A seasonal message...

To all who have looked, peeked, thought, written, responded, challenged, shown interest...etc... in what I have had to say over the past 12 months I thank you.
May your Christmas be a good one and I wish you blessings and breakthroughs for 2011

All the best !!

Are we human or are dancer?...

I love the Killers.  As a band they appeal to my musical taste and live they are amazing.  On top of this their song 'Human' seems to be crossing my path a lot at the moment.

I am a great believer in things coming across your path in life for a reason. So when I walk in and out of shops, turn on the radio etc... and find the same song I think 'What am I being shown here?'

So I listen and I look at the words.
My interpretation...as I say to my RE classes you can have an opinion...this is mine.

So the tag line from the chorus 'Are we human or are we dancer?'
Its how I feel right now.

Am I a free spirit with thoughts and dreams and hopes, with ideas which will drive me forward and things I want to achieve?
Do I have the right to think about my future in a way which allows me the freedom to develop and drive on to make something of myself and influence those around me...am I human?

Or am I directed by the invisible strings of someone else?  Am I led a merry dance by those who seem to think they have power and control over me because their paycheck is bigger or their title grander?
Am I a puppet dancing to the tune they play and always wondering what its like to cross over and be free, to cut the strings and step out and just be?

Its a question I want to find an answer to...and as long as this song keeps tapping away at me I will keep pushing doors to find the answer...

href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y">

Champions are made when no-one is watching....

How often do we as teachers end a lesson having spoken to all the members of our class?

There are always some who slip through the net and they are the ones who consistently do the work. Our time is taken with the behaviour issues and academic struggles but we miss the group of champions. Thats what they are...champions. They keep going when others have stopped and they stay focused when others are causing problems - yet we miss them.

Try and make sure you speak to all the students in your class - make them feel valued and welcome and your quiet champions will become vocal heroes.

The creativity of daily life...

I posted earlier on Twitter 'Is reality a block to creativity or an untapped catalyst?'

You see I have listened to many people talk about creativity over the past 3 years and read a lot as well and it seems that a lot of people out there seem to pinpoint creativity for them as being the point when they let go of reality. A point when all the stresses of the day are pushed aside and they can just think.

I agree to some extent but what if they are all missing a trick? I don't propose that I am better than anyone else or that I have more knowledge of this subject than those who are published and making money on speaking circuits but what if?

The world we inhabit and move through on a daily basis is full of opportunities for creative thinking and ideas. When we have a problem we look for a solution we don't drift into our happy place and wait for inspiration...well not always!

What we react and interact with each day - our environment - maybe the biggest source of inspiration for creativity. Let me give you an example. A little while ago the route I take to school wasn't possible because of road works. So I began to weave my way through the back streets until I reached my destination. I didn't sit down and plan it, or turn on my phone sat nav and have some Aussie surfer dude lead to my destination. Yet I just dismissed this thought process that had taken place without a second thought.

Looking back it could have been a cool class exercise. OK Mr Johnson (not me) lives here and needs to get here but cant - whats the quickest route?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

That's just one example of what we do each day.

We are creative beings...I think we know that...we need to realise that it is something we ALWAYS are...be creative take risks live life to the fullest!

Time to take a risk...

When my Yr8 RE class came into the room today they found a single question on the board. After a period of general chatter they began to wonder why I wasnt saying anything and questions began to come out

'Do we copy that question down?'
'Is this for us?'

I responded by saying it was for them but they had to work out why it was on the board.

There was a moment of silence and then they began to talk about what they thought it was on the tables. After a period of discussion more questions.

'Can we use textbooks to answer this?'

I said they could and they started looking at the books eventually all the tables had the same book and were sharing information.

As the lesson went on they found out an answer and started to come up to show me.
I said to check it with each other so they went back and began to share info from their answers and add to the work they had done.

Eventually I took over and asked them what they had learnt.

What came out was that they had learnt how to find out their own answers and that working together was useful as they found out things from people they had missed and felt their answers were better after discussion.

