It's that time of year when the outside world expects us to be winding down. Perhaps people keep mentioning gained time. Maybe you have lots, maybe you have none. Either way as we hurtle towards the end of term I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that the 'to do' list keeps getting longer. There are so many things you feel you need to tie up or resolve before the summer term. Every day seems to bring a new project, task or item that requires attention, interaction or a solution.
What I am essentially wondering is how people maintain morale? Do you celebrate the end of term with colleagues or your department? Do your school put on an end of year meal to reward staff for hard-work? Please share your experiences!
Thursday, 25 June 2015
Sunday, 7 June 2015
Exam pressure and revision techniques
Who is more stressed and worried during this period?!
The inevitable articles will start as we near the results days in August that this year's exams were easier than ever. That we will see more and more students getting the top grades, implying that teaching standards have dropped and students are not working as hard. This isn't fair on anyone, having seen the amount of work that students are putting in and the stress that it is causing them, it belittles the work that us, parents and students are putting in.
Every year we teach students not only the content that they need, the exam techniques and skills but also the ways in which to revise. There was a fascinating article from the BBC about different revision techniques and the success or hindrance that some can play.
Highlighting
As someone who loves their stationery and nothing more than colour-coding both their notes and work I've been a fan of highlighting when working. The BBC article, linked above, raises some interesting findings about this approach. That upon reading actually make a lot of sense; the idea that highlighting sections or sentences at a time means you are only focusing on one concept or issue at a time. Rather than building the bigger picture or connecting concepts, which for many subjects is essential.
Making summary points
This is an interesting one with Professor Dunlovsky suggesting that summaries do not help that much. Stating that students who re-visit and re-read learn as much as those who are making summaries as they read. This is an interesting finding, I found (or thought) that when I was at university this was something that helped me. Although I did make summary notes as I went along, as well as part of my revision.
Memory aids/mnemonics
Useful but with a caveat that they are only really of benefit for short bits of information, like remembering the order of the planets or colours of the rainbow. Rather than being of use for longer passages. This is perhaps not surprising. What was surprising was the suggestion in the research that this approach didn't work for subjects like Physics or Maths. I remember at school being taught a number of mnemonics for both these subjects, although as with other things I revised the concepts and tested them out as part of my revision, so perhaps it was that they played more of a role, rather than the mnemonic. Which brings me nicely on to the findings about what worked well.
The successful approaches
This is based upon the research as discussed in the article and I do appreciate that individuals may still find different techniques work well for them. Spreading out revision over a longer period of time and testing yourself regularly were found to be the most effective. This is not surprising, giving yourself more time enables you to review, check and test your understanding in the hope of cementing it fully before the exam. I am sure I am not alone in suggesting that students start revising before May! Planning ahead and revising your subjects over time, acknowledging that you have possibly at GCSE 10 subjects to revise and balancing your time, rather than trying to revise Biology in one block before moving on to Chemistry is the sensible approach. This ensures you are doing little and often rather than trying to 'cram'.
As we are well under way in the exam season there is still time to work on revision! Whilst research has identified the statistically more beneficial approaches, any revision is better than none!
The inevitable articles will start as we near the results days in August that this year's exams were easier than ever. That we will see more and more students getting the top grades, implying that teaching standards have dropped and students are not working as hard. This isn't fair on anyone, having seen the amount of work that students are putting in and the stress that it is causing them, it belittles the work that us, parents and students are putting in.
Every year we teach students not only the content that they need, the exam techniques and skills but also the ways in which to revise. There was a fascinating article from the BBC about different revision techniques and the success or hindrance that some can play.
Highlighting
As someone who loves their stationery and nothing more than colour-coding both their notes and work I've been a fan of highlighting when working. The BBC article, linked above, raises some interesting findings about this approach. That upon reading actually make a lot of sense; the idea that highlighting sections or sentences at a time means you are only focusing on one concept or issue at a time. Rather than building the bigger picture or connecting concepts, which for many subjects is essential.
Making summary points
This is an interesting one with Professor Dunlovsky suggesting that summaries do not help that much. Stating that students who re-visit and re-read learn as much as those who are making summaries as they read. This is an interesting finding, I found (or thought) that when I was at university this was something that helped me. Although I did make summary notes as I went along, as well as part of my revision.
Memory aids/mnemonics
Useful but with a caveat that they are only really of benefit for short bits of information, like remembering the order of the planets or colours of the rainbow. Rather than being of use for longer passages. This is perhaps not surprising. What was surprising was the suggestion in the research that this approach didn't work for subjects like Physics or Maths. I remember at school being taught a number of mnemonics for both these subjects, although as with other things I revised the concepts and tested them out as part of my revision, so perhaps it was that they played more of a role, rather than the mnemonic. Which brings me nicely on to the findings about what worked well.
The successful approaches
This is based upon the research as discussed in the article and I do appreciate that individuals may still find different techniques work well for them. Spreading out revision over a longer period of time and testing yourself regularly were found to be the most effective. This is not surprising, giving yourself more time enables you to review, check and test your understanding in the hope of cementing it fully before the exam. I am sure I am not alone in suggesting that students start revising before May! Planning ahead and revising your subjects over time, acknowledging that you have possibly at GCSE 10 subjects to revise and balancing your time, rather than trying to revise Biology in one block before moving on to Chemistry is the sensible approach. This ensures you are doing little and often rather than trying to 'cram'.
