Month: October 2017

Professional Skills and Abilities 2.2.2:  I… question, develop and account for practice in critically informed ways and provide an informed rationale for professional actions. GTCS Standard for CLPL.

After watching Chris Kilkenny at the STEP conference has given me a much better understanding of some of the issues children have or go through which can impact seriously on their ability and motivation to learn. I knew there were a few things that I wanted to improve in my teaching but wasn’t quite sure what would be my priority and if I did change/adapt/redesign some of my L&T, what would actually make some impact. During my career so far, I have always tried to develop independence in all my pupils, fighting through pressures to spoon feed pupils information to guarantee success and trying to create a culture of sustainable learning where pupils want to do well and achieve. After joining SCEL course, hoping it would  inform and guide my next steps.I much felt focused  and I realised my approach so far to develop independence is not correct.

With the attainment gaps being so significant in schools, this is not always the best way to go developing independence so I feel like I would like to investigate the strategies bridging the gap between pupil attainment and independence in my current school. My aim would be to provide ways in which every single pupil could develop independence without the requirement to use something of a cost which they may not have access. One aspect is how using new technologies could add to improved outcomes and increase attainment for my pupils. I’ve recognised that I’m out of touch with the interests of our young people particularly with such emphasis on social media and how digital technology could be used as an effective learning tool in the classroom. So for me, my itch will focus on how I can use specific active learning techniques such as goggle classroom, goggle form, interactive online targeted gaming technology, think, pair and share, blooms taxonomy etc.etc. Even I need to refresh my skills to use interactive whiteboard. I feel that this could also be achieved through collaborative learning and peer marking, mentoring programmes, lunchtimes café and building more sustained links with community based projects such as outdoor learning, after school games club for skill development in younger pupils.

Most of the pupils in my school come from right across the town where it is located. A number come from further afield or they have a placing request. Strathaven Academy is one of the high achieving school in South Lanarkshire council. It’s an interesting mix and the school serves a reasonably affluent community although there are some pupils across all year groups in the lower SIMD deciles (around 6%). Therefore, of course, we aim to cater for each of these pupils’ needs in our teaching. In Developing Scotland Young Workforce the school is committed to providing opportunities for all pupils to develop the skills and knowledge that will ensure successful progression beyond school. Throughout the curriculum pupils are encouraged to recognise and develop skills in communication, working with others, problem solving, literacy and numeracy. Pupils in S3 and S6 experience elective programmes that target work related skills, additional qualifications, and the development of leadership.

Our school motto is Shared ambition and aspiration. Working together, caring for all. I think I promote this motto in all aspects of my school life. My results, feedback from pupils and colleagues, promoting positive behaviour and positive class room ethos, involvement in activities out with the classroom. I have established links to the authority EAL contact and community working groups through my new initiative Eco committee.After attending growth mindset CPD my prospective to the pupils learning is changed. I believe that there are solutions out there – it’s just sometimes it’s harder to implement those solutions than others.

It is so important to have a support network in order to help meeting all pupils needs. Shanarri wheels and Wellbeing indicators are useful feedback tools to assess, to gather raw data. Document A 26—-refers to identified groups increasingly must address the socio – physiological health impact on many learners. There are increasing numbers of learners identified as requiring ASN. Behaviour support base, our learning support and staff with PEF roles is a skeleton staff. This is to ensure our pupils feel safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included.