Meaningful Assessment at the Margins

There is a global learning crisis in which students are being taught too much by rote and those from underprivileged backgrounds are not getting their educational needs met. Asyia Kazmi explains how the Assessment for Learning approach is helping teachers work with disadvantaged children across the world and in the UK.

My interview for the senior position in a tough London inner-city challenging school was going swimmingly until the head teacher asked about the barriers students face. I didn’t understand the question so the head teacher repeated it, which is never a good sign in an interview. My confusion remained – What barriers? What are barriers? The head teacher then helpfully expanded: poverty, English as an additional language, single parent families, etc.

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      string(5813) "�focus on global education   www.teachthinking.comTeaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 8:2Listening to Jeffrey Sachs giving this year’s Reithlectures on BBC Radio 4 recently, I was struck by hiscomment that one of the reasons that climate changehad been largely ignored for so long by world leaders wasthat they didn’t know what to do about it.Although this may well be the case, such reasonsfor inaction are becoming less excusable in the lightof increasing numbers of initiatives and ideas offeringpractical ways of addressing the several pressing issuesfacing humankind currently, including climate change,poverty and globalisation. Whether or not we choose toact on these ideas, however, is another matter. Encouragingand enabling people to think about, understand, weighup and act on various issues of major concern to us andour world is, in my view, the purpose of global education.In this sense then, it is surely central to the purpose ofgeneral education.What is global education?There are a number of terms used in education which in myopinion mean broadly the same thing: global education,global citizenship, education for sustainability, the globaldimension, a global perspective, and developmenteducation. The plethora of terms may not be very helpfulfor those trying to get to grips with the complex subjectmatter – and I am involved in this confusion since, whilstI would usually talk about global citizenship, I am nowdescribing the same stuff as global education. However,I would suggest that there are two basic elements thatare common to all these terms, namely, social justice  andreducing our impact on the planet.Themesof globaleducationMary Young introducesthe main themes of globaleducation and suggests waysfor teachers to tackle themHospital in Kenya�Teaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 8:2www.teachthinking.com   focus on global educationThere is certainly resonance between A Curriculum forGlobal Citizenship (1997) and a number of other currenteducation documents. Comparing the DfES SustainableSchools document (2006), the DfES/ DfID’s Developinga global dimension in the school curriculum (2005) andthe ‘Aims and Purposes’ of the National Curriculum inThe National Curriculum Handbook (both primary andsecondary) (1999), it is possible to see many overlaps.Each mentions sustainability, social justice, challengingprejudice, participation, respect for others and forhuman rights, and the need for waste reduction. Otherkey documents relevant to education such as the RaceRelations (Amended) Act (2000) and Every Child Matters(2004), address specific areas of this list.So, the significance of global education is that it can bethe prism through which thinking and teaching can beviewed, and which puts issues of justice and sustainabilityat the centre of education. It gives sense and relevanceto everything we do as it is all rooted in understandingourselves and our place in, and impact on, the world.The importance of global educationThe following are some of the reasons why it is importantto bring global education into education:l The issues that global education are concerned withare of central relevance to our lives. Resolving issues ofunfairness, lack of respect for diversity and conflict, forexample, are just as important in the classroom or localcommunity as they are in major world situations. If wewant to engage with society and feel positive aboutthe future, it is important for us – adults and pupils alike– to know that we each have choices and the potentialto make a difference. Such a difference can either be forthe better: the stance that townspeople in Modbury,Devon have taken on banning plastic carrier bags fromall shops in the town (The Guardian, 12 May 2007, p.11),for example, or for the worse: the Virginia Tech shootingsin the USA.l We are interconnected with others in the world and itis important that we and our pupils know that everydecision we make has an impact on others, even if wedon’t know what it is; for example, buying (or not buying)goods made in sweatshops; using (or not using) our car;challenging (or not challenging) prejudice when wecome across it.l Although the issues that global education is concernedwith are so complex, the knowledge, skills and attitudesneeded to begin to understand them can be addressedin school from an early age.l Many people are out to confuse us, from companiesselling us services and products we don’t actually need,to supermarkets telling us they have ‘green’ policies, tomultinational corporations who have greater wealththan a number of whole countries. If we want to try andmake sense of it all and understand why things are asthey are, it is important for us and for those we teachto be able to navigate through the hundreds of ideas,products, offers and initiatives coming at us on a dailybasis, to spot the honest ones and to make decisions wefeel are right for us and for the planet.l Global education can challenge misinformation, prejudice,and ignorance – all of which are unsustainable.The central challenges of global educationIn my experience of many years’ training of teachers inLondon and the south-east of England in global education,the central issues teachers habitually raise fall into threemain categories:l difficulties concerning a lack of the teacher’s ownknowledge and understanding of global issuesl uncertainty as to how to raise global issues inclassroomsl lack of confidence as to how to deal with the difficultiesthat might arise as a result of raising global issuesLooking more specifically at the"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Themes of global education

