The turn of the year...

There is a time for everything on the earth... for things to start and to end, for being raised up and facing trials, for standing still and moving on...change is universal and we face it all the time.

As we come to the end of 2009 I wish all of you a fab New Year and hope that 2010 is a year of breakthroughs, blessings and good times. That the victories outnumber the challenges and that the opportunities come thick and fast opening doors that will lead to recognition and reward.

Happy New Year!

when opportunity knocks...

dont knock it...its not the knocking thats the problem...its the patience needed to wait for the knocking to start, or the things that get in the way of opening the door before it stops.

Follow the yellow brick road...

We are putting on the Wiz this year as the school musical and many hours of hard work have gone in from staff and students since early in 09 to get to the point of first night.

Whilst standing backstage and looking out onto the production the other day it reinforced to me how talented the students we work with are. We don't give them the credit they deserve and due to our leaderships desire to purely be the best school in ...wherever... we are so quick to criticise, pick out fault and nag. All we do is destroy the creative spark that is attempting to come out because we don't want to take the time to let it.

The league table drives the direction of the school and ultimately its staff - yet we are supposed to be non-competitive!

Its about time we let the students we teach 'follow the yellow brick road' of creativity without the 'winged monkeys' of conformity and results taking them away from ultimately seeing the 'emerald city of success'...too much????

Lets not stifle that which is natural...nuff said

A catalyst for discussion...

I have been working with my Yr10 Humanities class on the topic of Conflict and we were working through the section on the Northern Ireland crisis. It was about 10 minutes in when I realised they had no idea about this!!! Suddenly feeling old I explained in detail about what happened and showed them a video highlighting the main events of the conflict. They sat silently afterwards and then one voice said 'Gosh it was so bad over there.'

This triggered a discussion around the video for the remainder of the lesson (3 part lesson out the window...HOORAY!) which was incredible.

Next lesson I set them a GCSE question which included an example question based around a conflict they had studied...amazing answers.

Take time to listen...give them the chance to speak

Vocal appreciation

As with any school we have an agenda to allow students to voice their opinions whether that be in terms of focus groups, feedback, student council etc...

So I thought how about their opinion on you as a teacher? Dangerous territory, flying without Union backing on this one!

When its structured well it works. When its not...it really doesn't! I remember a teacher in my faculty a few years ago holding some Yr11's back and asking 'What do you think of my lessons? Be honest' ... they were honest, she was literally destroyed by it.

Its not only the structure, its the relationship you have with the students. If you pick a class where there are behavioural issues then feedback will be, well interesting.

When I have done this its been very casual and laid back environment with no pressure being applied. You can use many methods. I have used discussion, feedback box and then response to the points by me next lesson, feedback sheets, red/yellow/green ranking based on a criteria designed by the students and agreed by me - to name a few.

Each time I have found out the same thing - students are very good at highlighting your areas of complacency. They love the variation of lessons so if you settle into a routine because its easy they will pick up on that.

The important thing is you feedback - whether that's verbally or through making changes - so they realise their view is valued and being listened to.

Its risky, you're vulnerable...but its worth it, as the only ones who see you teach day in and day out are those in front of you.

Punching above their weight...

Had a year 8 class this week who often are fairly lethargic so I thought I would raise the bar for them. They are set 1 and the range is level 5-6 in terms of end of KS3 FFT targets. We are looking at rivers and flooding at the moment so I started with a question on the board from a higher GCSE paper which we discussed and thought about how we would answer it and the type of information they would need to include.

They then had 20 minutes with a GCSE textbook to make a note of any information they felt was important in terms of answering the question. After this data collection time they then had 20 minutes to complete the question in class under exam conditions.

Final plenary - feedback as to what they thought. Many felt they had answered the question well because they had taken time to prepare for it and were confident of success and getting near their target grade. Lots of positive discussion.

I then told them that they had done a GCSE Higher paper question and there was a moment of silence before one of the lads said 'Hmmm, wasnt that bad really!'

I have looked over a lot of the answers and those students I have spent time reading are above their target grade.

Its all about taking a moment and giving them time...

Moving on up...

Dont worry not going to sing...

The more I have moved through this week the more I have begun to realise who to lean on and who to walk away from. Support comes from those who care but also those who know you and what you can achieve...the problem comes when those in positions dont know either!!!

Time to push on, move on up and look for the opportunities that are missed by us not being in the right frame of mind to take them.

Tomorrow is a brand new day...:)

Moments in time...

'Time passes so fast if you dont stop and take a look around once in a while you might miss it'
Ferris Bueller

Its so true, and we need to take time to stop and take in what's and who's around us and appreciate them. However, it is also true that this relentless movement of time removes moments you want to forget and replaces them with moments you would rather remember.

Today has been like that for me.

Bad day at school...actually one of the worst I can remember in a long time. Just relentless put downs and negative comments having what I've done wrong pointed out in many ways yet no apologies for things others had done wrong. Just a day where it was my turn to be the scapegoat...

then...

