around us and celebrating cultural diversity, students truly become global citizens. 4. The College develops a passion for learning through enquiry, curiosity and active collaborative participation Students at the College are encouraged to become self-motivated inquirers and thinkers with a passion for learning. Students develop the confidence to self-assess and to collaborate with others becoming effective communicators. 5. The College respects the natural world and its resources both globally and locally The College develops individuals who are knowledgeable about the world in which they live. Students should aspire to be caring individuals with compassion and tolerance for others and an awareness of environmental issues. 6. The College prepares children to live their lives honestly with a spirit of respect for themselves and others We believe it is important for our students to have a firm commitment to deep-rooted values in order to nurture principled individuals who act with honesty, integrity, respectful manners; as well as being flexible, pragmatic and open to new ideas. The College expects its students to be openminded and respectful of the diversity of our community, including themselves. 7. The College prepares children to take risks and show endurance and resilience to achieve goals Students at the College are encouraged to persevere as they encounter unfamiliar situations and explore new ideas and to be resilient in the face of adversity, inspiring the self-belief to become confident risk takers. 8. The College challenges each child to be the best that they can be and discover who they might become The College creates a learning environment that encourages exploration, experimentation, questioning and discovery. It prepares its students to be reflective in analysing opportunities, in facing challenges and to learn from their mistakes.
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Definition of Learning Good learning is an experience which inspires students to take ownership of their knowledge and understanding. Students are happy, engaged, challenged and valued. They are able to question, reflect independently and collaboratively, and communicate confidently on their progress.
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Table Of Contents 02. College Guiding Statements 02. Definition of Learning 04. Welcome From the Headmaster 05. Parents Open Morning 06. Lewis House and Community Club Bake Sale 07. Cocktail Party 07. Malvern College UK Visit 09. Art Review 10. Foster House Charity Free Dress Day 11. Prefect Inauguration 13. Remembrance Sunday 14. Swim Meet 14. Golf CCA 15. Gap Year Experience 15. Facebook Page 16. Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) 18. Year 4 Science Trip to Wadi Degla 18. Horse-riding Success 19. Malvern College Hong Kong 19. French at Malvern College Egypt 20. Looking for Learning at Malvern College Egypt Malvern View
26. Winter Concert 27. The Malvern Qualities 28. Community Adult Quiz Night 3
Duncan Grice - Headmaster
Welcome From the Headmaster
I do hope that you enjoy our first ever edition of the Malvern View, which highlights the many activities our students have been involved in throughout the first term. Malvern College Egypt is all about providing learning experiences and I would like to thank all the staff at the College for organising events, giving up their time and providing our students with such a wealth of fun learning opportunities.
As I look through this magazine, I realise just how far we have come as a community in the past four months. I hope you enjoy looking through the many opportunities we have offered our children as much as I have. Warmest regards
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Duncan Grice Headmaster
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PARENTS OPEN MORNING Malvern College Egypt is proud of the variety and quality of its academic program. In order to better showcase the work of the children and further involve the parents in their child’s academic development, we encourage parents to visit the lessons themselves. The first opportunity for this came with our first Parents Open Morning. We were delighted to have so many parents and I hope that you enjoyed the experience of spending a morning in your child’s classes. It was tremendous to see so many parents involved in their children’s education. Parents visited a range of classes, from English and French to Science and Maths. Particular congratulations go to those parents who braved to join in the music classes! Johnnie Kittermaster – Head of Primary
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LEWIS HOUSE AND COMMUNITY CLUB BAKE SALE
There was a fantastic response from parents and students to support this fundraising event. We received so many donations of baked goods that the sale was extended to two days. The final total raised was 6824 LE, an outstanding amount! Money will be used to support the Lewis House charity, Face Orphanage in Maadi. The orphanage was opened in September 2007 to provide care for abandoned babies between the ages of 0 - 2 years.
