Tag Archives: head

My Review of the brilliant #TLAB13

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First off – the longest, most intense, most intellectual, most practical and most challenging Day Conference I think I have ever been to, which to me makes it also the best I have ever been to.

I have read several attendees’ blogs, and indeed sat next to some of them, but I’m not able to function particularly well like that – tweeting is as much as I can cope with! To that end, this post is simply a summary of my tweets for the day – I hope no-one minds! I’ve added and annotated where appropriate! I also find that I tend to remember only what I have recorded if I do so. These then are my permanent reminders:

 

Alistair Smith – 50,000 chunks (link to keynote slides, and also, quite brilliantly, his initial slidenotes)

Nutshell: Beware the OFSTED Whisperers, when is an OFSTED 1 a Real 1, what good leaders do, what good schools do.

Learning behaviours for infants

(Photo of Slide – I Tweeted this and it got a lot of RTs and Favourites – it clearly hit a nerve!)

Most lesson plans I see are elaborate to do lists.

I agree with this, but only because, isn’t that what they are? Isn’t a recipe a to do list? His point however was more than that – I took it that we can’t just tick things off and think they are done – we need to keep going back to them again and again.

There is a perception that expertise is a function of time.

This was at the beginning but really resonated. Many years service does not make you a better teacher than the NQT teacher next door. In fact, they’re probably better, according to Dylan Wiliam. I have been driving for 14 years – I don’t think I am improved immeasurably as a driver despite this. The point was this – Deliberative Practice – my mantra. He also had a great perception of hexagons – the knowledge is on the shapes, but the skill is seeing how they join together.

(A longer blogpost by @dailydenouement can be found here.)

 

David Didau – Ofsted Whisperer – The Anatomy of an Outstanding Lesson

Nutshell: Use music, Marking is planning, don’t overplan activities, don’t accept not finished, vary the depth of your questions

‘Sapere aude!’ – dare to know!

A very good session from a Secondary English teacher and writer on what he does to make his lessons sing. He is clearly thoughtful in his approach, and there was lots to get from this as a Primary Specialist. His blog is very good too. Found on Twitter as @LearningSpy.

It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to get permission.

David’s session showed how he measured the optimum level of deliberative practice he gets his students into, as well as revealing a brilliant questioning chart to get deeper understanding from his students. He has high expectations, which the children are aware of, and strive to achieve. He also plugged a brilliant tool the Learning Event Generator, to skip the hassle of making an activity. Find the free online version here.

 

Bill Lord – Change as a Head

Caveat – Bill and I are friends. He has been very supportive of me, and I in turn have leeched from him the various experiences he has had as a Head since he started. I one day hope to reciprocate the friendship.

Nutshell: Try everything, take risks, ground everything in work, make your philosophy relevant, be honest and true to yourself

What the eleven year olds do the four year olds do.

Everything is fair in Bill’s school. I love the idea of a flat curriculum!

School motto ‘Reveal your inner star’ (child-created)

This is part of a motto, and are actually on all the staff identity Lanyards. Created by children themselves, as Bill says ‘If we don’t live it, they don’t love it.’ I’m very taken with the Smile Inside concept, and I think Bill’s work here is great. Or rather, his pupils’ work.

2 ‘classes trialling 2 terms without any displays as action research’

Bill confessed that although he read up on things, his staff were taken with him, rather than reading independently. To that end he is involving them in Action Research, and his staff will be all the richer for it too! I hope I am this brave and ambitious when/if a Head.

Kill the cult.

 

 

Bill Lucas – What is Intelligence?

Nutshell: Change your perceptions, research more, join us, intelligence is flexible, mindset is key, what type of learner are you

Split-Screen teaching – objectives are both knowledge and ‘learning habits of mind’ straddled (paraphrased)

This was the middle Keynote, and despite being the most grounded in terms of reference and research architecture, there was a strong amount of ‘noise’ on Twitter regarding some of the things that Bill Lucas said. I for one enjoyed the Keynote, I liked the focus (one of personal interest), and I think that a growth in Research papers from teachers is a natural offshoot of the more organic nature of Pedagoo and Teachmeets.

