‘If you want something done, give it to a busy middle leader.’
I’m struck by how many passionate, motivated and frankly, brilliant people there are in our profession. So many of us want the absolute best for young people and are completely committed to our jobs as educators. Yes, there are a smattering of less than committed individuals in some schools, but on the whole the world is full of excellent humans, doing an incredibly challenging job, day in day out.
This experience, at the chalk face and on the ground working directly with young people, makes proactive, and gives us valuable insights into the system. A system which is good, but not perfect and which could be so much better.
We’ve seen our fair share of change in Education. But as educators, we are hungry for improvement. Not just change for change sake. Not surface level change. Not a change of paperwork or policy. But systematic, considered and impactful change which wholeheartedly benefits and improves the life chances of the young people and families we serve. A brave, bold change which moves away from simply tweaking the ways things have always been done. A deep rooted, meaningful change which encompasses research-informed practices, sensible approaches and puts the 21st century young person at the centre.
As Barry Black’s recent post summarises, there are many common threads amongst the improvement drivers which educators feel are important. Of course, this only encompasses a small number of educators but it is easy to see there is appetite for change. Recently David Cameron’s TES article highlighted his proposal for important improvement within Scottish assessment. Something he’s been addressing for a long time. Two years ago almost exactly to the day, I was privileged to be invited to Scottish Government to chat with Shirley Somerville about Education. Many of the points we discussed that day are still pertinent today. Consider the number of educational consultations and reviews we’ve been involved in over the last few years yet still we see little in the way of real improvement. And yet I can’t help thinking that educators in schools are incredibly skilled in getting things done.
But it would be overly simplistic of me to think that systematic educational decision making should be handed directly to teachers. I understand how easy it is to become blinkered in education, only seeing things from one individual viewpoint after years of being in a specific role. The class teacher who struggles to understand the complexities of timetabling, staffing budgets or HR procedures. Or a school leader who finds it difficult to empathise with staff teaching full period days and the challenges of behaviour management in today’s educational landscape. Or those no longer teaching in schools, placing unrealistic timeframes or demands on schools. Each has their own individual priorities and agenda.
As an experienced middle leader, and having a husband within Senior leadership, I often feel I am in the fortunate position of sitting centrally between the learning and teaching of class teachers and the more high level thinking of senior leaders and management. It’s this pivotal point which allows me to see the demands on both those above me and below me, shaping my perspective, and giving me a nuanced, balanced stance. And it’s these voices of experience, reality and action which we need around the table, driving the improvement. I for one, would be happy to be involved in getting things done.
We’ve been talking about educational reform for too long. A little less conversation, a little more action.
Inspired by a comment I heard made by David Mitchell on Changing Conversation podcast, this blog explores the importance of middle leadership.
He stated that middle leaders are ‘the engine room of a school’ – and it really struck a chord. I’ve held several middle leadership roles over the course of nearly 15 years – acting PT Art and Design and Music at Larbert High, Principal Teacher of Art and Design at Kirkintilloch High and my current post, Principal Teacher of Expressive Arts at Oban and Tiree High Schools. Each role has provided challenge and huge satisfaction. And in agreeing with David, I’m keen to unpick the importance of the role of middle leaders.
Middle leaders sit right between the demands of Senior Leaders and the equally strenuous demands of teaching staff. In essence, they bridge the gap between the high level, strategic overview of school improvement which SLT deliver, and the ‘at the coal face’ day to day delivery of this in the classroom by their teams of teaching staff. Middle leaders liaise with both groups regularly, and have an ideal platform with which to view the school and drive school improvement. They ‘go between’ both, and effectively communicate the struggles, successes and changes which are required to deliver whole school values. Their professional approach to seeing both sides of the coin is often complex and requires a high level of skill and tact in order to get the best from both groups. Middle leaders can provide vital intel from their work on the ground, day to day. From the morale and ethos of staff, to the challenges of new initiatives or the timescales required to complete tasks. Middle leaders go between two extremes of the school and as such, they are in receipt of a huge amount of information. Some of this, they cascade appropriately to their own teams, clarifying and making it crystal clear to everyone, ensuring a consistent message perhaps at departmental meetings or weekly bulletins. Other information they hold back to deal with individually, managing overload and processing in a timely manner.
Middle leaders lead small teams. Building a sense of team in which everyone feels empowered and motivated is a huge part of their role. Senior leaders motivate and inspire on a bigger scale. Most are also personable and approachable, but it is middle leaders who are the powerhouse in cultivating strong, individual relationships with staff through daily interactions. The way in which they skilfully build trust and achieve buy-in from staff, often comes from modelling in a way that it is perhaps more challenging for senior leaders to do, given their minimal teaching commitment. Middle leaders create opportunities to come together, to share, to collaborate, to socialise, and to connect helping to build belonging for staff and psychological safety. And with this strong foundation, middle leaders can drive forward improvement and ensure that staff delivering the best for young people.
Middle leaders are creative and flexible, yet realistic. They strive for continued improvement often in imaginative and interesting ways, whilst understanding the grassroots perspective and remaining close enough to the chalk face to foresee challenges.
And when teams are going through difficulties, middle leaders are the buffers for teaching staff. They are the first point of contact for complaints, moans, tears, challenges and difficulties. Often middle leaders deal with these small, day to day issues quietly, professionally and without the need to burden senior leaders with added stress. But all of this comes at a cost. And it is so important that middle leaders also have a platform to sound out worries, concerns or challenges which have the potential to weigh down middle leaders if not explored.