2 things happened.

1) A friend turns up (yes you know who you are :)) and listens and gives advice and makes me feel 'I can' again
2) I get home to find a copy of Gifted International Education on my doorstep with my article in it alongside Professors from Universities and directors of Critical Thinking centres from around the World - someone else thinks I can and wants to show me they think I can...(does this mean I can now say I am published????)

Time marches on and despair is replaced with hope...

Thank you to all who bring hope - you are greatly appreciated :)

Word for today...

PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS

hmmmm..... use that in a sentence in class today :)

Objectives! Objectives! Objectives!

I have found that students are very familiar with the fact that learning / lesson objectives are found on the board for each of their lessons. So much so that they will point out when they arent there and ask if 'they are ours' when they come into the room.

However, my concern is that they have become a little bit complacent about these guidelines for the lesson due to:

• the varied nature of use by teachers,
• relevance to the lesson,
• reference in the lesson
• and even ambiguity of meaning of these objectives for the particular period they are in your room.

As a result I like to spice it up every so often by getting them to create their own objectives for the lesson. Give them the topic and then say 'right what do you want to get out of today? Set L/O's which will help you to do that'.

At the end of the lesson evaluate the progress and challenge made in the lesson and then rank or RAG (red amber green) the objectives in terms of these areas.

Students can then set a target for next time based around the idea of challenge and progression for them to aspire to.

The majority of students I have done this with are incredibly honest with you and with themselves in this feedback area stating that they went for the 'easy' option and didn't set targets which pushed themselves as much. They then realise what you are on about when you are 'nagging'...encouraging(!) them to push on and add more into their work.

I have found it to be a worthwhile and very encouraging activity which students love to do and which challenges them to push on in their own learning and you to step out the way and let them!

Building bridges

Whilst teaching a yr8 class I used the following teaching tool in order to check linked learning.

We were looking at the journey taken by the SS Empire Windrush from the West Indies to the UK and were looking in a couple of lessons time to create an empathy piece based around the journey.

Over previous lessons in Geography we had looked at migration and why people move, in History they have been looking at the Slave trade, in RE looking at prejudice and the Expressive Arts are also linked into the Slavery topic.

In order to see what they had learnt I placed the above subject names on the tables and we began to discuss what they had learnt they thought would be relevant. When they answered they had to hold up the name of the subject they had learnt that information in. It was slow to start but soon they were shooting up with their signs and even began to hold a couple of names up if they felt it crossed two (or more) subjects.

Afterwards I got them to do a review and add info into their books - colour coded in terms of subject - about the topic ready for the next few lessons...

Consistency rules...

I have a class which to some people would be a nightmare waiting to happen - but I think their great!

Behaviour - excellent

Interaction - excellent

and great sense of humour...why?

Consistency. The classroom guidelines were laid out lesson one and have been stuck too ever since and as a result they have the security in knowing how things work and whats expected of them.

Consistency is the foundation stone of a good learning environment...

Word for today

Bouncebackability....nuff said

Be kind rewind...

I have come to the conclusion that at times I am a formula 1 teacher.

I dont mean I have lots of money, live in Monaco and am surrounded by models...ohhhh no, I just mean I teach at about 200mph!

This is a problem I need to address as some of the class can keep up but some get cut off and 'pit' early claiming they dont get it.

'Be kind...rewind' needs to be the mantra I adopt and review needs to happen at more place in the 'race' than just at the end. In this case of tortoise and the hare the hare stops and waits for the tortoise so they can finish the race together and leave feeling they have all achieved.

Walking back to happiness?

Got a class thinking today about why people say 'remember the good ol days' and are always talking about the past.

They thought for a while and then one boy said 'I think its cos they havent done nothing good lately!'

Out of the mouths of babes eh!

Shoulder to shoulder

I have become aware more and more that though we are individuals and thrive on recognition of our own ideas/skills/talents, its when we put those ideas/skills/talents into an arena which contains people we trust and will help us to build these areas of our lives (while we help build theirs) we begin to see true success.

A single chord rope is easily broken...a 3 chord rope is so much stronger.

When we put our ideas etc... out there and they are knocked back its those around us we trust who lift us up and say 'try again!'

Within our classrooms we should be trying to build environments in which students are building peer relationships which allow them to experience the impact of the '3 chord rope' where their peers encourage them to try and then pick them and up and say 'try again!'

Thank you for being a friend...

In this world of NOW NOW NOW and ME ME ME we dont take the time to stop, breathe and say thank you to those people who mean the most to you.

So to all the people who mean a lot to me - thank you.

Thank you for the kind words, the nudges, the support, the fun, the laughter, the wisdom, the honesty, the care and so much more.

Take a moment today - stop and then say thank you...you'll feel better!

Passing on a good word

We all need praise. It feels good to have a pat on the back or a kind word said to us especially from our peers.

Try getting students to build this positive discussion into their lessons and get the them to review each others work feeding back on what's and why it's good.

