A primary start to a secondary PGCE

Here is a reflection on primary school placement from one of the 2013-14 cohort of York University PGCE trainees.  At York, this placement begins the PGCE year.

My primary school, located in my hometown’s picturesque rural village, was the perfect start to an intense ITT year in York. Surrounded by a twelfth-century Church, grazing goats, and lively lambs, my school compelled a feeling of community and familiarity.  As I shook the hands of my previous Year 6 teacher and my former Year 4 teacher, I immediately felt at home – what a great first feeling before two weeks of little faces and very, very hard work!

For the benefit of my PGCE in secondary education, I was placed in the Year 6/5 group – a class amounting to thirty pupils. I was immediately impressed, albeit shocked, by their independence and ability to concentrate in their RRR time (Review, Reflect, Respond), History, and Maths. I deliberated whether this was a result of class mixing – a method increasingly employed in primary schools – or a result of the 6 ft 5” teacher dominating the classroom. As I reflected on Mr H’s excellent classroom management, as well as his positive relationship with each and every pupil, I came to the conclusion that it was both! I immediately perceived that the enthusiasm and encouragement projected throughout the classroom was the reason the children became engaged in learning. Mr H’s clear and instructive lesson plans and reassurance that each pupil would achieve something new that day, was the reason the children’s attention was retained. On the other hand…

…There was Class 4/3! As I had previously worked in a Year Six classroom for ten weeks, I decided some experience with younger students would add to my collection of experience in education – and didn’t it just! Within half a day I had been promoted from helper and observer to Teaching Assistant. Unlike the older pupils in the school, the children in lower Key Stage 2 were in desperate need of guidance and extra support. Personally, I have limited experience with SEN(D) pupils, so the demand placed on me by pupils working well below average and in need of constant attention was undoubtedly my greatest lesson from my primary school placement. I was asked to deliver a lesson to a sub-group in maths and guided reading, which were really rewarding experiences. The guided reading group in particular thoroughly enjoyed having the attention they would otherwise lack without additional classroom support – this taught me a great lesson about the value of extra support in a classroom. Mrs S had asked me to lead a reading discussion with the use of questions about their book; however, I realised their attention was wavering and their motivation was dire. Rather than dictate questions, I asked the pupils to question one another, using the cue cards I had been given. Every pupil immediately livened up, learned effectively, and smothered me with cuddles in excitement as they progressed as learners! The reading group taught me my greatest transferable skill; pupils of lower abilities respond positively when they feel responsible for their own learning.

Over the next week I had numerous flailing arms thrown around my legs as the pupils burst with pride at their achievements. I think it’s safe to say in those two weeks I received more cuddles than in all my twenty-two years on this planet – what an inspiring start!

 

Alex Barraclough, York PGCE Partnership 2013-14

Provision for able and interested students in York

Sarah Jackson spent her two week professional enrichment placement based at Manor CE Academy and visited other local schools.  She writes...

 

OFSTED have recently stated that bright children are being "systematically failed" by England's non-selective secondaries. These findings, however, were certainly untrue of the schools that I was lucky enough to visit during my two-week professional enrichment as part of my PGCE at the University of York. I had the opportunity to focus entirely on gifted and talented provision on a series of visits to a mixture of independent, academy and maintained schools, and therefore had the opportunity to compare practices and see what, if any, differences existed.

Certainly, there were certainly no opportunities for ‘coasting’, or as OFSTED puts it, “[treading] water” in any of the schools I visited. Rather, students were provided with inspirational teachers to develop their passion for learning, but also faced with challenging ideas, activities and questions to stretch them.  While there were differences in the basics of provision between the independent and state schools – in terms of class size and the general ability in each class – the nature of support for the gifted and talented was surprisingly similar throughout. Below are some of the common approaches that I came across, which could all be used within a mixed-ability classroom:

1. Creativity - Nearly all teachers that I observed provided opportunities for creativity within their lesson to challenge their ‘gifted and talented’ students. My own mentor simply provides the students with a set of objectives (for example, to show the differences between the suffragettes and suffragists and the reactions to these groups), and then sent students off fulfilling these objectives, giving them the option to address them in any format they chose. This allows the students to show off their abilities to their best: work produced including guides to becoming a suffragette and a suffragist, a newspaper article, and a video with a voice over. A similar approach was taken in other lessons that I observed: in a R.S. lesson choice was given to students about whether to write an essay or poem and then reflect on this in a piece of writing, and in another R.S. lesson in a different schools, students were challenged to create their own starter activity for their partner then to complete. This opportunity for flexibility, not only gives students the chance to ‘shine’, but also encourages them to feel more passionate about their learning as they can approach in a way that engages them most.