In addition, they do all of this whilst themselves, fulfilling a huge teaching commitment. Often teaching more than one certificated class, and sometimes covering extra classes for staff, or setting work for classes of absent staff. This commitment to the classroom though, is such a huge advantage for a middle leader. Maintaining contact with young people, curriculum and pedagogy, understanding challenges in the classroom and continuing to hone their craft is so important. Yes it is hugely demanding and difficult. Especially when they are called upon to deal with issues whilst teaching or late to teach their class when meetings overrun. But the level of skill and expertise they bring to the classes they teach, should outweigh the challenges and ultimately dictates their skill set.
Middle leadership is really special. It’s not an easy gig by any means and definitely not for the faint hearted. But the feeling of accomplishment in building a small team, who are all moving forward in the same direction and working through issues together, is really rewarding. Seeing how that small but integral part of the jigsaw fits into the bigger picture of the whole school, magnifies exactly how powerful middle leadership is and the importance of cultivating, growing and nurturing strong middle leaders.
As I approach 2024, I feel privileged to be in a middle leader role which allows me to remain committed to teaching young people, whilst shaping my vision for the faculty and delivering whole school priorities through our team.
Post pandemic many of us have extolled the virtues of visualisers. Myself included. Yet many teachers I speak to still don’t know how effective their use in the classroom can be. I wrote more about this here. But in this post I share my top 5 tips for using this amazingly simple, but transformational tech.
1. Exemplify
At the start of a lesson, show the whole class what you hope they will achieve. Rather than just stating your learning intentions and success criteria, show them. Place your completed learning exemplar (a drawing, an essay, a paragraph, a graph, a maths example) under the visualiser and talk through what you hope they will learn and how you know they will be successful – referring to specific aspects of the work.
2. Demonstrate
Use the visualiser to demonstrate the steps which learners will need to get to where they are going. In real time, go through the process you want them to use, narrating your internalised thinking and pointing out the pitfalls. Allow learners to watch you skilfully work through the learning to show how achievable it is for them. This is typically the ‘I do’ stage of ‘I do, we do, you do.’ Good teachers do this every lesson – it’s the traditional exposition part of the lesson when you might normally be explaining how pupils should complete the task. But imagine how powerful this can be, when coupled with the large scale visual of you actually demonstrating this, visually. Practical subjects are very good at this, but even then, a demonstration without a visualiser means that it can be difficult for all pupils to see. A visualiser allows every tiny detail of the learning to be magnified for pupils to see without them even having to leave their seat. Pupils are now able to visualise the learning as well as hearing your teaching points.
3. Model
Use the visualiser to model specific techniques or skills you want the pupils to learn. This could be the layout of a maths problem, the way you hold the paintbrush or the structure of a diagram. Additionally, as the expert, you understand the common pitfalls and misconceptions which pupils will undoubtedly encounter. Model these under the visualiser by making mistakes and showing how to avoid them, fix them or learn from them. Again, great teachers do this verbally, but the power of pupils seeing the written response being laid out and modelled is so powerful in learning.
4. Improve
Use the visualiser to live mark. With the pupils watching, go through a completed piece of work and discuss with learners ways to improve it. Every pupil in the room will be able to see the work, in detail, on the projector and can be engaged in the process of how to make it better. Rather than just explaining how to improve, the visualiser allows you to show visually how to make the work better. Aspects can be highlighted, annotated, or reworked to improve.
5. Feedback
Use the visualiser to give feedback to pupils. Teacher feedback given via the visualiser is incredibly powerful as well as being an excellent tool for peer feedback. This requires a strong positive relationship with pupils and an established classroom culture where it is the norm to make mistakes and improve. In my experience, pupils love to bring their work up and place it under the visualiser but don’t assume , always ask their permission to share. With the work magnified for the class to see, you are able to pick out the strengths and encourage classmates to feedback on the successful demonstration of learning they observe. It can also be effective to look at how the work might be improved next time – giving specific targets to work on in future. Laying an acetate over the work or photocopying it in advance, allows you then to annotate, underline, or highlight aspects to draw attention to. Again this gives pupils a concrete example to put this into practice with, rather than words and instructions with nothing to relate it to.
So much of this is merely building on good practice which teachers demonstrate day in day out perhaps on a white board or promethean board. However, the power of a visualiser is the ability to see ‘actual’ work. As well as this, unlike the white board which eventually needs to be scrubbed off and cleaned, all of the work you do in demonstrations can be kept, photographed, shared with absent pupils, uploaded to digital classrooms or revisited at a later date. For each class I teach, I keep a sketchbook or copy of the pupil booklet as a teacher copy. I work directly into it and keep all of the examples and work for that class in one place. I find this makes it easier to share with pupils.
I hope this post has been useful. Obviously I am coming at this from a practical subject perspective, but sometimes I find it even more useful when teaching written work. I would be interested to hear how teachers of other subjects teach using a visualiser. But for me, I wouldn’t be without mine now.
Have a great week everyone. Especially those of you who have a half term break from the classroom!
I’m writing this at the end of my February week holiday. It’s been a good break spent with family but a break which admittedly last Friday, I didn’t feel I was ready for. It came only four weeks after our return from Christmas holidays and in many ways it seemed too soon to be on holiday again. However I can’t help feeling that, for that very reason I’ve been able to enjoy the break far more. In comparison to last February, when I lay washed out and exhausted on the couch feeling like I’d been hit by a bus, this year I’ve actually been able to enjoy my time off. I’ve rested, relaxed, been productive, exercised and enjoyed time with family. I’ve even done some school work. And I feel like when I return to school this Monday, I’ll be in a much better place to face the madness of the term ahead.