Finally they created their own learing objectives linked into working together and taking responsibility for their own role in the classroom and the work they had produced.

Took a risk to do but very rewarding...

John Cleese pure genius...

I enjoyed this...a pick up on the weekend...

New starts sometimes need a jolt...

So coming back to school is never easy. The old joke of the mother talking to her son about the fact he had to go to school because he was the Headmaster is one I can relate to after the summer break.

However, sometimes all you need is a jolt to push you from a position of looking down to driving up.

If that is true for us as staff how much more is that true for the students we meet each day.

Target/challenge for you...

Give out praise to as many students as possible in your classes - and go overboard! Make them feel valued in your class and they will value your class!

Anagrams....

Found a great site for creating anagrams....and solving them!

Have a play...I found out the Peter Tatchell is 'Tell that creep'...quite subtle that one...as allegedly he is a creep!

I said allegedly!!


http://wordsmith.org/anagram/

Does anyone know...????

We always seem to get loads of people round the area we live knocking on our door for charities etc... so we are obviously a targeted neighbourhood.

If anyone has any idea when opportunity may be coming into our area and knocking could they let me know as I dont want to be out...

The night before the year to come....

So its the evening before the grindstone reopens and I have to put my nose back to it.

...maybe time for a change...seasons come and go its all about knowing when to jump as its the end of yours...

Summer rest.....

Ok so for all those people out there who think all we do as teachers in the summer is put our feet up, drink Pim's and laugh at those who are working I would like to dispel that myth.

So far first week off - preparing for decorating everyday, all day,as per wife's instructions...
A few days away next week - but so do a lot of people...
The next week is my one week free - I shall be resting up and may drink Pim's if I so wish!...
Final two weeks spent in and out of school preparing for next year - tidying up, preparing class lists, sorting out schemes of work etc...

Rant over...

A quiet goodbye...

I find it amazing how at the end of each school year the same routine happens. You have the excited students - except Yr11 who have realised that actually they didnt mind school and now want to stay! - the staff who are leaving and the foot being taken off the gas by those remaining who are knackered by this point!

Its a weird feeling. These are people you spend more of your year with than almost anyone else and now you wont see them for 5 weeks...not sure there is any other industry this happens in.

The end of the last day quietly winds its way to its conclusion with a few drinks and some speeches and then that awkward 'how long do we have to stay?' hanging around that happens.

Its been an interesting year. One of hope which ends in frustration and broken promises.

To any Yr11's who may catch up with this I wish you all the best. Each of you has the ability to be successful, chase your dreams and fight for what you want. May your successes all be large and more importantly you always be happy.

So I wish 2009-2010 a quiet goodbye and look towards year 2010-2011 hoping.

:)

Running to stand still...

Over the last couple of weeks I have noticed how the more I try and make something happen the more it doesn't. Its the old picture of the duck on the lake - calm on the surface and kicking frantically underneath!

I would compare some of the things I have tried to achieve as being as successful as attempting to row with one oar...round and round in circles and the only thing that happens when you add more effort is you go round faster!

What you need is the other oar! The journey wont happen without it and it will become more and more frustrating as you can see where you are aiming for but as you spin round it goes out of sight. A glimpse of success with no way of getting there is more frustrating than no potential for success at all.

This also rings true of some of the students in class. They are the ones who are reluctant to work with others...due to many reasons. I have worked hard to encourage all students to value each others opinion and work and be able to critically comment on others work - in a constructive way. This is building in them the ability to trust others and be open about what they and others need to do to improve.

Its about TRUST really. Who do you trust to hand over your work to and let them 'pull it apart' but in a way that will benefit you in the long term.

Until we can trust people (which relies on their honesty and willingness to have their work assessed) we will always be the spinning oarsman...running to stand still.

Watch and Learn...

So question for you this sunny Friday! How much do you watch what is going on in your classroom? 'Oh but I am always watching my students and checking they are on task'. Not what I meant.

How much do you WATCH what they are doing? Their interactions with each other, the promotion of students into team leaders roles, the way they react to situations, the response to an unknown element to the task etc...