14 Feb 2008

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      string(5886) "the importance of recognising and respecting difference. It supported the principle that every teacher is a teacher of SEND. However, it also sought to address the lack of confidence experienced by many in the teaching profession regarding the identification and support of learners with SpLD, which may lead to a learner’s needs being either unidentified because of preconceptions of what constitutes an SpLD or unaddressed pending a specialist assessment, or to the attitude that learners with SpLD are the sole responsibility of the school SENCo. The training addressed such issues by focussing not on labels but, rather, on support based on observable behaviours and learner profiling, and, further, on utilising a range of whole-class techniques to establish a neurodiversity-friendly classroom. Devised to follow the recommended ‘train the trainer’ model, it was intended to be cascaded to all staff in the school at a ‘core skills’ level.The training was divided into three sections:Part 1. Seeing the whole picture promoted the importance of holistic learner profiling, taking into account the range of strengths and challenges that might be present in a learner with an SpLD. Part 2. Understanding neurodiversity discussed the concept of neurodiversity and its origins in the work of Judy Singer. In this section of the training, a new Combined SpLD / Neurodiversity Checklist was presented, which had been devised to take into account the overlapping nature of SpLDs. The checklist aimed to provide a framework through which to observe and understand learner behaviours and encouraged teachers to look beyond individual labels and preconceptions of what it might mean to be dyslexic, dyspraxic, and so on. Part 3. 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The webinars have since been viewed in excess of 4,500 times.Assessing the impact of the ‘Teaching for Neurodiversity’ TrainingA research team from the Education Faculty at Manchester Metropolitan University designed and carried out and an evaluation the impact of the Teaching for Neurodiversity project over the year of the project, producing their Final Report in March 2017 (Griffiths et al. 2017).MethodologyTo evaluate the impact of the training, the evaluation team developed three surveys.  Survey 1 was to assess delegates’ knowledge, skills and understanding about neurodiversity and SpLDs at the start of the training day, the second to assess their knowledge skills and understanding at the end of the day and the third to be completed after three months by colleagues who had received the cascaded training.From the impact data in Survey 3, three primary schools, three secondary schools and two colleges were to be selected as showing high impact, to be researched in more depth as series of case studies, through interviews with those who had the training cascaded, plus two other members of the teaching staff.Summary of the Project Evaluation FindingsData from Surveys 1 and 2 found statistically significant gains in delegates’ knowledge and understanding of SpLDs and neurodiversity, their understanding of support strategies for the diversity of learners in the classroom and their knowledge of multisensory approaches to learning and of metacognitive techniques. 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Dyslexia

Teaching for Neurodiversity

10 Sep 2018

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      string(385) "... well as development priorities… but change is never easy for some people’.A teaching and learning support group had also been developed to provide voluntary support every Monday‘by staff for staff’. Foci had included differentiation and whiteboard use. The principal did not attend thesesessions, but was reported to support ..."
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      string(5806) "learning charter, developed with the student council,which had a summary of requirements on:94 © National College for School Leadership— lesson planning: detailing expectations of lesson preparation and activities such as differentiation, varietyof tasks, literacy— lesson delivery: learning objectives (on what we will learn, rather than what we will do), interactiveteaching, starters and a plenary— AfL: questioning techniques; marking (to reflect effort, attainment and progress against targets)— behaviour: registering of absence, clear seating plans and mutual respect— environment: having bright, tidy classrooms that display the student learning charter, the rewards policyand standards of behaviour policyA second phase focused on a consistency programme in which HoDs went on learning walks with the SLT.An assistant head reported that the SLT had ‘tried to change the perception of observations, to feedbackpositives as well as development priorities… but change is never easy for some people’.A teaching and learning support group had also been developed to provide voluntary support every Monday‘by staff for staff’. Foci had included differentiation and whiteboard use. The principal did not attend thesesessions, but was reported to support the initiative. The school had several initiative-based funding streamsincluding an excellence cluster, behaviour improvement partnership and a full-service extended school. Theschool still runs a lot of these services.SummaryAccording to the survey data, headteachers spend half of their time in their office and the majority ofrespondents felt they spent the ‘right amount’ of time on leadership generally. Heads and other schoolleaders were most likely to say that they spent too much time on administration. Heads and other seniorleaders considered that ‘too little time’ was spent on the leadership of teaching and learning specifically,although about 40 per cent stated it was ‘about right’.Heads commented particularly on the pressure of increasing accountability. Time for strategic planning, bothindividually and with senior teams, was difficult for many headteachers to fit in adequately.One-half of heads, especially secondary heads, reported having appointed an SBM or bursar for a year ormore. Primary school heads were more likely to report that there were no current plans to do so.It was still considered a ‘balancing act’ as to how much time to spend working with and supporting otherschools and partnerships as well as keeping the focus on maintaining success in one’s own institution.The chapter also explored the actions leaders were taking to improve teaching and learning. The mostpopular strategies included the monitoring of teaching and learning, offering training to develop teachingand learning, developing middle leaders’ skills, lesson observations and the development of partnershipswith other schools.95 © National College for School LeadershipAs discussed in chapter 2, there is a growing understanding of leadership practice and the learning anddevelopment opportunities needed to help prepare teachers for headship. This chapter explores three mainissues related to the support and development of leaders. First, it considers the existing and expectedsources of external support used by headteachers. Second, it explores the leadership and professionaldevelopment opportunities currently used by school leaders and chairs of governors. 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Leadership