2. Independent thinking - This is also linked to another common theme that I found of learning being turned on its ‘head’ to challenge. Instead of the teacher giving the students the answers, students were given a problem to solve for themselves. For example, in a science lesson students were given the opportunity to design their own experiment to test for rusting. In another school, in an English lesson, students had to come up with their own criteria for what makes a good newspaper article, and then use this to peer-assess each other’s work.

3. Questioning - this was used unanimously in classes that I observed to stretch the most able. Teachers knew their students well, and aimed higher level questions at students that needed to be stretched, as well as getting students to develop their responses by further questions.  Students who asked questions, were answered with questions, and therefore as a result were able to come up with their own answers. This again turned the focus of the learning back onto the student.

4. Group work - students were given opportunities for testing their own learning through group work.  A panel of ‘gifted and talented’ Year 8 students told me they really enjoyed working within mixed ability groupings, as it gave them leadership opportunities, and therefore the chance to be in charge! Furthermore, many said they liked the opportunities that they got to coach and teach other students, as this enabled them to really test their own understanding. One of the teachers I spoke to also reflected on how to vary group work for different effects; sometimes she also ensures that ‘gifted and talented’ aren’t always in leadership roles, to allow them opportunities to develop their teamwork skills.

5. Extension tasks - Finally, in nearly all lessons, a series of extension tasks where often available, which stretched and challenged the most able. This varied from ‘extension questions’ at the bottom of worksheets to providing students with an opportunity to choose which themes of gothic literature they were going to search for in a text by putting them on a ‘difficulty’ scale (again providing students with choice). Furthermore, another teacher told me how she differentiates homework by providing different tasks to different students – sometimes even as simply as taking out the first 3 steps of a question, so the more able students are immediately challenged.

Gifted and talented work outside the classroom

Furthermore, in York, provision for the gifted and talented goes beyond the classroom. The ISSP project in York offers ‘gifted and talented’ students a real opportunity to not only be inspired but also to challenge themselves. Some KS3 students get the opportunity to challenge themselves with A-level standard Maths. Others get the opportunity to take part in an oral history workshop with real life war veterans. Among the students I talked to, there was a real excitement about these projects. At one school, I met with a group of about 20 students who all seemed incredibly keen to take part in the ISSP’s GCSE Latin programme. Furthermore I met with a student who was already part of the project: she relished the opportunities the project gave her to have a challenge outside school, despite having to give up several hours on a Monday evening to it.

It certainly seems to me therefore, that instead of ‘gifted and talented’ students being failed, by contrast, their educational needs are carefully addressed both within the classroom and outside it. This went beyond trying to get students to a certain level or grade: teachers wanted students’ to gain a passion for learning and for their subject through giving them opportunities to express their individual talents and flare. I finished my two weeks inspired; and I’m sure I was surrounded by students who felt the same.

Sarah Jackson, York PGCE History 2012-14

Professional enrichment: using drama, music and dance in secondary school teaching and learning.

Before you read this, it might be worth mentioning that Artis (the company I worked with) give their specialists onomatopoeic names - hence why each specialist's name is followed with a 'code name' in brackets! Mine was 'Bounce'.

 

As a Secondary History trainee teacher about to qualify, I was given the opportunity to complete two weeks of ‘Professional Enrichment’ in a school-based context of my choosing. As a former actress, this choice, for me, was simple: it had to be an organisation that synthesised creative arts with teaching, learning and professional development. Artis (www.artiseducation.com) immediately ticked all these boxes: through both its holistic approach (fusing drama, music and dance with school curricula, by sending specialists into schools and making excellent use of primary schools’ PPA time) and its Impact programme (focusing on providing training for teachers in how to unlock the potential of the arts in their classroom).

 

 

The power of the arts in education has been a subject of much debate, with the recent government-commissioned review, ‘Cultural Education in England’, finding it significantly enhanced teaching and learning (Henley, 2012). No surprises there – I’ve always embraced the arts in my practice and seen first-hand the benefits it has for pupils’ engagement and confidence (look here and here!). However, the review goes further - “The best performing schools bring Cultural Education practitioners into schools, alongside classroom teachers, to share their knowledge with pupils” (Henley, 2012, p. 8). I can think of no better description for Artis Specialists - both skilled practitioners in a range of creative arts, and trained by Artis in behaviour management, lesson planning and other aspects of pedagogy - than ‘cultural educators’.

