Before The End Draws In…

welcome classroom

Part of this reflective blogging opportunity has been commenting on and reading other blogger’s posts. I have been very open with my incredibly supportive project lead about how anxious and at times inadequate I have felt around posting my progress (or lack thereof) and thoughts, and often this has led to a bit of a backlog of my posts.

Due to this, today I wanted to do something a little different and shout out the three teacher leaders in my region whose journeys I have learned the most from.

  1. Miss Harvey – Blairgowrie High School – Performance Anxiety

What is it about? This enquiry is about the effects of performance anxiety on young people in music and what strategies could perhaps be imbedded in learning to promote a calm mind before performing.

What did I learn? This might honestly sound crazy but I had never really considered how big an impact things like performance anxiety could have on a pupil’s actual performance and their wellbeing. Miss Harvey created a number of starters for her class to enhance the space they are in before they perform and they look excellent.

Can I use it in my own teaching? Absolutely! We do solo talks all the time and performance anxiety is a huge deal, I definitely need to be more aware of it. Perhaps adopting a similar approach to Miss Harvey will make my pupils perform significantly better during talk assessments.

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2. Mr Stuart – Harris Academy – Sketchnoting

What is it about? This enquiry is about using sketchnoting not only to support pupils in anchoring information but also as a revision guide and using them where possible to assess understanding.

What did I learn? I sometimes encourage sketchnotes among the young people I teach but I was inspired by someone using them in a more consistent manner and having quantifiable evidence as to their benefit.

Can I use it in my own teaching? Absolutely again! I am very excited to see if I can assess understanding of something like the plot, character and themes of a text based on a pupil’s sketchnote. I will have to reflect on the best way to introduce this for clarity of learning.

3. Mrs V’s Leadership Journal – Kinross High School – Co-constructing Feedback

What is it about? How co-constructing feedback can lead to higher engagement and attainment in pupil responses.

What did I learn? A really interesting approach to engaging pupils with their feedback particularly for pieces of work where there is an indication of where marks are awarded and lacking.

Can I use it in my own teaching? I am very excited to use this in my own teaching as a method of teaching 10 mark answers in the Set Text Paper or RUAE questions. I think this will really allow pupils to see where they miss easier marks in particular.

 

2 thoughts on “Before The End Draws In…”

  1. Hi Becky! I’ve just been catching up with your recent posts. It really has been a difficult year and one affecting so many people in different ways. You do seem to be quite harsh on yourself at times and maybe you will also appreciate your own efforts and qualities more in the months ahead! Enquiry is often messy and it often doesn’t pan out in a way we originally envisaged. And that’s ok! I love your idea of identifying teachers who have a particular skill or interest which they could share with colleagues. A collaborative approach, rather than a competitive one, is such a positive route to go down. And what a great idea, to highlight what you have enjoyed in other people’s posts.

  2. What a lovely idea! So nice to sum up what other people have worked so hard on.
    I have really enjoyed reading your posts and think what you have achieved is really worthwhile.

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