Welcome to Philips High School’s Teaching and Learning Magazine – Oct 2015 - Sharing ideas with teachers!
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Welcome What an interesting start to the year – a delayed (and somewhat dusty) start which introduced our new network system. Many thanks for your patience whilst the ‘teething issues’ are being ironed out to ensure a better and more fully equipped system for us and our pupils. This year has seen the introduction of Learning Walks – in just a half term, HA and I have seen everyone teach which has been an enjoyable experience. Don’t forget about the new ‘Teaching & Learning Times’ – for all things to help with our teaching and the pupils’ learning and of course our ever popular Twitter page @PhilipsHighTL In just 8 weeks the pupils have experienced a Technology Enterprise day in Year 9 with our very own PHS drone – see our Twitter page for the photos and also a ‘Be Cool, Be Safe day’ too. Year 7 pupils have also been visited by a famous author. Pupils have experienced various presentations on Targets, Progress, Homework and The Brain. The C4 detention rota is proving very successful with our pupils, as is the ‘Growth Mindset’ saying of ‘Not yet…’ starting to be used effectively across the curriculum. CPD sessions on ‘De-Escalation’ and ‘Growth Mindset’ have been held with excellent staff feedback provided. The usual TLC session has been held discussing how to work with our more ‘challenging’ pupils more effectively. If you think back, we have accomplished an awful lot already this year. Thank you for all your hard work as always – it has been a real pleasure to see you all teach and watch our pupils engaged and focussed in your lessons.
Enjoy reading the magazine! Happy reading and Happy Half term!!
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Contents 1)
#Shush: The Deadly Sin
Page 4
2)
Worth The Effort?
3)
Creating A Positive Learning Environment Page 9
4)
The Guilty Teacher Revisited
Page 14
5)
Fill / Mind The Gap
Page 17
Page 5
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#Shush: The Deadly Sin by @TeacherToolkit This is another blog about managing behaviour and how teachers can use vocabulary better. “Tackling low level behaviour without saying ‘shush’!” By using alternative words and phrases for ‘shush’ we can reinforce vocabulary growth in our students but also avoid using persistent negative reinforcement to control low-level behaviour. We also improve our own classroom literacy, as well as that of students we teach. We are All Teachers of Literacy:
Over the years, I’ve developed an aversion to the verb, ‘shush’ or ‘Sssh’. This has mainly stemmed from observing other teachers in assemblies, tutor time and in lessons where behaviour has been far from good. I’ve even witnessed a former colleague ‘shush’ so loudly, it pierced the 4-walls of a full assembly hall! Now, you may argue, that I’ve got better things to do that focus on something so petty, but let me explain why. It starts with Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR), a concept first brought to my attention in @Hywel_Roberts’ book, Oops! Helping Children Learn Accidentally. The term was devised by the psychologist Carl Rogers and it describes how children should be exposed to Unconditional Positive Regard, irrespective of their actions. Now, many traditionalist teachers may disagree with this view, that the naughty child should not be exposed to praise no matter what, yet as a teacher of progressive and traditionalist teaching, my view is that a ‘shush’ or a ‘shout’ may become White Noise after a period of time; and that UPR is required repeatedly for the most challenging students. Carl Rogers believed that UPR is essential to healthy development. Children who are not exposed to Unconditional Positive Regard may come to see themselves in negative ways. Being exposed to UPR can help children to accept responsibility for themselves, to aid personal growth and allow them to be free to be spontaneous without fearing the loss of others’ esteem. Top Tips:
The word ‘shush’ is often used to control low-level behaviour, it is a common occurrence when punishing students and it usually has negative connotations. By removing ‘shush’ from your vocabulary you remove one of the persistent negative reinforcers from your teaching. You also improve your persona with students and colleagues, as well as your own use of literacy. Shush is a deadly sin! I challenge you to find an alternative the next time you hear yourself saying ‘Sssh’ or ‘Shush!’