It made me think about the ebb and flow of the school year. How often, as teachers do we ‘not stop until we drop?’ We keep going and going and going. How often do we play martyr – ‘But I’m just too busy, have you seen how much I’ve to do?!’ ‘I’m so exhausted – school is so busy.’ We live for the next holiday or long weekend – often when it arrives, collapsing in a heap and hibernating for a few days to recover. Or even worse becoming ill the moment your body stops. The result is that it takes more time for us to recover and rebuild. Our holiday is about more than just the rest and relaxation it should be; it becomes more of a total recuperation as a result of the complete depletion of our reserves. In the long term, I wonder what impact this has on well-being? And on staff productivity?
In terms of the pandemic, the effects of this impact are only magnified. Since summer 2020, we’ve begun each term with a lot less in the tank than we’ve normally had. Add into this, the regularity of staff losing holidays to illness, and it’s no wonder we are all dragging ourselves to the finish line each term.
So what’s the answer? A four day week? A more even spread of school holidays throughout the year? More flexibility for staff in terms of work patterns and leave of absence? Addressing workload? Unfortunately these aren’t within my pay scale to consider, however I do think it’s important to reflect on the ways in which we can individually approach the educational landscape of work/life balance and help our colleagues to consider this mindfully too.
I’ve come to the view that work/life balance is a bit of a myth. An equilibrium of work/life throughout the year is perhaps something which is somewhat unobtainable. You see, there will be busy times of the school calendar and there will quieter times. Mad March will always trump Still September. I think it’s about having an understanding of that flow, and taking advantage of the quieter times in order to restore and recharge for the busier periods of the year. It’s not feeling guilty about leaving early sometimes so that you can work late when learners really need it at another time. It’s about not feeling you have to work at the weekend if you’ve had late nights through the week. It’s realising that the frantic, busy times are often times of immense productivity and satisfaction, and likewise the calmer months at the start of the year are equally satisfying as we take time to build relationships with new classes. Each season has its own highs and lows. It’s all part of our wonderful profession. And being mindful of that; realising that the stressful times will pass and the calm will come again might be a helpful way to frame our thinking.
Subsequently, I realised that taking a break at the point before we really need it, can actually be far more worthwhile and allows us to reap those benefits in a way which actually goes above and beyond wellbeing. So this term, which will undoubtedly be busy, stressful and full of challenge, I resolve to be more aware of my own tank of energy and give myself permission to take a break long before I run out of steam.
For those of you about to begin your holiday, enjoy the break. For those returning on Monday, I wish you a brilliant term ahead. Thanks for reading.
Tomorrow marks the start of my second week back in school after summer with new pupils and a new timetable. It’s been great to see the energy and enthusiasm of my senior pupils this past week and I’m excited for how their learning will develop over the year ahead. But undoubtedly, over the next few weeks many of us in schools across the country will be asked to give pupils ‘target grades.’ There are many reasons why I’m not a fan of target grades and this blogpost aims to articulate why.
Before I go any further, I want to say that I understand the intention and thinking behind target grades, especially in terms of data and reporting. I realise that grades are very much part of our education system. Parents, and many pupils would find a shift away from reporting on target grades problematic and require a change of mindset. And yet, personally, I feel they cause so much confusion and angst.
Learning is a long term change in knowledge and understanding. And my aim as a teacher is to get pupils excited and motivated to learn. To shape pupils who are passionate about my subject and who get a real buzz from their achievements long after the exam. Not just to get a grade, although I appreciate for many that is important. So why are we still fixated on marks? And do target grades actually help in the journey to pass exams?
My beef with target grades started a while back when I heard of a school where teachers were ‘not allowed’ to give pupils target grades of C as it was seen as not ‘aspirational’ enough. Imagine… teachers’ professional judgement being over-ruled because it might not look good for a pupil to have a C as a target grade. I understand why the school may have wanted to discourage low target grades and instead have high expectations for all learners, but it makes me worry about the part target grades play in the success of a pupil or indeed a school. If we are not giving teacher autonomy to decide a realistic and achievable target grade for a pupil whom they know well, it may as well be a target picked from a hat, making a bit of a mockery of the system. And the more I thought about it, the more I concluded that target grades can be hugely problematic.
In the first instance, target grades are a way of labelling pupils and in many cases, limiting their potential from the start. I don’t believe for a minute that teachers do this intentionally, I’m sure it is often from a place of good intent, but let’s consider how this feels from the pupils point of view. Whilst it might make teachers feel they are differentiating more successfully, how can we ensure that this does not instead create a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Firstly, let’s take the high flying pupil. The student doesn’t cause the teacher any bother, has been a model pupil all through school and did well last year according to her teacher. Her A target grade is well within her reach and the feedback from the first few assessments confirm this. So why should she push herself? She’s pretty confident she’ll get her grade and so she can sit back and coast. She’ll do what she needs to get her A, but that’s it. When assessments are returned, she’ll read the grade to check she made the mark but skip the feedback. Are we really encouraging her to be all she can be so that she experiences the joy and passion of learning?
But perhaps more damaging is the pupil who’s target is a C but despite her best efforts, just isn’t quite making the grade. How must it feel to always be falling short of a target grade? To constantly be told you aren’t quite there yet. This continued emphasis on the grade could be soul destroying for a pupil who already finds this particular subject difficult. As Dylan William suggests giving a grade does not help the student to improve. And when feedback is given along with a grade, the feedback is most often disregarded in favour of the grade. The grade encourages pupils to compare themselves and becomes ego-involving. For me, it seems far more productive to stick to the learning. Yet still we focus on target grades.
