Teacher verses Technology

We are living in a technological age where the notion of the Flipped Classroom is no longer a new one, lots of our pupils learning takes place in an online environment. Pupils as young as 5 are familiar with a range of technology from 'Apps' on their tablets to learning platforms such as Mathletics and Reading Eggs. Pupils in Primary schools will, under the new curriculum, be taught 'coding'.

There is lots of debate about the positive and negative aspects of technology:

• Knowledge - The amount of information literally at your fingertips is amazing!  If a child is curious about anything, there is a wealth of information online.  They can see animals in their natural habitats with web cams and even watch things happening in space – live. Such access can really feed a love of learning
• Connections - Besides connecting with particular interests technology allows our pupils to connect with pupils in schools around the world. Programs such as Skype can allow “face to face” visits with anyone from anywhere in the world
• Online learning - There are a wide range of websites and apps to practice maths, reading, and writing skills.  Many activities online encourage problem-solving and collaboration with others Minecraft is hugely popular and has so many educational uses from reading, writing and maths to history.
•  Too Much Screen Time - Spending excessive time in front of a screen is detrimental to a child’s health and well-being, according to many paediatric experts.
•  Isolation.  As “connected” as we are in our tech-savvy society, sometimes it seems the connections are shallow and void of real relationship.  Sometimes it seems we are each wrapped up in our own electronic world, a culture of cocoons
• Cyber Danger.  While rare, there is danger to children from cyber predators.  Being flippant about personal information and technology can mean someone knowing exactly where your child is and what they are doing 

I am a lover of all things technical and use technology as a tool in my teaching everyday. I try to prepare the pupils in my class for the technological world that they live in now and will certainly live in in the future. But there are a few things  that I know technology in education cannot provide for our pupils: 

A teacher/student relationship - Positive teacher-student relationships draw students into the process of learning and promote their desire to learn. Teachers who establish rapport with their students, and who engage their students in interaction within class, achieve the best results. One-way communication can be relatively ineffective, however competent

Using and Applying - Doing hands on work, our pupils get a better grasp of concepts that we are trying to teach. Using technology only enhances the hands on experience; it does not and cannot replace 'doing it'.

Collaboration - Working collaboratively goes hand in hand with Using and Applying but adds into it that Human Interaction that can enhance any learning experience. We learn so much from our peers some of which are not the measurable by 'Ofsted' such as Social Skills, turn taking, listening to the views and opinions of others, how to communicate with each other. 

'Learning experiences are far more important than learning outcomes'

Perhaps the future lies in Blended Learning which for older pupils at least provides a blend of face to face teaching with online learning. One thing is for sure teachers cannot afford to be complacent.  Teachers will never be out of work but they need to keep their technological skills up to date.

'New types of learning activities challenge our thinking as to how learning might be facilitated, creating new etiquette's of learning and teaching, and shifting the locus of control from the teacher to the learner.  (Littlejohn and Pegler, 2006)'

The Original 3 Rs

The Three Rs in modern times has several meanings including Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. But the original phrase referring to education came from a speech made by Sir William Curtis in 1795.  Sir William Chris was an alderman known also as 'Billy the Biscuit' because it is said he revolutionised the technology of biscuit baking and biscuit storage aboard ship. At the age of 30, William Curtis, in Wapping, on the edge of the City of London was at the centre of one of one of the largest and most profitable trade networks in the known world and as a result went on to become Alderman and Lord Mayor.

Due to his looks, his mangled catch words and phrases he became a delight of satirists and it is thought today that he was dyslexic. It is hardly surprising then that he, it is said, had no time for those who talked about the importance of Latin and Greek;  Listening to a debate on schooling Curtis said in the House, ‘What children need,’ is the three Rs, Readin’, Ritin’ and Rithmetic' and the phrase was born.

How ironic are these words and the history behind them with the advent of the new 'Govian' Curriculum which includes the teaching of both Latin and Greek! In his own apparently bumbling way William Curtis was right then and now. Through the 3Rs everything else can be not only understood better but also taught. 