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Consider implementing speaking levels in your classroom and be sure to inform your students of the acceptable noise level for each of your activities. For example:
Volume 0 = No talking: individual, silent working. Volume 1 = Whispering in pairs. Volume 2 = Small group discussions. Volume 3 = Whole class discussions. Volume 4 = Louder than normal, so that ‘learning’ can be heard. Volume 5 = Shouting (either you or the class).
Teaching Tip:
Rehearse and practice the different sound levels permitted in your classroom. Remind students of the acceptable levels regularly. No matter what, find an alternative way to deal with low-level behaviour and challenge yourself and your own teaching now!
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Worth the effort? https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/worth-the-effort/ Like schools, at each data capture point (three times a year for each year group), we also ask teachers to give an ‘effort grade’ for each student. Up until now, the rubric we used for this was fairly bland and not really used that effectively. This is not too smart, from a school that celebrates and subscribes to the idea of developing a growth mindset. To address this, Andy Tharby gathered a group of staff to re-write the effort rubric. This is what they came up with: The first group to have this applied to them were Y11 this week – by each of their teachers. We’ve had a look at the correlation between their effort score (1= exemplary, 2=consistent, 3= inconsistent and 4 = poor) and it’s summarised by this graph; What does this tell us? Not surprisingly, that effort matters! In my mind though, it’s what happens after this that matters. Having identified students who fall short in terms of effort, what interventions will be put in place to address this? If we get these effort-based interventions right with these students, we might be on to something. Here are some ideas: Your classwork and homework show consistent high standards and reflect excellent learning, as well as pride and care in your work. What can we do when this is not the case?
Share examples of excellent work and deconstruct these together. In this post, Andy Tharby discusses the importance of comparison when getting students to improve their work Don’t accept mediocre work – expect students to redraft their work. If it’s not excellent, it’s not finished. Following homework, have a dedicated DIRT lesson, where students address their weak areas. 5
Keep presentation of work high profile – share examples of work that is well presented and identify improvement points for students. Use IPEVO visualisers to share examples of excellent student work. Then work with individuals to focus on the gaps between their work and the exemplar work – and what they need to do to address them.
You always demonstrate perseverance when work becomes a struggle and you actively choose more demanding tasks, to help you achieve your goals. What can we do when this is not the case?
Build a culture in your classroom that ‘struggle is OK’ – share common mistakes that students make and how to overcome them. Modelling helps a great deal here – before students embark on a task, model an example with them, to give them the confidence to attempt one on their own. As you are doing this, make some mistakes – and then correct them – to demonstrate that getting things wrong is perfectly fine. If the work lends itself, make sure students have a ‘worked example’ to refer to. Often they stop working on a challenging task, because they don’t want to write it down and risk getting it wrong. So, use careful questioning to get them to articulate their thoughts – adjusting your questioning if they get it wrong. Once they have verbally answered the question, get them to then write it down. Once you have supported them with the work they are struggling, get them to tell you the first thing they are going to do. If they are really struggling, maybe start writing a sentence for them – that they can then finish – just to get them started. Praise students when they attempt more challenging tasks.
You continuously seek and act upon all types of feedback, and you respond to setbacks positively. What can we do when this is not the case?
Build time into your lessons to allow students to respond to feedback e.g. after you have marked their homework. Use ‘live marking’ with targeted students i.e. whilst they are working, look at their work and write a question on their work, to develop their thinking and improve their work. Tell them you will come back and in 3 minutes to see if they have improved it – make sure you then do, and praise them for responding to the feedback:
Gallery critique is a great way to get lots of peer feedback, in a supportive and non threatening way. Read more here. You carefully organise your time and meticulously self-check your work. What can we do when this is not the case?
Make it explicit when going through answers that you want them to ‘tick or correct’ their work. Model how to self check their work in your subject e.g. have they described and explained their observations? Have they used examples in their answer? Have they labelled axes on a graph? Have their spelling, punctuation and grammar? Then encourage them to do this on a regular basis. 6
Arm yourself with a highlighter – when they make a mistake, just highlight it, but don’t tell them what the mistake is. Tell them they have to think about what the mistake is and correct it – this gets them into the habit of self-correcting. Attendance at revision sessions is often a problem for these students – in fact, the students that often attend these sessions are usually the ones that least need it. So, once you have planned any revision sessions, notify the Pastoral Leaders for these students and ask for their support in helping these students to get to your sessions.
