Hattie tells us that feedback has one of the biggest effect sizes on
learners' outcomes. If this is the case, then surely feedback on teaching
should have a large effect on teachers' outcomes too. Having said that,
in many schools teachers receive very little feedback on their
teaching except from the more formal observations required by
performance management.
Everyday, teachers are observed by people who see more lessons that any headteacher or inspector I know - the learners themselves. These people know intimately what teaching styles, activities and methods work for them. They know what attributes a good teacher has and they know what they can get away with! The learners know their teachers better than anyone. They are a massive reservoir of knowledge of teaching that should be tapped into.
I did tap into their collective experience that other day. I asked them to reflect on my teaching and everything that I do in the classroom. I gave each of them three sticky notes. I asked them to write down the things in my teaching that they want me to Keep. I asked them to note down those things that they like about my teaching that they would like me to do more of; the things they want me to Grow. Finally, I asked them to write about the aspects of my teaching that they would like to Challenge; the aspects that they did not like or those that they would like me to change. I divided my board into three sections: Keep, Grow and Challenge. I told them that they could use their sticky notes for 3 Keeps; or 3 Challenges; or 2 Grows and a Challenge; or any combination that they liked. When they finished their notes they stuck them on the board in the appropriate column. Actually, there was a fourth category. If they wanted to tell me something personal to them, then they could stick their note on my desk.
The results were very interesting and showed me that I am doing a great deal right although they have challenged me too. I was really pleased that the learners liked some of the quirky things that I have tried, such as using music to time things. I have pieces of music that last 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds and 2 minutes. They told me to keep these, along with the Thunderbirds 5,4,3,2,1, countdown that I use.
For a long time I have tried to reduce the amount of time that I spend talking to the class. I have tried to get more from my students through questioning and other prompts, rather than just telling them. I was really pleased that the learners liked the quality of explanations that I give them. They liked the way that I explain things and make them appear simple. They did, however, say that I still talk too much. This is something I will have to reflect on and look into ways that I can reduce the amount of time that I spend talking to them even further. I already have some ideas!
With one of my classes have I taken time out of teaching my subject to reflect on what it is to be an effective learner. I have introduced them to the idea of 'My Learning Universe' in order to get them to realise that they are the most important person who can influence their learning because too many of them, particularly the lower 'ability' ones, think that learning is done to them. They have reflected on the qualities that their learning hero - Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games - has that makes her able to learn effectively. They have transformed this to look at the qualities they need to have to be their own learning hero. I was really pleased to see that some learners identified this as an area that they would like me to grow. It is very clear that many learners are interested in their own learning, which has to be a good thing.
In my higher group it was fairly clear that they did not like a seating plan and that they wanted to sit where they wanted to. At the end of the feedback session we had a class chat about this and why I use a seating plan. The seating plans stay but at least the learners understand their purpose a little better. My lower group said that they wanted to be allowed to listen to their own music more when they are working. Again, it won't happen but we discussed it and they know the rationale behind my position! It was interesting that the quality of the feedback that I received from the higher group was in the main more informative than the quality of feedback from the lower group, which really is not surprising. The higher group concentrated on things that affect their learning whereas in the lower group there were more comments about peripheral issues.
All in all, this was a really worthwhile exercise and very reassuring that I am going in the right direction. One of the most reassuring comments was - Keep: your teaching style.
Everyday, teachers are observed by people who see more lessons that any headteacher or inspector I know - the learners themselves. These people know intimately what teaching styles, activities and methods work for them. They know what attributes a good teacher has and they know what they can get away with! The learners know their teachers better than anyone. They are a massive reservoir of knowledge of teaching that should be tapped into.
I did tap into their collective experience that other day. I asked them to reflect on my teaching and everything that I do in the classroom. I gave each of them three sticky notes. I asked them to write down the things in my teaching that they want me to Keep. I asked them to note down those things that they like about my teaching that they would like me to do more of; the things they want me to Grow. Finally, I asked them to write about the aspects of my teaching that they would like to Challenge; the aspects that they did not like or those that they would like me to change. I divided my board into three sections: Keep, Grow and Challenge. I told them that they could use their sticky notes for 3 Keeps; or 3 Challenges; or 2 Grows and a Challenge; or any combination that they liked. When they finished their notes they stuck them on the board in the appropriate column. Actually, there was a fourth category. If they wanted to tell me something personal to them, then they could stick their note on my desk.
The results were very interesting and showed me that I am doing a great deal right although they have challenged me too. I was really pleased that the learners liked some of the quirky things that I have tried, such as using music to time things. I have pieces of music that last 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds and 2 minutes. They told me to keep these, along with the Thunderbirds 5,4,3,2,1, countdown that I use.
For a long time I have tried to reduce the amount of time that I spend talking to the class. I have tried to get more from my students through questioning and other prompts, rather than just telling them. I was really pleased that the learners liked the quality of explanations that I give them. They liked the way that I explain things and make them appear simple. They did, however, say that I still talk too much. This is something I will have to reflect on and look into ways that I can reduce the amount of time that I spend talking to them even further. I already have some ideas!
With one of my classes have I taken time out of teaching my subject to reflect on what it is to be an effective learner. I have introduced them to the idea of 'My Learning Universe' in order to get them to realise that they are the most important person who can influence their learning because too many of them, particularly the lower 'ability' ones, think that learning is done to them. They have reflected on the qualities that their learning hero - Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games - has that makes her able to learn effectively. They have transformed this to look at the qualities they need to have to be their own learning hero. I was really pleased to see that some learners identified this as an area that they would like me to grow. It is very clear that many learners are interested in their own learning, which has to be a good thing.
In my higher group it was fairly clear that they did not like a seating plan and that they wanted to sit where they wanted to. At the end of the feedback session we had a class chat about this and why I use a seating plan. The seating plans stay but at least the learners understand their purpose a little better. My lower group said that they wanted to be allowed to listen to their own music more when they are working. Again, it won't happen but we discussed it and they know the rationale behind my position! It was interesting that the quality of the feedback that I received from the higher group was in the main more informative than the quality of feedback from the lower group, which really is not surprising. The higher group concentrated on things that affect their learning whereas in the lower group there were more comments about peripheral issues.
All in all, this was a really worthwhile exercise and very reassuring that I am going in the right direction. One of the most reassuring comments was - Keep: your teaching style.
No comments:
Post a Comment