Advantages of Lesson Study

With schools returning this month following the summer break, it is a good time to be thinking about how to build on the great practice going on in our classrooms. Budgets remain tight and with that comes the pressure on school leaders to prioritise spending. Opportunities to attend courses and training can be limited and this can have a detrimental impact on the professional development of staff. Such barriers force us to think differently when looking for solutions and can bring about changes in the way we do things. By harnessing the experience and enthusiasm of teachers already in school we can build not only a more reflective approach to teaching and learning but also a more supportive and developmental culture. The use of Lesson Study is not new and I have written about it previously here and here reporting on the difference it can make to teachers’ practice and pupil outcomes. A move towards this collegiate and effective process is straightforward and won’t make a massive dent in already challenging school budgets. The benefits of Lesson Study are apparent to staff and classrooms very quickly and embedding this approach to teaching and learning development across a school or MAT will create an environment where all staff feel confident to openly and freely discuss practice with one another, working collectively to improve outcomes for children. When we introduced Lesson Study we witnessed increased dialogue around teaching and learning and more open conversations around professional development. We saw staff sharing new ideas and approaches, arranging times to support each other and observe thought out and mutually agreed solutions to specific aspects of classroom practice such as questioning, use of vocabulary, pre learning for key pupils and appropriate use of resources. An open culture of sharing and supporting gave rise to continuously improving teaching and learning, something that a more traditional observational (and judgemental) approach would struggle to secure.

In their book ‘The Teaching Gap’, Stigler and Hiebert describe the Lesson Study they witnessed in Japan as ‘the linchpin of the improvement process’ explaining that ‘if you want to improve teaching, the most effective place to do so is in the context of a classroom lesson.’ The collegiate nature of Lesson Study provides teachers with an opportunity to not only improve key aspects of their practice but also to research, discuss and share thoughts and ideas in order to improve outcomes for pupils. When reflecting on practice and looking at classroom goals for this academic year, the supportive and insightful nature of a Lesson Study approach can be a great way of meeting them.

Large-Scale Tutoring as a Solution for School Closure Losses: Is the Idea Taking Hold?

Written for the American school system this blog is equally important in the UK. Tutoring provides us with a realistic way to address the inevitable gaps developed or further widened during the Covid 19 enforced school closures.

Robert Slavin's Blog

What will America’s schools be like when they reopen in fall, 2020?  There are many things we don’t know, and conditions will vary considerably from state to state and school to school.  To begin with, we need to strengthen our schools, to be sure they have the teachers and administrators and supplies they need to do their essential work.  However, schools will need more than just a return to the status quo.  One thing we can absolutely predict is that millions of children will have fallen far behind in their educational progression. In particular, many elementary students in the early stages of learning reading and mathematics will need effective and rapid assistance tailored to their needs to get back on track.  Dedicated teachers and other educators will do everything in their power to bring students back up to speed, but without additional assistance, it will be very difficult to overcome…

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September, 2020: Opening School Doors to New Opportunities for Universal Success

via September, 2020: Opening School Doors to New Opportunities for Universal Success

Evidence Based School Improvement – Success for All

‘If we truly believed that every child could learn, we would be relentless in our pursuit of those circumstances.’

(2 Million Children – Slavin, Madden, Chambers and Haxby)

This first blogpost on Success for All, a consistent, structured, multi-dimensional approach to school improvement, provides a background to the charity and its work.

Success for All grew from a desire to see all children succeed, whatever their background.  It is an approach to school improvement based on over thirty years of evidence-based research which, if implemented with fidelity, provides a high level of consistency and classroom practice that is of huge benefit to schools.  It improves pupil outcomes, creates a positive school climate and provides professional development for all staff.

Focusing on literacy, Success for All comprises of a suite of different components expertly designed to meet the needs of children; Curiosity Corner, Kinder Corner, Roots, Wings and Quest.  Underpinning all these programmes and the central tenet of SfA is Cooperative Learning.  Cooperative Learning, if used effectively, results in children who feel safe, relaxed and happy at school.  These feelings and emotions are essential if children are to have a positive, fulfilling learning experience.  If Cooperative Learning is embedded and consistently applied across the school, children willingly work hard because they want to do well and make progress.  Many of the ideas found in Cooperative Learning will be evident in some form or other in many classrooms but what makes SfA unique is the step by step approach that ensures all strategies are implemented consistently in every classroom across the school.  This transparency enables schools to have a shared understanding of what constitutes best practice, to develop professionally by learning from each other and gives children stability due to a clear understanding of expectations.