As we are well under way in the exam season there is still time to work on revision! Whilst research has identified the statistically more beneficial approaches, any revision is better than none!
Monday, 1 June 2015
Last term....(marking and musings)
So, the last term of the academic year looms. I'm struggling to get my head around how the year has gone so fast. It's been an enjoyable year, in which I think since returning from maternity leave I've found a huge energy for my job. I've found myself reading more around the subject, re-visiting teaching books and material that I hadn't read for a while. Twitter and this blog seemed like the next step, in order to engage further with the way I teach.
The area I think I have developed the greatest interest, in terms of reading and research, has been marking and assessment. The more I learn, the more I think I took for granted and assumed about my marking and feedback. Making sure that every comment, point, tick or symbol was not only useful but informative. There is also then the tricky balance of praise and progress. No-one (or perhaps it is just me!) really likes being told what isn't great and needs improving, even if that actually helps you, it can still sting.
If we consider that students could have 4-5 other classes in a day that is potentially a lot of constructive comments and structured progress and development! Whilst it is extremely useful and supports/structures progress it could get draining and demoralising for students, particularly those that already have lower self-esteem. That is why it is crucial to structure progress comments
I've found including a question as part of my feedback has been beneficial, it provides a clear and defined task as part of the feedback as well as directing focus to a specific area. Next blog post will focus on how praise is used in marking and feedback.
The area I think I have developed the greatest interest, in terms of reading and research, has been marking and assessment. The more I learn, the more I think I took for granted and assumed about my marking and feedback. Making sure that every comment, point, tick or symbol was not only useful but informative. There is also then the tricky balance of praise and progress. No-one (or perhaps it is just me!) really likes being told what isn't great and needs improving, even if that actually helps you, it can still sting.
If we consider that students could have 4-5 other classes in a day that is potentially a lot of constructive comments and structured progress and development! Whilst it is extremely useful and supports/structures progress it could get draining and demoralising for students, particularly those that already have lower self-esteem. That is why it is crucial to structure progress comments
- in a clear manner that won't confuse the message or your aims
- in a positive way, to ensure not only that students engage with the feedback but that they feel confident about their ability to progress in the subject
- linking to a specific area; be that use of evidence, spelling or ability to explain an argument for example
- if possible including a question (more about this in a minute)
I've found including a question as part of my feedback has been beneficial, it provides a clear and defined task as part of the feedback as well as directing focus to a specific area. Next blog post will focus on how praise is used in marking and feedback.
Sunday, 31 May 2015
Online learning
Since broadband made it's way into my home years ago I have enjoyed an online world. I've learnt so much and gained friends and connections around the world. The one thing I had not done was take an online course, a proper, get a certificate at the end (!) online course.*
Well, that's all changed. I signed up some time ago to EdX but never got round to actually registering for any courses. Then I saw Data Wise, which was being run by HarvardX. It was exploring how you could use data to inform and improve your teaching and the outcomes for learners. How to ensure that data was not only useful but being used more usefully. Looking at the different types of data that you might use in your teaching and then how you can plan for and work collaboratively with data and your colleagues. I have really been enjoying the course, the material is engaging and interesting, and it has got me thinking about how I use data and how I can use it better. I would definitely recommend teachers look at online courses.
*Ok, it's an online .pdf certificate. But I will be able to print it out!
Well, that's all changed. I signed up some time ago to EdX but never got round to actually registering for any courses. Then I saw Data Wise, which was being run by HarvardX. It was exploring how you could use data to inform and improve your teaching and the outcomes for learners. How to ensure that data was not only useful but being used more usefully. Looking at the different types of data that you might use in your teaching and then how you can plan for and work collaboratively with data and your colleagues. I have really been enjoying the course, the material is engaging and interesting, and it has got me thinking about how I use data and how I can use it better. I would definitely recommend teachers look at online courses.
*Ok, it's an online .pdf certificate. But I will be able to print it out!
Thursday, 28 May 2015
3 stars? 2 stars? 1 star? Wish? Getting to grips with feedback
Providing feedback to students, whether immediately, at the end of a lesson or later, is so important. It so important to ensure that the feedback given, whether written or spoken, is understood and achievable for the student. When training as a teacher we talked in terms of SMART targets and our own targets were phrased and developed with this in mind. I often wonder whether we keep this at the front of our mind when setting targets for students and providing feedback.
We all discuss at the start of any new course or academic year the target for each student, we talk it through and we agree upon it as teacher and student. But, to what extent are we discussing the journey to that target?
When we give feedback, both as teachers and when we encourage students to, we all have our own bank of approaches and ideas:
I am not attempting to state or argue as to which is best, all focus upon providing students with a positive comment to recognise their contribution, engagement, effort and knowledge. We all thrive on praise, there are numerous articles written that weigh up the type and frequency of praise with the impact upon the development of a young person. But, put quite simply most of us like to hear when we are doing something well. We feel acknowledged and valued. As teachers we want our students to feel this. The wish or quizzical face denotes the required next steps for the student. This may be a simple task such as completing missing work, it may be a question to test and stretch or it may be a focus for future work such as spelling.
