Managing Information - Using Initiative

Hi there,

This week I have been thinking about the concept of 'Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities.' What does it mean? How can I do this? How can my pupils do this? - These questions have been racing through my head as we are now in the last term of the year and I really want to develop them with our Year 10 before they move on to their next school.

But what actually is the 'thinking' behind 'Thinking Skills?' They are tools that teachers can incorporate into every day lessons to encourage pupils to go beyond the acquisition of knowledge in order to search for meaning, apply ideas, analyse patterns and evaluate their progress. Through the development of these skills, children's self-esteem and self-confidence are fostered.

Let's start with Managing Information - what is it & how can pupils develop this skill?

The purpose of 'Managing Information' is to develop pupils' abilities in an information-intensive environment to really think for themselves, use initiative and become less reliant on the teacher.

• Pupils should be encouraged to ask focused questions
• Planning and setting goals are imperative, pupils need to use their initiative to break larger tasks into sub-tasks
• Pupils need to select, classify, compare and evaluate information
• Rather than being told the exact steps to take in completing a task, pupils should be able to select the most appropriate method for a task and think it all through for themselves
• Pupils should be able to use appropriate information to commuincate with a sense of audience and purpose

I am starting an ICT project with Year 10 which strongly encourages pupils to 'Manage Information.' Thinking for themselves, using their initiative and communicating with a sense of audience and purpose. It will be interesting to facilitate pupils in this process and to see the final product.

A :) x

Take Time Out to Relax, Refuel, Renew, Reflect & Plan!

Hiya! It has been one extremely busy yet exciting term, hence my lack of blog posts - aiming to add a few more though this week!

So, I am currently sitting in Manchester Airport, waiting on a flight to Belfast after a wonderful week in Morocco - doing nothing. Absolutely zilch. It was...bliss. And just what I needed to recharge my batteries!

Even though I have another full week off, I am feeling revitalised and full of energy to plan, prepare and experiment setting up a new VLE for implementation with our Using ICT staff - feeling very excited about getting organised!

When reading an article about how to develop as a professional, Theresa Cooper makes valid points regarding the need to Relax, Refuel, Renew, Reflect and Plan. She comments:
“You are in a profession that recognizes more than most the need for “time out.”  Yet many teachers don’t take advantage of the breaks to them.  As a result, they lose their enthusiasm and energy for what they are doing.  When opportunities arise, make a point of using them.  Take time to plan ahead, and revitalize your teaching and your life. “ 
http://teachersnetwork.org/ntny/nychelp/Professional_Development/relax.htm

That's what I have been doing for the past week and I feel very ready to be creative, innovative, inspiring to my pupils and highly organised - beginning right now as I await my flight :)

Remember, to develop as a professional and be the best you can be, dont run the risk of burning out, instead take time out to Relax, Refuel, Renew, Reflect and Plan!

A :) x

Encouraging Effective Group Work

Hi everyone,

Thought I would share some of the fabulous Group Work posters submitted for marking. One of the most invaluable skills our pupils can leave us with, is knowing how to work as part of an effective team. Through our music lessons, we are continually striving to develop this skill as we find that when pupils arrive in Year 8, they have little idea of how to commnicate effectively, listen to opinions, share ideas, compromise, deligate roles, manage their time and stay focused on task displaying self-discipline.

 

 

Group work can be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making skills.

 

"Cooperative learning is the use of small groups through which students work together to accomplish shared goals and to maximise their own and others’ potential."

Johnson, Johnson and Holubec (ASCD 1994)

 

What I observe with our new Year 8 pupils is that although they may work IN groups, they very seldom work AS groups, simply as they have not yet developed those skills at the heart of teamwork. This is what we strive to grow within each individual, so that they leave in Year 10 for their next school with this imperative life skill.

 

Encouraging group work is vital as it targets a range of important aspects. iTeach (2009) have stipulated the following benefits:

 

Group work can also encourage and help pupils to:

• use and manipulate knowledge in practical situations;
• develop language and social skills needed for cooperation;
• use exploratory language to try out ideas;
• stretch their language as they talk critically and constructively;
• support and build on each other’s contributions;
• take turns in discussion;
• develop other important life skills including:
• organisation;
• negotiation;
• delegation;
• team work;
• co-operation;
• leadership
• Develop and increase their thinking skills by explaining and negotiating their contributions to a group. In other words, they are able to use this "low risk" situation to begin to establish what they know and to find out what they have yet to learn;
• Acknowledge and utilise the strengths and talents of individual pupils;
• Explore a topic in a limited time frame;
• Develop a sense of responsibility through group accountability and assessment

  



So what strategies can we as teachers implement to try and help encourage effective group work?

