Back from the MEd

This is my first blog post since February 2014. It's not that I've ran out of things to say or lacked any desire to write about education. No, it's had more to do with (a) the arrival of our second child in January 2014 and (b) the demands of studying for an MEd. The latter has been extremely taxing at times, especially back in May when I was working towards a 6,000 word assignment deadline, marking endless Controlled Assessments, trying to write a best man's speech AS WELL as trying to raise two boys. Anyhow, this post really isn't a 'woe-be-me/ my life is so tough' plea for sympathy. Hardly, I'm very fortunate to have a job that I love (most of the time) and a family I adore including a partner who is always hugely supportive of my ridiculous endeavours. This post is more of a reflection on my first year as an MEd student and what I believe have been the pros and cons..........

Pros:

(a) Becoming more reflective - holding a mirror up to my practice.

Since beginning the MA I have consciously endeavoured to become an increasingly more reflective practitioner. This, I believe, is important as using reflective practice allows teaching professionals to increase confidence and become more proactive in improving teaching quality. 

(b) Research/ academia

I am not only interested in teaching and learning but I really enjoy researching and reading academic papers on areas of education that I believe can and should be improved, for example, peer-to-peer feedback, critical thinking skills and teacher reflection. 

(c) Collaboration 

Lastly, I have really really valued the opportunity to work with colleagues from different phases and indeed different sectors. For example, there are MEd students from early years, primary, secondary, FE, Adult Learning and the Youth Service. Having the opportunity to discuss ideas and share practice has been been invaluable. 

Cons:

TIME 

Overall, I've really really enjoyed studying for the first year of my MEd. However, the only downside is time. You see, if I'm researching/ writing for my MEd assignments then something's got to give. This has admittedly had an impact on my school workload. There have been evenings when I've been 'torn' between marking a set of books or reading academic journals. I suppose my greatest concern is that if the MEd is taking time away from the pupils then how is it really having a positive impact on my development as an educational practitioner. I have, however, come to the conclusion that the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term losses. 

Also, as I have to attend university for (roughly) one Saturday per month it means that I'm getting to see less of my family - this is especially difficult as my eldest child attends his Rugby Tots class on a Saturday morning and I feel as though I'm missing his first steps towards playing international rugby for Wales :) 

So, it has, admiteddly, been a tough first year studying for my MEd but I'm glad I'm doing it. I feel as though it is having a positive impact on my practice and my development as a practitioner; something that I've been quite obsessed with over the past few years (see here). 

Schools History Project Conference 2013

This was the third time I have attended the SHP Conference since 2009 and once again it exceeded my (high) expectations. If you've never been before then go to whoever is in charge of CPD at your school and beg them to book you onto the conference next year (11th - 13th July). It really will be the best history related professional development you'll get all year. For those of you who have been before, you know what am on about. 

It would, of course, be impossible to incorporate all of the brilliant ideas I heard over the weekend so instead I've decided to choose five which I am going to develop over the course of the next year. 

1. Enquiry Questions

We always use overarching questions in our Schemes of Learning which are then broken down into smaller questions. You can see an example here. However, rather than using 'what was life like in the Middle Ages?' it would be better to use 'were people in the Middle Ages stupid?' (as suggested by Dave Stacey). I've realised that the questions we have been  using are not necessarily the the right ones and that we need to rewrite them. As Rachel Foster said in her brilliant workshop 'good enquiry questions should become more and not less problematic the more it is studied'.  

2. Socrative

'Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets.' (So says the website). I signed up to Socrative a while ago but haven't got around to using it with the pupils yet however after hearing Lesley Ann McDermott demonstrate how she has used it with her pupils I will most certainly be embracing it next term.  

3. Why? 

After attending Jamie Byrom and Michael Riley's session on The Mughal Empire it dawned on me that I don't tell pupils why they are learning about a given topic. I always tell them what they will be learning but not why it is important to learn about it. This is going to change. 