You actively participate in all tasks during lessons and ask inquisitive questions. What can we do when this is not the case?
Use cold-calling to involve students who usually avoid answering questions e.g. “What are the two products of respiration…..Kerry?” When students respond with ‘I don’t know’, don’t just move on to somebody else. Break down the question into simpler parts, that they can answer and then build them up. Alternatively, ask another student a related question, and then come back to them. Catch them working hard and set this as the benchmark for your expectation of them. Director of English, Kate Bloomfield, does this by taking a photo of them working hard and sticking this on the front of their book: Don’t overload students with long sets of instructions – keep it to about 6 steps. The working memory can’t hold much more than this.
You consistently show self-motivation and determination when aiming beyond your best. What can we do when this is not the case?
Praise effort, rather than intelligence. Carol Dweck explains:
Help students to establish long term goals by talking about careers etc in your subjects and why being successful in your subject will be important for their future success. Those students who have a clear career goal in mind, tend to have a much greater sense of intrinsic motivation. Taking this outside of the classroom, Curriculum Leaders could lead assemblies about careers in their subject area and Pastoral Leaders could meet with these ‘low-effort’ students and ask ex-students to come in and talk to them about their careers. Angela Duckworth calls this perseverance towards long term goals, grit:
Discuss why what they are doing will be useful to them e.g. doing lots of exam questions – this will make them more fluent and confident when it comes to exams. Provide opportunities for students to experience success and then praise them for it. Motivation won’t just happen and result in success. By experiencing success, students will feel motivated and seek further success.
Students will lack effort for a multitude of reasons – and there’s no silver bullet that will address all of them. However, most students who lack effort probably know that this is not good enough and want to do something about it – they just don’t know how. So with this in mind, we need to provide them with a toolbox of strategies to help them improve their effort – and then praise them when they do. Hopefully these examples will provide some inspiration. And finally, a salient reminder for all of us 7
An average child I don’t cause teachers trouble, My grades have been O.K. I listen to my classes. I’m in school every day. My parents think I’m average, My teachers think so, too. I wish I didn’t know that ’Cause there’s lots I’d like to do. I’d like to build a rocket, I’ve a book that shows you how; Or start a stamp collection – Well, no use starting now. ’Cause since I found I’m average I’m just smart enough to see, To know there’s nothing special That I should expect of me. I’m part of that majority, That hump part of the bell, Who spends his life unnoticed In an average kind of hell. By Mike Buscemi
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Creating a positive learning environment http://www.mathedup.co.uk/creating-a-positive-learning-environment/
When I first started out teaching over 10 years ago, I was determined to be the best teacher I could possibly be. I was confident(ish) with the maths and was enthusiastic about the pedagogical understanding I had developed whilst doing my PGCE. I wanted to be a positive role model to the students I taught as well as those I looked after pastorally in my tutor group. I was driven and determined to be successful and put in a lot of hours into ensuring everything I did was of the highest quality. Two terms into my new role, I was seriously considering leaving the profession. Although I planned each lesson carefully and made sure I was always up to date with marking, I found that I was ill prepared for the low-level disruptive behaviour that teachers, particularly shiny new ones, have to endure. I was armed with what I thought at the time, was the best piece of advice going: “Don’t smile until Christmas”. Some of my classes were lovely and I was able to relax with them. I felt really happy with their level of enthusiasm and managed to build up an excellent rapport (I couldn’t help but smile and have a sense of humour with these guys!). However, most of my classes were a constant battle and forced me to shout and scream to the point where I would often lose my voice. I was determined not to let them get away with a single thing and would constantly find myself involved in confrontations because of this.