 

1) Allow sufficient time for pupils to plan and discuss within their groups: This is something I have only recently made a point of including. As I gain more confidence and experience, I am seeing ways to change and adapt things to make learning more effective. Rather than explaining the group task and sending pupils to practise, I now explain the task, get pupils into their groups and give a 'Planning Time' where pupils sit in circles to discuss how they will approach the activity.

 

2) Vary the outcomes of the groups: Music allows this to happen quite easily. Rather than restrict a task to one specific outcome, pupils can be very creative. Once pupils are clear of the success criteria, I find it a brilliant motivational factor to allow them to achieve the criteria using a combination of drama, dance, singing, instruments, rap etc.

 

3) Have pupils form their groups before giving them the task instructions: Again, this is something I have only started doing and it works a treat! Before, I used to explain the task, but half the pupils were that excited about discussing who they would work with, that they were missing out on listening ahout what to do. Now, I let pupils form their groups first, and when they are all satisfied with their teams, I progress to explain what they will be doing.

 

 

4)  Have clear objectives and expectations: I have found that if I am disorganised when I start a group activity, the liklihood is that the groups are disorganised as they lack clarity. Having clear objectives has helped dramatically - this means both telling pupils exactly what they have to do and describing what the final product of their group work will look / sound like, supported with written guidelines. Explaining the big picture or final goal is important, especially when the group work will take place in steps. Giving timed deadlines for each chunk of the group task has worked really well too.

 

5) Choose an appropriate group size: This obviously depends on your classroom. In my room I have the main classroom plus 3 small practise rooms. The maximum I can really have in a group is 5 which is what is recommended by Davis (1993), 'Groups of 4-5 tend to balance well the needs for diversity, productivity, active participation, and cohesion.'

 

 

 

6) Use the Jigsaw technique: This is relatively new to me, and it is something I have only tried once and am definitely going to try again! Once the groups are organised, divide the topic into sections and give each group a section to master. This is highly motivational as each group is working as part of one big team. In the final presentation, each group displays and plays their work and the other groups are learning something new as they watch and making connections with the section they have been working on. Really like this - I've used it in my RE teaching but am thinking of ways to use it in Music too.

 

7) Take on the role of faciliator: Whilst groups are working, I have found that it is important pupils know you are there for support. I have started to circle around the room slowly, joining each group for 5 minutes at a time, listening to their discussions and asking some questions to spark ideas of how to add creativity into their performances. Once the light has been ignited and discussion is sparked in a creative route, I move onto the next group.

 

 

These are just some of the things I am using to help pupils develop this imperative skill. I know there is still so much more I can be doing and I will try to implement new techniques as the year goes on.

 

Alanna :) x

 

Essential Teaching Skills: Being an Effective Teacher

Hi there,

 

I was thinking about my teacher training years this morning and looking back through text books that were key to my studies. One book in particular stood out - the advice it gives is practical and relevant, especially now as a full time practitioner I can relate to it more. I thought I would share some of the practical tips that Kyriacou (2007) suggests in Essential Teaching Skills.

 

So, what are 'essential teaching skills?' 

Kyriacou (2007) reflects:

'Teaching skills can be defined as discrete and coherent activities by teachers which foster pupil learning. In the light of our consideration of teaching skills, three important elements of skills are discernible:

Knowledge, comprising the teacher’s knowledge about the subject, pupils, curriculum,

teaching methods, the influence on teaching and learning of other factors, and

knowledge about one’s own teaching skills.

Decision-making, comprising the thinking and decision-making that occurs before,

during and after a lesson, concerning how best to achieve the educational outcomes

intended.

Action, comprising the overt behaviour by teachers undertaken to foster pupil learning.

An over-riding feature of teaching skills is that they are purposeful and goal-directed activities which are essentially problem solving.' (p4)

 

How can 'essential teaching skills' be identified?

It is difficult when thinking about essential teaching skills to pinpoint exactly what we can be doing in the classroom to improve this area. Kyriacou (2007) breaks it down for better understanding.

'One of the major problems in trying to identify a list of essential teaching skills is that teaching skills vary from very broad and general skills, such as the planning of lessons, to very specific skills, such as the appropriate length of time to wait for a pupil to answer a question in a particular type of situation. Overall, in considering teaching skills, it seems to be most useful to focus on fairly broad and general skills which are meaningful to teachers and relate to how they think about their teaching. More specific skills can then be discussed as and when they help illustrate and illuminate how these general skills operate. Nevertheless, given the nature of teaching, it is clear that whatever set of general skills is chosen to focus on, the overlap and interplay between them will be marked, and a good case can always be made by others for focusing on a different set.

