I’ve recently been dipping into a new(ish) website called Staffrm where teachers share their thoughts and experiences. There are some really inspirational posts and discussion in the comments and it comes across as a very supportive environment to air ideas and shape them into a reality. I first got on to the site via David Rogers whose blogging I have followed for a number of years and Jo Debens whose post on leadership I’ve linked to here
I have just finished reading Mindset by Carol Dweck. The book focuses on the fixed and growth mindsets and how each type of mindset means different reactions to different situations. A fixed mindset person would make excuses for their failings where as a growth mindset person will see each failing as a chance to learn and improve. Some of the examples used were John McEnroe who had a fixed mindset,hence his behaviour on court, and Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the best basketball player ever, who has a growth mindset.
I found myself to have a fixed mindset in certain situations and a growth mindset in others. Over the next few weeks and months. I am going to try and look at each situation, criticism or failing as a chance to grow and develop myself as a learner and person.
This will be difficult as criticism or failing can sometimes be seen as personal or seen as an attack on your abilities.
I plan to introduce a more growth mindset approach into my classroom by modelling a growth mindset approach to problems and difficulties that may arise and also by the feedback I provide. To promote a growth mindset, it is crucial that you feedback honestly to students, so that they can be coached into realising how they can improve. A growth mindset can also be promoted through praise. Instead of praising a students ability “well done you finished that quickly you must be smart” which promotes the thought process ‘if I cant do it quickly then I’m dumb’, the alternative is to praise the effort and process leading to the outcome, “that’s really good, you must have worked hard”, this allows the thought process to relate working hard with good work.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book as it made me think about my own mindset and challenged me to change myself and my teaching practice. I would recommend the book to anyone who loves to learn.
Joe McNee
On Friday 5th June I attended a conference examining community resilience and how it is incorporated in to the curriculum. This area has been given a higher profile following the release of the Learning for Sustainability documentation that was the basis for the Learning Directorate’s visit to Inveralmond in April this year. Community resilience is examining ways in which schools encourage learners to take a more active role within their communities and how they could aid the response after events such as flooding, power cuts or rapid spread of disease – all of which are possible across large swathes of Scotland in the coming years.
The conference was a mix of presentations given by practitioners who have been early adopters of this new context for learning and professionals from various bodies who wish to promote community resilience (such as RNLI, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Save the Children and SEPA) and round table discussion in groups (taken from both educational and wider settings). The main thrust of these conversations was to examine what currently goes in schools which could be classified as community resilience and how do outside agencies best engage with schools to put across the benefits and assistance that they can provide to aid the implementation of this.
From these discussions, it became clear that the idea of community resilience would sit very well in a number of places within the secondary curriculum. Within traditional subject areas there is scope for examining previous responses to events such as flooding and the methods employed to reduce the impact within Geography and the Sciences. The organisers, primarily Eilidh Soussi from Education Scotland who has been seconded to the role of developing community resilience across Scotland, have provided a range of ideas with associated links to curricular areas for those interested.
Where community resilience as a context for learning may be more appropriate in Inveralmond’s setting would be in the inherent opportunities for interdisciplinary learning afforded by the context of flooding or other local issues. Similarly, the scope for community working with businesses and partner agencies would perhaps lend itself to accreditation in a wide range of awards (such as Saltire, Citizenship, Duke of Edinburgh or CREST) through volunteer work across a year and aiding the development of skills for learning, life and work. There is certainly a lot to think about regarding how to continue our understanding of Learning for Sustainability and the wider incorporation of its ethos within and across the curriculum.
Stephen Small
Today I had the pleasure of attending the BOCSH conference on teaching and learning held at Inveralmond. It was a privilege to be able to meet and engage with such inspirational practitioners examining a wide range of areas of practice. The highlights for me were as follows:
Tracking and Monitoring across the BGE: This session was led by Faith Bateman from St. Andrew’s HS in Glasgow and examined how the Social Subjects faculty had worked collaboratively to moderate assessments to ensure standards were consistent. They are already engaging with RAG as terms for progress and involving learners in conversations to track their progress against both skills and SAL (this was reflected in a later presentation by Joanne Ramsay from St. Joseph’s Academy in Kilmarnock who had some very interesting ideas for how to aid learner reflection). They are looking at creating a ‘Standard for St. Andrew’s’ folder to use as a teaching aid to allow learners to see what would constitute a level 4 piece of work before embarking on a task. There was plenty of discussion around moderation and both the benefits and issues of this as a task now requiring embedding within BGE practice.
I also attended a short presentation on the notion of ‘flipped classrooms’ led by Jade Hunter from Preston Lodge HS Maths department. She has been experimenting for around a year and a half with colleagues on how to best implement a flipped approach, focusing on an existing two year Higher class to do this. She has created a series of 5 to 7 minute presentations which are held on a department website. Learners access these the night prior to a lesson and can then get started immediately on activities and extension tasks for the most able. Any pupils who do not complete this have access to the materials in class, allowing more attention for those prepared and ready to go. There does seem to be a fairly high front-loaded component to the preparation of this approach but would reduce some preparation in the longer term and has led to increased engagement within the classes being piloted.
Overall, it was an incredibly inspiring day and it is clear that the BOCSH group has a lot to offer those wishing to consider emerging approaches and effective and inspiring ways to engage learners and bridge the gap.
Stephen Small
Funded and part funded Postgraduate professional learning opportunities with University of Stirling Information Session Wednesday 27th May St. Margaret’s Academy 4.15pm
Dr Valerie Drew from the University of Stirling will outline the structure of the new MSc Professional Education and Leadership programme and Postgraduate Certificate pathways enrolling for Autumn 2015.
Valerie will outline the various options available to meet individual professional learning interests and career aspirations including the Postgraduate Certificates in Extending Professional Practices, Curriculum, Middle Leadership and Coaching and Mentoring.
Options are available for participants who already hold Postgraduate Certificates or a Diploma including the SQH.
Information on how the new Postgraduate Certificate in Middle Leadership pathway links with the new Specialist Qualification for Headship will also be explored.
Details of the application process will be outlined during the session.
MSc Professional Education & Leadership – programme and pathways
Anyone wishing to apply is encouraged to attend the session and should contact me beforehand for further details regarding funding, etc.
Kind regards,
Ann McLean
Professional Update Development Officer
Ann.Mclean@westlothian.gov.uk
I have recently been reading ‘How To Come Up With Great Ideas and Actually Make Them Happen’ by Euan McIntosh. The book is primarily about how we, as teachers, engage in and with innovation and change within education. Euan’s background is as a teacher of Modern Languages in East Lothian, working as a National Advisor to the Scottish Government on learning and technology and as a Digital Commissioner for Channel 4. He is now CEO of ‘No Tosh’, a consultancy firm seeking to guide educators through the process of being creative and design thinking, taking lessons from the creative industries and applying them to an educational setting.
Through my initial reading of the book there are some central themes that come across as relevant and incisive given the current climate in Scottish education of development, innovation and change
Stirling University school of education is currently piloting an innovative module which is funded by the Scottish Government. Ten places are available for teachers from West Lothian. “We are offering an opportunity to participate in an introductory module ‘Engaging critically with professional practices’ (30 credits SCQF Level 11) which is part of the MSc Professional Education and Leadership programme in the School of Education.
This is an ideal opportunity for a first engagement with Masters level learning in a collegial and supportive environment. You will be working with colleagues from other sectors, settings and local authorities to develop your critical engagement with educational policies and professional practices.”
Further details and the application form are attached.
Applications should be submitted by Friday 16th January.
Open EDUP01 advert West Lothian
Open EDUP01 application form West Lothian
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