When we focus on the mark or grade, we are attaching extrinsic motivation to learning. We are rewarding performance. And the more we focus on this, the less likely we are to be able to harness the intrinsic motivation and passion which comes from deep learning and understanding. Yes, for certain senior classes we may be required to refer to grades or marks at times, but personally I’d prefer to see a move away from constantly referring to target grades and instead consider whether the pupil is achieving their potential. A simple + = – system seems sensible to me. The symbols represent whether a learner is continuing to progress positively, stagnating or progress dipping. The high achieving learners have to keep working hard if they want to keep getting +’s because there’s no room for complacency. Anyone struggling to progress is highlighted by a -. The lower attaining pupils work hard and continue to be rewarded with +’s and any passive learners who are not pushing themselves are flagged up with =. This system focuses much more on incremental improvement and learning as opposed to performance.
If we place more focus on the feedback we are giving or how the learner needs to specifically improve, rather than referring to whether the student is meeting a target grade on a specific piece of work, we are hopefully guiding the learner to the actual ways in which the learner can get better. Dylan Wiliam suggests that feedback should ‘improve the student and not the work.’
Finally I think target grades often cause confusion for pupils, staff and parents. A target grade set to be achieved at the end of the year, makes it very difficult to track progress throughout the year. How can we confidently say that pupil x is meeting their target grade of a B in November when, they still have 5 months of learning left before their assessment? In art and design, a pupil may have only completed half a folio, and whilst they are doing all they can and working to the best of their ability, the folio would not get the desired target grade if assessed in November. Parents find this difficult to fathom, ‘She was getting a B in November, so why is her work now a C?’ Might it be better to focus on the whether they are ‘on track’ to meet their potential and instead spend time giving appropriate feedback to help the learner improve?
I would love to hear your thoughts on what is undoubtedly a highly contentious issue and perhaps how this works in your school. Target grades do serve a purpose, but I can’t help thinking there may be a better use of time, and as always it comes down to great learning and teaching.
This blogpost has been sitting in my drafts for a while. But when I saw this image circulating the internet this weekend I felt incensed to throw in my tuppence worth.
You see Tesco, I’m a teacher. And a parent. And I’d rather your marketing focused on things which really do support learning. Because actually, mobile phones are anything but ‘must-have’ if we hope to produce successful learners.
There’s lots of evidence to suggest that a mobile phone will not be helpful for a learner’s first day at school. This research clearly articulates why mobile phones need not be on our ‘back to school’ shopping list.
If you had told me 10 years ago, that I would have been writing this particular blogpost, I would have not believed you. You see, 9 years ago I was the biggest advocate of mobile phones in schools. Fast forward a decade, and this leopard has most definitely changed her spots. Now, I’d rather see a complete ban on mobile phones in classrooms such is my disdain for their distraction.
There are a number of reasons for this u-turn. First hand experience. Academic research. Professional reading. And most significantly a genuine concern for our young people.
I’m worried about the effects of increased screen time for young people. Constant use of digital devices seriously affects their ability to concentrate. Despite good intentions, it’s too tempting just to sneak a peek at the screen to check notifications. And before you know it, the rabbit hole of social media has swallowed another 14 year old for the 100th time that day, jumping from one video to another message, to email to Instagram to Snap chat. A constant loop of comparison via pings, vibrations and light. It affects concentration. It affects confidence. It affects mental health. It causes stress and anxiety. And these all contribute to poor sleep, poor well-being and poor mindset. Not a healthy combination if we want our young people to thrive.
I’m worried about the use of mobile phones in schools, and the implications this has for learning, when notifications, messages and snap chat are all fighting for our learners’ attention. What chance do they have to experience the joy of learning whilst being bombarded with reminders and communication via their mobile adding a whole other layer of cognitive load to their struggle. Studies show use of mobile phones reduces memory. Not to mention the research into the effects of constant multitasking and ‘app-hopping.’ What chance do we have for focussed, concentrated learning in our classrooms when fighting for attention is a shiny, phone distracting thinking and processing?
But ‘pupils shouldn’t have their phones out in class,’ I hear you cry Tesco. And you are right. Most schools wouldn’t tolerate mobile phones in classrooms. But…
Have YOU tried spending an hour without looking at YOUR phone?? It’s nigh on impossible for adults, never mind young, impressionable teenagers who are keen to fit in and often don’t see the direct benefits of what they are doing there and then in the classroom. Despite the rules, pupils can’t help themselves. A sneak peek there, a quick check in between tasks. Constant battles for attention. And that’s only the students who are keen to learn. Many others don’t have the same self control.
I wonder how many altercations between pupils and teachers stem from mobile phone usage in the classroom? It’s a huge source of friction between young people and teachers, and I’d hazard a guess that the proportion of time given to asking pupils politely to ‘put phones away’ or ‘pop that back into your bag please’ equates to a significant amount of time which could have been better spent on learning and teaching. Not to mention how often situations escalate significantly, when in fact could have been avoided all together had mobile phones not been on their person.
I’m worried about the impact mobile phones have on mental health and well-being, belonging and social interaction. Social media is the root of so many bullying and friendship issues for young people. Often these are drawn into schools as a result of incidences at weekends or in the evening, and already take up huge amounts of energy for pastoral staff. But these should not be the focus of our Monday – Friday in classrooms. Pupils should be protected from that in order to have the best chance at learning. So it worries me that our society now see mobile phones as ‘essential’ prerequisite for the school bag. I personally would much rather focus on creating meaningful face to face learning experiences in school.