For example, Hay McBer (2000) identified the following list of teaching skills:

• High expectations
• Planning
• Methods and strategies
• Pupil management/discipline
• Time and resource management
• Assessment
• Homework (p5)

 

Based on our knowledge of essential teaching skills, how can a teacher be an effective practitioner?

There is no doubt, any good teacher will always be striving to be an 'effective' one. There will never be a day that comes when they will stop and think, 'I'm now effective, I don't need to try any more!' - well I hope not! I know that I will always be striving to do better and improve my teaching! Kyriacou (2007) outlines six ways we can be effective teachers - these are the foundations of an effective teacher, so much more can be done but these 6 areas are key to build upon:

'Teachers judged to be effective appear to display the following skills in their teaching:

 

• Establishing an orderly and attractive learning environment
• Concentrating on teaching and learning by maximising learning time and maintaining an academic emphasis
• Purposeful teaching through the use of well-organised and well-structured lessons coupled with clarity of purpose
• Conveying high expectations and providing intellectual challenge
• Monitoring progress and providing quick corrective feedback
• Establishing clear and fair discipline.' (p6)

 

'The essential teaching skills involved in contributing to successful classroom practice can be identified and described as follows:

 

Planning and preparation: the skills involved in selecting the educational aims and learning outcomes intended for a lesson and how best to achieve these.

 

Lesson presentation: the skills involved in successfully engaging pupils in the learning experience, particularly in relation to the quality of instruction.

 

Lesson management: the skills involved in managing and organising the learning activities taking place during the lesson to maintain pupils’ attention, interest and involvement.

 

Classroom climate: the skills involved in establishing and maintaining positive attitudes and motivation by pupils towards the lesson.

 

Discipline: the skills involved in maintaining good order and dealing with any pupil misbehaviour that occurs.

 

Assessing pupils’ progress: the skills involved in assessing pupils’ progress, covering both formative (i.e. intended to aid pupils’ further development) and summative (i.e. providing a record of attainment) purposes of assessment.

 

Reflection and evaluation: the skills involved in evaluating one’s own current teaching practice in order to improve future practice.' (p11)

 

Tips for being an effective teacher

Each of the above areas can be broken down. Kyriacou (2007) outlines in a practical manner how we can work towards achieving these.

 

Planning and Preparation

• The lesson plan has clear and suitable aims and objectives.
• The content, methods and structure of the lesson selected are appropriate for the pupil learning intended.
• The lesson is planned to link up appropriately with past and future lessons.
• Materials, resources and aids are well prepared and checked in good time.
• All planning decisions take account of the pupils and the context.
• The lesson is designed to elicit and sustain pupils’ attention, interest and involvement.

 

Lesson Presentation

• The teacher’s manner is confident, relaxed, self-assured and purposeful, and generates interest in the lesson.
• The teacher’s instructions and explanations are clear and matched to pupils’ needs.
• The teacher’s questions include a variety of types and range and are distributed widely.
• A variety of appropriate learning activities are used to foster pupil learning.
• Pupils are actively involved in the lesson and are given opportunities to organise their own work.
• The teacher shows respect and encouragement for pupils’ ideas and contributions, and fosters their development.
• The work undertaken by pupils is well matched to their needs.
• Materials, resources and aids are used to good effect.

 

Lesson Management

• The beginning of the lesson is smooth and prompt, and sets up a positive mental set for what is to follow.
• Pupils’ attention, interest and involvement in the lesson are maintained.
• Pupils’ progress during the lesson is carefully monitored.
• Constructive and helpful feedback is given to pupils to encourage further progress.
• Transitions between activities are smooth.
• The time spent on different activities is well managed.
• The pace and flow of the lesson is adjusted and maintained at an appropriate level throughout the lesson.
• Adjustments to the lesson plan are made whenever appropriate.
• The ending of the lesson is used to good effect.

Classroom Climate

• The climate is purposeful, task-oriented, relaxed, and with an established sense of order.
• Pupils are supported and encouraged to learn, with high expectations conveyed by the teacher.
• Teacher–pupil relationships are largely based on mutual respect and rapport.
• Feedback from the teacher contributes to fostering pupil self-confidence and self-esteem.
• The appearance and layout of the class are conducive to positive pupil attitudes towards the lesson and facilitate the activities taking place.