Learning from experiences The biggest learning point for me came from a young man who I will call Steve. Steve was a bit of a ringleader and would often walk into class in a very loud, boisterous manner in an attempt to get a reaction from me – To be honest, he usually did as I soon found that I would constantly be on his case. He became a challenge for me and I decided I wasn’t going to let him win. I would watch him carefully every minute of every lesson to make sure he was not mucking about. Steve often got detentions from me and I would frequently have to take him out the room during lessons for a quiet word (the quiet word would usually end up being not so quiet). There was one particular lesson that I saw Steve copy some work off the person next to him. “Yes”, I thought. “I’ve caught the bugger again, he’s going to realise that I’m not to be messed with and I’ll always beat him!” I called him to the front of the class and asked to see his book. I then told him that I had just seen him copy his work off someone else. Obviously, he denied this. I thought I would make an example of him and started to raise my voice and lecture him about the error of his ways. At this point, Steve erupted! He was shouting and screaming at me and had a crazy look about him. My Head of department came to see what the commotion was and took him out of the room. I could hear him outside, still screaming at me at the top of his voice. She finally had to restrain him from re-entering the room and by this point, he was foaming at the mouth and his shirt was ripped. He was a scary sight and I would be lying if I said I didn’t find him intimidating.
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He was excluded for a few days and when he returned, he refused to be taught by me anymore. He was eventually moved into another class where he was given a fresh start and actually ended up settling down and doing quite well.
Turning point I always remember this moment as it was a turning point for me as a teacher. I decided that I needed to change my approach. I decided that the way I had been trying to ‘run’ my classroom didn’t suit me. I’m not an angry type, in fact, I’m quite the opposite. I’m happy and positive most of the time, and I smile, a lot. I don’t often get stressed out and I genuinely enjoy teaching young people the joys of mathematics. I decided to take an approach which suited my personality. I wanted to run my classroom in a way that made me feel comfortable and would allow me to fulfil the values I hold as a teacher: Learning should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience full of challenge, positive engagement and enthusiasm. Over the years, I have tried lots of strategies to create the classroom I want to teach in. Some of these have worked while many haven’t. I still haven’t got things exactly how I would want them but I am getting there. Below are a few tips for creating this kind of positive learning environment. I have omitted some that have been covered by Jo Morgan on her fantastic website here (I can’t stress enough that communicating your expectations is the single most important thing to do!) and have focused on those that form my own philosophy. I should say that I am consistent with these and, well, they work for me and suit the way that I want to ‘run’ my classroom. I obviously have ups and downs (we’re working with teenagers after all!) but I feel a lot happier in the classroom now in comparison to when I first started teaching. Some will disagree with a few of these and I’m fine with that. If I manage to provoke some thought and get you to reflect on your own practice, then this post has served its purpose. Oh, and these aren’t in any particular order.
Strategies for encouraging positive behaviour 1. Don’t be disliked
In the post by Jo Morgan, she makes a point that it isn’t important to be the favourite teacher. I completely agree. However, it is also important to not be the other extreme. If a student dislikes you, it is very unlikely that they will perform to the best of their ability in your lessons. Fact. Be firm, fair and always ridiculously polite! 2. Learn names. No excuses.