And for those arguing the technological benefits of mobile devices, have a read at Daisy Christodoulou’s work if you haven’t already. There might also be parents/carers advocating the need to communicate with young people during school day. This could still happen. Either by a simple message picked up at the end of the day, or in emergencies through the school office, just like was the norm all those years before mobile phones. The issue in school, is that mobile phones, are so much more than ‘phones.’ Cameras, apps, social media, shopping, messaging – and it’s this combination of audio visual assault which distracts from the core purpose of school.
This blog doesn’t have any answers but it does set out to suggest the impact which mobile devices may have on learning. It aims to make parents, teachers and leaders consider how we help students to navigate the constant bombardment of marketing and media which suggest we need mobile phones at school. It may sound extremist to suggest schools should ‘ban all mobile phones’ but like every other educational debate headline we need to understand the context. This is not a draconian, power hungry rule designed to make young people hate school. It actually sets out to protect them – conserving their learning and well-being as well as providing equity of experience. It’s teaching them that in certain environments, especially those required for effective learning, we need focus, attention and thinking.
We need to give our students the best chance at education. Mobile phones in the classroom don’t support that.
Observing other teachers is such a great form of professional learning. There are many things to be learned from being part of a lesson taught by a more experienced teacher. However, sometimes I worry that for new teachers, the complexity, nuance and skill of establishing classroom norms which facilitate learning could be missed when observing a one-off lesson. We all know that although teaching is a fairly simple process, the foundations which we build in establishing our classroom culture can sometimes be overlooked if observers only see the product of this hard work and persistence over time.
For example, a new teacher observing a teacher who has taught the same pupils for two years, might see pupils who enter the room purposefully, young people who know where to collect materials from , who begin work on the ‘do now’ task straight away, and who don’t argue about seating plans or today’s task. It’s important to unpick the careful ground work which has been done by the teacher long before this observation and consistently applied every lesson, to achieve this level of normality.
For me, this begins long before the first time I see a class. Prior to this, great teachers spend time exploring what they want classroom routines to look like and what the expectations are for each lesson. The confidence this can bring to new teachers, simply by having the clarity of thought and the reassurance that you’ve planned for all experiences is a huge aspect which will help propel early career teachers forward allowing them to focus on the learning in the classroom. I remember planning and scripting the most simple of routines in my first few years of teaching. Who would do what when handing out materials, what I would say, where I would monitor this so that I had the best vantage point and so on. Over time, these routines became established both for me and for the young people.
As many teachers approach the start of a new timetable, here are some of the things which I’ll be focussing on when I meet my new classes.
Meet and greet
If possible, always try to be at your door waiting to welcome pupils to the class. This is so important on so many levels. It allows you to warmly welcome your class, greeting each learner individually and starting positively by commenting on something personal to them. It demonstrates that you are organised, ready to teach and establishes a routine for every lesson which allows you to build relationships. It also allows you to guide pupils to what you expect them to do on arrival and remind them as soon as they enter the learning space. ‘Good to see you looking so ready to learn’ ‘I can’t wait to see what you produce today.’ ‘We don’t enter the class that noisily….’ ‘Bags under tables, and jackets and jumpers off.’ This is obviously not always possible. This year I’ve been teaching in three different spaces, and frequently I am moving from one area of the school to another. But, where I can, I always ensure that I’m at the door monitoring corridor and supervising pupils’ arrival. It’s not just about being there physically, (which arguably could be what is interpreted by a newer teacher) – it’s about setting the classroom culture through all you do, say and project to the young people.
Productive start
Having something on the board or desks for pupils to think about or do straight away ensures lessons always start productively. I think it sends a message to pupils that every second of the lesson is important and precious, and that no time will be wasted. I usually make sure this is a retrieval task so that pupils need minimal guidance from me, giving them an opportunity to revisit prior learning and get straight to work, allowing me to check attendance and log in to computers. This comes with a warning though and I think this is where simply observing colleagues can lead to good intentions, but lethal mutations. The task or question needs to be about the learning. It’s not enough to simply put up a ‘busy’ task to occupy the pupils, which is sometimes tempting to do when we are planning outcomes rather than learning. It is important that this starter makes young people think hard and builds on prior learning.
No opt out/high ratio
Through your interactions with pupils it’s important that right from the start, young people know that in your classroom everyone is expected to learn. The message should be clear to everyone that it’s not just those who are keen to answer and put their hands up, who will be required to work hard. This awareness of ratio and participation has been a game changer in my classroom. Mini whiteboards, cold calling and annotating live models are some of the best ways I’ve found to ensure high participation rates in class. Again my worry is that simply observing colleagues using these techniques is not enough, we need to have an understanding of how they are being used to ensure evidence of learning is being elicited from every single person in the room.
Achieve success
For me, this is vital to pupil motivation. Whatever the task, the teaching needs to be so good that the pupils achieve success. The achievement motivates. That hit of dopamine when you succeed. But it won’t have the desired effect if it’s too easy. So pitching the task correctly is so important. The sense of accomplishment is what drives learners to continue and make progress. Forming these positive learning habits are what help create a culture of success.
Run routines
Don’t give up. Keep running the routines. Keep persevering. Keep reminding pupils of what you want. I promise – this is exactly what the experienced colleague had to do at the start. It may well look like everything just magically happens and the pupils respond for them, but beyond the surface of what you see there has been careful planning, scripting and practice of these seemingly simple techniques.