Discipline

• Good order is largely based on the positive classroom climate established and on good lesson presentation and management.
• The teacher’s authority is established and accepted by pupils.
• Clear rules and expectations regarding pupil behaviour are conveyed by the teacher at appropriate times.
• Pupil behaviour is carefully monitored and appropriate actions by the teacher are taken to pre-empt misbehaviour.
• Pupil misbehaviour is dealt with by an appropriate use of investigation, counselling, academic help, reprimands and punishments.
• Confrontations are avoided, and skilfully defused.

Assessing Pupils' Progress

• The marking of pupils’ work during and after lessons is thorough and constructive, and work is returned in good time.
• Feedback on assessments aims not only to be diagnostic and corrective, but also to encourage further effort and maintain self-confidence, which involves follow-up comments, help or work with particular pupils as appropriate.
• A variety of assessment tasks are used, covering both formative and summative purposes.
• A variety of records of progress are kept.
• Some opportunities are given to foster pupils’ own assessments of their work and progress.
• Assessment of pupils’ work is used to identify areas of common difficulties, the effectiveness of the teaching, and whether a firm basis for further progress has been established.
• Assessment is made of the study skills and learning strategies employed by pupils in order to foster their further development.

Reflection and Evaluation

• Lessons are evaluated to inform future planning and practice.
• Current practice is regularly considered with a view to identifying aspects for useful development.
• Use is made of a variety of ways to reflect upon and evaluate current practice.
• The teacher regularly reviews whether his or her time and effort can be organised to better effect.
• The teacher regularly reviews the strategies and techniques he or she uses to deal with sources of stress. (pp12-13)

Have to say, Kyriacou (2007) has been highly useful throughout my teacher training and even more-so now as a teacher. It has helped me to think about my strategies and techniques, to re-focus and apply.

 

Hope sharing this has been of some use!

 

A :) x

Bridging the Gap: Transition from KS2-KS3

Hi there,

 

This week has been a very busy one - what week isn't?! - but it has been a very productive one, with a fantastic pupil sampler day last Wednesday!

 

 

 

The move from KS2 into KS3 can be a difficult and scary process for many pupils as they have to come to terms with their new environment and the demands placed upon them. It is important that pupils are eased into their potential new surroundings as soon as possible to ensure that they can feel as comfortbale as possible about the move to the 'big school!' This is why we have our pupil sampler day - to let P6/P7 pupils experience 4 of the subjects in the junior high - Art, PE, Technology and Music!

 

 

What did we do in Music? Well, we had a lot of fun whilst learning to play instruments and developing a range of skills. We sang, danced in time, learned to play the keyboard, xylophones and create appropriate rhythms - all to the Boogie Woogie Washer Woman!

 

 

Sally Peters (2010) has carried out some interesting research in this area and has identified ways in which schools, teachers, parents and the wider community can contribute to bridging the gap between Primary and Secondary school. With reference to schools, she outlines the following as key:

These were:

• schools having a named person, or a small team, to take responsibility and a strategic overview of the process;
• schools providing pre-entry visits for children and their parents that involve parents and children learning about learning at school as well as familiarisation with the environment and people;
• schools having systems that allow for high quality communication and close interaction between family, pre-transfer settings and school, where information is both given and received about children’s experiences;
• schools being sensitive to the needs of individuals and particular groups and having strategies in place to support them;
• flexible admission procedures that give children and their parents the opportunity to have a positive start to their first day;
• children starting school with a friend and schools having systems in place to help children make friends; (repeating a year can cause friendship problems at the next transition);
• schools having strategies to help children develop resilience to cope with change and to be active in making the transition work for them;
• curriculum continuity across phases of education, that comes about from establishing the prior learning that has taken place and where children are helped to learn with and from each other; ‘looping’ where pre-school and school staff plan together and work alternate years in each phase;
• schools evaluating induction and the management of transitions and transfers from the perspective of all participants, and that help to question the assumptions of the setting and see life from the child’s perspective; and
• special training for staff working with those children who are starting school.

http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ece/literature-review-transition-from-early-childhood-education-to-school/chapter-four-supporting-childrens-transitions..



 

 

For us in that one sampler day, it was essential to show the children that this was a safe, interactive, engaging and supportive environment. One of the ways we tried to emphasise this was with peer support - Year 9 helpers were there to work with the P6/P7 pupils, to talk with them, show them what to do and build relationships.

