Programmes The CPD curriculum: reflections on the Electives Programme at STAHS

THE CPD CURRICULUM: REFLECTIONS ON THE ELECTIVES PROGRAMME AT STAHS

Rachel Gupta, Head of German, looks back on what she learned during the first year of the STAHS Electives Programme.

"Truly great schools do not suddenly exist. You grow great teachers first, who, in turn, grow a truly great school." John Tomsett (2015)

The STAHS Electives Programme, involving a choice of twilight training sessions spread across the academic year, was introduced in September 2021. I am sure I was not alone in thinking that the last thing we needed after the dreaded previous summer of ‘TAG-min’ was extra training after school on a half-termly basis. Yet I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the Electives Programme this past year: the wide range of choice; the research-informed approach; the constant emphasis on ‘what does this look like in your classroom?’; and, of course, the delicious tea and cake on offer, that could rival even the Book Club breakfast pastries!

Firstly, I would like to elaborate on the main strands of Electives and the philosophy behind it. As part of our professional development here at STAHS, the Electives Programme aims to encourage our teaching staff to develop their classroom craft by exploring various aspects of Teaching and Learning in more depth, linked to the following four core strands: Pastoral; Curriculum; Pedagogy (sub-divided into Explanation and Modelling; Questioning and Feedback and Practice and Retrieval); and Assessment. Secondly, the Electives Programme is designed to be integrated into our other professional learning programmes (Book Club, Departmental CPD, ECF (Early Career Framework)). In fact, the programme integrates itself naturally with our Book Club, since many Book Club enthusiasts have gone on to lead or attend sessions on a particular strand of Teaching and Learning following on from their educational reading and discussions with others. Both the Electives and Book Club programmes have in turn informed the direction of many departmental CPD sessions and have even spawned spin-off Book Clubs in some departments (minus tasty treats!).

Thirdly and most importantly, a few personal reflections on how the Elective sessions have impacted my own classroom practice. The most memorable and impactful sessions were those that involved several different departments co-leading the input. Drawing on teachers’ expertise from across many subject areas is, in my view, always beneficial, and the best training sessions gave practical tips or examples, which were both cross-curricular and easily applicable in the classroom.

In this way, the session on ‘live’ modelling comes immediately to mind, as it allowed the teachers present to experience being novice pupils again. For example, we were shown how to make lino prints in Art by watching Sarah Brown live model how to use the ink, the roller, and the lino template on special paper to produce a print. A complex skill, which clearly requires a lot of practice to perfect, was broken down into manageable stages by Sarah in a clear, informative, yet also entertaining manner. Whilst watching and listening to Sarah talk through her own thought processes and actions, we novices were able to ask questions about how we would approach such a task ourselves. This led us to think about what further information would be required to feel confident enough to have a go ourselves at something so completely new.

I think if I had to pick one thing to take away from this session on modelling, it is the power and impact of an expert teacher in being able to model an ‘expert answer’ in front of a class live. In other words, allowing pupils to witness our thought processes explicitly when modelling tasks is invaluable to their own learning, rather than simply providing them with a ‘here’s-one-I-made-earlier’ template, à la Blue Peter. It challenged me to not only showcase or unpick amazing ‘ready-made’ answers in class, but also show pupils more frequently how to create an expert answer themselves by modelling this aloud in front of them. It is essential for us to remember what it is like to be a novice in the classroom if we are to model and explain tasks effectively to our pupils.

Regarding the pastoral side of Teaching and Learning, I found the session on ‘True Inclusion’ particularly useful. Awareness of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) in the classroom is something that I strongly believe every member of our teaching staff would have benefitted from, rather than as a voluntary Electives session, since we all have a duty to make our lessons and resources accessible to all pupils. Yet few of us teachers, even if we are experts in our own field, can say we are experts in SEND or fully understand how pupils with SEND think and interpret what we say in class. Knowing how to adapt our resources and teaching techniques to enable pupils to fully access what we want them to learn is crucial. I know that attending this Elective has highlighted my own need for additional training in these areas.

It is important to remember that any school can set up an excellent professional development programme but the biggest challenge remains implementation: transferring the knowledge from these sessions to the classroom. It is the responsibility of each teacher to focus on deliberate practice in the classroom to ensure continual improvement. That is why it is important that, wherever possible, we continue to use our own experienced teaching staff to create and lead the Electives, delivering sessions that are research-informed and robust in their approach, but also useful to all departments by providing practical applications across subjects, and (perhaps) a little entertainment along the way … . Using and developing our own internal, context-specific expertise makes these sessions more relevant and I would argue more likely to impact our own teaching practice in the classroom.

To round off, I would say that I highly recommend co-leading an Electives session in future, given that you learn just as much, if not more, by researching and presenting on a topic yourself.

And did I mention that there’s cake?