Knowing the names of your students not only shows them that you value them, but it also gives you control in the classroom. Aim to learn their names ASAP. My party trick is to know the names of all the students in my class within the first 30 minutes of meeting them. I tell them that this is my party trick, and at the 10
end of that first lesson, I will dismiss them one at a time by using their name. If I’m feeling particularly flash, I’ll jumble them around the room first. Other teachers often ask me how I manage this. To be honest, I was rubbish at learning names and one day I just started telling myself that I’m brilliant at it. It worked for me! 3. Greet your students individually as they enter the room
Look like you are happy to see them (if you’re not, then fake it!). Make it part of your routine. This not only makes students aware of your presence straight away, it also sets a positive tone for the rest of the lesson. You can even build an instruction into your greeting. E.g. “Good morning Chris, please have your homework out and ready as soon as you’ve sat down.” If you are not ‘quite there yet’ with your class, then let them in 4/5 at a time. Drip feed calmness into your room! 4. End your lessons on the same note every time
Decide what you want this to look like and then be consistent with it. For me, I get them to stand by their chairs quietly and I have a quick scan for any clearing up or uniform issues before I dismiss them a couple of tables at a time wishing them a great rest of the day. All of my lessons end in this way. 5. Know your students
Get to know your students at the start of the year. What are their likes/dislikes. Do they play sports? Which football team do they support? What is their favourite subject? (By the end of the year, it will obviously be maths!) 6. Be decisive
Plan your classroom management carefully and completely so that you know how you will deal with pretty much any situation that arises. This will allow you to be decisive and not get caught in two minds. 7. Don’t shout
The only time you would need to shout in class is when there is a health and safety issue. Other than that, it is never necessary. Stay cool – like the Fonz. I’m not saying I never shout, but I am saying that it is rare. I can probably count how many times I have shouted in the past 10 years on one hand. It’s not big and it certainly isn’t clever. I understand that there are times when this can be particularly difficult, and if you find yourself becoming overwhelmed you need to remember that shouting will only be a temporary fix. In the long run it will lead to students losing confidence in you as it weakens your influence. If you do ‘lose it’, don’t beat yourself up about it – spend time reflecting on how else you could have dealt with the situation (speak to a colleague if it helps) and do that next time. 8. Use your body language to get what you want
For example, I have a hand signal where I basically raise my hand in the air and look like I want to say something. This lets my students know I want to speak and that they need to be quiet. They need a little training on this but it doesn’t take long for them to get the hang of it. 11
On the rare occasion that this doesn’t work, I maintain the same stance but open and close my hand rapidly which strangely seems to work. I also change the position I am standing in the room based on different scenarios. For example, I may start asking a question and decide I don’t have full attention, so I move to a different area of the room and ask it from there instead. I do this consciously and I would encourage you to play around with this idea. 9. Play around with the tone and speed of your voice
If you want to inject some pace, talk a little faster. If you want to calm your students down, talk a little slower. Experiment with putting pauses in your instructions to not only emphasise points but to help students to process what you are saying. Above all, try to maintain a confident voice at all times and be in control of it. Everything you say, say it on purpose. Your voice and the way you use it is probably your most important tool as a teacher – if you get it right, your students will hang on your every word. (I’m yet to get it right!) 10. Use positive language
Instead of telling students what you don’t want them to do, tell them what you do want them to do. A simple idea that makes a massive difference. For example: “Stop getting out of your seat” becomes “I’d appreciate it if you stayed in your seat and put your hand up if you need me.” 11. Make your instructions clear
When you give an instruction, make it crystal clear. Reflect on the words you use and experiment with what works. I discovered that when I ask for complete silence and I follow it up with “if there is sound coming out of your mouth, then you’re not following my instructions,” it works every time. So I use it a lot and it has become one of my many catchphrases. The key is that I’m not leaving any grey areas for students to exploit. 12. Have a sense of humour
This doesn’t mean to tell jokes. Just know when to laugh at yourself and laugh along with your students. A well-used sense of humour can help diffuse any tense moments in the classroom. However, sarcasm should always be avoided, particularly with younger students (I’m still working on controlling myself on this one – especially with sixth formers!) 13. Never waver on a seating plan
If you have a seating plan, you will always get some students that will ask for a chance to sit somewhere else. Don’t show any weakness here. Stick to your guns and students will very quickly get over it. As soon as you break on this one, be prepared to spend the first 5 minutes at the start of every lesson having to deal with seating issues. This will, in turn, turn your room into a negative and ‘unfair’ environment. YOU can always decide later in the year to change things about if YOU want to. 14. Have routines clear and consistent 12
Decide on what you want to happen in your room at different points in the lesson. How will your lessons start/end? How are the books and other items of equipment going to get handed out? Communicate these things clearly so that your lessons are always smooth, slick and stress free. All your energy can then be focused on teaching. 15. Be passionate about your subject
I’m a maths teacher. I am super geeky about maths and I make sure my students know it. How could I expect them to enjoy and engage with something I don’t? I also make sure they know how much I love my job. How? I tell them at every opportunity that I have the best job in the world! 16. Your teaching doesn’t stop in the classroom
Stop them in the corridor and ask them a question based on what they had been learning in the previous lesson. “How do you work out the area of a circle?” This demonstrates to them that you care and want them to be successful. 17. Be quirky!
