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

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

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

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