 

However, secondary schools are hampered by the fact that they do not have PPA time to spare to facilitate regular programmes run by specialists. I wanted to use my Artis experience to observe and adapt their techniques, so I could use them in my practice as a secondary school history teacher – and share them with my colleagues. What I have learned can be used in the teaching of history, in pastoral care and across the school as a whole – in true Artis style, a completely holistic approach. 

 

In history, the arts can be used to develop complex, concept –based thought. Alex Kaye (Bash) got pupils at Beecholme Primary School using movement to explain how gravity changes between the Earth and space. Stuart Barter (Chime) used dramatic tableaus at St Paul with St Luke’s to demonstrate changing habitats through time. Inspired by these excellent sessions, I thought about how I could use this in history lessons - how about getting pupils to use facial expressions to create a living graph of reactions to a key event, to illustrate the concept of diversity?

 

The arts also promote engagement with literacy. Iryna Pizniuk (Snap) used ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as a stimulus for a market-based drama scene and a dance to Prokofiev’s ‘Montagues and Capulets’ with a Year 6 class at St Anne’s Primary School. ‘Disguising’ learning in this kinaesthetic way effectively engages pupils who find it a struggle.

 

More widely, the benefits the arts have on personal development can be used effectively as a pastoral tool to ease the transition from primary to secondary school. Compiling the proposals for Artis’ summer programmes was inspiring – they use the arts and group work together to ‘break the ice’ between pupils in new Year 7 cohorts, as well as developing the foundations of key PLTS skills that they will need throughout their secondary school education. As a Year 7 form tutor next year, with my own Year 7 Induction Day coming up, this insight was invaluable and I will incorporate it into my pastoral planning in the new academic year.

 

Although some may fear that the freedom that creativity brings and excellent pupil behaviour are mutually exclusive, my experiences with Artis have shown this is not the case. Through integrating classroom routines, such as ‘silent signals’, Tarika Hidayatullah (Wiggle) at St Bernadette’s RC Primary had the whole (rather challenging) class under her spell! This links to another whole-school issue surrounding the use of the arts – co-operation between staff is crucial in linking creativity to the curriculum to really enhance teaching and learning. Charlotte Farmar (Chortle) at Singlegate Primary had incredibly detailed lesson plans, which had come about as a result of her relationships with the school’s teachers (and her own hard work and research!). She also demonstrated one of the most impressive qualities of Artis Specialists – their constant desire to reflect and improve – by asking me for feedback and taking some of my suggestions on board.

 

My two weeks with Artis have been invaluable for my development as a creative teacher of history, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the Artis team and all the specialists who have made these two weeks so useful and memorable. I’ll really miss being ‘Bounce’!

 

References

 

Henley, B. 2012. ‘Cultural Education in England’. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/77941/Cultural_Education_report.pdf

Laura Horton, York PGCE History trainee 2012-13.  You can read Laura's own blog at: www.educatingwolsey.blogspot.co.uk

Fun and learning at Beningborough Hall

York University PGCE English and History students spent a happy day at Beningborough Hall -  experimenting.  With the shackles of precise learning objectives removed and thrown into an unfamiliar environment, the challenge was to work together to use the house - and include drama.  With the help of some great costumes, the expertise of our house guide John and the adrenaline caused by perhaps being seen by members of the public, the students produced some engaging and varied work.  More importantly, a vast range of ideas about learning had been triggered by the day.  Discussions ranged widely from the potential for cross-curricular collaboration, to the reinforcement of learning by being active in the house after hearing the history, and from the use of portraits to stimulate literary creativity to the potential for really engaging with change and continuity.