Review of the school leadership landscape

6 Jul 2017

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      string(5776) "This issue’s Child Files looks at Developing Professional Practice: go through each of the bullet points and reflect on what you would do for each. Child File 1: The physical learning environment Jean Piaget, the Swiss developmental theorist who developed his theories from observing his own children, highlighted the importance of providing a stimulating learning environment. Although he placed little emphasis on the important interactive role of educators in the learning process, his theory that babies and toddlers are actively involved in their own learning (i.e. cognitively engaged), eager to know about and understand what they are experiencing, has strongly influenced the way we view children’s learning and development. The following example, adapted from an interview with a manager of a setting engaged in the Achieving Early pilot highlights the importance of providing stimulating learning environments for babies and young children: Context The Nursery, situated in Tewskesbury, has 68 children on its register, with up to a maximum of 34 children a day. The setting is divided into three areas- the baby room and separate areas for toddlers and pre-school children. Children are aged between 3 months and 5 years. Although there are some children with SEN, none of the children have a statement or an EHC Plan. Two children are ‘moving towards’ an EHC Plan and will have this by the time they move to primary school. There are a few children who are EAL. The nursery has 10 members of staff; each has key person responsibilities.  Approach  The manager described how there had been a focus on the physical learning environment. The nursery was extended: firstly with a new second floor room which has now become another room for the babies to use, secondly with a ground floor extension (with its own bathroom facilities for all children to use). It is also a place for key people to have conversations with parents, first aid courses are run and parent workshops are held. In making the changes to the learning environment, the manager decided it was important to consider the physical surroundings from the child’s point of view. The staff discussed this as a team and a list of changes was decided; changes were considered in the context of the ‘best’ for children’s learning.Parent ‘voice’ was important in the settings’ decision making. A questionnaire was sent to parents and carers. The preface included an outline of the changes the setting proposed making and an explanation as to how the changes would be beneficial to children’s learning. The questions focused on what the parents would like and the extent to which they agreed with the proposed changes. The parents and carers recommended having an arm chair for story- telling and having more emphasis on seeds and flowers.The setting made these changes. ‘Flowers and seeds’ was already a part of the work carried out by the setting, but following feedback from the parents and carers, the setting made this activity more prominent.  The staff team had proposed introducing more bars and mirrors for babies, this was considered as it would encourage children to pull themselves up to standing and support them in this milestone. This was also introduced. On a smaller scale, the setting introduced trays for messy play e.g. Cornflower play. Impact The following comment by Sarah, one of the parents, acknowledges the benefits of the changes:  ‘I love how cosy and welcoming the baby room is. Jake loves reading the books and dancing to music. I enjoy reading his daily diary. And I think all the activities they are doing are excellent.’ ReflectionIn what ways does the learning environment contribute to the children’s cognitive engagement? Reflect on how it helps the children to advance in their learning and development.   Reflect on your own practice. What issues would you consider when planning a classroom which is stimulating for children?  Adapted from Blandford and Knowles, 2016, Developing Professional Practice 0-7, Abingdon: RoutledgeChild File 2: Judge and JuryEnabling young children to develop positive self-image and disposition to learning calls for constructive sensitivity to assessment on the part of the practitioner. The following case study has been adapted from a training course provided for early years practitioners by Mary Jane Drummond (2003:159-161), a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education. 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Childfile

Child File - Developing Professional Practice

20 Jun 2017