In the most exemplary Success for All schools all components from Curiosity Corner in Nursery to Wings and Quest in Y6 are underpinned by a fully embedded Cooperative Learning framework that is applied with consistency and fidelity.  This is the approach that was fully researched and introduced in Baltimore, USA in 1987 to resounding success in the most deprived schools and continues to transform schools to this day.  As Cooperative Learning is an essential cornerstone to the strategy, schools who find themselves unable to introduce the SfA model in its entirety for whatever reason, still benefit hugely from prioritising its implementation.  It provides a clear framework that makes structures explicit to everyone and ensures a consistent approach to teaching and learning throughout the school.

Success for All was designed by Bob Slavin and Nancy Madden to put into practice the findings of research on effective school systems.  It was built around the assumption that every child can learn and was designed to anticipate the ways in which those at risk could fail and provide interventions in advance of this happening. Subsequent years of development and research have seen SfA grow and benefit schools globally, most notably in the USA and the UK.  As is noted in the book, 2 Million Children: ‘Success for All is by far the largest research based, whole school reform model ever to exist.  It is the first model to demonstrate that techniques shown to be effective in rigorous research can be replicated on a substantial scale with fidelity and continued effectiveness’.

Success for All is not an ‘off the shelf’ solution to a school’s problems, nor is it a silver bullet or snake oil to provide a quick fix remedy to identified difficulties.  It is driven by a belief that all children can learn and all deserve the best possible education and the best possible schools.   The aim of Success for All remains the same today as it did over thirty years ago, to relentlessly stick with every child until that child is succeeding.

On leaving…and arriving

I recently left Primary headship after seventeen years.  It would be dishonest to say I loved every minute of it, there were obviously challenges to overcome and some days that the eternal optimism that has to come with leadership was hard fought, but I did love the vast majority of it.

Do we ever really know our true worth as teachers and educational leaders?  We believe in our mission and we trust in our professionalism and our core values.  We want to be the teacher we were at that first successful interview, to never lose that enthusiasm and passion to make a difference to the life chances of children who will flourish under an inspirational teacher.  Despite external pressures and interference, teachers get on with the job of educating the children in their care, whatever the political landscape.

I will miss many things about school, the camaraderie of like-minded colleagues, their support, warmth and humour in the challenging and stressful times as well as the good ones.  Headship can be a lonely place fraught with difficulties but I have been blessed with great staff who have always been there to make things easier.  I will miss the children who put a smile on your face every day and those who challenge and test us but ultimately remind us why we do what we do, why this is our vocation.  I arrived home from my last day at school to find a post on Facebook from one of my sons which not only made me reflect on my years in teaching, but also made me realise his degree in Creative Writing wasn’t wasted! I’ve included the bulk of it here:

Albert Einstein once famously said, ‘if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it’ll live its whole life thinking its an idiot’.

Education can often be a thankless, stressful, and ever more alarmingly underfunded vocation, and so many of us have our entire academic experience tarnished by a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to teaching, born from necessity, the insistence that trying to offer anything more specific or inclusive simply isn’t viable.

However, all of us know how massive a difference one good teacher can make. That’s all it takes, just one good teacher. One person for whom education is more than just a job, but a means of providing a bedrock of passion and confidence that serves children well into their adult lives. Almost everyone had that one good teacher, whose name and words they remember for years after they’ve left school. 

For a lot of people, that teacher was my dad, Michael Shepherd. 

My dad started out teaching art classes for disabled individuals almost 30 years ago, combining his twin passions of creative expression, and helping those less fortunate than himself. For almost 30 years he’s dedicated himself to providing not only education, but encouragement and support to generations of kids. He’s a big believer in the freedom of self-expression, never demanding obedience from his students or staff, but working to establish mutual friendship and respect. He’s taught people never to let anything dictate who you are or what you’re capable of, no matter where you come from or what you look like. He judged people not on their academic ability, but on the strength of their character, ensuring equal opportunities for all his students. He was progressive and inventive in his approach to education, and thanks to him many children who would otherwise have been left to struggle have gone on to excel.

I won’t say its always been easy, or fun, and God knows there have been times when he wanted to throw in the towel, but he never did. He’s faced adversity and criticism, he’s had his fair share of obstacles and he’s overcome it all. 

Today is my dad’s last day as a headteacher, marking the end of a long and storied career. I know my dad will probably shrug and laugh a little, he won’t blow his own horn or expect any special praise, but he deserves it. So I’d like you all to join me in congratulating Michael Shepherd, today, on his last day as Head Teacher.

