An Orwellian Way To End Demoralizing Inset Days

Rachel Jacobs and Lara Ginn describes how their school staff immersed themselves in George Orwell’s 1984 world of Oceana and Truthspeak, to mark a change in educational culture.

The end of term is about to arrive and the heady days of the start of the year drift further into the subconscious. For most of us teachers, it will have started with a least one Inset day and probably more – I don’t know of a school that goes straight into teaching after the summer holidays without one. The pace of education is such that the critical time for reflecting on what went on during those days, indeed any days, tends to get lost on the ever-increasing speed of the treadmill that characterises life in schools.

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      string(5171) "subject, inorder to encourage networking ie no sitting withfriends!� All staff had been requested in advance to wear aname badge with their first name and surnameclearly shown.� I organised outside caterers to provide a buffetlunch. Again all of these costs were shared.You can be forgiven for thinking that I had gonecompletely mad organising the Inset day for notone school but three, and I can assure you thatthe lead up to the day was not without momentsof (controlled) stress and anxiety! However,attention to detail in the planning and the help ofsome tremendous support staff (administrators andcaretakers), ensured that everything went withouta hitch. The feedback from staff was extremelypositive and, although we had been expected tolisten for much of the day, it was agreed thateveryone had taken away several key strategieswhich could be used straightaway in the classroom.It was also apparent that individual and groups ofstaff had organised visits and meetings withcolleagues from other schools to discuss all kindsof professional and subject issues. My cunningnetworking plan had worked!��� Embedding development trainingThe next step, then, was to ensure that what wehad all gained from the day was not immediatelylost or forgotten. I’m sure that most CPDcoordinators have experienced the frustration ofvaluable development training disappearing all toosoon into a distant memory of: ‘What did we dolast inset day? It was really good but I can’tremember much about it.’ I have found thatembedding development training and monitoringthe impact of it in any meaningful way is atremendous challenge. I can only offer somegeneric strategies that I have used to keep thetraining ‘live’ and to try to ensure that ourcolleagues benefit from any newly developed skills,improved understanding or renewed motivation.� To embed any new skills requires a seriouscommitment of time and energy from us ascoordinators; if we forget past developmenttraining when we move on to the next Inset day,then so will staff.� Give staff time on the day, in a plenary session,to write down one or two things which they willcommit to trying out in the classroom on theirfirst day back after the training session. Then askfor feedback.� Through middle leaders, request that time is setaside in meetings for staff feedback andPractitioner piecesAutumn200527……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………discussion of how the development training hasimpacted on their classroom practice over aperiod of time. This may be, for example, whichstrategies or skills have been most successful in aparticular context. Collate this information andpresent it back to departments as a whole schooloverview.� In the case of specific strategies and techniquesdeveloped through training, use whole schoolfeedback to determine those which have had themost success and suggest to your SMT that thesebe incorporated into whole school practices andprocedures.� Depending on the nature of the training andwhat staff have gained from it, encourage everydepartment or faculty to provide evidence ofimpact in their area (all members of these teamsshould be expected to contribute). This can inturn be collated into a whole school portfoliofor all staff to consult.� Give staff opportunities to share good practiceon other Inset days in order to keep past training‘live.’��� Monitoring impactThis is still an Ofsted identified area of nationalweakness and a particularly challenging area forcoordinators. There are certainly no easy answersand, once again, impact evaluation is on my actionplan for the year. As a school we are looking intothe use of statistical data to establish whetherthere is a meaningful way to measure the impactof CPD on school achievement – with individualgroups, across a department or subject area andat whole school level. One of the ways we aredoing this is through the information we can gleanfrom the recently introduced grading systems forobservation using the Ofsted criteria for teachingand learning.Reference Earley P and Bubb S (2004), Leading and Managing Continuing Professional Development. Paul ChapmanLike many schools, we are also keen to developways of using student feedback to monitor impactas well as using the performance managementsystems to gauge non statistical impact ie the ‘feel-good factor’ amongst staff.Already in place is a useful proforma whichrequires that staff engaging in CPD activities andvisits externally consider the impact of developmenttraining before they have participated in it andspecify beforehand how feedback and disseminationwill take place. Of relevance to the particular contextof Inset time in school is the need to consider theevaluation follow-up to these days. Most"
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Professional Development

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Professional Development

Inset Days: a traumatic or transforming experience? (open access article)

