Skip to main content

#1bigidea that shaped my practice

I enjoy reading the various hastags that go on in staffrm.  It's a great way of getting a range of perspectives around one theme. So when Peps asked me to think about one, I thought I'd do the opposite of the brilliant #1smallthing series by going from the micro to the macro.  Now, I've been writing all day, so excuse me if this makes no sense at all. I'm also distracted by the sun setting.
Hopefully it'll also give an extra post idea to those taking part in the #28daysofwriting challenge too.

What big idea has had the most influence on your practice?

When I started teaching I had been influenced by the 'silo' approach to my subject - I saw geography as a stand alone topic.  It wasn't until I realised the importance of every subject in delivering whole school literacy that the penny dropped.  This realisation (together with another big idea of whole school maths) influences my practice every day.

Where/when/how did you learn about it?

A combination of things really, but it was during the second year of teaching in 2004/5 that I realised how important good literacy was to achieving good GCSE results. The reading age of most papers was at the 14-16 years old mark. It also became obvious to me that a lack of understanding that students had around the definitions of words (command words and verbs / nouns as well as subject specific words) held them back.  I started the Banned Word board and gradually took it from there.  It was an instinctive move really.  
It also struck me that my own use of the English language was (and still is) poorly developed.  I hated English lessons and didn't see the links myself as a student.  During University I had to catch up on the simple things like 'its' and 'it's' and other basic stuff - I still struggle.  This is despite devouring books ever since I can remember - I still do.
Later, especially in the last 3-4 years there has been a big focus on literacy across the curriculum and rightly so. I totally subscribe to the maxim that it's reading and a focus on cross curricular literacy that can help young people.  This doesn't mean writing poetry in Geography (I couldn't tell you the difference between a Sonnet and a Couplet), but an insistence on using full, formal English.  This goes to speaking as well as writing.

What are the signs that it's had such a big impact?

GCSE results improved, and when I was in Geography they improved when other areas of the school declined.  It's a complex picture, but a relentless drive on literacy was a big part.

Is it possible for people to misinterpret the idea?

Oh yes.  The main barrier I come up against is the 'I'm not a teacher of English or Maths.' Muppets.  The results of English and Maths are the responsibility of all departments. Also getting confused between using good English that's appropriate to your subject, and being an English teacher.

Where would people go to find out more?

There are loads of blogs and books out there, but Manglish is a great one. Also have a read of The Elephant in the Classroom for a maths perspective.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

High Impact, Low effort

This month is the start of the #29daysofwriting challenge.  I enjoyed this last year and will be using my Staffrm account to post.  I'll also be reporting here, both to give a little more detail and to keep a log of what I have written. The challenge developed a great sense of community last year, which is why I'm choosing to write on Staffrm. What I would say to those who are new to writing or don't want to run out of ideas is: Write for yourself. Clarify an idea, write something out loud. The process of distilling thoughts into writing is immensely beneficial to your practice. If other read, comment and respond, that's a bonus. Ignore the muppets who know nothing of your context, style or students. Mix it up - I like to read about real stuff from real classrooms and schools and also about other stuff.  If we always write about school, how does that work for workload? If you've nothing nice to say, don't say it. So, the following has been ...
5 comments
Read more

What makes a learning experience profound? Personal reflections and possible implications for classroom practice.

I have recently begun a Leadership Pathways journey.  As part of the first core day, we were asked to reflect on a profound learning experience. This got me thinking about how many profound learning experiences I have both been involved in, and how many I have been able to give to others.  Our group came up with a huge long list, but these are my five. Emotional Connected Demanding Reflective Collaborative As always, these are personal thoughts and quite mixed up.  I put them here so that I can look back on them (plus they’d get lost inside my world-cup-free brain) 1. Emotional I can’t think of a time where deep learning hasn’t engaged my emotions.  From being awe inspired to that tingle feeling when a student gets a light bulb moment.  From this-is-the-happiest-day-ever, to I-think-I’m-about-to die.  How often do we engage the emotions of those we teach?  Here, I would argue that having a safe learning environment i...
4 comments
Read more

Banned Word Board

Today I want to share some simple ideas that I have found to be very effective in the classroom. I can't say that they are my own original ideas, although I have played around with them. The first is the Banned word Board. This is a simple display in the classroom that lists a number of words that are not allowed to be used by pupils in their written or oral answers. The effect has been an increase in the quality of written work, and I have almost made comments such as 'Sir it's simple, the stuff just affects the thing and causes people problems'. Pupils are now more able to use specific language, something that is vital especially at GCSE. I have had to make a few modifications, such as the introduction of 'Heavenly Words' This is an additional display placed on the ceiling. I found this necessary as pupils needed some stimulus in finding replacement words. After advice received after posting the idea on the SLN forum , I have also introduced semi-banned words...
Post a Comment
Read more