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I would like to thank the following people for their amazing efforts in raising money for this inspiring
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charity with their preparation and running of the Lewis House Bake sale: Hana El Hawary - one of our Lewis House Captains Kareem Khattab - The house prefect The Community club exceptionally lead by Miss Belcher Mrs Madden The many volunteers who helped to set up and run the stalls on the two days. Wayne Maher – Head of Secondary
COCKTAIL PARTY
A warm relationship is not just necessary between our staff an d children but also integral between staff and parents. By working
The College Cocktail Party was therefore a highly pleasurable evening providing the opportunity to talk with parents and staff. The
closely together we as a school can support each child with their particular needs and interests. The College is therefore keen to promote social events that give parents and staff an opportunity to interact in a more informal atmosphere.
opportunity to get to know parents and staff in a social gathering is a lovely way to build the family community we all want.
Duncan Grice - Headmaster
MALVERN COLLEGE UK VISIT We were delighted to welcome Nicola Dudley (Director of Education) from Malvern College here in March with Allan Walker (Director of International Schools) joining her on the Tuesday. Class representatives and the prefects enjoyed the opportunity to speak to Nicola and were able to give valuable feedback for Malvern College UK.
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The visit from Allan and Nicola will be complemented by a visit from Antony Clark (Headmaster) and Robin Black (Chairman of the Board of Governors) for Malvern College UK. We are very proud to be able to work so closely with our mother school in the UK so as to ensure the very highest quality of academic standards and pastoral care. Duncan Grice - Headmaster
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ART REVIEW I am writing this review to tell you what Art is like at MCE, and if you ask me I can assure that it’s the best! Now this is my first year here in MCE since it is a new school, and I can tell you what I have learnt about Art in the last 10 weeks here at MCE than the rest of my whole life. Over the past few weeks we have been taught a lot of skills and techniques with the help of Miss Sarah and of course Mr Faux; the best Art Teacher as well as the funniest! We learnt a lot about Conte drawing, bleach and tissue techniques, tonal acrylic paintings and textural painting and much more. I can’t believe that this was all done in just
10 weeks, not to mention amazing large scale pieces and our art books which are filled with artwork. We have obtained a lot of knowledge in Art this term, and I am happy to say that all students here in MCE enjoy Art, even those that didn’t like art at all before studying at MCE. As an Art GCSSE student I can tell you that it is hard work but it is all worth it when we end with amazing pieces of Art that we are all proud of! A lot of students here are so keen on Art. We get many requests for Art events that there I just too much to include in the calendar! Ask me again what Art is like at MCE- IT’s AMAZING! Mariam Abd El Latif 9A – Art Prefect
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Free Dress Day - Halloween
FOSTER HOUSE CHARITY FREE DRESS DAY
Congratulations to our students and staff who raised 3495 LE for the Foster House Charity this week. It was delightful to see the children, and some staff, entering into the Halloween spirit. From everyone’s worst nightmare, an empty iPhone battery to the more traditional witches and ghosts. A fun day was had by all and at the same time money was raised for the Foster House charity.
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Free Dress Day - Halloween
Jacqueline Belcher – Head of House Primary
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Malvern College Egypt Prefects
PREFECT INAUGURATION applications for these prestigious posts and look forward to seeing how the prefect team can help shape MCE as we grow together. The new prefect team took part in a leadership training session with Robert Porter (Gap student and former Malvern College UK Head Boy), Mr Grice and myself. They discussed their roles and expectations for MCE over the next year. All prefects are now running with a number of projects and it was great to see many of these being launched and discussed during the College assembly.