I *think* that he has some books out, and perhaps next time, he might want to mention this in his presentations…

 

David Rogers – Guerilla Geography

Nutshell: Geography designed by The Beastie Boys. Anarchic yet brimming with ideas, possibilities and concepts. If I’d been taught by this team, I’d be teaching Geography now.

Two phrases of #genius in Geography lessons – ‘prove it’ and ‘so what’

I loved this session. David has a team of three and takes them on an Away Day to get them excited and inspired for the coming year! I think this is BRILLIANT. He also is challenging and subversive, but in the best way. Learning is active and exciting to him, and so should be for the children. This was the most untheoretical of the sessions today; lots of fun and very practical!

 

Bill Rankin – Light and Heat

‘the non measurable stuff is the more important and more valuable stuff’ – (paraphrased, my interpretation)

Nutshell: What is best for where we are now, classes are largely passive, schools have become monocultures, make your learning alive, use the world as your classroom, I make beautiful slides

You know one of those situations when you are glad you made the right choice? I was sorely tempted to go home and miss this last Keynote – I’d had a busy week, and my brain was feeling veeeeeery tired at this point, but I felt compelled to not miss out on what had already been a great day. I am so glad I did. Bill was a fascinating speaker on a great range of topics. He spoke with interest and confidence, yet was very humble in his authority. I really felt warmed by his call to arms. I think (hope) that I live his dream, but found it encouraging anyway!

 

All credit to Nick Dennis and his team for putting together something so interesting, professional and yet very relaxed and fun. It was a celebration of what is good in Education, as 300 people sitting in a lecture hall at 4pm would be testament to. Thank you Nick, Rebecca and Berkhamstead for letting us ‘Pedageeks’ invade!

Why did it all go so quiet?

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I have been surprised by the lack of blogging and tweeting I have carried out in the past two months, and yet I know the reason why – a new job. It is a new role to me, and I am making every effort to make it my own as quickly and as easily as possible, and thought I would share some of the experiences I have gone through in this change.

1. I can still be myself.

My level of involvement and enthusiasm in all things remain the same, and in fact, a large part of the charm that comes with being a Deputy Head is that I have even more opportunity to have a positive influence on staff, and therefore, the children in my care. This is incredibly important to me, and at the same time, quite relieving.

2. I listen better than I thought I would.

It is only in this role that I have really fully appreciated how much people need to be heard – parents, staff, managers. To identify that voice is one thing, and to act on it is another, but the first crucial step is simply to be willing to listen to others. We sent out a school survey, and to date have had a 45% response rate, which is to my mind very impressive. While it is enormously gratifying to hear what we are doing well, and acknowledge that we can make progress in other areas, one particular strain of response was unexpected; several parents were grateful they were even being asked what they thought! It is wonderful to know that I am providing an outlet for their thoughts.

3. The curve is far steeper but much more enjoyable than I’d imagined.

I genuinely do enjoy learning, but even so, the rate I have had to learn new routines, faces, skills and policies has given me a new-found admiration for staff in new senior positions. It is so exciting to discover new ways to achieve goals, and (again) make a positive impact trough cascading advice, support and guidance.

4. The children remain the same.

This is, to me, a no-brainer. I have watched other managers avoid children the further they climb the career ladder, and was frankly terrified that it might happen to me. I am hugely relieved that I am still able to maintain a high level of teaching contact with children, and they delight me on a daily basis.

I am working with a fantastic team of teachers, and my only major concern is that they don’t really recognise just how good they are! Hopefully that will change, come January’s INSET…

It is only fair to try and share some of what I have learnt with the small audience my blog has, and only hope that it is helpful to someone out there! In short, I promise to blog more!