I may be a little OCD about having routines and things in a particular way. I overplay this a little with my students and it mean s that it lightens the mood when it comes to tidying up at the end of the lesson. 18. Be consistent with your mood
Avoid displaying mood swings. If you are in a bad mood or feeling a little down or anxious about a lesson, then psych yourself up. My trick is to tell myself before my class arrive “this is going to be the best lesson I have ever taught!” If I see a colleague feeling a little anxious before a lesson, I’ll psych them up in the same way. It seems to work. 19. Model good behaviour
Model the behaviour you expect at all times. I want my students to be happy, enthusiastic, hard-working individuals who are passionate about mathematics. So I behave in that way. 20. Be polite
Always be kind and polite and expect the same back (have that as one of your expectations). 21. Look for positive behaviour
In contrast to what I did earlier in my career, I now look out for any positive behaviour and praise these publicly. These may be small things, even expected things like getting started on a task straight away, but it creates a positive climate in the room. I obviously will still sanction any poor behaviour, but I find that there is less of this to worry about. 22. Be creative with your praise and rewards
Instead of just saying “well done”, find some creative ways to express when a student has impressed you. Use the school reward system by all means, but sometimes it’s great to have 13
something a little different as a reward. I use these scratch cards or a fruit machine by class tools to add a little fun to my rewards.
Long term plan Managing your classroom, like everything else, requires careful planning. The difference is that it is a long-term plan. You may not see the fruits of your labour straight away with many classes, and that is something you will have to accept. There will be times, as with every teacher, you will lose your cool with a student and your emotions will take over. It happens. Take some time out, compose yourself and speak to the student again at the earliest opportunity. Remember that you are the adult, and making the first move to repair and rebuild your relationship is still giving the message that you are in charge and in control. Above all, be confident in your subject knowledge and plan your lessons well. Avoid any dead time in your classes and make sure the students are busy learning or practicing skills from the moment they enter to when they are dismissed. I hope I have given you some food for thought and I welcome any comments. ********
The #GuiltyTeacher Revisited http://teachertoolkit.me/2015/10/14/guiltyteacher/ How did you feel when you needed to take a day absent from work/school/the classroom? Was this an easy decision to call into work, to say that you were sick; or that your child was unwell? Two years ago, I wrote about Michael Steer – from the television series Educating Yorkshire – who inspired me to write about The Guilty Teacher. This blog resonated with so many teachers ‌ Steer, like many teachers are by nature, perfectionists. The upturn of this, is that teachers soon become workaholics and like the majority, have a relentlessness desire to assist the outcomes of all students. This unwritten expectation of ourselves is not sustainable and perhaps why so many teachers burn out within 5 years. In one television scene featuring Steer, we see his hands heavily bandaged. His movements severely restricted as he tries to navigate the school emails on his computer keyboard and mobile phone, whilst hopelessly supping a drink from his cup of tea! The long story short, it took a serious pain in 14
Steer’s right leg, plus a direct order from his Headteacher, Johnny Mitchell, to take one hour off from work, to attend a hospital appointment …
We then see him plodding off down the school corridor, into the school car-park and leaving the school.
Childcare vs. School:
Today, for the first time this academic year I chose not to go into work. Now, this wasn’t because I was feeling ill, it was because my son has been unwell since the weekend. On Monday my wife called in to take the day off school; and yesterday we paid for a babysitter to look after him for the day, hoping that he would be well enough to return to school. Sadly, this was not the case and overnight I made the decision to stay at home. Over the past 12 months in my new job, my increased workload and responsibilities have made this decision even more harder to make. All in all, I think I must have took two or three days off for childcare throughout 2014/15. In my school where I worked before, the last time this happened to me was during an INSET day. We were let down by our childcare provider, so as CPD leader, I took the decision to take my son into work and keep him my office! This also meant I avoided taking time off work. Here is the photo! Thankfully in both cases, I have had understanding headteachers. Typically, many teachers – whether we call in sick to work, or take the day off to look after a loved one – would feel the symptoms of guilty teacher syndrome. As I have blogged before, there is nothing scientific in the definitions I provide here; it is just common-sense. This is only based on my own personal living and leadership experiences. I would imagine it is the same for most … What is #GuiltyTeacher Syndrome?
