Creative Teaching & Learning

Fit To Adopt!

A community programme that links health clubs and leisure centres with local primary schools aims to increase activity levels among 10– and 11–year–olds.

fit-to-adopt.pdf

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      string(2994) "Every areaof the school curriculum could derive some benefit fromthis process and it would also help the community todevelop a growing sense of anticipation.Even if a school has spent a whole academic yearvisioning their future buildings, ICT, curriculum andsocial regeneration (as Partnerships for Schools hasemphasized from the outset, BSF is much more than abuilding programme), I think it is too much to expectthem to communicate this in a handful of meetingswith the private sector partner. Head Teachers, askyour Local Authority to consider allowing extended andmeaningful dialogue with your future partners duringthe ITN phase. Make it clear that you have so many goodideas to communicate that it couldn’t possibly be donein so short a time.Challenge the curriculum modelOver the past few years, we have seen the ‘one sizefits all’ approach of the National Curriculum begin tocrumble. The greater diversity now available with thevocational 14-19 paths is to be welcomed as a startingpoint. Tomlinson made an excellent contribution tothe curriculum debate last year but his proposals wereperhaps too radical for a government to adopt so closeto a general election. We have to face the fact that ourcurriculum model, with its insistence on frequent paper-based national testing and emphasis on content overskills, is not serving many of our young people.We must all lobby DfES and QCA to allow enoughflexibility for a much more dynamic and locallyresponsive curriculum. The Treasury has been verybrave to release so much funding to renew the schoolestate, let’s push the government to be equally bravein releasing teachers to adopt radical pedagogies witha better fit with youth culture.Indeed we will not be able to reap the maximumbenefit from the Government’s investment in newschools unless reform of the curriculum proceedsin parallel at the very least. The spatial organizationof a school necessarily flows from the underlyingeducational model.In the next twenty years we could jointly create anew estate of schools which would be the envy of theworld; flexible spaces holding the very latest technologyin support of a committed and professional workforce.However, to do so will demand the public and privatesectors working together more closely than everbefore and a preparedness by all to support innovativestrategies that put the pupil at the heart of education.Contrary to the popular conception of the privatesector organisation making a fast buck at the expenseof the tax-payer, the people I work with are passionatein the extreme about improving opportunities for youngpeople. I too am excited by the prospect ahead of us andI anticipate that our legacy will be one to be proud of.Tony Wilson is bid manager with Balfour Beatty CapitalProjects Ltd. Harpfields and Mill Hill Primary Schoolswere built by Transform Schools, who bring togetherBalfour Beatty and Innisfree Ltd.www.transformschools.co.ukMill Hill Primary School, Stoke on Trent"
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Learning Spaces

The Contractors View - Balfour Beatty

25 Aug 2009

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Learning Spaces

The Contractors View

9 Aug 2009

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      string(5617) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.THE ONE TYPE OF LEADER WHO CAN TURNAROUND A FAILING SCHOOLKeywordsTypes of Leader,failing school,performance,superheads,teachers,headteacher,strugglingschools, low-performingpupilsSummaryThis new study by the Centre for High Performance reveals that PE and RE teachers are leasteffective superheads, are more likely to adopt a damaging “short-termist” approach to runningschools, but are awarded the most honours.The study has identified the impact of different “types” of headteacher – with their leadership stylelinked to their degree subject for the first time.Researchers analysed the impact of 411 secondary heads in turnaround academies, using interviews,grades, budgets and management information system data across a seven-year period up to 2015to uncover five headteacher “types”: the philosopher, the surgeon, the architect, the soldier and theaccountant.Main Findings: ■ The research found that the tiny but influential group of “surgeons”, who mostly taught PE orRE before heading up struggling schools, adopted a damaging “short-termist” approach thatnevertheless saw them disproportionately awarded damehoods and knighthoods. ■ This type of head mostly grows results quickly by kicking out low-performing pupils. They wouldlose as many as 25 per cent of pupils in the GCSE year, so the percentage taking A* to Crockets. These heads believe in good and bad students. But it’s not real improvement, and whenthey leave everything falls apart. ■ At present they are being held up as examples of good practice. They have power within thesystem. ■ The “surgeons”, of which 71 per cent were PE teachers and 14 per cent RE teachers, were paidan average of £150,000 a year and were most likely to want a higher salary – yet cost a schoolabout £2 million in consultancy fees to fix problems once they departed. ■ And they were the only type of leader in those surveyed to hold damehoods or knighthoods, aswell as being the most likely to have political sway. ■ While “surgeons” had the most damaging impact, they made up only 8 per cent of the headssurveyed (33 out of 411). ■ The majority of heads surveyed were “philosophers” (51 per cent) – mostly former EnglishWeek Commencing 31st October 2016https://hbr.org/2016/10/the-one-type-of-leader-who-can-turn-around-a-failing-schoolhttps://hbr.org/2016/10/the-one-type-of-leader-who-can-turn-around-a-failing-schoolLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.literature teachers with no experience outside education – who saw their role as enablersof better teaching rather than prioritising staff management, revenue and better workingenvironments. ■ Languages teachers also featured in the philosopher group, along with geographers. ■ The highest-performing heads over the longer term, whom the report labelled “architects”, weremostly history and economics teachers, although music and physics teachers also fit into thisgroup. This group created a budget surplus and saw pupil grades improved, even once theirtenure ended. Some 86 per cent of these had experiences outside education before teaching. ■ “Architects” did not produce improved GCSE results in the first three years (results improved longterm), focusing instead on relationships with the community and provision for underperformingstudents, yet they were paid about £86,000 a year and had the fewest CBEs, OBEs or MBEs ofany group. ■ Architects have the most positive long-term impact on exam results (on average, 15 to 23% higherthan other leaders). Other research has found a 50% increase in exam results leads to betweena 0.7% and 1.5% increase in gross domestic product (GDP), as better educated students aremore knowledgable, more innovative and earn more money. ■ To appoint more Architects, we also need an educational system that identifies, appoints, rewards,and recognizes them. One of the simplest ways to do this would be to change how we measuretheir impact. ■ Currently, we compare schools, and their leaders, by looking at the percentage of studentsachieving at least grade C in five or more subjects and the level of spend per student. However,these measures do not show how the leaders achieve these results or the value they add tosociety. For example, they might have cut the number of students to improve the percent with fiveor more grade Cs, or delayed critical long-term investments to reduce this year’s expenditure.Equally, spend-per-head gives us no view of the surplus they’ve grown to be reinvested in thefuture. And, crucially, we ignore what happens after the leader leaves. ■ Instead, the report recommends assessing a leader’s social and economic impact both during andafter their tenure using new measures. 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Leadership

