Skip to main content

Wandering the school



One of the privileges of SLT is the ability to walk around the school to see what's going on. I don't do this to catch people out; to find bright spots or to find students.  I try, once a week, just to wander the school mainly to find out what cool stuff is going on.  Before you shout 'it's alight if you've got the time you dosser Rogers!' I would argue that walking the school is powerful CPD.  Here are some questions to consider:
- How is learning celebrated across the school?
- Are the ethos and main messages of the school consistently communicated through the fabric of the school and actions of its community?
- How are different groups of students encouraged in different parts of the school?
- Are the messages from notices representative of the school community and positive?
This week I found:
- Year 8s exploring the South Downs National Park, local coastline and the hydrological cycle using Minecraft - more on this to come. 
- Some very funky science experiments.
- A fantastic way to positively mange the behaviour of some tricky characters.
- Found out about our upcoming dance show and Patcham's Got Talent.
- Spoke to a governor about setting up an education business partnership link.
- Found out about creating storybook Apps.
- Spoke to a student about their coding controlled assessment and how Python works.
- Saw some truly stunning Graphic Illustration work from Year 11 as they worked diligently and determinedly toward their exam
I also managed to speak to some staff and ask how they were getting on - always a bonus and a useful barometer of what's going on.
One of the interesting things about SLT is that I get through a lot of shoes.  Leadership needs to be visible in my view, and that means walking.  I walk around 3-5km a day just around the buildings and on duty.  Great to keep my legs loose during ultra marathon training, my buns and for getting to know the community.
When I'm walking around,  I try to find the time to stop and observe for a short time.  This is something I picked up through Ewan and being a Google Teacher Academy Mentor.  It's amazing what you can pick up.  I also try to ensure I've at least emailed each member of staff whose classroom I may have wandered in to.
So, head off for a wander.  Call it a learning walk if you will, but do take some time to get out of your class / department / phase.  Speak to some people you don't normally say much to and make new connections. 
Right, time for the third rugby match of the weekend.....
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 is not always conducive to profound
4 comments
Read more

The danger of Teaching and Twitter conversations: poorly formed bipolar arguments.

Sometimes in life, there really are only two options.  Get the wrong one and you can look like a muppet.  Take this useful sign for the toilets in Morocco.  I successfully navigated it, choosing the right option.  The result? No egg on my face.  As a mountain leader, there are many right or wrong decisions that I’ve faced, as there are all over life.  It’s not a good idea to let inexperienced young people walk themselves down Snowdon.  They may die or be seriously injured.  If someone is showing the signs and symptoms of hyperthermia, you need to treat it fast in a specified way.  There is no real arguing with this sign: Other options are less obvious.  Take this sign recently spotted near to where I live: Now, I wouldn’t consider sleeping in a bin.  However, faced with a sub-zero night, I could see the appeal.  The danger? Being tipped into one of those huge lorries with a compactor. (by the way, I only really considered all of this thanks to questions from my four year old boy).
1 comment
Read more