4. SOLO Taxonomy

I have done a fair amount of reading around SOLO and was hoping to introduce it earlier this year. That was until I realised that Lesley Anne McDermott and Sally Thorne were doing a session on SOLO. Not only was the workshop brilliant but it also made my research 'click' as lots of history examples were shared and plenty of resources given. If you've never heard of the taxonomy before then this video is a good place to start:

5. Feedback

Firstly, I need to read Ron Berger's 'The Ethic of Excellence' as it was mentioned by a number of people at the conference. I like the idea of teaching pupils that peer assessment should be kind, specific and helpful. Also, during Dale Banham and Russell Hall's session that shared some wonderful examples of how open dialogue with pupils improves the quality of feedback and ultimately the quality of learning. 

There were SO many other ideas that I could share but I'm trying to write this whilst watching the Wimbledon Final so I'll leave it there....

TeachEat

Having just moderated an #addcym session on Twitter this evening, looking at how TeachMeets impact on Teaching and Learning, it only seems fitting that I share how a group of my amazing colleagues have taken the format (called it TeachEat) and used it to improve teaching and learning within our school. So....

What are they?

TeachEat meetings are informal get togethers where colleagues share ideas about teaching and learning.

When do they occur?


Every Wednesday lunchtime for 40 minutes. 

How does it work?

Sometimes we have a focus (plenaries, feedback, questioning) and sometimes it is more open ended. We informally decide the 'agenda' the week before and anyone can share anything they think others will benefit from knowing. The length of presentations depends very much on what we are covering, for example, next week every attendee has two minutes to share a lesson which they are really proud of.

We also have a group on Edmodo (which we covered in a TeachEat session) where we can share additional ideas/ resources. 

Who attends?

Anyone interested in becoming a better educator. So far there are about twelve regular attendees, however, word is spreading and interest is growing. 

What impact have they had?

Quite a substantial one, I would argue. Personally, I have taken lots of great ideas from our TeachEat sessions. Everything from 'effective questioning' to 'brilliant hooks' have been covered and duly embedded into my classroom. Furthermore, the TeachEat sessions have really inspired me to become a better educator - something I am really passionate about as I have previously written about here.

Finally, it is because of these TeachEat meetings that I want to take the next step and organise a TeachMeet for my LA. And thereafter? Who knows.......

Five Easy Pieces (or steps to becoming a better educator)

When I was a teenager I had somewhat of an obsession with Jack Nicholson films. I made it my goal to collect and watch all of his films and acquire a Mastermind-esque knowledge of JC's cinematic history. Why? Well, i suppose it can be partly attributed to my family's predisposition for OCD and partly to the fact that he was, and still is, an amazing actor. Anyhow, since the Nicholson phase I have gone through various obsessions, trying as I did to fulfil an insatiable appetite for learning. For the past couple of years I have become increasingly obsessed with becoming the best educator I can possibly be within the boundaries of my own capabilities. To that end I have devised my own five easy pieces...or five six easy steps to becoming a better educator:

1. Engage. With your peers. I ensure, where possible, that I contribute to at least one PLN each week. We have a weekly T&L meeting in school (TeachEat). I also contribute to most weekly #addcym meetings on Twitter. It is all about learning from my peers, sharing ideas and becoming a better educator. 
2. Create. At least one brand new spanking lesson each week. I'm forever tweaking my lessons but I also ensure that at least one lesson a week is something completely new. This is not a case of baby-out-with-the-bathwater but rather keeping myself fresh and becoming a better educator. 
3. Share. At least one lesson per week. I borrow many many ideas from other teachers, it is only right that I give something back.  Also, I think long and hard about the resources I am going to share (usually on TES) and adapt them accordingly. Hopefully, with this, I am becoming a better educator. 
4. Blog. I try and write one new blog post per week. If I'm writing then I am reflecting. If I am reflecting than hopefully I am becoming a better educator. 
5. Consume. I make sure that I read, continuously, about education. I tend to have two or three books on the go at any given time, dipping in and out of them as time allows. I also read lots of brilliant blogs by educators who really inspire me to becoming a better educator.  
6. Listen. Especially to your pupils. I am constantly getting feedback on lessons or SoL. I use this feedback to inform my planning and shape future learning. This, again, is helping me to become a better educator and thus improve the learning experiences of the pupils which I teach. 

Finally, if you've not had the pleasure of watching Five Easy Pieces, then you should, it might not improve you as an educator but it is rather brilliant.......