https://docs.google.com/a/york.ac.uk/file/d/0B4z2aBtp4NTtTVRiMDNxUllQVkU/edit

An overview of the Tudor period for new teachers

Joshua Crosby and Laura Horton podcast about the Tudor period.  They provide an overview to help teachers who have little knowledge of this period to see the wood for the trees.  They then discuss where the Tudors could fit into a scheme of work and the way that teachers can progress their students' understanding of the discipline of history through studying 16th century England.  They specifcially discuss issues of progress from the common primary school approach to the Tudors.  They suggest specific enquiries.  For example, using Tudor propaganda to progress understanding of historical interpretation. Not just the portraits and engravings, but also some of the personal letters, which are complex but, if acted out first, students can be scaffolded to understand the meat in them.  They point out that there is lovely detail in the early days of the printing press, for example in Foxe's Book of Martyrs.  They also make the link to the work in English lessons on Shakespeare and they use glossaries to help with complex words.  A recommended source is the National Archives.  Also, university linked students can get free access via Athens into State Papers online, an encylopedia of all the correspondence ever sent.  There are excellent exhibition catalogues too e.g. from the major galleries and museums. 
What are the merits of learning this period?  Laura explains how the Tudor period is important in order to understand the foundations of modern Britain.  There are also points of resonance, such as in the use of propaganda and celebrity.  They both raise the issue of contextualising the Shakespeare period and the cross-curricula nature of this. The possibilities of exploring the Tudor period using Shakespeare as a source are also discussed.
Laura expands in detail about how the Tudor period helps progress with the key concepts and processes.  She would take a variety of sources as the basis of a scheme of work on the Tudors.  Her developing enquiry work in this area is about challenging misconceptions about them.  For example, debunking popular statements about Elizabeth using evidence.  She wants to work with the pupils misconceptions, not give them other peoples.  Crucial to this are activities to recreate a church, a court etc via role play to make sure that they have the necessary sense of period to make sense of the specific historical learning. For example, so that pupils understand the King was inaccessible to most people and the consequences of this.  She also plans to use several everyman chararacters as a vehicle for progressing knowledge about continuity and change throughout the period. 
A self-confessed Tudor geek, Laura gives a final flourish about why Wolsey is her hero! 

 

With thanks to Joshua Crosby and Laura Horton, PGCE History students 2012-13

PODCAST TO BE UPLOADED SHORTLY
 

Laura Horton encourages a passion for history in her pupils by using simulations

The most dangerous trainee of all time; or the use of simulation in the classroom!

By the end of my first week on main placement, rumours were rife in the corridors that an outbreak of the Black Death had hit the school – and rife in the staffroom that I had been in some sort of brawl the preceding weekend thanks to the purple marks on my face and neck that looked suspiciously like bruises. Was I, in fact, the least professional and most dangerous trainee the school had ever known?

The answer, of course, is no. It was my predilection for using costume, drama and simulation in the classroom that had caused all sorts of gossip in the school. I’d planned my first lesson with Year 7 about the causes and spread of the Black Death as a simulation, where they – as teams of medical experts – would follow learning objectives that were tailored to ‘curing my disease’ and preventing it from spreading around the school, whilst cunningly teaching them historical content and the skills of analysing cause and effect. I decided to dress up, by using red food colouring to create burst buboes, black lipstick to paint purple swellings on myself, and finally by pouring an entire pint of water over myself, in the minutes before I entered the classroom, to give myself a feverish-looking sweat (a note for those of you considering this – water does not mix terribly well with interactive whiteboards!)

This is quite an extreme example of ‘simulation’ in the classroom, and to some, the lines between this approach and ‘drama’ are blurred. The difference, though, lies in the roles given to pupils to ensure the whole class is participating to create the simulated scenario. In this instance, I was the victim and they were doctors, nurses and government health officials, each with a specific role in their table groups throughout the lesson to focus them on meeting the learning objectives. This is wholly different to drama, where often only a small proportion of the class (or just the teacher!) is in role. Additionally, in drama, participants are required to immerse themselves into a role, which reduces opportunities for meta-cognition and the subsequent focus on learning objectives. By using a simulation, both the function of the role, and the outcomes created in that role, are apparent to the pupil. For instance, as a doctor in this scenario, the pupil would know that the ‘function’ of their role was to achieve the learning objective of ‘identifying the symptoms of the Black Death’, and they would do this through accessing content relating to these symptoms. Other roles would match other learning objectives and the group could then feedback effectively to ensure everyone in the table group had met all of the objectives.

So why use simulation in the classroom?