1 Nov 2006

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      string(4706) "longer)89……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Researchduring term time (Deakin et al, 2010). Althoughactual teaching only accounts for about a third ofthis time, teaching is very demanding and intense – aperformance – and this is reflected in the high levelsof staff absence and stress. Workload and stress areconstantly noted as reasons for leaving teaching withschools in challenging circumstances worst affected.The SDO research evidence demonstrates that extradays of holiday resulted from a greater use of twilightsrather than whole development days, so can teacherstherefore be expected to undertake some developmentopportunities in their ‘own’ time? Of course manystaff do use their own time at weekends, half-termsand summer holidays for development – and schoolsin England are permitted to pay individuals for suchtime (e.g. for attending approved courses) – butshould there not be a greater expectation for all staffto do so?To create more time for staff development theexisting teacher year could be altered by, for example,utilising some PPA time for staff development, trainingand deploying more cover supervisors, employingmore teachers (supernumeraries) – but most unlikelyin the present economic climate – and making greateruse of the regulation which allows payment for staffdevelopment outside of the 195 days (e.g. duringholidays).More development daysOne obvious way to find time, ensure greaterpersonalization and to better meet individual teacher’sneeds is to increase the number of developmentdays. A report from the IPPR has suggested thatthe current five days be replaced with 20 days ofcompulsory professional development (Margo etal, 2008). It suggests that ‘ten days of this trainingwould take place in the school (with the expectationthat schools will facilitate this) and ten days outsidevia external providers, conferences, school visits oreven visits to other countries’ (ibid, p.11). The IPPRreport however is less clear on where these extra15 days would come from without increasing thelength of the school year from its current 195 days.Some academies have taken advantage of not being90……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Better use of training and development days ■■■■■References: Atherton, A. (2007) Visits to other schools – the‘February 11th project’, Professional Development Today, Vol.8, Issue 1. ■ Bubb, S. and Earley, P. (2010) Helping Staff Developin Schools, London: Sage. ■ Bubb, S., Earley, P. and Hempel-Jorgensen, A. (2009) Staff Development Outcomes Study, London:Institute of Education. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20111218081624/http://tda.gov.uk/cpd-leader/effective-cpd/~/media/resources/cpd-leader/effective-cpd-research/staff_development_outcomes_study.pdf ■ Cordingley, P. (2008)What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, Coventry:Curee. ■ Cowan, B. and Wright, N. (1990) Two million dayslost, Education 175: (5), pp. 117-118. ■ Darling Hammond, L.(1999) Target time toward teachers, Journal of Staff Development,20, 2. ■ Deakin, G., James, N., Tickner, M. and Tidswell, J. (2010).Teachers’ Workload Diary Survey 2010. London: DFE RR057.■ Department for Education (2011) School Teachers’ Pay andConditions Document, London: DFE. ■ Earley, P. & Porritt, V. (eds)(2009) Effective Practices in Continuing Professional Development:Lessons from Schools, London: Institute of Education and TDA,Bedford Way series. ■ Gibson, R. (2010). ‘How to … ensureinnovative staff training days’. Professional Development Today,13 (1), 22-25. ■ Goodall, J., Day, C., Harris, A., Lindsey, G. and Muijs,D. 2005. The Impact of Professional Development, Research report,Nottingham: DfES. ■ Gough, B. and James, D. (1990) PlanningProfessional Training Days. Buckingham: Open University Press.■ Guskey, T and Yoon, K (2009) ‘What works in professionaldevelopment?’ Phi Delta"
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Professional Development

Better use of training and development days

21 May 2013

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      string(5621) "We have another old Etonian in charge at number 10 and he’s going to bring us all together in unity and optimism… isn’t he? If he achieves this, it will be by virtue of his ability to charm, cajole and convince and so get people of very different opinions to compromise or even change their minds. Can he do it?  Many would argue that Boris has charisma, self-belief and confidence grown from an inborn sense of entitlement, nurtured at an elite private school. This has helped enable someone branded a liar and self-serving bluffer become Prime Minister. How can the rest of us compete with that? We probably can’t—there can only be one PM at a time. But, surely, we can do more to help our state-school children have the confidence and poise to communicate effectively and become leaders or politicians. As a teacher, school leader and trainer I am so aware that a public speaking ability can massively boost self-confidence and win hearts and minds. 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So, when Carrie Swift started a company called Love Public Speaking Ltd, I began to think about how we could take this into schools and make public speaking as embedded in school extra-curricular culture as sport and music.Aside from her successful work with businesses, Carrie trains teachers to run after-school clubs that develop outstanding public speaking skills. These also help participants gain an understanding of the mind and how to overcome anxiety and insecurity. Through understanding this theory and practicing speaking and evaluating each other, children (and their teachers!) from years 5–13 have developed that confidence, knowledge, and skill that enhance resilience and self -belief. I spoke to Carrie about the clubs and asked her how they work. Who runs the after-school public speaking club?We come to the school and train a couple of teachers in how to run the club, providing all the PowerPoint slides, speaking exercises and videos of great public speakers for students to watch and analyse. We usually double up the training with a whole-staff presentation skills training session for the teachers too because we find teachers are often very nervous of public speaking when they speak at events like INSET days and parents’ evenings.  Having an after-school public speaking club has the additional bonus of reluctant teachers experiencing a transformation in their own attitude to and confidence in public speaking.But are the teachers willing to run an after-school club?We’ve found teachers are keen to do it as part of their professional development. Some schools pay extra to their teachers for running the club—or sometimes they have time off in lieu. It really is a flexible programme and can even be delivered in the holidays or on Saturdays, if that suits the school community.How can schools fund it?Some schools charge the parents a termly fee for their child to attend the club.  We’ve found that parents are just as keen to pay for this as for a football club or a music club, as parents know communication skills bring confidence and help children fulfil their potential—it is an easy sell. Some schools use pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged children to take part in the club.What made you get involved with this type of training?Well—like my mum (Jackie Beere), I also had extreme anxiety related to public speaking and as I worked as a manager in business, I realised how important it was to be able to speak up in a meeting or to deliver a pitch. 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        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Leadership

Why Speaking Skills Need to be Prioritised

3 Mar 2020