You can learn so much about how your class works by really watching them in action. It gives an insight into how they are coping with tasks and where their strengths and weaknesses lie as a group.

From this you can then structure what you do in the future to address these weaknesses and continue to build on their strengths.

Watch and learn...!

Deep thoughts...

Descartes said 'I think therefore I am' and Popeye said 'I ams what I ams'.

Hmmmm.... most of my students dont think so does that mean they dont exist and are just a figment of my imagination?

When the dust settles...

So what happens when an enforced change is dropped upon you from a great height with no clear guidance or respect for what is happening/being achieved right now?

Think I know the answer to this one...you run!

By placing constraints on the teacher in the classroom, and removing the 'get out of jail' card they may wish to play if things get a little ropey with some of their students, the only outcome is removal of risk.

Its risk that keeps the interest in the lesson, that allows students to be released and try, that removes the cobwebs of conditioning and habit from teachers and allows the class to experience something that all parties will remember.

Remove the ability to take risks and when the dust settles the textbook is king...

So why should we unleash creativity in our classrooms?

Ok, so creativity is personal, unique, individual etc… overall it’s unpredictable.

So why should we unleash it in our classrooms when it’s so unpredictable?

Hold that thought.

We see our classrooms as our territory it’s our land that these students have come into too learn and we are the controllers. We decide what happens there and it’s our rules in our yard.

What I am saying is we need a change of perspective.

My classroom is an open door to learning. I have no idea what the students are bringing in and allow them to unload there in anyway they want to. The only real ‘rule’ I have is to leave having learnt something new. That could be a skill, a fact, a key term etc… but no-one should go out the same person they came in – me included.

Philosophy of Frogger

Life isnt always forward motion...sometimes to step forward you need to move sideways!

Conscientious Objectors

During any war you get those who see the act of war as a crime against humanity. They are the ones who in WW1 were given white feathers or in WW2 were assigned to jobs 'fighting' on the Home Front. As the century moved on they became, in many countries, the majority voice not the minority - yet their power is always tempered by those in charge of the country.

Think about your classroom for a minute. Do you have a vocal opposition against what you do? Probably not, the more likely scenario is that you have an underground at work, non-vocal more quality of effort based. Check students books and work are they on track, working at the maximum potential they can? If not - there is your opposition.

We all have classes where there are conscientious objectors...but what do we do with them? Do we carry on blindly with the 'our way is best!' mentality or do we bring them to the negotiating table and find out how we can appease them by incorporating some of their ideas and values?

Cloud watching

Daydreaming is one of the most underrated exercises you can carry out in your life. We are so busy with the order of our day that we don't give ourselves the time to just simply drift away. Its seen as a weakness by many affecting the productivity of us and impacting negatively on all we do or aim to do. Its seen that our switching off from the world will somehow destroy companies and impact a global market!

Yet we expect students to be creative and think outside of the box. We through around phrases like 'blue sky thinking' yet we never let them or ourselves get into a position where we can see the sky let alone know its blue!

The ability to daydream is not one I have had a problem with - in fact many would argue I am a master at it, but it is a skill which has allowed me to create some of my most pleasing lessons, a learning plan for independent learning and countless resources which have benefited students and other teachers.

So within my classroom I believe in daydreaming. Students need a chance to take stock of what you have told them and to chew over the ideas you are delivering to them at that point in time. We so often immediately hit them with a set of questions and take the focus off the potential that could be achieved if we just let them go and dream and put it straight onto our necessity for them to complete tasks 1 to 5...hmmm.

Who's to say that the child looking out the window isn't designing some new way of feeding the world or wondering what life really was like in the tranches in WW1?

Let them dream...the world will take the chance to do this all too quickly...

Finally....

Its taken a long time...too long but finally after many years of trying, heartache and disappointment SOUTHAMPTON FC HAVE WON A TROPHY!!!

Yes it has finally happened and I dont care about those who think its a small cup or a lower league trophy...how many of your teams will A) get to Wembley this year and B) win something!!!!

Well done to the lads - heres to many more successes!