Organise the lesson using model work to allow them to see what is a good piece of work and get the class to then create a success criteria. This will allow them to create work of high standard and also allow them to review their peers work and not only highlight what's been done well but also build positive speaking relationships in the classroom.

Banana splits

In case you dont know what I am talking about!!

Musical Break

I have found that by using music as timing cues for students in class is a useful tool.

So far we have had many pop and rock tunes, classical numbers and (my personal favourite) cartoon theme tunes!!

See what works for you...banana splits rule!

Role reversal

Make it interesting...get your students to take the class. It gives them the opportunity to:

• plan and organise the lesson,
• see what goes into the job of being a teacher,
• use their own opinion and show evidence of team work and cooperation
• and allow them to gain experience of seminar work at KS5 and beyond...to name a few!

Whats the answer...s?

Try setting work for your students which allows them to investigate an area / topic which gives them the opportunity to come to a multitude of individual conclusions - then discuss them.

Sometimes there is no right or wrong answer...but do students realise this?

The 'Bruce Campbell' philosophy

I love Bruce Campbell films. They are trashy and in the main low budget but you can always count on one thing - Bruce loved every minute of it!

Shouldnt that be where we are in our work place?

Ask yourself the question - 'Why do we work?'

We work because we have to, because we have become accustomed to the income we have etc... but how many of us work because we love our jobs? Because we come home each day fired up by what we have been through that day?

Many people will say they enjoy elements of their jobs - some of the people they work with, some of the responsibilities that they may have - but how many can say they love their whole job??

We all have dream jobs (I have two: archaeologist and working in films) and believe that these would bring us fulfilment and would be the jobs we would be happiest doing...but without the 'Bruce Campbell Philosophy' in evidence nothing (to quote the big man) will ever be 'Groovy baby!'

How much are we valued?

What are we worth? I mean to those around us how much do they value us or do they only value what we do or bring to the 'table'?

For many years I have been looking for a recognition of my value and worth in the job that I do and its really clear to me that this has been a mistake in so many ways. Some of the stakeholders you work with make you feel valued and this is important but can be easily smashed by those around you who see no worth in what you do unless it benefits them in some way.

In an environment where we are constantly encouraged to praise and lift up the students we work with, the amount of praise and lifting up we receive from those around us is limited to those we have become close to.

Unless of course you are 'important'. Unless you are one of those for whom time is given for development and opportunities are shared.

My conclusion is this. Its been said that you can live under the radar and never be noticed - for example shows like X-factor unearth talented people who never got the breaks. However, I also believe its true that for some the radar is never pointed in their direction and so they tick along doing good things but never are lifted up - unless they hit an area which makes others look good for a moment in time.

So where does worth come from? Those we love, care for and trust, family and friends, a belief structure of some kind, an idea of faith.

WE are ALL worth A LOT. In fact we are all IRREPLACEABLE in this world and what we need to do is make sure that those around us who we care about know this.

Its all about being an encourager of others. Giving out not getting in.

So let those who ignore you continue to do so. Those who matter to you are the ones who are saying 'Go for it! You can do it!' These are the people who matter - the ones who give you worth...and I thank all of those who do this for me.

We're on a road to...somewhere....

Talking Heads had it almost right we are on a road...but to somewhere.

Start the lesson by giving out the final destination and getting students to trace the lesson back to the learnin objectives. Needs careful planning but very interesting!

Happy Talky Talky...

Encourage students to talk more in your lessons. Focused learning chat brings a real buzz to the classroom and allows all students access to achieving in that lesson.

End with a summarising exercise e.g. 5 things youve found out today

word for today

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

...

focusing in

Why do we set large targets for students in class? Surely the journey they are on require small steps to build the foundation and confidence before taking the leap forward?

Look at your learning objectives and check they arent too big to be achieved...maybe even let the students set their own. After all its them we are trying to get to achieve these objectives so they should be set from the point they are at NOT the point we are at. Otherwise they will always be too big.

Think about it...

Dangerous Doggy

Does anyone else think this may be 'the brain' in disguise from Pinky and the Brain?

Vantage Point

I am beginning to see that it is not what you know or who you know that moves you on but where you are positioned at a particular point in time.

Right place right time....can anyone tell me where the next one is please?

Making waves

Frustration + Unfulfilled dreams = Motivation for change

Thought for the day

When life throws you lemons make lemonade....when life throws you pineapples...duck!

Musings

If we live in the past then the present will pass us and the future never come into view

Crossing the line

I believe that there is an opportunity for all of us to become leading lights in the field we are called to work in.

However, we need to make sure we are always looking to recognise the opportunities in our lives and take them when they comes up.

Behind or on the line is where most of us stay for our careers...I want to cross the line so throw the opportunities my way and let me have the chance to take them.

Thank you to those who have encouraged me so far...I'm believing that this year will be a year of movement.

Heres to moving into the zone of the unknown and to looking behind me for the line!!!

On the outside looking in...