Reading - through the mastery of this skill we open up to ourselves and our pupils the vast world of literature, history, the sciences and other languages. Reading is food for your mind and soul. Reading informs you of what's happening around, helps you remain updated about what's changing and not just that. Reading encourages you to think and imagine, think out-of-the-box and imagine the impossible. It's through reading that you understand that knowledge knows no bounds and It's through reading that we gain exposure to information from different sources. The latest developments in technology, advancements in science, breakthroughs in different fields, the inventions, discoveries, product launches, movie reviews, celebrity gossip, changing political scenarios; just everything around us can become knowledge gained and all through reading.

Writing - Learning to write is essential because it is a vehicle for communication, connection and creativity. The art of handwriting increases brain activity and hones fine motor skills. Writing is a major form of communication that allows people to interact with, and learn from, others. Instruction in writing helps children understand how to organise ideas and construct meaning, processes similar to those they use while reading. In fact, research indicates that writing and reading develop together and instruction in both areas leads to improvements in both writing and reading.

Arithmetic (Maths to you and I) - The technology around us was developed by engineers and scientists using mathematical skill. we might not have the computers, internet and mobile phones without people's mathematical skills. Jobs ranging from doctors and vets to fashion designers and gardeners rely on mathematical skill. Maths really is every where! In nature - good old Fibonacci, in the carpets we stand on (area), the food we eat (volume, capacity, money,) the list is endless.

Teachers all around the world are teaching these skills every day in their classrooms or they were. Over the last few years the pressures upon teachers and pupils alike have become unbearable resulting in three teacher strikes in the UK in as many years. Teachers are leaving the profession in droves, pupils are stressed out and education is becoming a chore for all involved rather that the joy that it should be.

So maybe it should be us the educators that are calling for 'back to basics'. These skills are crucial but I believe getting lost amongst the confusion that reigns in education today. Teachers are having their attention taken away from what is important, teaching and learning! They are being forced to focus on things that do not improve teaching or learning but focus instead on the constant strive to achieve targets, display evidence, show progress and of course tame that elusive beast the 'outstanding lesson.' 

Professional development needs to be based upon improving teaching and learning, allowing teachers to develop and refine their skills, keep up to date with the world of educational research and changes in technology . Teachers need to be allowed turn their attention back to the people that matter, the pupils. They should have more time to plan and teach enriching lessons, collaborate with their peers and above all to do what they do best teach!!!

A Day Without my Teaching Assistant

Disaster struck in my classroom today, my Teaching Assistant was absent!! Don't get me wrong, throughout my teaching career I haven't always had a T.A. In fact in lots of my classes I have had no T.A. support at all, in other years I have shared a T.A.Yet today when I realised my T.A. wouldn't be in I was devastated.

She is a really valuable part of my class of course and without doubt she has kept me sane this year! But it has made me think why I suddenly felt daunted at the prospect of having a day without her support.

Firstly I think the size of my class is difficult, 34 in total, 4 more than the largest KS1 class which results in lots of marking for a start along with missing that extra person to help get the children organised when they come in in the morning, go out to play, have milk, get ready for home ........ The list with KS1 children is endless trust me. Add into this the fact that there are 22 Boys and only 12 girls and the difficulty increases along with the noise levels. I always thought girls were the chatty, noisy ones until this year! Then add in more than the usual amount of pupils with specific needs, both medical and otherwise and no one to take that extra group etc. Plus no one  to cover when you need an unexpected trip to the loo or have forgotten to photocopy that extra sheet you need. 

Then last, but my no means least, difficult parents. Now this is a big factor! I have over the years had 'run ins' with parents, we all have. But those problems usually occur at the beginning of the year when neither child nor parent knows you and they then usually sort themselves out as the parent realises that actually you are a good teacher, their child does like being in your class and actually they are making good progress. This year however, a couple of troublesome parents have really set the scene for a very stressful year, which is sad. It has left me feeling more protected with another pair of eyes and ears in the room.

The truth is though that actually I and the children survived! It was in fact quite a nice day, the children were being helpful, tidying up after themselves etc. We got through all of our lessons and even fitted in a bit of extra story time! 

It was a piece of cake. But boy oh boy I hope she is back in tomorrow!!!!!  

Drama and investigative learning in the Classroom

Our topic at the moment is Traditional Tales and we have been reading a selection of stories and noticing how they have the same elements but can still be really different. One of our favourites at the moment is The Three Little Pigs.

I decided that in order to help my pupils become familiar with the key elements of The Three Little pigs which never change such as the 'I'll huff and I'll Puff and I'll blow your house down' I would set them the task of producing their own mini play. This knowledge will then feed into them writing their own playscripts next week.