Wordle...loads of fun but makes you think...

I was sat playing around with wordle today...if you havent found the site yet go its great!
I put in the vision for my faculty and the following came out- click on the link to check it out...

(www.wordle.net)

I found it interesting that the word pupils was supported by everything else...
sort of what we want to acheive!!

However, I was also quite challenged by the small sized words
which are key to achieving what we want to...thought provoking and work needed...

Standing on the shoulders of giants...

I was asked this morning how long I had been teaching. I worked out that at the end of this year it will be 15 years...hmmm...what have I achieved?

I can look back on those who have influenced me from my mentor at my second teaching practice to those around me now...you know who you are... who nudge me and give me opportunities to push myself.

These people have fed time and energy into me and as a result it is on thier shoulders I have built my career and been allowed to spread out and influence others.

Who will stand on my shoulders?

I have been thinking about all the students I have taught and what I instilled into their lives about Humanities, the world and life in general.

Its quite humbling to think someone may type this message in future and be referring to you but just in case no-one can(!)...my aim from now...build a foundation for others to stand on...

The plans the thing...

We are currently in the loop of report writing and have reached Yr9. We made a decision a couple of years ago to start the RE GCSE in Yr9 and so I was setting my class a GCSE question for assessment.

I teach both top sets which have similar data in terms of FFT and similar students.
Without actually meaning to do this - honestly - I set one group up with the question and let them use their books and their notes to help them to answer the questions (SET A).
The other group (SET B) had time in class to plan the question and then took books home to revise. They then completed the questions on paper with no reference to their books.

The results varied dramatically.

Set A - worked from their own notes in class

FFT mark range = A - D
Predicted % A*- C = 90%

Results of GCSE question = 40% A*-C

Set B - planned answers and took home to revise

FFT mark range = A - C
Predicted % A* - C = 100%

Result of GCSE question = 83% A* - C

So the plan seems to be the thing. Next time I will reverse this and see whether it impacts the groups in anyway.

This seems to have unearthed something I already knew but maybe dont spend enough time working on...

Enter the plate spinner...and now exit...

Teaching is like plate spinning...its all about keeping your focus and making sure nothing gets out of sight long enough to hit the floor!

One of my classes today proved this point. Its been quite a while since I have taught them due to holidays and other events before half term so I was trying to work out exactly where we had got to. The last time I taught them there were only 4 of them left as the rest went off for a treat for good behaviour...so its about a month since I've seen them as a full class.

They came in and I was sure we were at the stage for the assessment so I launch into the opening gambit and begin to outline the plan for the next two lessons and one IM (Independent Mission...new name for homework...I still think it should be MI as its still 'Mission Impossible' to get it in!). About 10 minutes in the blank faces are beginning to concern me.

I stop and ask them whether they had remembered they had an assessment today? They said yes...so why the blank faces?

'Sir' a small voice says 'We have been doing conservation as a topic.'

Sounds of metaphoric crashing as the plates hit the floor...I was introducing the assessment to the wrong year group!

I'll get my coat...

R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-runaround!!!!!....

As a kid I used to love the show 'Runaround' with Mike Reid. For those of you not old enough to remember him winding kids up with:

'Are you ready! Are you steady! Wait for it! G-g-g-g-goooooo, runaround now!!'

It involved a group of kids dressed in yellow t-shirts who were asked what seemed ridiculously easy questions and had 3 answers. They then - when told - ran to a particular answer and stood in a circle in front of it. They then had a chance to change if they wanted, jumping to another circle if they felt they were wrong.

Correct answer - yellow ball (red ball on some questions -worth 2 points)
Wrong answer - dungeon cage for rest of that round

The round continued until there was one child left then everyone came out and off you went again.
Most points wins state of the art (late 70's) prizes.

So where am I going with this...I'm not sure....

Oh yes. So I am in the process of resurrecting this for use in the classroom - unfortunately I wont be able to resurrect the gravely voiced Mike Reid but it cant be perfect!

I will fill you in on my progress.

Vision is...