It has become clear over the past few years that there are a lot of people with very good, creative ideas sat currently on the outside of the 'circle of influence' in education looking in but unable to get a break.

Its about time some of those inside that circle stopped patting each other on the back, turn round and acknowledge that its either time to give up their seat...or make room for others.

Hopefully this will happen then those new members can get the rest to continue to look behind them and realise that the future is now.

Im still walking round the circle but hoping for the breakthrough....

All the best

All the best to all the Yr11's receiving their GCSE results today.

What constitutes success?

As we move into the fortnight of results for A levels and GCSE's we will once again face the press' desire to find fault with exam quality, public opinion of how things were so much harder when they were at school, parents watching like hawks the school A*-C figures and the mad massaging of figures to make sure every school can squeeze the highest % possible from that cohort before forgetting about them and moving onto the next one.

In all of this we forget about the students...its them who go through the hell of the envelope opening. They know what mean success and failure for them but they lose sight of this because they are focused completely onto what it means to all these other people (parents, teachers, public, press etc...)...do we actually ever take their feelings into consideration.

Success to one maybe that they achieved an E grade or 2 D's, to another that they finished with a line of below C grades...another that they finished school. Yet the focus is always the high fliers.

'They worked so hard for their A*'
'The effort they put in for their 11 A*'s-A's was remarkable'

Yeah so was the effort the child written off by an education system that only focuses on what students can do within a narrow set of tests who achieved his / her 5 D's and E's.

As with creativity, success is individual and should be treated as such. All are successful in someway - lets never forget this.

A new place to go...

I have just returned from a week split between Paris and Berlin. Great to be away and relax...though lots of walking involved! I have to say I have fallen in love with Berlin...Paris was nice but I would go back to Berlin again and again if Im honest.

The mixture of historical and modern is balanced and the people so friendly.

Berlin you win...sorry Paris!

Over Niagara in a barrel

How far will you go to make a point?

How far will you allow your ideas to take you?

How many times will you allow someone to tell you it cant be done before you stop trying to do it?

For many years the idea of 'going over niagara in a barrel' was one of those stunts that seemed impossible. Yet 15 people have attempted it (recorded attempts) and of these 8 have survived.

Why do these people do it? Because other people said it couldnt be done.

Dont give up when someone says it cant be done...head straight towards your 'niagara', hold tight and prove them wrong!!

The Truth is out there!

Have a set of cards linked into the topic being studied spread out on the table in front of you. Split class into groups and then ask a series of questions.

When they get an answer right they come out and pick a card then return to their group.

When all the cards are distributed they have to then decide what cards are useful to them for investigating the key question of the lesson and what are 'red herrings'.

At the end of the lesson a good plenary is to get them to explain how and why they came to the decision they did in terms of choosing and refusing the cards.

Word for today...

ACHIEVEMENT

Favourite Film?

Over my life time there have been many advancements in movie technology. Special effects make the impossible possible and some of the stories we never thought could be made into films have now been transferred to the big screen.

Since moving pictures began every decade has produced those films which will last forever as classics.

Nosferatu, Gone with the Wind, Its a Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane, 2001, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lord of the Rings trilogy... the list is endless. To choose one film that stands alone as the only film you could take to a desert island with you is difficult!

For some maybe...

I know, dont even have to think twice...

Its...

GHOSTBUSTERS!!! Seriously...honest...

Your go!

Word for today

PERSEVERANCE

Watching the horizon

How do you move from having ideas to being in a position to share them with others?

When you mention names of famous people that are great speakers or inspirational members of society people can immediately tell you why they are famous or will have heard of them.

How do you become one of these people?

By not WANTING to be one of them! Each person who has acheived 'greatness' of some kind did it by being themselves - not by trying to be someone else.

When the great explorers travelled across the seas looking for the new land they would have a man in the crows nest with his eyes on the horizon looking for land...looking for their opportunity.

Keep your eyes on the horizon. Opportunities are out there dont be caught looking at someone else wishing you were them and miss your chance...

Word for today...

Wibble:

Definition A:

The act of being so overcome with emotion that
1. The eyebrows come together and curve up at the inside.
2. The eyes become big and childlike
3. The lips and sometimes the chin shake.
Number three is what actually constitutes wibbling

Definition B:

The word used by Rowan Atkinson in "blackadder goes forth"

to denote a state of insanity. I the scene he puts pencils

up his nose and repeats "wibble wibble" in order to get

sent home from the trenches.

TAKE YOUR PICK!!!

The first shall be last and the last shall be first...

Here's a fun idea. Teach backwards...not physically - obviously.

Start with your outcome for the lesson and work backwards getting students to unpick the lesson ending up at the objectives.

Interesting and slightly weird but hey normal is boring!!

Word for today...

DETERMINATION

Fixed points that raise a smile :-)

I find it amazing how things can pull you back to fixed points in time because of their association with that particular moment.

For me the one thing that is guaranteed to pull me back is the Housemartins single 'Build'.