Simulation has a wide range of benefits for teachers and pupils alike. The immersion in a fictional scenario inspires and motivates pupils – simply put, it’s exciting and probably different to any other lesson they will have that day! It’s memorable and engaging and thus can go a long way to strengthening your reputation as a teacher and impression on a class, helping to provide a positive classroom environment and thus promote good behaviour. Furthermore, this reputation for the kind of lessons you don’t want to miss tends to spread around the school (I always find it helps if you stand in the corridor to welcome pupils whilst dressed in some kind of outrageous costume)! Another benefit simulation can have for you and yourpupils is its structured nature, assigning pupils specific roles that match learning objectives. This can help you, and them, to measure their progress through assessment – in such a subtle way they will not notice they are doing it (for instance, an ‘emergency government meeting’ [in teacher language = verbal feedback] to discuss the causes and spread of the plague throughout Europe!) It suits a huge range of learning styles, as you can incorporate written, visual and kinaesthetic tasks into the simulation, as well as providing a comprehensive and well-structured plan for you as the teacher, where every pupil is participating. To meet the needs of all pupils, differentiation ‘by role’ is easy to achieve, and I often allow pupils to choose their own roles – this allows them to reflect on their strengths as a learner and take ownership of their learning. It can also help you to strengthen your relationships with other members of staff – through Health and Safety negotiations, but also the inclusion of Teaching Assistants in the simulation (by providing them with a plan in advance and an appropriate costume). Lastly, I felt the benefits reaching more widely than just the pupils and staff of the school at a Year 7 Parents’ Evening where I was greeted by one pupil’s parent with the slightly terrifying “I’ve heard about you…” – luckily, they’d heard only good things about how their 11-year-old son had become a doctor in my lessons with him, and wanted to thank me for engaging him in history!

So how could I use this in my classroom?: top tips and suggestions!

Tips for using simulation in the classroom

 

        Choose your scenario carefully – obviously avoid things that will be offensive such as a Nazi simulation.

 

        Do not over-use this as a classroom tool – firstly, they take absolutely ages to plan and resource, and secondly, the ‘novelty’ effect that makes these lessons so engaging will be lost if this is repeated every time you teach.

Do not break role for the whole lesson – once you’ve swept them up in the pretence it is easy to carry their attention, but when broken it’ll be hard to reconstruct.

To achieve this, you will have to plan for every instruction you give, or resource you give out, to be ‘themed’ along with the scenario. For instance, in my ‘Thomas Becket’ scheme of work, I would only address the class as ‘Detective [Surname]’ and all resources were themed to look like crime scene reports. We also placed sources into freezer bags and labelled them ‘exhibit 1/2/3 etc’ to mimic the real-life procedure that would take place – I strongly advise you to spare no detail. The more convincing the scenario, the more engaging it will be.

It is helpful to arrange the classroom in table groups of 4, mixing pupils with different skill-sets (creative, good at presenting, good at researching etc). This enables all pupils to have a fulfilling and engaging role.

You will probably have to invest a lot more time in planning and creating resources for this sort of lesson, especially if costumes are involved – I remember sitting in the staffroom frantically cutting up bedsheets to create my Pope costume, as I had underestimated the amount of time this would take. Leave yourself ample time!

Check with Health & Safety before you plan! – after planning to squeeze 30 Year 9s into a tiny kitchen in order to create an air raid shelter, I was told the night before the lesson that it would be too dangerous and breach Health & Safety policy. Cue frantic re-planning involving borrowing an enormous amount of blackout curtains from the Drama department and a very hectic period before the lesson attempting to set up an air raid shelter in the Learning Support zone!

Overall - careful planning is an absolute necessity. You, as the teacher, must have a clear idea of exactly what each ‘role’ will be achieving in terms of the learning objectives. Additionally, strict timing is necessary to ensure that progress is made and assessed.

When used effectively, simulation in the classroom can be an excellent tool for promoting pupil (and teacher!) engagement and enjoyment of lessons – ensuring that they make progress and that your relationship and classroom climate is positively strengthened. I’ll leave you with a list of suggested simulations, some of which I have tried to great effect and some of which I am aiming to use later in my career!

Suggested scenarios

Scenario	Teacher role	Pupil roles
Black Death	Victim	Doctor/nurse/government official/medical researcher
Medieval church	Pope	Cardinal/archbishop/bishop/priest
WW2 = Blitz	Air raid warden	Families (father/mother/children)
Henry VIII & the Reformation (this can be adapted to the court of any monarch studied!)	Henry VIII	Wolsey (Chancellor), More (Chancellor), Anne Boleyn, William Tyndale
French Revolution (fall of monarchy)	Louis XVI	Representatives of the Paris clubs (Jacobins, Cordeliers, Girondins, Hebertistes)
Cold War (Korean War, but could apply to any military event)	Commander-in-Chief at the Pentagon	General, Major, Colonel, Private
Feudal system	King	Lord/knight/peasant/priest
Treaty of Versailles	Secretary of the League of Nations	USA/France/Britain/Germany

… But the possibilities are endless!