'A moment of clarity when the hopes of tomorrow become touchable and the route to your dreams becomes clear'

Thinking through lessons

I have challenged one of my classes to spend some time at the end of lessons thinking about their thinking.

We had a discussion about the fact that quite often students drift through lessons and don't commit to the learning because they are switched off due to outside influences/situations, time of day, subject etc. We then talked about how it feels to be in a classroom where the experience is good and we don't drift and they said it felt:

• challenging
  
• exciting
• worthwhile
• like they had learnt something
• valuable
• made them want to come back / continue the lesson
• positive

This was just a few of the words/phrases mentioned.

We then talked about the barriers to this in happening in all lessons and decided that both the student and the teacher were potentially a barrier.

Students:

• Unmotivated
• Carrying in issues from break / home / previous lessons
• peer influence
• poor attitude

Teachers:

• Same style every lesson
• controlling - no sense of 'freedom' in their learning
• scared to let go
  
• carried issues from previous lessons into the next one

After this we talked about how these barriers could be overcome and decided that its all about working in partnership.

Teachers need to be ready to give up some responsibility to the students for their own learning BUT students need to show they are ready to take on that responsibility through positive attitude and effort in other lessons with that teacher.

It was really good to put aside some time and just discuss the learning experience of the students and look to see how we can overcome some of the issues facing them and their teachers each day.

Inspiration point...

Keep this sites link safe as it will inspire, challenge and encourage you...

http://www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk

...its a diamond in the rough and I value it greatly.

Overhaul

Got bored looking at same colours gave site an overhaul...will probably do the same tomorrow.

Looking through my photos I felt that this guy at the remnants of the wall in Berlin probably agreed with my statement at the top of my blog by my title...but he then went and did something about it!

Thinking and laughing

(I cannot take credit for this idea - Mr Fleetham!)

Pen behind the ear by Tim Vine can be used as an example of perseverance!

Hockey stick behind the ear by Tim Vine can be used as an example of progression of skills! (That one is mine!)

Tim Vine Comic Genius...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pwbQvJDFzQ


Pure Genius

100 up!

Favourite Films: 1941

Often overlooked and not that well known. I love this Spielberg classic spoof on the USA during the period after Pearl Harbour as paranoia runs wild that the Japanese are coming to invade.

Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi are fantastic and the whole things culminates in a mad final battle.


To celebrate my 100th post thought I would change the colour scheme a bit!

Watching those watching you...

Interesting experiment.

I have a class working at the moment on an independent learning project in GCSE Humanities based around the Vietnam war.

I am watching them from the sidelines and listening to conversations, making notes for group feedback and interacting when and where needed.

Next step...get them to feedback on my input and whether they think I could have done more...or possibly less...to input into their groups.

They are very protective over the work they are producing and incredibly focused in completing the task.

Great learning environment...

Time to step out...

I have never been any good at saying 'I did this!' So after some nudging and feeling like a hypocrite at saying to some students today stand up and be proud about what you did I feel I need to come clean.

This poem appeared on my blog a couple of days ago:

'Time winds its way through a repetitive process of hours, minutes, seconds
The partitions of it seem so heavy and time is lost in the relentless darkness of this life
Days become blurred into periods of day and night, good and bad, illness and death,
As we move through the process of routine and towards the conclusion of it all.

I used to love the song of the birds, but now there is only silence
They know not to be here, where life is measured in usefulness and names replaced with numbers.
Through the small bars I see the clouds and the shapes they take gives me a moment of escape from all this
Which is soon lost

The time for death is upon me, moved into this pen, herded with so many to await those who would seal our fate.
But I am calm.
If hell exists then it is here, where I am, but soon I will be free.
What is 'free'?
Its release from the monotony of time, from the routine of fear.

Death does not scare me for with it will come peace, a freedom they cannot take away from me.
What is 'free'?

I am.'

Shawn Skellon (2010)

Well...'I did this!'

There I said it...as I creep back into my hole.....

Moving on up

I had a conversation with a student today about option choices.
'Its really confusing' they said, 'I have so many things I would like to do but so little room to choose because of what others want me to do.'