They were put into groups of 4 and initially given only one instruction which was they would have to each play 2 parts - The Three Pigs, Mum, The person carrying the straw, the one carrying the sticks and the one carrying the bricks and finally the Wolf.

I always enjoy this initial part of a group activity because it is interesting to watch children organising themselves. Like adults each pupil falls into a category. They are either:

The organiser who immediately knows what to do and sets about organising the others. 

The observer who sits back and watches and listens waiting for the fuss to end so they can then have their say.

The moaner who turns immediately to the nearest adult with cries of 'it's not fair' if it's not going their way. 

The bossy one who wants it's all their own way and will do everything they can to make sure it happens.

The peacemaker who tries to please everyone and finally the 'looker out of the window' who takes no part whatsoever and gets dragged along.

What is interesting is that no matter how many times you do group activities the children's roles are already defined and fixed. Its as if these roles are defined at birth!

Once the groups were organised the children set off creating their play. Unless directed otherwise children, unlike adults, generally jump in and 'do' letting their play evolve as it goes along rather than planning first. 

After about 10 minutes observation it was clear that one thing they all were struggling with was how to create each of the pigs houses, so at this point I stopped the action and gave a couple of suggestions to solve this problem. After that they were left completely to organise the play themselves. 

With 34 children in the classroom the noise levels were inevitably high but all of the children were 'on task' they were communicating by talking and demonstrating, they were exploring different ideas, problem solving by abandoning quickly things that didn't work and were getting to grips with their lines and stage directions. Slowly but surely their plays began to take form, each slightly different to the other .

When, after observation, it was clear they were ready I told them they would each perform in front of each other. The front of the classroom was the 'stage' and off they went. What was really interesting was that I, because of my observations, had a pretty good idea of what each group were up to but after the first 'funny' play which got the class laughing it was clear that each group and I in particular the boys, were alibiing in order to get laughs too. 

They all really enjoyed performing and what I love is that the fact that they all took part without any fuss at all, even the shy children who don't normally contribute in whole class situations. 

As they had performed so well I gave them an extra treat which was, in their groups to create one of the scenes from their play using the construction sets in the classroom. They were all delighted and set off enthusiastically. Again they were talking, organising and making decisions. When the time was up they took photographs of what they had created which will be posted on our school eplatform for their parents to see.

The whole morning was a huge success the children were in charge of their own learning, and I believe they learned a lot, and I was able to observe them and take photographs. True assessment in action!

Why Experience Counts

In many cultures around the world age and experience are revered and celebrated. In some jobs experience is king but what about teaching? Is experience celebrated? I would argue that sadly the answer to this is 'no'. Not a fact I blame on school leadership, the blame lies with the funding of education which in turn lies securely with a series of Governmental policies that result in squeezed budgets. 

I am an experienced teacher, with lots to offer. But what does that experience actually mean and why should it matter? 

I have been teaching for 16 years and have taught years 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. I have co ordinated, I.C.T, Assessment, Humanities, P.S.H.E and Maths and was leading teacher for Gifted and Talented. 

I have taught at an I.C.T summer camp in one of the Governments 'City Learning Centres' and attended and supervised 10 residential "outward bounds' courses with year 6 pupils in Derbyshire, the Wirral and several different places in Wales. 

I have written, from scratch, three parent workshops covering both I.C.T and maths which were delivered by myself and other staff. I have written approximately 12 policy documents for subjects ranging from Sex and Relationships Education to my most recent, a Calculation Policy  for the new Maths curriculum. 

I have delivered staff training to staff as part of my co ordinator roles, delivered training to teachers at the local Professional Education Centre on 'Community of Enquiry ' a structured communication system which encourages effective group work and have been a mentor to both student teachers and N.Q.T s. 

I was part of the pilot scheme for the Wider Opportunities Music Program, which I went on to co ordinate along with a very experienced Teaching Assistant. It was during this time I learned to read music and play the clarinet. From this I helped create and manage a school band which resulted in a huge uptake of children learning to play a musical instrument. This also led to me performing alongside our school band at New Brighton's Floral Pavilion.  I have produced and directed lots of school plays including my class assembly and a full summer production of Bugsy Malone.