Put simply, this is when you are reluctant to take time off for genuine sickness; doctors appointments and family emergencies. 15
When and if you do, you will either be made to feel:
like a #GuiltyTeacher by other external factors (e.g. work demands; loved ones; colleagues), or like a #GuiltyTeacher, based on your own perceptions and expectations of work demands.
Either way, both possibilities can be associated with genuine and not-so-genuine ailments; you will probably feel guilty! Definitions of a #GuiltyTeacher:
Places work before family. Places work before well-being. Reluctant to ask for help. Unwilling to recognise that they do need help. Workload is increasing. Mistakes are more common. Emotional temperament is frayed. Anguish is etched across your face. Finds it difficult to ‘let-go’ or say ‘no’. Considers perfectionism normal.
I could go on, but hopefully you will understand, that the definition of a #GuiltyTeacher is a teacher who ignores the ‘signals’ of some of the factors listed above, and refuses to let go of their routine and commitments. Flexible Working:
What we need more of in today’s profession, are supportive headteachers and (networks of) schools that allow flexible working conditions for hard-working teachers. If we truly want to raise the status of the profession and make this a much more tolerable job to do, we must not allow our teachers to feel guilty if they have to take a day off from school. If we do not put these mechanisms in place, then recruitment and retention will only be harder for us all to achieve; never-mind the government trying to help the profession! We must all understand that schools and headteachers are working with reduced budgets to manage, and that we can’t make slapdash decisions, giving teachers time off work willy-nilly. Every school needs a Sickness and Absence policy and in your school, your local authority, or within your academy/free school, a policy should exist. There will be a local agreement and an agreed number of days that a teacher can take off from work to support your own family; this should be statutory and without guilt before a threshold number of day equates to pay deductions from your salary. However, this aside, many of us will choose to ignore statutory obligations and choose to go into work; or pay for a childminder in order to go into work and avoid absent days recorded. Like me, I’m sure many of you have weighed up your salary deduction (by day) versus the cost of one days childcare. You will also consider a) to avoid the absence impacting on others b) a set of important events already in the calendar that you do not want to miss or c) that you have reached the threshold and will receive a pay deduction and/or a telling off!
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Supportive Headteachers:
I am pleased to report that I have very supportive headteacher who is also family orientated. Taking time off work is never and easy decision to make for any teacher, And I hope that you reading this, if you face this decision too, you also have a supportive headteacher who understands the importance of family, well-being and your other responsibilities outside of your job. After all, education is about educating children to become a rounded person and therefore we should never forget that the teachers – our workforce and a school’s most expensive asset – are also rounded individuals with professional needs outside of school. Today with my son, I have used what energy I have from broken nights sleep to look after him. And although I feel guilty about not being at work, I have managed to read the ‘odd email’ and most importantly, reflect on the what I am doing at school and what matters. In many ways it has given me a much needed boost in what has been a very, very busy half-term. To support the profession and the recruitment crisis, I encourage all headteachers to listen and support our hard-working staff. They are out greatest asset and we cannot rely on the government alone. If your staff are unwell, trust that they are making the right call and need to stay home … * * * * * * *
Fill/Mind The Gap https://newtothepost.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/fillmind-the-gap/ You may be aware that my relentless drive/focus and passion is about ensuring ALL students succeed in their education. You will (I hope), have noticed that I have written a lot about Pupil Premium students here on my blog; For example…
The Pursuit of Purging the gap of Pupil Premium (An insight into PP and what it means?) Quality First Teaching (How best to teach ALL students?) Assumptions (Those dreadful things we all do?) S.P.O.T Folders (Explaining how to set up student progress over time folders.) How to get to know your students (I wish my teacher knew) Pupil Premium 10 Point Plan (My latest action plan to make a difference!)