Laura Horton is a PGCE History trainee with the York University PGCE Partnership, 2012-13.

Sarah Jackson teaches us the benefits of Edmodo

Edmodo: initially suspicious of a Facebook-like tool for classroom use, my ideas about Edmodo have been completely transformed.

Edmodo is an alternative method to Twitter of keeping in touch with your class, with much greater privacy. You create classes and each class will get a group code, which students can then use to sign up the site. If you want to, parents can also get a code to see what is going their child’s Edmodo page. You don’t need to worry about students using the site inappropriately as students can only send messages to the teacher or send public messages to the class wall, which ensures that all content written on Edmodo is education-related!

The ‘post’, ‘like’ and ‘comment’ features of Edmodo make it an incredibly useful classroom tool. With a quiet Year 10 class I used Edmodo to create a silent debate forum during class, where students had to respond to controversial quotes about women both from the modern and Victorian era, as an introduction to the ‘Women and the Vote’ topic for GCSE.  Students would ‘post’ for a new point, ‘like’ to express they agreed with point, or ‘comment’ to build on or argue against somebody else’s ideas. Edmodo worked really well in this context because you can track who has commented, and also question students further by commenting yourself. A usually hesitant class were then able to build off their ideas in the silent debate to then talk more confidently about the issues in the class.

Another important use of Edmodo is for setting an extended-writing homework or an assessment. You can use Edmodo to set assessments –which you can attach a video and the markscheme to explaining what they have to do (and perhaps giving them some useful tips), which is particularly useful for the more disorganised student as they don’t have to try to remember what you’ve told them in class. The student will get due dates for notifications on the site, and if they signed up with their email address (they get the choice) they will get an email notification that they’ve been set an assignment. Not only can teachers set work on here conveniently but they can also mark it easily on the website, as you just have to click and type to give feedback to students or use the highlighter tool to emphasis good or bad points in a written answer. Once the teacher has given their response, students will get a notification telling them their work has been marked. Students work will remain on the site for easy access to both you and them in the long term, so for example when they come to revise they can re-look at their work, without the risk of them having lost it.

There are also several other useful features of Edmodo. Each student gets a grade book from the assignments they have handed in, so as a teacher you can keep a track of their progress. Furthermore you can also use it as an useful AFL tool. You can set up quizzes so that you work out what areas of a topic students are struggling with, which will also feature on the mark book. You can send polls to students to use for student voice – or alternatively you could use this feature instead of ABCD cards at the end of the lesson. Furthermore, it also allows you to keep track of your class if you have set for example a reading homework, you can see which students have viewed the relevant pages.
Edmodo is therefore a useful classroom, organisational, and marking tool that can transform both student and teaching experiences.

Sarah Jackson
York University PGCE History student 2012-13

Iain Hinchley blogs about teaching with dyslexia

I’ve never been one for doing something the easy way. Which is convenient, since it often feels as if nothing is straightforward when you’re working with dyslexia. Teaching is exhilarating and rewarding at the best of times, perhaps with a healthy dose of frustration thrown in for good measure, and these are feelings that I have become familiar with ever since starting my own education.

However, I’ve long since moved past the stage of perceiving my dyslexia as a hindrance. Despite certain stigma’s attached to it, I stand here today very honest, very proud and, just sometimes, a little lucky to call myself dyslexic.

 

Why? Well I’m not going to claim that it has always been plain sailing.  There have been more than a fair few last minute running around in circles moments trying to make a blasted sentence just make sense, and how many of us have been there in a class using the white board only to have the entire class pull you up on some glaringly obvious mistakes? “Yes, well spotted everyone ‘Versialles’ is spelt incorrectly, good use of peer assessment!”  But honestly, these things don’t matter, not in the grand scheme. After all, I get to design the sort of creative lessons that I as a student would enjoy and get something from. Trust me during my own time at school these were few and far between at times. What is more, there has never been a better time to be dyslexic.  You only have to look at the multitude of technological and innovative opportunities which are accessible within schools these days.  So many can really make a positive impact on the learning of all students, especially those with dyslexia and other literacy and processing difficulties. 