It takes me back to my A-levels and a party at a friends house in Winscombe which was the last time we were together as a group before exams and Uni.

It was a good night full of laughs and this song takes me back there everytime.

So as you listen to it think about the things that take you back.

Hey...this would make a great starter...dont you think??? ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEPvsJ3ZiEQ

Champions!

I spent the day watching creativity happening from the 11 players of my cricket team Hampshire...CHAMPIONS!!!!!

What a win...very happy :)

Word for today

Challenge

Breaking down the walls of tradition...

Title sounds grand I know but thats just the attention seeking bit!

Really this isnt new I have been doing this for a long time - as have many others - but sometimes its good to throw the old stuff out!!

I have picked up a potentially difficult Yr8 class. Bottom set, low ability and self belief and probably moaned at everywhere.

So how do you approach it?

1. Agree classroom guidelines - start with listening to the teacher and ask them why this is important. Then allow them to set another 3 or 4 and write them in their books for reference in the coming year.

2. Check sheet - rewards and sanctions. I will create a large class list to go on the board which will have 3 columns - their names, positives, issues. Then every 10 minutes I will make a point of ticking the columns of those who have done well. I will also add a number in the issues column.

Why a number? Because they can then go back to the guidelines we set out and see which one they have slipped up on

3. Over the top positivity. Make sure that you are mega-positive about what they have done well and value every answer - its important they see they are doing well and experience what doing well feels like.

4. The 'carrot'. I have found in my experience that classes like this cannot last a whole hour lesson so have a 'carrot' (some would say bribe but hey ho!) ready. With me its a video. We start watching a film and they watch 10 minutes each lesson we get 50 minutes work.

Im not saying Im an expert or that its a perfect plan but its an idea that might help.

Its all about the giraffe...

Wondering if your class is really listening to your instructions?

Throw the odd word in (giraffe, banana, wobble etc...) and see how many pick up on what you have said and how many let it go by.

Interesting results!

Key Word

EXCITEMENT

Keep the faith, drive to the finish...

So how do you see the journey of bringing a freedom of creativity into your classrooms?
Are you standing at the bottom of a mountain looking up and thinking 'No way!'?
Are you hanging on halfway up thinking 'How did I get myself into this?'
Are you near the top and realising that this was only a small climb and there are more to come that are higher and longer?

Wherever you are keep going!

To the people in the first group this quote from my favourite band in the world - U2 - came to mind:

'Its not a hill its a mountain when you start out the climb...'

Things always look bigger from the bottom looking up! Put it in perspective every journey is a case of one foot in front of the other driven by a desire to finish.

To the people in the second group remember (again U2!)

'Every Nation gets the chance to change the world. Pity the Nation that wont listen to your boys and girls...'

Youve started the climb and now its time to work on and finish. There are worrying moments but ultimately by finishing the climb you are giving those 'boys and girls' the chance to be listened to and drive on their experiences.

To the group at the top looking at the next climb remember (yep U2)

'The sweetest melody is the one we havent heard...'

Look at how far you have come and think about what was unleashed on the journey.

NOW think about what will be unleashed during the next level and drive on!!!

(Lyrics from 'I'll go crazy if I dont go crazy tonight' by U2 from album 'No line on the Horizon')

Why?

Why? This question sends shivers down the spine of any parent or teacher...it seems to cause people to freeze and begin to stammer!

But...'Why?'

Because it causes us to justify ourselves. To make ourselves vulnerable and open up our view / opinion on things. The facade we set up in order to keep people out is pulled down when we enter into a 'Why?' conversation.

We are also in a position where we allow our knowledge of a topic to be tested, stretched and we move closer to the point where we may have to admit we dont know the answer!!!

This is why...people fear this question - because we think that we should know everything and be seen too know everything by those around us or in our charge.

Seriously...whats is wrong with showing that we arent perfect...

standing up when you wanna fall down

Keeping up the momentum of new learning experiences in a classroom is hard work especially at the end of the year.

Looking for opportunities to review the year in different ways or giving the students the chance to put their own spin on the year is always an interesting exercise!

How well did they think it went????

Dare you to do it!!!

Creativity is...

stunningly beautiful

eyecatching

unique

awesome

jaw-dropping

question raising

inspiring

thought provoking

memory forming

life changing

spirit raising

a moment in time...

Creativity the key to respect?

Having taught for a while now I am always amazed at colleagues who say things like 'How do you manage with ...?' or 'That class really wind me up!'

Im not boasting...anyone who knows me knows that this is not easy for me as I find fault in all I do!...but I have never had a problem with classroom management.

Now some will say its because Im and man and big in size etc... but I think its down more to the fact the students have a positive apprehension about my lessons and what will happen in the classroom.

I like to mix it up and keep them on their toes and they like that...seriously!

How do you know you have respect though?

When you need them to just work quietly and they do without any issue or argument...then you have respect.

What does it feel like to be creative?...

I have been asked this and the answer is different for everyone as its so individual only you will know how you feel to be creative.