I am a trained Mentor for the Seasons for Growth Program which supports pupils who have experienced significant loss and change in their lives and have experience of teaching pupils with a wide range of special needs from A.S.D, Visual and Hearing impaired pupils, moderate learning difficulties and Dyslexia. I also have experience of teaching pupils with a range of medical conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis and Leukaemia. I have supported and counselled pupils and parents through divorce, death, alcohol and drug misuse.

I have helped to develop a 'creative curriculum' and used Kagan structures regularly in my teaching. I have seen many changes to the curriculum and Ofsted and altered my teaching accordingly. I am constantly developing my own practice and professional development keeping abreast with changes in technology and teaching methods, attending courses and conferences and using social media as a professional development tool.

With all of this experience you May wonder why I didn't go down the management route. There are lots of varied reasons for this but the main reason is my absolute passion for teaching and learning. I have, before teaching, had experience of other industries and offices and went into teaching to teach. 

I am sorry if this blog appears to be nothing more than my professional C.V but the purpose of this was to demonstrate the amount of experience that I have but also that lots of other teachers in my own school and schools all around the country have. I know that this is not true for all experienced teachers though as some teachers become cynical and disengaged but I do feel they are in the minority and perhaps if they were heard and valued more this might well be avoided.


So how is this huge experience resource used? In my experience not very well at all. 'older' more experienced teachers who have not gone along the S.L.T route are at best ignored and at worst treated with disdain and often told they are 'expensive.' This is such a shame, we are in a knowledge based industry, knowledge is power and yet we don't tap into it. Experience in all of its forms should be celebrated and used to its full extent. Some of that experience may come from teaching but a lot also comes from experiences outside of education in previous jobs etc. Put this vast array of knowledge together with the youth and enthusiasm of newer teachers and the sky is the limit! We all have so much to learn from each other and our pupils would benefit from it hugely if we did.

 

One of the reasons I started blogging was due to the frustrations of being unable to share the knowledge that I have. It has become my way of communicating and sharing the things that I am doing and have done. Hopefully my knowledge and experiences both good and bad will help other teachers, students and educators improve their practice or at the very least ensure they do not feel alone and isolated in their classrooms.

How do you share your knowledge and experience? Do you value the knowledge and experience of those in your own setting?

For the Love of Teaching

Education and teaching are going through a huge period of change. I know by its very nature education evolves constantly but over the last four years the changes have been fast and furious. Teachers it is reported in the press are leaving the profession in their droves, teachers workloads range from 50 to 60 hours a week, pay has been frozen whilst pension contributions and pensionable age have increased. Add into this the recent changes to the curriculum, assessment and Ofsted requirements and it is not a pretty picture at all.

I always believe that in times of crisis and negativity it is important to focus on positives. This is blog is my way of remembering what it is I love about teaching and why I always refer to teaching as my vocation:

• Building relationships with my pupils - I always enter a new school year with a sense on anticipation, excitement and fear. Will the children like me? Will I like them? By October the answer to both of those questions has always been yes. No matter what  age they are I absolutely love getting to know the children in my care, finding out what makes them tick, what type of learner they are, what they like/dislike. Children spend approximately 5 to 7 hours a day with a teacher for almost 10 months having a good relationship makes the time spent together so much easier for all involved. To do that takes time, you need to reveal a bit about yourself as a person as well as a teacher but in the end it is all worth while.
• That 'penny dropping' moment - Teaching a child something completely new is a real buzz, it is what it is all about, imparting knowledge, teaching a new skill. Along with re explaining something you know they have been taught before but didn't quite 'get' and literally watching 'the penny drop', pure magic!
• Teaching Moments -  We all experience them, those 'magical moments' the times make you laugh out loud or the laughter you have to stifle. These moments don't come along every day but when they do they are worth the wait. They range from a child calling you 'Mum' loudly in front of the whole class to watching the pigs and cows in the infant nativity muddling up their lines and giggling uncontrollably on stage.
• Shared Experiences - Throughout the year as a class we laugh together, cry together, we sing, we learn, we make mistakes and I always feel like we have been on a real learning journey together. My favourite parts of the week are Monday and Friday mornings because this is when we sing our Monday song 'Happy' by Pharell Williams and Friday song 'The Candy Man' by Sammy Davis Jr
• Making a difference -  We have all taught those difficult to reach pupils, the ones that it can appear that everyone has given up on, they have become dis engaged from the whole learning experience. If I as a teacher can re engage just one of those pupils by reaching out to them then that makes my job worthwhile.
• Every day is a learning journey - I am the teacher in my class, most of the time! Quite often I learn from my pupils, we learn and explore together. I am, especially when teaching a new topic, often only one or two steps ahead of my pupils and I love it. They I love it if I get something wrong and they 'catch me out' (often staged) but a great learning experience.