Ultimately, the main reason I am proud and lucky to call myself dyslexic is because of the help and advice it allows me to bring to students. And I’m not just talking about useful strategies or clever uses of technology here.  Thankfully we work in a country where excellent teachers are trained to create teaching and learning strategies accessible to all groups of students. The help and advice I am referring to here comes on a more personal nature. As I mentioned earlier, being dyslexic can come with its own set of frustrations and I understand that, for some students, these frustrations can quickly feel like burdens when faced with a curriculum that, quite frankly, feels like it was never designed to support your strengths, but is ever so keen to highlight your weaknesses as constant failures. This can be highly demoralising, and is why I strive to promote to students that dyslexia does not have to be ‘put up with’ but is something that can be mastered. I am honest about my dyslexia, and I am supportive to those with it, because I truly believe that for individuals who do persevere with it, who are given the help to find coping strategies and methods to utilise and understand their strengths, dyslexia can become a blessing. Overcoming obstacles and learning from past mistakes becomes part of the daily course for dyslexics through education. As a result, you will find that for some students with dyslexia, perseverance, a never say die attitude and an eagerness to think outside of the box are traits which almost come as a second nature. When provided the personalised strategies, and the opportunity to understand and practice their own way of learning I believe every dyslexic student can learn to master their skills and unlock their potential.

The only failure comes from giving up, and I look forward to a career where I can help instil students with confidence in their ability and encourage them to think that despite dyslexia, or any other specific learning difficulty, they can achieve success inside and outside of school. For me that is the thrill of being a dyslexic teacher, that’s the possible reward.

Iain Hinchley

York PGCE History student

2012-13

Joshua Crosby sings the praises of the iPad in the classroom

Much like the millions of juveniles across the UK, I waited with baited breath to see what St Nicholas (the miracle-worker and bishop of Myra), in his Coca Cola re-branded reincarnation would bestow upon me this past Christmas. To my dismay, no iPad arrived down my soot-coated chimney (although I prefer the white/silver products, which would suffer considerably from this delivery method). The upshot of yet another tragic December was that I was forced to smash open my ceramic rabbit treasure trove and fork out a considerable expense for my iPad. To alleviate my unease at such a capital loss, I set about proving to my own soul that my recent purchase would pay dividends. I have heard that the Romans used tablets (tabula, -ae (f.)) for writing, which were far less costly and their doctores made good use of these for educational purposes. So what exactly is so extraordinary about this technological trinket?

iPads for Data

For a teacher, the iPad’s usefulness can broadly be divided into two distinct uses: data management tools and ICT media tools for classroom teaching. As a data management tool, the iPad can provide an alternative for the paper-heavy archaic tomes of the past. One could argue that there is nothing unsatisfactory about the teacher’s mark book and planner. But the iPad is not simply a gimic for storing data on a flashy bit of kit. Firstly, there is the speed at which prior data can be imputed. My preferred application is iDoceo (doceo, -ere, docui, doctus – to teach). The process is a little fiddly but does save time. You must export a class’ data from SIMs as an Excel spreadsheet, and then import it from there onto the iPad application. It sounds like a right palaver but it will save time and take care of sensitive hand muscles. The time can be reinvested into reassembling your cash-consuming rabbit or, better yet, any activity that will facilitate progress amongst your students.

This time saving function hardly makes up for your investment but there is something to be said for storing all your data on a single, lightweight machine. You can easily access all the relevant data on a given student with a swipe and a tap or two. This includes during lesson time. Even from the first day with a new class, the teacher does not need to laboriously return to her/his desk to retrieve information and if you are diligent in the information you decide to record a student’s story can easily be contradicted or corroborated without relying on your ever-waning memory. Do not over-estimate the effect this can have; the omniscient teacher quickly conveys that message that they are ‘with it’ and pulling all the strings in their classroom arena.

iPads for Classroom Teaching

Ultimately, the iPad is designed as a media friendly tool and it is in this capacity that it is at its best. Here a teacher’s creative impulses can run rampant, but always remember that anything created for students must educate as its primary function. If you find yourself in a school with an iPad scheme in place for all students then you are automatically at an advantage here. Working in unison, the iPad is at its best. Applications like ‘Socrative’ allow students to upload their work and the teacher can monitor answers on her/his device and draw attention to exemplars. Edmodo, a pseudo-social network site for teachers and students that creates a digital classroom environment, is particularly useful if used during a lesson. Students can access any media uploaded by the teacher in advance, make their own contributions and view/listen at their own pace. But sadly such utopias are rare. More often, the teacher is solitary in the ownership of her/his decadent accessory.