The Killers summed up the feeling I have going into a creative time,

Can we climb this mountain,

I dont know
Higher now than ever before 
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now
Watch it go

(from 'When You Were Young', Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer, Dave Keuning, Ronnie Vannucci Jr.)

Its all about the journey and sometimes it will freak you out but keep the faith, climb the mountain and stand tall - the view is beautiful :)

concentration span...

How long do you really concentrate on something? Have you switched off already? OI!!! YOU WAKE UP!!!

So if our concentration spans are all different then why do we expect students to all concentrate for the same amount of time? Maybe we should have drop out points in lessons where they can step back from the instruction and just get on.

You may find you have students at differing points in the process and also that they will be coming up to you at different times for different information - but to quote Anon...great bloke Anon... 'creative minds are rarely tidy'!

Something bigger...

Spent yesterday on the south coast of England at Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.

Its when you are at these places that you realise how amazing creativity is...

Creativity in action

For over 2 years now I have had the privilege to be part of the singing group at school (called Youth in Harmony - I emphasise the youth bit!) tonight again was special.

I believe so strongly that its only when you let your guard down and allow students to see the real you (nervous, anxious, happy, frustrated etc...) in an environment where they feel the same that real respect is built.

Every concert with these fabulous students is one of those events - it builds the relationship outside the classroom that flows into it.

Respect on both sides built through common experiences - priceless.

Leaning on the lamp post at the corner of the street...

Ask yourself this question...how many times a day, week, month etc... do you step out of the world and 'watch'?

In those moments do you think that you are watching the world go by...or watching for opportunities?

When we slip into the realm of daydreaming aim to come back to reality with an idea to change the world!

Quote for today

"Without creativity there is no tomorrow, just another today." 

Anon

Thanks Ian for passing this one on :) 

Quote for today

"Not a shred of evidence exists in favour of the idea that life is serious." 

Brendan Gill

Its inside us all...

Creativity isnt something that we do or dont have. Its inside us all.

Its not about being creative so much as it is realising that you ARE creative - even if you are the only one who see's it.

Just bite the bullet and do something...be creative in your way and enjoy the fact that no-one can do what you just did in that way :)

Who's to blame when no-one speaks?

I have come to the conclusion that many students have an automatic shut down which takes place in their brains and they go into 'limp mode' where they bump along through the lesson doing the bare minimum though their potential is so much more.

So why?

Peer pressure is an obvious - if overused - answer. The fact students are intimidated by others in the class and the reaction outside of the room to their participation.

Fear of failure. Another obvious issue. We live in a world where results matter and the students know it. Some would rather be safely plodding through the lesson then raise their head above the parapet and potentially get shot down.

Poor self confidence. A badly worded reaction from another teacher to a wrong answer, a feeling of inadequacy away from school in their personal life (parents siblings saying they are no good) etc... will lead anyone to hide inside themselves as a defence mechanism to stop themselves from being hurt.

There are many more issues that can impact their willingness to respond. One I have had on my mind recently though is maybe they feel you dont deserve their contribution? Bit radical but think about it. We are surrounded by a world where excellence rules and things that grab their attention are all 'sparkly' and 'hi-tec' and 'fast moving' and 'new' and ... you get the drift?!?!

If our lessons are old and slow and boring and uninspiring maybe some students react with, 'well if you cant be bothered neither can I!'

Something to think about...

Slight confusion maybe?

I was teaching a Yr7 class once about the fact that faith was the ability to believe in something that you cant see.  I had used the example of religions believing in a God they cant see and asked the class to think about things they might believe in that they needed faith for.

After a couple of minutes I asked for some feedback and one of the lads piped up,

"My dad believes that we have fairies at the end of the garden.  Ive looked and you cant see them but they must be there.  He was at the end of the garden the other day and I heard him talking and he kept saying 'Fairy Nuff' over and over again!"  

Its very hard not to laugh when faced with the bizarre!

Quote for today...

"Creativity is the ability to see relationships where none exist." 

 Thomas Disch

Handing over the baton

I have had some success in giving students the ownership of the lesson in terms of where they go from a set framework (ie start point of topic and end with assessment).

I had been a bit more anxious about given them the ability to direct where they go from a blank page...until about 18months ago.

I put on the board a date - September 11th - and said to my PSHE class (very mixed ability ranging from A* pupils to F pupils) 'There's your lesson!  Off you go!'  After a moment of 'UH?' came the questions and I responded with another question back. 

In the end they stopped asking questions of me and started asking them of each other.  

After about 10 minutes one of the groups came up and asked if they could do a presentation - I said 'I dont know can you?'  They walked off and came back a couple of minutes later saying 'We are doing a presentation!'

This was replicated throughout the class as groups decided that they would produce poems, pictures, opinions, diaries, presentations.

They all decided that they would set PSHE HOMEWORK!!!! and that they would carry this on next time.

Second lesson - presentations of varying styles but all powerful, thoughtful and personal.