Observing an experienced colleague can teach us so much, but avoid reducing their practice to merely what is surface level and ensure that the careful nuance of their every movement and word paints the full picture of their proficiency in their craft.
Have a great week – get out and observe a colleague this week if you can. The art of digging deeper whilst watching their practice and considering what impact it has on the learning and teaching can be really powerful! I’d love to engage more with anyone who has any feedback.
A few weeks ago a colleague said to me… ‘But you always look like you have it all together?!’ Now… either I’m doing a pretty good job of looking like the swan gracefully swimming above the surface, whilst furiously paddling below, or actually they don’t know me very well at all. Either way, I most certainly don’t have it ‘all together.’ But it got me thinking about perceptions and our role in how others view us.
The most recent podcast from @ScottishEducatorsConnect on Imposter Syndrome further forced me to consider this notion. How do we portray ourselves to others either intentionally or unintentionally? What part does social media play in our portrayal of both work and personal life? And how, as leaders, do we balance the dichotomy of bravely taking on the burden of the team’s issues, with being vulnerable enough to admit when things are difficult? So as a teacher looked at me almost ashamed to admit she was stressed, worried and overwhelmed, and I openly admitted that I often felt those things too, I wanted to pen a letter to my colleagues everywhere…
Dear fellow teachers,
I do not have it sussed. I know a lot after teaching for 16 years, but I’m still learning.
I always try my best but sometimes I get it wrong.
I love my job but sometimes it’s really hard.
I adore my boys but often they drive me crazy.
I work hard but I love time off.
Please don’t ever put me on a pedestal and assume I’m superhuman. I’m not.
Please don’t ever think you can’t come to me to offload. Because often I need to offload too.
Please share your bad days with me. I have them too.
Please ask me for help. I need help sometimes too.
Yours sincerely,
A very real mummy, wife and teacher leader.
It can be easy to present a part-life on social media. Only sharing the good parts or the things that go well. Part of the reason I removed myself from Facebook and Instagram years ago. For me, EduTwitter helped connect me with many inspirational teachers and leaders, at a time many years ago when I felt a bit lost and disheartened. It was about allowing me to stay positive and celebrate success, but I realise now that this may be seen by others as toxic positivity. As time went on, I used it more and more to learn from others, and ask questions. Admit mistakes and reach out for help. But I suppose we never really know others’ perceptions of our social media presence. But being aware of it, and recognising that everything we post will be taken and perceived by others in different ways should make us mindful before posting. That’s quite a responsibility. But so is filtering what we perceive as voyeurs. And being aware of our own responses when making judgements or decisions about others based on a wholly surface level acumen.
It’s important to normalise ‘not having it all together.’ Work/life balance isn’t the utopia. Life is not balanced. Being ok with work/life imbalance is important. Sometimes I’m on fire at work. Sometimes I’m doing great as a mummy. Sometimes I get it right as a wife. But very rarely is there a time when all three are equally successful – more often than not, because I’m doing well at school, I forget about my son needing to take money to school for a craft fayre. Or because I’m supporting a member of staff, it totally slips my mind to collect my little one off the school bus. On the contrary, there are times when poorly kids mean that my priority is being mummy, and work has to take a backseat. Making peace with the fact that there’s never an end point when we ‘make it’ has been really useful for me as a coping strategy. It gives me permission to give it everything I’ve got to do both well but when things don’t go to plan, it’s all part of the journey… or the rollercoaster.
The word I keep returning to is dichotomy. For leaders it’s the dichotomy of reassuring the team by being calm and in control, yet being vulnerable and honest enough to admit when things are tough. I want my team to come to me with problems. I want them to feel comfortable enough to tell me when things aren’t working. To be able to be honest with me, without fearing my reaction. Which means I need to be mindful of my response. Leaders are like the fenders on a boat – they cushion the blow. They are not able to stop the impact, but they can prevent or minimise damage by allowing others to lean on them.
But for leaders, that’s tough work. How can we as leaders, balance the need to carry the worries and stress of those around us, yet not be overwhelmed by burdening this weight for others?
For me, having a strong, trusted support network around me is vital to ensure that I can offload and talk through these worries to people who understand, yet whom I am not directly leading. Honesty, integrity and compassion are at the forefront of my actions and being professional is without question. Keeping perspective is another aspect which I think is important. Seeing the bigger picture and opening up the eyes of others, to the context of situations, is a key part of creating empathy within the team. As well as realising that sometimes others, like leaders, just need time and space to vent. There’s not always something tangible which can be ‘done’ or fixed, but purely by providing the safe space to open up, sometimes colleagues work out a solution or a way forward. That’s why it’s important that colleagues feel able to approach leaders. And that leaders have space to reflect – They don’t always have to have the answer. And that’s ok.
This week, let’s lift each other up with encouragement and praise, but recognise that toxic positivity is also damaging. Look for opportunities to listen to colleagues, but attempt to keep things in perspective and respond with compassion. Have a great week all.
On Mother’s Day 2020 I was given a paddle board. As someone who is not particularly confident in water, this may have seemed like a slightly ominous choice of gift. However, I absolutely love using it and the more I’ve spent time on it, the more I’ve been struck by how it is a perfect analogy of educational leadership. So what has paddle boarding taught me about leading a team?