Despair not. Oh no, do not even think of it. The iPad still has much to offer in the right hands. Firstly, you can create your own education resources. Take the ‘Explain Everything’ application. This little gem allows you to record over images (which can be edited before importing or within the application itself). As you record, you can add audio over the top, whilst also added labels and arrows. I have experimented with two different styles. Interviewing historical characters is both education and informative, as the interviewee talks through their experiences, daily routines or equipment. You can pause the recording at any time to reduce the need to perfect a single take and overlay visual markers. Once the final product is crafted to your taste, simply compress the file and it can be accessible on your device or uploaded onto YouTube. Follow up such visual treats with an exercise designed to consolidate knowledge and understanding. Alternatively, I have also been elated with joy after producing guides to mark schemes and sample answers. Try highlighting the key phrases that students should understand and point out the parts of answers that succeed or fail to meet the criteria. Juxtaposed with a practice question afterwards and this strategy can really dispel uncertainty about how a student can satisfy even the prickliest of examiners.

If that has yet to wet your appetite, what about using it to podcast? Should ‘podcast’ be used as a verb? I honestly could not tell you, but I can assure you that the iPad is well suited to this type of media. You can record the audio with just the built-in microphone or buy a relatively simple one for modest coin. Either way, allow the students plenty of warning so that they can gather their thoughts and even prepare some research in advance. I have used it to consolidate a GCSE topic, such as 1920s America. With the end of the modular assessment at this level, the need to remember key information stretching further back is a must. So students will have this information readily available to return to when it comes to their revision. They will also have become specialists in a relevant topic themselves, all the more resoundingly so with the opportunity to teach their peers.

I am sure that you will be aware that the world of tablet applications is ever expanding. Not everything is designed for teachers, or even suitable for pedagogical hijacking, but you should always be on the lookout for new opportunities to enliven your teaching and the students’ learning. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It is worth having a go, whilst being prepared to accept that not everything will come off. Measure success based on the progress it enables. The possibilities are endless for the open-minded, creative teacher. Does that sound like you? Of course it does. If you have an iPad already, make a concerted effort to overset its cost. If not, but you have been considering one (or a similar tablet), see about having a go on a colleague’s. You should certainly make sure it is the right match for you. In my humble opinion, whilst the Roman Empire far eclipses our civilisation in virtually every respect, we are gaining the edge in our innovative educational approaches. If they were around today, these Latins would certainly shower us teachers with laurels of honour.

Joshua Crosby

York University PGCE History student 2012-13

Plenaries – what are the ingredients of a truly excellent plenary?

There are, of course, plenty of great plenary ideas out there.  In one of our last method sessions before main placement, the history PGCE trainees spent some time collating a list of what a truly excellent plenary achieves.  This is what we came up with. 

Focused – a great plenary brings the learning focus back to the lesson objectives

Assesses – a great plenary allows the teacher to assess progress against learning objectives

Connected – a great plenary joins up the lesson learning with other learning

Enthuses – a great plenary keeps the enthusiasm going by being fun and interactive

Diagnoses – a great plenary enables the teacher to diagnose the next learning needs

Memorable – a great plenary sticks in the mind and can be connected to at a later date

Adaptable – a great plenary is timely and adaptable to the needs of the learners

Thought-provoking – a great plenary is not the end of the thinking and learning on a topic

Self-assessment – a great plenary allows the learner to reflect on what they have learnt and need to work on

·         So far our mnemonic is FACED MATS!  Can you play around with the ideas here and come up with something better?

·         It would be great to have some comments about plenaries which have really taken off.  Don’t be shy – tell us what’s worked! 

The purpose of this blogspot

This blogspot is intended as a platform for teacher trainees and NQTs of the York University PGCE Partnership.  Here they can share their collective and individual thoughts and ideas about learning and teaching.  It is a place for some of the newest members of the teaching profession to celebrate things they have done which have made a difference to their practice and the learning of their students.  It is also a place for them to think about education and what it means to be a teacher; stepping outside the particular cultures of specific schools in order to reflect.  It's a mixture of the theoretical and the practical and a place for shared reflection; so please comment! 

http://www.york.ac.uk/education/pgce/