We ended with a big plenary where the lesson was discussed and what they felt they had acheived was outlined.  All went away feeling they had really worked hard to put forward their opinion on the events of this date and when I see them they still talk about it today.

All they had to go on was a date...no 3 part lesson...no learning objectives...just a date.

Shotgun reactions

Our reaction time to questions we are confronted to also comes down to us being able to allowing ourselves to be in the position where we are willing to react to things and make mistakes.  

Thats not allowed in the World as mistakes mean loss of revenue so the ability to react to situations is gone from most of life.

People say they react but quite often its a preplanned response to an outcome that was expected!

Just watch a class of pupils shouting out ideas about the question you have asked them and then imagine that in a boardroom somewhere...wouldnt happen - too random!

We are all creative...

I once heard someone comment that as far as they were concerned creativity wasnt for them as they werent 'arty'.

This is the major misconception of many people that creativity is something that is found only within the 'arts' world. If you cant do anything related to this area of life you arent creative.

We are all creative.  We just dont know it...no thats not right...we dont recognise it because we think it looks a certain way or sounds a certain way.  We dont recognise it because others have told us in the past that we arent creative or bashed it out of us because it doesnt look someone else, or they, had said it should.

Creativity is personal.  It should be held tight because its precious and we should realise it wont always look right to others because it is in essence us.

We are not just creative people our lives are 'creativity' in action.

Thinking time...

How long should you allow someone to think before they answer a question???

Research done by people paid a lot of money would show that its 'x' seconds...depending on the research of course.

I got one of my classes to time how long it took them to respond to various questions about the topic we had been studying.  Interestingly many pupils responded to question fairly quickly.

Those who didnt respond I asked why they hadnt.  I got this response from one pupil:

'When you asked the question I thought I know that but then I started to think I didnt know it and lost my confidence cos I thought about it too much.  When .... answered it was what I thought in the first place.'

Maybe thinking time is over rated sometimes and reaction answers fit better with some pupils??

Anyone want to pay me lots of money to find out ??? :-)

Learning Journey...a walk into the unknown

I have been working with a lot of groups over the past couple of years on the idea of them creating their own learning journeys through a topic.

This has been on the whole very successful with students achieving above their target grade - in some cases for the first time in that particular subject.

The process varies depending on the group but on the whole we discuss what makes a good piece of work and design a class 'success criteria' for what we want to achieve.

Students then have a series of lessons with myself more as a facilitator/negotiator to use a sounding board and to get resources for them which they ask for.

The final presentation / assessment is then peer assessed in line with the success criteria and 'RAG' marked in order to highlight what was done well, could be improved, missed etc...

Final step is to introduce an element of self evaluation which allows students to reflect and set targets for next time.

Good fun, challenging and an interesting experience - never the same twice!

Quote for today...

'No great thing is created quickly'

Epictetus

Wondering...

Just had a laugh with a yr7 class (surely not amusement in the classroom) 'wondering'.

It started off with us looking at the UK's relationship with other countries and we looked at how well we get on with some countries and thought about why that might be.

I then introduced the 'wondering' moment.  What would happen if the UK was no longer working with these countries?  What would we lose out on?

Interesting feedback...wondering ended up being wonderful!

Quote for today

'Problems can not be solved by the same level of thinking that created them'

Albert Einstein

The Wonders of back seat teaching

This is something I put together a while ago but remains firmly my belief when it comes to teaching.

Hope you enjoy....if you havent already seen...

‘The Wonders of Back Seat Teaching’

Imagine the scene.  You approach a classroom.  The noise levels seem to point towards the fact that mayhem has broken out inside the room.  When you reach for the door handle you take a breath expecting the worst and open the door.   Your eyes behold an incredible sight, so much so it takes your breath away.  The pupils are in charge of the classroom and learning is taking place all over.

This is obviously a dramatic view but not far from the truth in classes I have taught over the past 12 months.  These classes have been given the opportunity to create their own learning journeys and assessments in order to learn 'how to learn’ whilst obviously improving their own knowledge and understanding of the topics they were studying.  This release of control allows pupils to think through their own learning issues and builds in the whole idea of student voice.  The idea of student voice is a big ‘buzz word’ right now but is that due to pupils not being able to put forward their ideas well?  Or is it that many teachers can't even comprehend the idea of taking their hands off the wheel and getting into the back of the car whilst the kids drive for a while.

So what caused me to step into a world where pupils are allowed to design their own journey through my lessons?  Well, I had a long meeting with my advisor because I felt I was losing the spark of being in the classroom.  This was due to the high level of paperwork and politics cutting in on my initial reason for teaching, interesting and motivating the pupils.  My advisor carried out a couple of lesson observations and we talked about when I feel most ‘alive’ in the classroom and came to the conclusion that I loved the element of the unknown and unexpected.