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Week 5 marked another historic moment in the short history of MCE. After some very impressive interviews from the many Year 9 students who applied we had the opportunity to select and present our first ever prefect team. The prefect team will be led by our Head Girl, Nisan Harmanci, and Head Boy, Marawan Amer. The team will have many roles to play across the whole college from running and supporting charity or sporting events to promoting music and the arts within our community. I would like to congratulate all of the Year 9 students who made
Wayne Maher-Head of Secondary
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REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY Remembrance Day marks the day World War One ended when the armistice came into place, on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, in 1918. Since then, Remembrance Day has been a time for us to commemorate all those, of all nations, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in war, and to appreciate their dedication so that we can enjoy the freedom we have today. Perhaps the most visible act of remembrance is the wearing of the Poppy. The red petals of the flower symbolize the blood and lives lost in the wars, the black middle represents the grief felt by families and friends of all the people who lost their lives in wars, and the green leaf points straight at 11 o’clock, for 11/11/11, the moment WW1 officially ended. The choice of the Poppy is also apt as it was the flower that grows so well in the fields of Northern France, where much of the fighting took place, and will forever be immortalised in the words of John McCrae ‘In Flanders fields the poppies grow between the crosses row on row’. On the Thursday before Remembrance Day the whole college assembled down at the piazza for a Remembrance Service in order to commemorate the event as a community of many nationalities. The service was led by the prefects and included many students from other years, with everyone on stage that day speaking incredibly well. The service was informative, by providing us with
facts and figures, but also included poems and finally the two-minute silence followed by the traditional morning call of the British Army, the Reveille. Wreathes were laid by Mr. Birch and Mr. Gillespie-Payne who have served their country in the British Army. Every single second of the service was dedicated to the casualties of wars, remembering their dedication for their country. On the following Sunday, Year 5, went to the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Heliopolis: to see the gravestones and attend a service of Remembrance which they had been studying in History. The Head Boy and I also had the privilege of going there with Mr. Grice to first show groups of Year 5 but secondly, that we may see the sacrifice made by so many for ourselves. It was a moving experience as we walked around and identified the names on the gravestones, met students from other British schools, and having the honour to place the College’s wreath on the great Cenotaph. It was an absolutely beautiful occasion; all the Wreaths representing the different countries and schools were gathered on the base of the Cenotaph, and a moment that the Head Boy and I will never forget; representing Malvern College Egypt at the Commonwealth War Graves in Heliopolis. Nisan Harmanci – Head Girl
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FIRST EVER SWIM MEET On the 14th October we passed another milestone in Malvern College Egypt’s history when we competed in our first ever swim meet at BISC and I am delighted to say that our students performed exceptionally well. Adam Elkenawy took the honour of becoming our first ever ‘athlete’ as he dived into the pool on his way to scoring a very respectable 6th place in the U11 50m Freestyle. Our first top three finisher was Karim Ammar who finished 2nd in a time of 31:61 for the 50m freestyle. Our other top three finishers were: Mohammed El Tayeb and Josephine Grice who both came 1st in the 50m Breaststroke and Mariam Ab El Latif who came 3rd in the 50m Butterfly. Congratulations to the remainder of the team who were: Nada Ahmed, Talita Jada Doga Hermanci, Yassin El Nahas, Mohammed El Tayeeb, Abdelrahman Emam, Jana Ahmed, Jasenta Elkenawy, Jasmine Grice, Danna Hegazy, Seif Ewais, Iwan Parker, Hassan Shoukair, Hussein Shoukair, Marwada Abdel Kader, Mariam Abd El Latif, Zeina Hani, Nisan Harmanci, Yassin Aim, Karim Ammar, Tim Marsh and Zeyad Omar.
Iain Driscoll - Director of Sport
GOLF CCA
Malvern College Egypt is proud to offer a wide variety of co-curricular activities ranging from debating to ballet and football to Judo. One of our most popular activities for both boys and girls is golf under the supervision of Mr Kittermaster.
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We are fortunate to be able to work with The JW Marriot and once a week a committed group of pupils hop onto the bus for the short journey to the hotel. Once there pupils are brought onto the world class golf course and instructed by a combination of Marriot golf coaches and Mr Kittermaster. Over the course of the term students have focused on improving their grip and swing. Improvements have been made across the years however they have sadly yet to beat the impeccable shots of Mr Kittermaster!
Sally Madden – Head of Co-Curricular Activities
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GAP YEAR EXPERIENCE
In September 2016 George and I flew from a cold and rainy UK to the warm and sunny embrace of Cairo. A few weeks before we had both decided to take a ‘Gap Year’. Popular in the UK and increasingly across the world a ‘Gap Year’ is a year taken off between leaving school and the next stage of your life: be it university, an apprenticeship or straight into the world of work. People can decide to do many things in one of these years off: study a language, travel, work or live in another country. But, why pick just one of these when you can choose all four. To work as a ‘Gappie’ in Malvern College Egypt would allow us to learn, albeit at an appalling standard, a bit of Arabic, travel around the Middle-East, work at a school and live in a completely different country! While we were both good friends at Malvern College UK we both had very different interests. It’s been great that during our time here we have been able to work in the areas of the school that interest us the most. While I am incompetent at anything sport related George prides himself in his athletic ability especially with his new found fondness of ‘Gyming’. George was able to work with Mr Driscoll in the PE department helping out with classes, matches and CCAs. He gave up his weekends and was present at our very first sports engagement; a swim meet at BISC. I on the other hand split my time helping out with a bit of English and a bit of business studies but chiefly working in the PR and Marketing Department. I have been lucky to be involved in a range of things:
from the upcoming prospectus, this Malvern View to dealing with our advertising contracts. Both of us have loved the work we do and the real sense of responsibility that we are given. Outside of the school we have both loved living in Cairo so much even if it is a bit mad and feels about a million miles away from quiet and green Malvern. We’ve both been able to travel around Cairo a bit, taking the obligatory selfie at the pyramids, as well as travelling a bit around the region. I went to Alexandria and then later Lebanon whereas George craved some snow and so headed off for a recent trip to Budapest! We hope to visit some of the Red Sea resorts in our remaining time and hopefully get some diving in.