 This is by no means the full list, I know I could add more which is a good reminder to me and hopefully some of you why it is we teach.

Progress

 
Everyone in education from pupils to teachers to S.L.T. hear the word progress on a daily basis. It is the thing we strive for everyday and what we all want for our pupils. The rate of progress for individuals changes depending on lots of factors, some terms, years is rapid whilst others is slow. Likewise when compared with each other progress differs from pupil to pupil.

So What is progress? 

'A movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage', 'continuous improvement' and 'the process of improving or developing something over a period of time.'

 How do you measure Progress?

 'When considering data on pupils’ progress shown in RAISE online and for each year group of pupils currently in the school, inspectors should pay particular attention to the proportions that are on track to make, or have made, expected progress and more than expected progress.' Ofsted

Most schools currently measure progress from pupils:

Progress Towards their Termly Target
Progress Towards their End of Year (or KS) Target
Progress Since the End of Last Year
Progress Since the Last Keystage
Progress Since Last Term

However recent changes to the curriculum has led to changes in assessment of progress and attainment:

As part of our reforms to the national curriculum, the current system of “levels” used to report children’s attainment and progress will be removed from September 2014. Levels are not being banned, but will not be updated to reflect the new national curriculum and will not be used to report the results of national curriculum tests. Key stage 1 and key stage 2 tests taken in the 2014 to 2015 academic year will be against the previous national curriculum, and will continue to use levels for reporting purposes.
Schools will be expected to have in place approaches to formative assessment that support pupil attainment and progression. The assessment framework should be built into the school curriculum, so that schools can check what pupils have learned and whether they are on track to meet expectations at the end of the key stage, and so that they can report regularly to parents. Schools will have the flexibility to use approaches that work for their pupils and circumstances, without being constrained by a single national approach.

Taken from - Myths and facts Curriculum and assessment DFE 27th February 2014

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said that it was crucial for schools to devise a common means of judging pupil performance.

“The idea of 20,000 different models of assessment is not a good one,” he said. “We want schools to use broadly similar systems. Although levels weren’t brilliant, complete fragmentation is not good either.”

Very confusing times ahead but what is clear is teachers on the chalk face must continue to using both summative and formative assessment to ensure the continued progress of their pupils, to do this we need to:

• Be clear about the learning goals and the success criteria by which learning will be judged, sharing them with pupils using pupil-friendly language
• Show pupils that all responses, views and opinions are valued and encouraging them to view errors as learning opportunities
• Give specific, constructive feedback, which indicates how pupils can improve and the steps they need to take in order to do so (via written, scaffolded marking and verbal feedback)
• Give time for learning to be absorbed (realistic achievable goals which still allow pupils to be stretched) 
• Encourage pupils to reflect upon their learning and to monitor their own progress, for example, by means of self and peer assessment. This means time to respond to marking, time to talk with their peers and teacher
• Take every opportunity to observe learning rather than relying on test results or evidence in books
• Questions, questions, questions - an essential assessment tool
• It is also important that the focus is on improvement and that pupils understand what they need to learn or the skills they need to develop in order to improve and reach certain goals
• Use present formal tests (statutory, optional or commercial) as they can provide useful evidence
  about what pupils know and can do
• Use moderation to inform assessments - Moderation can be described as a dialogue between teachers and other professionals, to agree and make judgments about what pupils understand, know or can do. Moderation activities can range from informal (for example, a discussion with a teaching assistant about an interesting observation of a pupil’s work) to a formal external process (e.g. local authority moderators reviewing teacher judgements). Moderation partners may include
  colleagues within your school, teachers from other schools (e.g. from a local school
  network)

Review your methods of assessment continually, remain open to change, partake in dialogue with your fellow teachers, be in tune with the needs of your class having the confidence to use your knowledge of them as learners.