The more I teach the more I recognise that there is still so much for me to learn about feedback. About feedback to get the most out of students, to have the greatest impact and to help that progress in the most manageable and importantly engaging way.
We all discuss at the start of any new course or academic year the target for each student, we talk it through and we agree upon it as teacher and student. But, to what extent are we discussing the journey to that target?
When we give feedback, both as teachers and when we encourage students to, we all have our own bank of approaches and ideas:
- some like a traffic light system
- others favour 3 stars and a wish
- smiley and quizzical faces have been noted previously!
- others favour a more lengthy comment and question approach
I am not attempting to state or argue as to which is best, all focus upon providing students with a positive comment to recognise their contribution, engagement, effort and knowledge. We all thrive on praise, there are numerous articles written that weigh up the type and frequency of praise with the impact upon the development of a young person. But, put quite simply most of us like to hear when we are doing something well. We feel acknowledged and valued. As teachers we want our students to feel this. The wish or quizzical face denotes the required next steps for the student. This may be a simple task such as completing missing work, it may be a question to test and stretch or it may be a focus for future work such as spelling.
The more I teach the more I recognise that there is still so much for me to learn about feedback. About feedback to get the most out of students, to have the greatest impact and to help that progress in the most manageable and importantly engaging way.
Peer-assessment
Such a great and beneficial tool in the classroom. Not only does it give students the chance to review and engage with different ideas and their peers it enables them to apply the success criteria. By applying the success criteria critically to someone else's work it helps, in my opinion, the student to see what and how the teacher is reviewing their work. It also helps provide a realistic model for the task.
Something I am conscious of is that finding the time to do peer-assessment is not difficult, it is something that can be built in easily to a successful plenary. Finding the time to do peer-assessment in depth, successfully and with the students fully aware of what and why they are doing this is much harder. I think in the past I have been guilty of thinking that students will be able to review someone else's work and comment on it, as if that was an easy thing. I have been reviewing my approach to peer-assessment and am contemplating trying some new things:
I think that I will be creating A5 laminated statement banks that can be left on tables next to student work, enabling students to rotate around the room and find a new and different book to mark. Alternatively I can collect books and hand them out randomly, but I think they may take up unnecessary time and create more confusion. I also propose to try the statement banks as a means of providing extension material for students, enabling them to review their work with a better level of focus.
Anyway, I'll check back in on this in a couple of weeks. Hopefully with good news. Will welcome any comments and thoughts from others about peer-assessment and what has worked well!
Something I am conscious of is that finding the time to do peer-assessment is not difficult, it is something that can be built in easily to a successful plenary. Finding the time to do peer-assessment in depth, successfully and with the students fully aware of what and why they are doing this is much harder. I think in the past I have been guilty of thinking that students will be able to review someone else's work and comment on it, as if that was an easy thing. I have been reviewing my approach to peer-assessment and am contemplating trying some new things:
- creating target and achievement statements
- making sure I use the statement banks regularly both in class and in book feedback
- providing different opportunities for peer-assessment, rather than just the usual swap with a neighbour
I think that I will be creating A5 laminated statement banks that can be left on tables next to student work, enabling students to rotate around the room and find a new and different book to mark. Alternatively I can collect books and hand them out randomly, but I think they may take up unnecessary time and create more confusion. I also propose to try the statement banks as a means of providing extension material for students, enabling them to review their work with a better level of focus.
Anyway, I'll check back in on this in a couple of weeks. Hopefully with good news. Will welcome any comments and thoughts from others about peer-assessment and what has worked well!
Friday, 22 May 2015
Learning to teacher in the secondary school
I've been revisiting some reading material that I bought years ago when training to be a teacher at university: Learning to Teach in the Secondary School A companion to School Experience Edited by Susan Capel, Marilyn Leask and Tony Turner.
I've been dipping back into it to review my use of assessment, marking and feedback. It is amazing how refreshing it was to do this, to take the time to go back to something that opened my eyes in such a way the first time.
I'm currently reading the chapter about assessment and a few basic things struck me; the checklist for understanding (Holt:1964: 176) is brilliant. So clear and concise and yet it makes so much sense in terms of identifying for both student and teacher how to measure accurately if students understand something. I am considering creating a checklist for my wall for students to use as part of plenary and revision activities. To help them identify what they need to be able to do in order to say that they 'understand' a topic or study area.
I've been dipping back into it to review my use of assessment, marking and feedback. It is amazing how refreshing it was to do this, to take the time to go back to something that opened my eyes in such a way the first time.
I'm currently reading the chapter about assessment and a few basic things struck me; the checklist for understanding (Holt:1964: 176) is brilliant. So clear and concise and yet it makes so much sense in terms of identifying for both student and teacher how to measure accurately if students understand something. I am considering creating a checklist for my wall for students to use as part of plenary and revision activities. To help them identify what they need to be able to do in order to say that they 'understand' a topic or study area.
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