Robert Porter – Gap Student
FACEBOOK PAGE The College is committed to keeping up to date with the latest technology both in the classroom but also in our communication with parents. We therefore make full use of our Facebook account to keep parents up to date with the latest news and announcements. It is also possible for parents to message the Facebook Page and we will do what we can to answer every query however we request that, when it is possible, all messages can be in English.
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Please do like ‘Malvern College Egypt’ on Facebook to ensure that you get the latest news first as well as to see school photos, events and even our lunch menu.
Mervat Marshall – Director of Public Relations
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CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES (CCA) At Malvern College Egypt we believe in the importance of educating and supporting the whole child and recognise the needs for physical health, extra academic challenge and engagement. Part of this process is often found outside of the traditional classroom and our Co-Curricular activities programme gives students an opportunity to participate in many different activities which help nurture their development as well rounded students. The Co-Curricular activities at Malvern College offer a wide range of different opportunities for students to learn the value of teamwork, individual and group responsibility, physical strength and endurance, competition, discipline, diversity, and a sense of culture and community. Term 1 activity choices have included some students learning a new language, playing an instrument, designing a website or taking an art class, and others choosing to participate in physical activities such as football, ballet, judo or swimming. All of the activities have provided students with an opportunity to make some decisions, feel proud of themselves as they learn new things, experience challenge and make new friends outside of the classroom.
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The Co-Curricular Activities Programme promises to offer even more choices in Term 2 and 3 with the introduction of some morning activities now planned for the parents of Malvern. The parents will be offered the opportunity to take a morning fitness class doing Body Balance or Body Attack to keep fit and have fun and the option of learning a new language. The parent programme offers a great social and enjoyable experience, with more activities planned for Term 3.
Sally Madden – Head of Co-Curricular Activities
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At Malvern College Egypt we value the experience a student gains from learning outside the classroom. We offer Educational visits, trips and residential opportunities for all our students to embrace new experiences and explore new environments. School trips are viewed as a powerful and positive teaching tool to help enhance the social, personal and emotional development of all our students and improve independence.
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YEAR 4 SCIENCE TRIP TO WADI DEGLA On Sunday 13th November Year Four visited Wadi Degla. The children worked with the staff from Wadi Environmental Science Centre and participated in several activities which developed some of the scientific skills they had learned in class. Using identification keys the children had to sort the different plants of the Wadi and were able to explain how plants had adapted to desert life. We investigated the different animal life and researched food chains and food webs. The children had the opportunity of dissecting owl pellets to exam ine what it had eaten. They even got the opportunity to see a live bat! We participated in several activities which were part of our science topic on habitats and we would like to thank the four parents who also helped with the trip and hope they learned a lot too! The children behaved well and were a credit to the College. Jonathan Bailey
Assistant Head of Primary, Head of Year 4
HORSE-RIDING SUCCESS
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Although we are obviously very proud of the achievements of our pupils inside school we are always delighted at the efforts made in activities outside school. Our particular congratulations therefore go to Sherif El Morsy in Year 9 who last term achieved an astonishing 1st Place in a World Cup Qualifying Equestrian Championship. We look forward to helping him foster further success in this field in the years to come.