The One Type of Leader Who Can Turn Around a Failing School

28 Oct 2016

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      string(5609) "such lessons because there is so much content tocover. We have found that the benefits far outweigh the timecosts if the approach is used sparingly and at relevant times.Some of our most successful teachers have adoptedPhilosophy for Children (or ‘socratic debate’).Accelerated Learning: Unlike the previous approaches,Alistair Smith’s ‘Accelerated Learning Cycle’ does not focuson explicit thinking but rather offers a whole paradigm foreffective teaching and learning. Alistair’s message has beenreceived very well by most Northumberland teachers,40 Teaching Thinking  Summer 2002www.teachthinking.comThinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in Northumberlandalthough many have struggled to translate the message intopractice. At Cramlington High School, however, AcceleratedLearning lessons have become the norm. We often see arelationship between Accelerated Learning and ThinkingSkills because the Accelerated Learning Cycle provides theclassroom climate in which Thinking Skills are likely toflourish whilst the Thinking Skills strategies add an elementof cognitive challenge which is not necessarily present inall Accelerated Learning classrooms. Thinking Skillsstrategies and Philosophy for Children both require a flexibleinterpretation of Alistair’s Accelerated Learning Cycle.Why the success of Thinking for Learning?How is it that Thinking for Learning has become soentrenched in Northumberland schools? I would like totackle this at two levels, the LEA and the individual school,and then to consider a case study of how these combine inthe case of one school. By generalising I will undoubtedlyomit some specific instances and not all schools or teacherswould fit easily into these patterns.A collection of attitudes and opportunities have allowedus make progress with thinking for learning inNorthumberland LEA. These are:● Recognising new ideas that correspond with but extendexisting beliefs about effective teaching and learning.● Establishing and supporting networks of teachers orschools to develop new ideas further.● Being open and pro-active in establishing partnershipworking with schools, other LEAs and institutions ofhigher education. In our case particularly the Universityof Newcastle and Sunderland LEA.● Taking advantage of opportunities to provide, andsubsidise accredited post-graduate courses, ie. M.Edmodules in Thinking Skills and Coaching.● Making use of opportunities to engage teachers inreflective action-research – the M.Ed and BPRS (BestPractice Research Scholarships).● Providing awareness-raising training days, using outside‘experts’ such as Alistair Smith, or in-house and partners,eg Thinking for Learning days using LEA, school andUniversity staff.● Celebrating and disseminating teachers’ and schools’work through LEA and regional conferences. Runningworkshops or contributing to written reports enhancesteachers’ self-esteem and professional skills.● Seeking new areas of funding and working togetherwith schools to produce bids, eg the Berwick RAIS Project(SRB: Single Regeneration Budget), the WansbeckThinking for Learning Project (NRF: NeighbourhoodRenewal Fund).● Developing or utilising accredited courses to recogniseteachers’ CPD, eg Teaching Thinking  Level 1 (LEA),Philosophy For Children Level 1 (SAPERE) and CriticalSkills (NEP).● Providing progression for these basic Level 1 coursesto Level 2 (Coach) and Level 3 (Trainer) by utilisingexisting M.Ed. modules with some enhancements. (Asimilar structure is presently being discussed with AlistairSmith to provide Levels 1–3 in Accelerated Learning).By using these various strategies we have grown from aninterest group of half a dozen teachers to our presentposition where most of our schools and teachers have someknowledge and awareness of these various aspects ofThinking for Learning.School leadershipOur experience tells us that the success of initiatives suchas Thinking for Learning depend on thoughtful andsupportive leadership. There also has to be a shared senseof ownership and belief in the initiative. Where ThinkingSkills teaching emerges from the enthusiasm of individualsor small groups, it has a positive effect in a number ofclassrooms but rarely impacts on the rest of the school.41Teaching Thinking  Summer 2002www.teachthinking.com Thinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in NorthumberlandThinking skills in NorthumberlandIsolated initiatives are likely to whither once thoseindividuals move on, become worn down by lack of interestor side-tracked by other priorities. Equally, where a head orsenior management team becomes enthused by the ideaand seeks to impose it staff, resistance prevents effectiveimplementation. You can’t teach Thinking Skillsmechanistically and without understanding and believingin which you are doing. What, then, seem to be thecharacteristics of successful initiatives? The following aremost common:● New ideas are introduced by any member of staff.(Including HT or SMT).● Support and interest is gained from some other teachingstaff.● Senior Management supports and takes a sustainedinterest.● Practical support is given including time, money oracknowledgement.● Developments are planned according to expectedoutcomes.● It is expected that some things won’t work. This is seenas learning.● Small scale tinkering is encouraged and discussed.● Teaching and learning is a regular feature of"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Thinking for Learning

24 Feb 2011