We all know one of the main factors that affects attainment for students is their attendance. If they are not in school, they cannot learn. 17
We ALL ask them to catch up, to make sure they have caught up, (just like we promise colleagues if we remove a student from their lesson that we will ensure they catch up on missed work!? Yeah right?) SO… usually it is no more than that, no more than saying/uttering/repeating those words. It is is near enough impossible to provide the lesson again for the student so, what can we do? This short post is about some ideas I have shared with my colleagues and some things I have been doing in my classes for a while now. So… give these a go, if students miss your lesson try one/all of these ideas? A model/example book: 1. Photocopy a page of completed class work from each lesson from a variety of students books.(I do this by taking a whole class load of books to the photocopier. I open each book and look for examples of excellent work; where students have put in a great deal of effort. Do not be influenced/swayed by work that is simply exceptionally presented! 2. Then stick these photocopied examples into an blank book. (Ensure this book is the same type/size/colour as the books the students are working in. Make sure the work is stuck in, in the right order. In exactly the same way as the lessons have been taught. N.B- Make sure you stick in any examples of excellent cover work too! 3. THEN, If a student misses a lesson, give them that book/page to catch up? 4. If they lose their book, give them the example book to copy up? If their work isn’t to a high enough standard, ask them to start again?
If you truly want to save time with this, you could just add these examples to a folder/treasury tag them, or create booklets organised by short term? Ensuring you photocopy a variety of students work doubles up in showing those students their work is excellent enough for others to learn from too. I have provided a small incentive if their work makes it in the class model/exemplar book! I also put a star on the top left corner of the students book to let them know this page has been photocopied for my expecting excellent book. If their work is had truly an exception amount of effort put into it, I will display it in my Expecting Excellence display board. (All teachers can provide work for this display. Click here for more information! When I photocopy the students work, I also scan the pages and email it to myself too. That way I can email the work home/send to tutors or mentors or upload it onto my class blog to show ‘this’ lesson, resulted in this completed work. Class Blogs:
I use www.cheneyre.edublogs.org and I repeatedly, rather frustratingly go on and on about how the class blog contains all the resources/video links/ and class PowerPoints within it. I have not stressed flipped learning for students, but rather an additional tool for students to supplement their learning. For more information about Flipped Learning click here!
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Script:
I think it is really powerful if a student misses a lesson that we ALL tell the students that it is great to see them, that they were missed. I link this back to my routines blog, where I stress the importance of treating the classroom like a family, therefore caring for one another is really important. I ask the class who is missing, I ask why they are not in school, whether they are OK, I ask them to tell them I missed them in lesson and hope they are OK. I ask them to text/facebook/snapchat them and let them know that we had a great lesson, learning about… etc! It is important to note that all teachers should stress that coming to school is an expectation. It is what should happen, every day. If a student isn’t feeling too good, they should still try to come to school. We work on the principles of 5 Rs here in Cheney. We say, we need to all be responsible and resilient! Attendance figures:
I give my students an attendance figure as a GCSE grade every short term. The reason for this is, students are confused by the fact that in an exam achieving 96% is EXCELLENT, but in attending lessons it is the bare minimum! A*= 97% and above A= 96% B= 95% C= 90-94% D= 88-90% We have many incentives in school to drive up attendance, but I think it is about ensuring the people the students see in their day in day out interactions contribute to that drive. Fill in the gaps:
Occasionally, I give some students an image of bricks. They are to stick this into the back of their books. I tell them to colour in each brick; each lesson they are present. (Or write the title of the lesson)! When they are not present for a lesson/brick, I ask them to colour that brick black. Each brick represents 1 hour/1 lesson, therefore this helps students to visually see how many hours they must work for in order to achieve their potential! Shows them how many hours they have missed and what the gaps in their learning is. Other strategies used in other schools:
Plan ahead and give all students their syllabus from the start and ensure they know without this lesson, they will not be able to learn the next? Catch up cards- students must meet teacher fill in their catch up card and then tutor/head of year checks
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I hope these ideas help?
Ultimately, these things take time. But, not that long to implement and create. The reality is, they take more time than doing NOTHING. I don’t want us to say we have tried, when all we did was say, please make sure you catch up?
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