Iain Driscoll - Director of Sport
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MALVERN COLLEGE HONG KONG The Headmaster was delighted to travel to Hong Kong in April last year to represent The College at the laying of the foundation stone of Malvern College Hong Kong; a sister school of Malvern College UK. The ceremony took place in the Science Park in Sha Tin and the school will open its doors in 2018. Also present at the event were members of Malvern College UK, Qingdao and Chengdu. We would like to wish Malvern College Hong Kong the very best of luck in their new venture and we look forward to close cooperation and interaction between the Malvern College family of schools.
Mervat Marshall – Director of Public Relations
FRENCH AT MALVERN COLLEGE EGYPT The French beginners started the year learning how to present themselves and then introduced various questions about their name, date and place of birth, nationality, siblings, pets, favourite colours, and subjects at school, animals, likes and dislikes. At the end of the unit Year 7 and 8 came up with lively dialogues in which they interviewed famous personalities they picked up to act out their presentations. They enjoyed very much this theatrical type of learning. Drama was an excellent tool to learn grammar in an interesting manner; for example, telling French adjectives in a masculine or feminine voice or describing the physical features of family members. We also explored the vocabulary related to school and its activities. We implemented ‘’live learning ‘’, by taking a tour around the school to practise all the acquired words and expressions. The children were rightfully proud of themselves by having the opportunity to display their linguistic capacities and use French in a life context. They also set off on an adventure exploring the items of a survival kit.
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Year 8 discovered interesting facts about communication through media: movies, internet, theatre etc. Younger children enjoyed many songs and interactive games throughout the term. The latter was crowned by discovering different Christmas traditions, making decorations , throwing fake snowballs into each other to experience the spirit of winter and of joy. We shared friendship, happiness and good mood. We prepared a beautiful concert with many French songs!
Apolline Herveou – Head of French
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LOOKING FOR LEARNING AT MALVERN COLLEGE EGYPT
Implementing ‘Looking for Learning’ came about as part of our process of reflection and review during our preparation year of 2015-16. We talked as a College Leadership Team about developing our core business of learning. While we felt that at our previous schools, the standard of what we were achieving with our students was high, we felt that it could and should be better. While we all had robust performance management systems in place involving lesson observations, and while we always felt that we were developing student learning, the discussion focused on what extent this was weighted with regards to looking at teachers and teaching as opposed to learners and learning.
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As a College we talked about some fundamental points. Firstly, one of our key questions at interview is, ‘What is good learning and what does it look like?’ To look for learning in the classrooms meant that we had to come up with a definition of what we believed good learning is so that we could agree what we were looking for. This definition of learning was written by the whole College staff during our induction week and is now central to our recruiting, marketing and spirit of what we are about at MCE. Secondly, we discussed if learning looked the same as you progress through from Early Years to Secondary School? We decided that yes it does. Learning is learning no matter the age or the environment; it
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takes place inside all of us. We are all learners. Indeed something we are all going to learn is that we can see good learning in areas of the school which are way out of some peoples’ comfortable teaching zone. Thirdly, we had a discussion about whether or not teaching equals learning – does teaching taking place in a classroom automatically mean that learning is also taking place? Of course, no it doesn’t. We have all observed a well prepared teacher pull out wonderful lessons involving artifacts, power points, interactive activities etc. But if the students already knew what to do, they hadn’t been challenged and no learning had taken place. ‘Looking for Learning’ actually helps to change the mindset of teachers; that a busy class, or a well delivered, entertaining lesson, doesn’t always mean that learning is taking place. Finally, we discussed all data at our previous schools which had been meticulously logged onto management systems. We had end of unit test scores, entry-level assessment, CEM, PIM/PIE, reading ages, end of year examination results………all this evidence that seemed to be about learning and which helped teachers make judgments about learning. However, what we didn’t know too much about was the most important evidence of all: were the students learning in the immediate term; lesson by lesson, day by day in the classrooms?