As a result of this I decided to try out the TASC Model of teaching with some of my classes.  To give you some background: first TASC stands for ‘Thinking Actively in a Social Context’ (designed by Belle Wallace at NACE).  This aide to the processes of learning and teaching gives learners greater ownership of their learning and causes the pupils to ‘brake’ their learning in order to think more about the work they are producing.   Instead of pupils being told they would be carrying out a project on, say, Africa and immediately rushing for the nearest book and copying everything down they can (whilst changing two words here and there to make sure its in their 'own words') they are encouraged to think through a series of questions which act as ‘stops’ on the way to creating a more meaningful, accurate and individual piece of work.

I wanted to allow pupils to have the chance to ‘teach’ themselves and to appreciate what goes into designing and creating a series of lessons.  As a result this method allowed them to create high quality presentations in consultation with other pupils and a very detailed final piece of work which not only put forward the relevant factual information but also led them to use their own experiences and opinion a lot more than in previous work.

The classes were given an initial lesson in what makes a good lesson and how to create SMART learning objectives which would guide their learning.  During this lesson there was a lot of opportunity for pupils to put forward their own thoughts and ideas as to what makes a good lesson.  They also had a chance to work with peers in creating success criteria for elements of the coming lessons in order to guide their learning and open opportunities to peer and self assess work.

Once the initial lesson was out the way pupils were given an enquiry question and let loose!  Immediately they set about designing their own learning objectives for this lesson and before long were sharing prior knowledge and collating what they already knew about the topic area.  From this they sifted out what they felt was irrelevant and then organized themselves into mini groups within their tables in order to focus on aspects of the topic.  Before the end of that first lesson they all had a plan of action in place and had set themselves homework for next lesson.

The following 5 lessons saw a mixture of pupil led and teacher input lessons.  As I observed from my ‘back seat’ pupils developed in the groups and rose in confidence.  I became purely a facilitator as they came to me for resources and to check things were on track.  Timekeepers rose up barking out how long was left in the lesson before they needed to set homework or change task.  Groups leaders evolved into the position as others in the groups looked to them for

guidance and listened to instruction.  Pupils reprimanded their peers for not bringing in homework and praised others for working outside the class to complete work.

For about 3 weeks I became a bystander watching as this machine ground its way relentlessly and tirelessly through information in order to achieve its initial goal.

I have to admit to some nervous feelings on the day of the presentations.  Pupils had in the previous lesson created a mark sheet for peer assessing all the groups presentations and a ranking system of Red, Yellow of Green depending on how well they delivered the various aspects of the project.  They now sat there ready to present their own info but also ready to mark the others.  This is where it could all fall apart.

I need not have worried.  The pupils were amazing at both presenting and assessing the information.  Their feedback to groups was concise, focused and very constructive with positives being given to all groups and issues highlighted sensitively.  I have to admit to having a lump in my throat watching it all take place and also a feeling of slight redundancy and awkwardness.  I felt like I had gate crashed a party and hadn’t read the dress code.  I wouldn’t say it couldn’t have happened without me being there but I also felt that I was purely there in case of trouble.

The final proving ground for this work was the written piece each of the pupils had to create based on their findings and experiences within the lessons.  This was a real eye opener for me, the pupils and other staff (including my advisor).  In comparison with 3 previous assessments over 80% (40pupils) of pupils achieved a higher grade.  Of these 50% (20 pupils) were 2 levels above their previous assessment.  Finally, 40% (20 pupils) of pupils beat there target grades for the end of Key Stage 3.  These figures were so incredible that a number of pupils were interviewed, along with me, for a presentation at the national TASC conference in London.

Before all this began the thought of letting the class run itself to this extent was pretty terrifying and something I wouldn’t have eagerly set myself up for.  However, this was an amazing experience and one I am looking forward to using again.  To see and hear the pupils in class devising their own objectives, working and sharing ideas and building each other up whilst constructively criticising their peers work was incredible to behold and a very humbling experience.

I think the final word in this should be with some of the pupils so I have collated some of their comments to end with. 

“I like the idea of being able to decide what we are doing”

 

“We talked a lot about what we were going to do and decided on our learning objectives without

 

much disagreement”

 

“I did struggle to begin with because some other people in my group are cleverer than me but they made me feel like I was part of what was going on and now I know what we are doing”

“This has been a fun lesson and its been good to finally share what we had collected”

 

“I was nervous before the presentation but it went well and I felt good at the end”

 

“I didn’t know how people would react but everyone was really encouraging and said nice things

 

about us”

 

“Great fun! Shame its over”

 

In conclusion to take your hands off the wheel may be terrifying but when you sit back and let others drive they may just surprise you.     

 

 

(Many thanks goes to Belle Wallace from NACE who created the TASC way of learning and Zoe Elder my LA Advisor who introduced me to it)

Quote for the day...well today...this may not happen everyday

"The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself"

Alan Alda

And so it begins...

Welcome to my blog! I tried this once before but got bored so hopefully this wont end the same way :)

In this blog I want to share my ideas about creativity and open up the floor to comment and cooperation.

Creativity is...what?

Lets start thinking and see where we get too...