My advice...choose what you want to do.

I think its a shame that we put so much pressure on Yr9 that they end up thinking a wrong decision will destroy their futures. If we're honest all they are doing are choosing the keys to allow them open a door so they can move on after GCSE.

Follow this!!!

This is a great blog to follow, lots of interesting articles, well explained and detailed (is that enough Ian?) and its by someone who just fab!

Seriously have a look...

http://secondaryemotion.wordpress.com/

What is 'free'?

'Time winds its way through a repetitive process of hours, minutes, seconds
The partitions of it seem so heavy and time is lost in the relentless darkness of this life
Days become blurred into periods of day and night, good and bad, illness and death,
As we move through the process of routine and towards the conclusion of it all.

I used to love the song of the birds, but now there is only silence
They know not to be here, where life is measured in usefulness and names replaced with numbers.
Through the small bars I see the clouds and the shapes they take gives me a moment of escape from all this
Which is soon lost

The time for death is upon me, moved into this pen, herded with so many to await those who would seal our fate.
But I am calm.
If hell exists then it is here, where I am, but soon I will be free.
What is 'free'?
Its release from the monotony of time, from the routine of fear.

Death does not scare me for with it will come peace, a freedom they cannot take away from me.
What is 'free'?

I am.'

An important moment to stop and think...

About 2 and a half years ago a plan hatched in my head to take a group of students over to Auschwitz and from that experience impact the school in some way. It seemed impossible but through some out of school funding it happened and last November half term we set off with 4 students to Poland.

This week has seen the fulfilment of this dream as the assemblies all week are being taken by these students to silence and respect from all year groups and incredible feedback from all staff.

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. Today period one the whole school had a PSHE lesson on the Holocaust set out by these students from their experiences and their thoughts. The feedback has been fantastic, so positive with no hassles and focused discussions from all year groups.

Its been a difficult journey and a very emotional week - with 2 assemblies to go - but the impact has been tangible and I feel proud of what has been achieved.




Spend a moment today to remember those who's lives were so brutally taken because they didnt fit into to someone else's plans.

When you know youre doing the right thing...

Its days like this that remind me why I became a teacher.

Its my birthday...relevant to the story not pushing for presents...OK maybe a little push!...and every child coming into my room seem to know this and have wished me happy birthday.

On top of that I have a pile of cards next to my desk from all year groups and have had happy birthday sung at least 5 times!

Its when things like this happens you feel like you are making a difference!

'Herd' of this one?...

Recently I have bought in a new marking system into the faculty which we have worked on and tweaked and involves using small red yellow and green stickers to mark work. The key to understanding these stickers is on a sheet in the front of their books and involves them answering some questions to self evaluate how they are doing and what they can do to improve.

All was working well until...8S3...this would need some thought!

I decided to herd them together in terms of the colour of the sticker achieved and see how it would go. So we had the red table..s and a yellow table.

To begin with they needed some nudging as to what to do and the TA in the room with me and I wandered round answering questions and keeping on task. Then it took off.

Someone on the red table said 'I don't know what to do to improve?' and before we could get there someone else on the table responded 'Oh I know you haven't...'

The conversation took off! They began to peer assess and evaluate and then cross table conversations started as the reds wanted to know what the yellows had done to get a yellow.

We just stood back and let it happen...quite an eye opener for the both of us and a great way to end the topic.

snow fun....

Watching the world change to white over the last 24 hours I was hopeful that we may see 'Snow Day 4:The final moments'.

This would follow last weeks:
'Snow Day'
'Snow Day 2: The unexpected'
and my personal favourite 'Snow Day 3: I've only done a one day week!'

However, powers that be have decided and Snow Day 4 has become 'Ice Slush Hell'... really not looking forward to getting out of this car park!

Day after tomorrow...is today!

Loved the film and now living the reality...some areas of the UK as cold as Moscow...Isotherms doing their thang!!!!

New Year ReVolutions...

2010...time to try something different in the classroom...be daring!

Happy New Year