WHAT IS LOOKING FOR LEARNING? Looking for Learning is the process that enables all staff ( teachers, managers and school leaders )to gather evidence of learning in the immediate term. It is a process of identifying, improving and then increasing learning throughout the school. It is achieved through collaboration with the entire staff. It gives us evidence about the quality of learning that is happening in classrooms. It makes staff aware of whether the learning is appropriate and engaging enough for their students. It transforms classrooms from places where teaching definitely happens to places where learning definitely happens. Fieldwork Education who devised the ‘Looking for Learning’ programme call it a paradigm shift. I think this depends on how far you were already looking
at the learning in classrooms and in your schools. For some schools, yes I would imagine it would be a paradigm shift. This wasn’t the case for my last school, but what I think it did do was sharpen what we were doing in relation to student learning and particularly towards teachers’ appreciation of learning. It took us that extra 15-20%. In a crude footballing analogy, it turned Newcastle Utd into Arsenal. Apologies to all Toon fans! All very good I hear you say, but how does it actually work in practice? The College Leadership team and a trial group of middle leaders are now using the framework that ‘Looking for Learning’ provides us. It is an ongoing, systematic whole College approach to learning. Let us look at the Learning Visit.
THE LEARNING VISIT Here is the first fundamental change, and one that has taken a while for all our teachers to realise. This is a learning visit looking at the learning that is going on in the classroom. It is not an observation looking at what the teacher is doing.
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The framework gives visitors guidance on what questions to ask the students, and these questions do not change based on the age of the child. Students of all ages can talk to you about their learning.
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IS THERE ANY LEARNING GOING ON?
IS THE LEARNING APPROPRIATE?
New/Treading Water/Drowning
Have you learnt this before? How is this connected to previous learning? Do you know where this learning will take you next? Is this difficult/easy/just right? Is this interesting?
What are you learning today? Is this learning new learning? What do you know/can you do now that you didn’t/couldn’t at the start of the lesson?
IS THE LEARNING SUFFICIENT?
IS THE LEARNING ENGAGING?
How long have you been learning this? Would you like to learn more? How could this be more challenging for you? How do you know that you are doing well?
Are you enjoying this learning? Why? What keeps you interested? What switches you off? Can you describe how you feel when you are enjoying your learning?
WHAT IS THE TEACHER DOING TO HELP LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM
WHAT IS THE TEACHER DOING TO HINDER LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM
How long have you been learning this? Would you like to learn more? How could this be more challenging for you? How do you know that you are doing well?
Does anything stop you from learning? What makes learning more difficult?
WHAT IS THE SCHOOL DOING TO HELP OR HINDER LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM What could we do to make your learning more effective? Is there anything we are doing which really gets in the way of learning in this subject?
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What the students actually say to these questions are recorded. These responses then form the basis of the learning conversation between the teacher and the visitor afterwards. The feedback from teachers so far is that it is a refreshing change to what they are used to. Marcus Madden, Assistant Head of Primary: “It was an extremely positive experience, building on from what I already knew about how the students learn in my class and exploring different strategies that may support them in the future. Through discussion, reflection and analysis, we came to a common understanding about the learning that had taken place and the appropriateness of the strategies used to teach a new concept.”
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AFTER THE VISIT - THE LEARNING CONVERSATION We use suggested prompts in order to keep the conversation flowing.
Learning Was there evidence of learning happening? Was it new learning, were they treading water or were they drowning and not learning anything? Was the learning at the beginning level, developing level or mastering level? Was the learning related to the learning objective or was it different? If it was different, was it relevant?
Appropriate How does this learning fit in to the previous learning and what do you plan for them to learn next? Do the children understand how this fits into the ‘Big Picture?’ Is this the right kind of learning for this cohort of students at their current level?
Sufficient How long have the children been learning this? Was it too challenging? Was it too easy? Was it just right? How could you increase the level of challenge/make the learning more accessible? How did you respond to the differing needs of the children in your class? What teaching strategies did you employ to incorporate all levels?
Engaging Do you think the children were engaged with the lesson? How do you know? Were the children motivated to learn? Did the children enjoy the learning experience?
Help How do you think you helped the learning that was taking place? Do you think you gave everyone the help they needed?
Hinder Were there any barriers to learning do you think in your lesson? What would you do differently if you delivered the lesson again?
Do you have all the resources that you need? How does this learning fit in with the other year groups/levels? What help is available to you in school? Do you think that there is professional learning opportunities that will help the learning in your lessons improve?