To others it may look easy, but until you are there you don’t know
Before I had ever paddle-boarded, I watched others out gracefully gliding along the water and thought how simple it looked. ‘I have good balance,’ I thought to myself. ‘I could easily do that.’ Turns out its not as easy as it looks and there’s a bit more to it. Where to position your feet. What to look at when trying to stand up. Using your weight to help manoeuvre the board. We are oblivious to these as those paddle boarding usually make it look easy. I wonder how often this is the case in leadership? From the outside leadership can seem easy. Like an iceberg, good leaders bear the weight of their team but often present themselves professionally to avoid showing the full extent of the pressure. Perhaps others wonder what leaders do with themselves all day if they don’t have a huge teaching commitment. Maybe team members question why decisions can’t be made more quickly. Or maybe we still suffer from a culture in which leaders don’t always appear to get their hands dirty. All of these might contribute to the thinking that leadership ‘looks easy’ or that ‘’anyone can do it.’ However just as I discovered with paddle boarding, it’s all very well looking in from the outside, but as Theodore Roosevelt’s ‘man in the arena’ speech reminds us…
Context is key
I wouldn’t just launch my paddle board into any open water without surveying it first. It’s important to know the situation you are going in to. What temperature is it? Where are the rocks? Are there any currents? What about the tide? Water is highly changeable. No two experiences of open water are the same. It’s important to assess each new opportunity in a way which takes into account the unique challenges and context of the environment, even if you’ve paddled there before. How similar this is to leading a team? It would be foolish to think that the initiative you are keen to introduce will work because you’ve seen it work elsewhere. But it’s important to remember the uniqueness of each educational setting – the individual staff, the learners, the history, the community, the learning environment – each has their own set of values, motivations and boundaries. Taking time to know your context is absolutely vital to ensure the best fit for your setting. A buy product of this is that even if the initiative does not go to plan, the trust which you build in your leadership during that initial period will help to achieve buy-in and drive within the team to work together to implement.
Stand up leadership
Pushing out the paddle board into the water and getting deep enough to stand. Feeling the water support you as you glide on your knees out from the shallows. From kneeling to standing takes bravery, confidence, determination and a belief that you can do it. That moment when you focus on the horizon in the distance and put your balance to the test. It’s all very familiar to the emotions we often feel as leaders. Can I do this? Will I be ok? Am I brave enough? Do I have the strength? From those initial first footsteps into leadership, to becoming more confident in your abilities but still doubting yourself. It’s about being brave. It’s about believing in yourself. It’s about a strong focus on where you want to go ahead but cautiously and carefully inspiring your team to the point where they want to travel with you.
Where the wind blows
This morning I spent a considerable amount of time looking at wind forecasts to predict what time of day might be best to go out on my paddle board. The wind is a big factor in this sport. The same wind speed can create very different conditions depending on your direction of travel. It can make things much easier for you in one direction yet on the return it can blow against you and make things really hard work. Similarly, in leadership we will encounter moments which guide us towards the best way forward and people within teams who make life easier. However, sometimes we may be leading within blowy conditions; feeling like we are working against the wind and being battered head-on. This might also be apparent in individual situations which involve being in the middle of two demanding and opposing sides of the same team. Again a clear understanding of where we are going and why, the humility to change direction if required and the ability to fall down sometimes and admit defeat are all hugely useful in both paddle boarding and leadership alike.
Mercy
No matter how good a paddle boarder you are, you are still at the mercy of the weather and the water. Tides, currents, and changing weather can, very quickly, wreak havoc on even the most experienced water sports enthusiast. We have no control over these elements, and if they suddenly decide to turn, the only thing we can do is react skilfully. The same is true in leadership. Yes there are many things within our control as leaders. But it would be foolish to think we can control everything. Much of the time we are dealing with humans – pupils and staff, parents and the community – and we have very little control over them. Other things thrown at us which are completely out-with our control. What good leaders demonstrate consistently, is the expert ability to control their own response to others and situations. Our reaction to difficulties and challenges mark out the type of leader we are.
It’s all about Balance
You’ve mastered the standing up. Now to stay up and make some progress. In paddle boarding, and leadership, this all about balance. Your strength and experience will only take you so far. Physically, on the water and metaphorically in leadership. Balance is key. Being able to stay professional and human. Being gentle and strong. Caring personally, and challenging directly. Working hard but knowing when to rest. All of these require careful balance.
Falling gracefully
And without our doubt, you will fall in. You’ll reach your paddle too far, lean over much, take your eyes off the horizon or a wave will catch you off guard. Before you know it you are knocked for six, winded and underwater. In fact, you should attempt to fall in early on so as you know how to recover and get back on to your board again. And the same goes for leadership. There will be days where you are caught off guard. Times when you lose focus on where you are going. Weeks when tiredness from too much paddling into the wind finally gets you. It’s ok to fall. It’s good to fall. Sometimes a refreshing dip is what we need to clear our heads and realign our vision. It’s the getting back up again which is the most important part. It’s hard to heave your bodyweight onto the board, especially if there are others watching as you attempt to get back on as gracefully as you can. But that’s where the learning happens. It’s where the character building, the strength and the resilience which I’ve seen in successful leaders comes from.
I hope to get out on my paddle board again this week. Any excuse to develop my leadership! Have a great week everyone.
Due to a combination of timetabling and staff absence caused by the pandemic, in the last 6 months I’ve taken more cover classes than I probably have in my whole career. Initially, I was excited by the opportunity to get out and about in the school, meeting staff and pupils. I marvelled at how much of my own work I could get done during all this time ‘covering’ classes. Then I became frustrated by how little I was actually achieving each week whilst sat in various different rooms around the school.