 

I decided to research transitions and see what else I could do as a teacher to help this process - here are a few links I've found useful in this area:

 

This is a structured programme that teachers can implement with their children to help the transition process: Moving on and Moving Up 

http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4E716475-B003-4F74-9D48-38A863BBAC06/0/guidance_042010_TeachersGuidetoSupportEffectiveTransitionKS2toKS32010.pdf

 

 

As a Music Teacher, this presentation was really interesting - providing subject specific guidelines on how to ease this transition

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=10&ved=0CHsQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sussex.ac.uk%2Feducation%2Fdocuments%2Fcirclets---primary-to-secondary-transfer-15oct2012.ppt&ei=0hkNUbvmO4GH0AXpvYGIBw&usg=AFQjCNGSkranBeuvXlTVKcJG5QsIG62drw&sig2=k5l6TmbzmkFwVynlsaCOtg

Looking forward to our next sampler day and welcoming those I've met during this process in September!

 

A :) x

Creativity in the Classroom!

"Show students that you value creativity,  that you not only allow it but also actively engage in it." - Beth Hennessey (1997)

 

I personally adore creativity and am always encouraging pupils to be as creative as they can with what we are learning. One of the ways I encourage this is allowing pupils a range of options of how to present their final assessments – based on the success criteria, they can fulfil these requirements in whatever modes they see fit! Could be word, powerpoint, audacity, movie maker, drama, singing, solo / duet, ensemble, rap, dance – combinations of these elements, whatever meets the success criteria, they can choose!

The NDT Resource Centre strongly advocates creativity in the classroom:

“Students need to understand that there is usually multiple paths that lead to understanding. They should be encouraged seek out and experiment with new things or ideas. They should be taught to ask questions and investigate when things do not make sense. The need to learn to view mistakes as an opportunity for leaning rather than something that was unsuccessful. Students should also follow their interests and think "outside the box" whenever possible. It is also valuable for them to be open to other's ideas so that they can learn how to build upon and reconstruct their own conceptual knowledge.” http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Encouraging_Creativity.htm

 

Mike Fleetham, an education consultant and trainer outlines 12 principles of creativity:

• A belief that creative potential is inside everyone and can be found everywhere

• A belief that creativity can change things and improve things

• A belief that mistakes are to be celebrated, learned from and used

• A belief that creativity can be a natural response to pain, suffering and boredom

• An attitude of positivity towards surprising and unexpected events

• An attitude of openness to new ideas and experiences when they appear

• An attitude of ‘smart risk-taking’

• An attitude of non-judgement

• An ability to actively seek out new ideas and experiences

• An ability to see familiar things in new and different ways

• An ability to use both analytic and holistic thinking

• An ability to make, think or do things that haven’t been made, thought or done be

http://www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk/ThinkingClassroom/Creativity.aspx

 

Iowa State University, a Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching very rightly remind us that we cannot expect creativity from our pupils if we are not teaching in a creative manner ourselves:

‘In order to teach creativity, one must teach creatively; that is, it will take a great deal of creative effort to bring out the most creative thinking in your classes.’ This site has lots of methods of how to add a little twist to the common tasks in the classroom with Assumption Busting, Brainstorming, Concept Mapping, Role Playing, Story Boarding, DO IT, Random Input, Decision Tree, Laddering and many many more techniques, worth a look! http://www.celt.iastate.edu/creativity/techniques.html

 

I will continue to be creative and provide opportunities for my pupils to do the same! Will you?

A :) x

Sometimes it's the small things that matter!

 

Highlight of Last Week

 

 

 

Hi everyone,

 

Thought I would share my highlight from last week, out of the five days of teaching, this moment sticks in my head the most :)

 

There was a pupil in school who was rather down, feeling a little lost and needing some time to gather his thoughts. I have to say, I'm useless in these situations, I never know how to go about finding out what's wrong and showing lots of sympathy (an area I need to work on!) My HoD in music is the SENCO and she is fantastic at this sort of thing, however, she was away in America for the week so I was left thinking, hmmmmmm, what do I do......

 

I'd been playing around with a melody, just messing about as a method of chilling one evening, and decided to sit down at the piano and play the melody with the first lyrics that came into my head! I knew all about this pupil's fascination with his pony so the lyrics that came out of my mouth were based around that .....

 

"I've got a pony called Joe

He's so hard to control

All I want is for him to obey

He runs a mile down the field when I tell him to yield

All I want is for him to just stayyyyyy!"

 

Well, it's a pretty pants verse and piano playing but in that moment his face lit up and he started to laugh. He even came back at lunch time, smiling, and said "I cant get that pony song out of my head!" This, made my day. It actually made my week. Being able to do something, no matter how small, no matter how silly I sounded, to cheer someone up and help them along their day was great.

 

Note to self: take time out of the norm and do more random acts to help make more pupils smile!

 

A :) x