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School Help/Hinder
Notes are made during the conversation and follow up points discussed and noted. This then forms the start point for any further learning conversations in the future. The follow up learning conversation allows colleagues to reflect on the key ‘Looking for Learning’ questions in light of evidence, come to good judgments themselves and to begin to reflect on classroom practice. Hayley Hodges, Year 5 teacher was surprised by the procedure: “The learning visit was very unobtrusive and relaxed. The flow of the lesson was not interrupted in any way, despite individual pupils being asked questions throughout. I didn’t feel that I was being ‘watched’ as such, as has happened in previous observations. The conversation afterwards differed in the fact that it was based wholly on the responses given by the pupils, so there could be no room for disagreement. It was actually very interesting to hear what the pupils think about the lessons and their learning. I like the way that the feedback forms we received were the ones that were completed during the lesson – no long wait for something to be written up. This also means that the whole process seemed to be over quite quickly. It has certainly made me think about things much more from the pupils’ points of view. Overall, I found it a much simpler, more straightforward process than I have previously experienced.” While Jonathan Bailey, Assistant Head of Primary thought: “It was a new idea for me as the concept has not been as promoted in the UK. I was wondering whether it would be an ‘observation’ by another name. I was most impressed with the questions during the ‘feedback’ in that they got me to question my opinion of my lesson. The ability to reflect on what I noticed and engage in professional discussion to help improve the learning of the children, I feel, is the most important part. As a teacher you spend the time planning the lesson, where you think of the groups of children/individuals and getting the resources but often little time is paid to reflect on the learning/challenge and whether this could be improved/quickened. The reflection and adaptation of your skills is fundamentally what should be used in all parts of your career. A good idea well managed and communicated.”
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE TO A TRADITIONAL LESSON OBSERVATION The main key differences between a learning conversation and conventional lesson observation feedback then are as follows: - A learning conversation always discusses learning before teaching. This is the maxim. Our natural desire and traditional observers’ style of wanting to guide, help and support our colleagues, coupled with our own usual reflections as observers, make it very difficult for people to not talk about teaching, the lesson activity itself or displays first. Therefore, the golden rule of any learning conversation is: no discussion or conversation can take place about anything else until you have defined whether learning was taking place, what it was and whether it was appropriate and sufficient. Then, and only after the discussion about learning has happened should you discuss the actions of the teacher.
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- Learning conversations are structured around the seven key ‘Looking for Learning’ questions. The learning discussion is a very focused and professional discussion. The structure of the questions has definitely helped us to focus the discussions on learning, so that time is not wasted or the conversations drift off the point. - The Learning Conversation looks towards the future. Clearly, the aim is for us to increase the amount and appropriateness of the learning students experience and achieve as well as letting teachers, through the reflection and conversation process, to improve the way they approach and develop learning in their classroom.
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Timothy Lawman, Head of ICT: “I found that Looking for Learning had a dramatic impact on two students in my Year 9 class. Taking into account comments from two students with different individual needs, I tweaked their learning tasks, and in one case came up with a completely new idea that at first I thought I had gone a little too far with. However, not one for ducking a challenge, I went ahead and a wonderful App was produced for MCE that aids parents to understand how our new learning approaches grading system works! The other student seems more engaged and this was born out with higher marks in subsequent tests. I look forward to the next visit and discussion with the team.” ‘Looking for Learning’ therefore is being seen as about improvement rather than blame. Malvern College Egypt has invested heavily in our teachers; we want them to improve and develop for the benefit of our students’ learning – it has to be about improvement. Sally Dibb-Holland, Head of Early Years, Deputy Head of Primary has very much been impressed by the process and what we as a learning community have discovered from it: “As an Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI) International and UK Inspector, I found it very valuable to be introduced to the ‘Looking for learning’ approach to teacher practice. For me, the benefits of ‘Looking for learning’ are many. Traditional classroom observations were just that: one colleague observing another teacher teaching and forming judgments about the lesson and practice. In contrast the ‘Looking for learning’ approach involves both the child and the teacher. By speaking with the children during the lesson, we are given an insight into what they are learning. By asking the children questions, the evidence of their levels of understanding and progress becomes clear. To continue to be life-long learners, it is vital that children learn to self-evaluate and reflect upon their learning. The ‘Looking for learning’ approach is part of that process for both the children and the teachers. The conversation between the teacher who taught the lesson and their colleagues who visited it, again, encourages reflection and consideration of what went well, what could be altered and next steps for their own professional development. “
LEARNING EVERYWHERE Taking the earlier view then that learning takes place irrespective of which school the student attends and that learning looks the same, then the logical step is for staff to take part in Learning Visits in parts of the school they do not teach in. The results I am certain will be interesting and will clearly validate our assertion. This is happening during the Spring Term and will continue to develop over time. I think the biggest thing that we have been seeing as a result of ‘Looking for Learning’ is that everyone is beginning to focus on the learning; starting with the learning and then and only then, going on to think about the teaching afterwards. It sounds like such a tiny thing but it is so effective. Duncan Grice Headmaster Malvern College Egypt References: CLAXTON, G. (2002) Building Learning Power. Bristol: TLO Limited.