But then I realised that I quite enjoy the experience of being in different subjects and learning new things, so over the last few weeks I’ve tried to flip my mindset to one which recognises the potential impact a cover teacher can have. For some young people, this interaction with a substitute teacher, despite only being for a short time, will be hugely influential. Seeing this role as crucial to not only the daily logistical running of the school, but also in providing safety and security for our pupils to learn effectively when they face disruption to teaching.
Here are my thoughts on how to survive and thrive as a cover teacher.
Consistent high standards
It might not be your classroom, or your usual pupils, but all the more reason to lean into the consistency of whole school expectations. Please don’t assume that because it’s a ‘cover lesson’ anything goes. Burying your head at your computer, while ignoring the chaos unfolding in front of you does nothing to help you or the class teacher on their return. Ensuring learners are clear from the very beginning of the lesson of what you expect – high standards of work, uniform, no mobile phones, excellent behaviour – will all set the tone for the lesson. You role is vital in creating the culture of the school. If pupils think things slip when they don’t have their normal teacher very quickly they will push the boundaries and the next cover teacher will have a harder time. We’re all in this together. It’s not a case of trying to win favour by letting pupils sit and do nothing. Pupils will ultimately have respect for the teacher who ensures a calm, safe and respectful learning environment.
Never assume you’ll get your own work done.
If you were timetabled a class to teach in your own subject, you wouldn’t be getting on with marking while they worked away in silence. You would be teaching. Explaining. Modelling. Questioning. Checking for understanding. So do the same in a cover lesson. Now you might not be an expert in the subject, in fact some of it especially in senior school might be incredibly complex. However use the pupils expertise and get them to teach you what the know. Try not to become frustrated about what you ‘could’ be spending this time doing. Instead, focus on how to get the best from the learners. What support and encouragement can you give them to help them succeed?
You get what you give
I always feel far more satisfied leaving a cover lesson when I’ve engaged with the young people, learned some new names and felt useful. You might not have been the subject expert their own teacher is, however if you’ve made an effort to support their learning, the chances are they’ve made more progress than they would have had you got on with your own work. I’ve surprised myself by writing out maths examples on the white board to help pupils stuck with factors. Although I do have an A in Higher maths, I struggled to remember how it all worked, but together we got there. Your uncertainty can be a great stimulus to question young people – ‘Where should this be?’ ‘Why?’ ‘What happens if I do this?’ Forcing then to explain their reasoning and justification. Setting work and then explaining that we will go over it together is a good way to encourage pupil accountability as they know you might call upon them to explain. The more you give to the pupils, the more you’ll get out of them and the lesson.
If it’s too complicated to explain, it’s probably too complicated to leave as cover work.
I’m sure we’ve all been there. Trying to type up cover work to leave for an imminent absence. Sometimes I’ve got myself tied in knots trying to write out instructions and explanations of what pupils should do. Yes you might be keen that pupils move on with the work as you had planned, but think about what is best for them. And the teacher covering the class. Teaching new content, or lessons which require lots of equipment or organisation are generally not the best cover lessons. Instead, retrieval practice, reviewing material which has already been covered or practising a technique which has already been taught, tend to be simple yet effective as lessons to be lead by a non-subject specialist. The other benefit of this type of lesson is that because content is being reviewed, there should be a relatively high success rate. Not only is this improving learners understanding but it is also helping to motivate them as they begin to build confidence in their success.
Improvise
Unfortunately sometimes there requires an element of improvisation. Having some great Ted talks, iPlayer documentaries or team building games can be handy to have up your sleeve. Hopefully you won’t ever have to call upon them, but it helps you feel in control and prepared in case the need presents itself. I remember as a pupil, a guidance teacher stood in for my regular maths teacher one day and did a brilliant ad-hoc lesson on aspirations for the future. She got us all to discuss and write down our 10 hopes for the future. I stuck that piece of paper on my pinboard in my bedroom until I was at least twenty and it became ingrained as a kind of daily reminder of my ‘why?’ I’ll never forget that lesson with Ms Owens – something so simple can have a profound effect on young people.
Be prepared
Some pencils, rubbers and paper are handy to take with you, just in case. You probably won’t need them, but again you can feel confident that you don’t have to get stressed trying to find simple things in a room you don’t know, while pupils procrastinate getting themselves started. It’s these transition points that can set the tone for the lesson, so allowing for minimal fuss and disruption at the start really helps to ensure a focussed and productive start to the task. Another handy thing to make sure you have a note of is a phone list. I have mine stuck into the front of my planner so that I’m always able to make a call if needed. Again you probably won’t need to, but it will help you to feel confident to know you have it at your finger tips if you need it.
As everyone working in schools knows, when teaching staff are absent, it has huge implications. In one day, secondary teachers may impact 100 pupils through the course of 6 periods. Therefore this absence is felt far more in a school than the absence of a member of SLT who may have minimal teaching contact. For the pupils of this teacher, the disruption and anxiety caused by the change of routine, lack of familiarity and uncertainty can be hugely daunting. This is particularly pertinent during these difficult Covid times. However ensuring consistency, whole school routine and shared culture can go a long way to support these pupils effectively during cover lessons. Yes it would be nice to get some stuff done. But ultimately what difference will it make to the learners in front of you?
In your next cover lesson, embrace the learning. Look out for those struggling with the change of routine. And do your best to support the young people. I guarantee you will feel more fulfilled than spending the period constantly telling pupils to be quiet and stressing about how little you have achieved.