Fieldwork Education: LOOKING FOR LEARNING TOOLKIT (2008), Part of the WCL Group
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Malvern View
CLAXTON, G., CHAMBERS, M., POWELL, G., LUCAS, B. (2011) The Learning Powered School – Pioneering 21st Century Education. TLO Limited, Bristol.
WINTER CONCERT
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Parents, teachers and students were rewarded at the end of a long term by two Inaugural Malvern College Egypt Winter Concerts. After an eloquent welcome from our Head Boy, Head Girl and Music Prefect we were treated to a musical extravaganza. The international nature of both Christmas and our own College was expressed through readings from a variety of countries : from Egypt to the UK and the Sudan to Thailand. It was great to see involvement from pupils across all ages with performances from Nursery–Year 2 in the morning, and Years 3-9 in the evening, with both concerts ending with the finale ‘Children of the World’.
Performances again carried on this international theme with some British classics, ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’, delivered by a very confident Year 6 all the way to ‘Layat Eid’ from Lebanon performed by Years 4, 5 and 6. All pupils and staff are to be commended for both their effort and quality of singing and performing. It was a truly fantastic day which we can all be so proud of. Our particular thanks go to Mrs Marsh for her exceptional organising of the event alongside her musical leadership in this first ever Winter Concert.
Duncan Grice - Headmaster
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The Malvern Qualities Malvern College Egypt holds a firm commitment to absolute and fundamental values that have stood the test of time. While we refer to them as ‘Malvern Qualities’ they are as relevant in the town of Malvern UK as they are in our city of Cairo. It is through our common emphasis on these values that students across the Malvern family of schools will leave well-prepared as global citizens who are ready to both understand and solve issues facing our world in the 21st Century. Resilience Showing persistence and perseverance in the face of difficulty. Having the ability to face challenges with confidence and with good humor. Self awareness Being reflective about the process of learning and what we do. Showing an awareness of both strengths and weaknesses and taking responsibility for personal development. Open mindedness Being open-minded to the wide range of beliefs, opinions and cultures that make up the modern world and yet having the strength of character to stand by one’s own. Showing respect and acceptance to those who hold contrary views and the intellectual flexibility to see others’ points of view. Kindness Recognizing that kindness and consideration are an essential part of a civilized society and a happy community. Collaboration Demonstrating an awareness that collaboration is a vital skill in society. Working with others to bring about the greater good and to offer service. Risk taking Demonstrating a confident, imaginative and innovative approach to what is possible. Curiosity Having an inquisitive and investigative attitude. Ambition Being forward-thinking with a vision of the future, and showing the determination and courage to follow this path. Independence Showing self-reliance and resourcefulness in all actions. Integrity Showing the strength of character to be an honest and trustworthy member of society and to stand by one’s beliefs.
Malvern View
Humility Having awareness of one’s strengths and abilities but with a sense of modesty. Recognizing the distinction and benefits of a Malvern College education, making the most of the opportunities it provides and understanding with sensitivity and humility that others do not enjoy the same advantages.
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COMMUNITY ADULT QUIZ NIGHT As part of the College’s social program for our parents Mr Grice kindly gave his time to organise and run the College’s first Quiz Night. This was a fantastic social event allowing us all to relax and celebrate the end of a busy week. A combination of parents, friends of the College and teachers sought to be crowned the overall winner. Topics ranged from celebrity faces all the way to geography and airport codes. While there was much competition and, although the team Kiss Me led at the beginning, they were eventually thwarted by the academic prowess of The ‘Artisans’ who were our overall winners. Congratulations to all the teams who took part. Robert Porter – Gap Student
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