Leaving headship was hard, a tough decision that I questioned regularly as the final day approached however, my new role with Success for All allows me to continue to work closely with schools, teachers and learners and continue to celebrate educational successes with them.  In the preface of their book ‘2 Million Children’, the authors; Robert Slavin, Nancy Madden, Bette Chambers and Barbara Haxby perfectly express the mission of Success for All:

If we truly believed that every child could learn under the proper circumstances, we would be relentless in the search for those circumstances.  We would begin by providing comprehensive early childhood programs to ensure that children start school ready to succeed. We would use well-validated methods and materials known to be capable of ensuring the success of nearly all children if used with intelligence, flexibility and fidelity.  We would involve teachers in constant, collaborative professional development activities to continually improve their abilities to reach every child.

Success for All makes the idea that ‘all children can learn’ a practical, daily organising principle for schools, especially those serving many children placed at risk.

I’m delighted to be part of the SfA team here in the UK who are making this happen in more and more schools with great effect.

The Power of Post Lesson Interviews

What is preventing the higher attaining children from taking on the chilli challenge in maths?  Why is Charlotte afraid to put her hand up in class? Why do pupils in Year Four believe Florence Nightingale came before the Ancient Egyptians?

It is easy to make assumptions in such situations.  The higher attainers do not want to get things wrong, Charlotte is shy, disengaged etc…

Post Lesson Pupil Interviews can shed light on what children really understand and help us to plan accordingly.  In the case of the higher attaining pupils in maths, the simple answer came down to the children’s lack of understanding of key mathematical vocabulary used in the chilli challenge.   The children could all answer the calculations but the use of such words as simplify, justify and explain threw them and prevented them from taking the challenges.  Lesson Study and subsequent Pupil Interviews clarified what the problem was and a focus on mathematical language meant this was easily resolved. It’s easy to assume the children understand the mathematical terms as they are used so regularly however, the interviews revealed otherwise.

In Charlotte’s case, a Post Lesson Study Interview highlighted the problem.   Charlotte’s father, with the best of intentions no doubt, had told his daughter that in class it was important to get things right.   For Charlotte this advice acted as a real barrier to her learning.   In a growth mindset classroom environment parental influence still held sway and it was fantastic to see the change in Charlotte once the teacher had taken the time to speak to dad who recognised the issue.  She changed from being a child afraid to contribute for fear of failure to one keen to engage and learn through discussion and collaboration.

The fact that Year Four pupils studied Florence Nightingale in Year Two led them to believe she came before the Ancient Egyptians they were now studying. It highlighted to us the importance of developing historical timelines and a clear understanding of chronology.  It is important to regularly question the children on their learning and their understanding of lessons.   Post Lesson Pupil Interviews are often very revealing and insightful, they can provide a platform for real pupil voice and lead to changes in curriculum delivery, for the better.

 

Moving forward with Lesson Study

In an attempt to keep Lesson Study going in some form or other, we have developed a partnership with a local supply agency that is proving mutually beneficial.  Our problem at school is that due to budget constraints we cannot release three members of staff at once to run with the traditional model of LS.  We have therefore taken the key tenets of the model and created an approach using two teachers from the agency to join us as co researchers in the classroom.

Following a lengthy discussion around the purpose of Lesson Study we agreed and signed the protocol and planned out our approach.  We were fortunate to get such buy in from the agency and the two members of staff who joined us fully embraced what we were doing.   They took the research role seriously and came away with a wealth of additional information for the class teacher (lead researcher) on learner response and (the teacher’s area of focus) partner work.

The researchers provided the teacher with a real insight into the learners’ behaviours through careful pupil tracking and post lesson interviews.  The agency staff also gained a real insight into learner response and the power of lesson study to affect change in the classroom.   Both are teachers and neither had used such an approach before.   Neither were familiar with Lesson Study and the notion of the focus in class being the learner and not the teacher seemed to be a genuine light bulb moment.  The class teacher, a strong advocate of Lesson Study, was very clear about what she wanted the researchers to focus on and was impressed with the level of detail they were able to feed back.  The supply agency is able to advertise that their teachers have an opportunity to engage in classroom research which allows them to develop professionally whilst working for the agency.   As a school we benefit from having additional classroom researchers available to support us with Lesson Study.

Arrested Development? Lesson Observations

In recent weeks we have been looking closely at the purpose of Lesson Observations.  When it comes to developing classroom practice it seems to be a fairly redundant model.   Experience suggests that most teachers will default to something they already know they can teach, stalling improvement.  It would be very risky and indeed, very rare to find staff trying out new approaches when being observed.   Our profession, in the UK at least, is a top down, judgemental one so it’s hard to operate outside of that remit.  The move from grading lessons has done little to advance classroom practice and it’s a sad indictment of our education system that a fear factor and nervousness still accompany any ‘visits’ to class.

I talked recently at #TMBpool about the benefit of a Lesson Study approach in moving practice forward.  While the logistics of running an authentic LS in primary schools is difficult due to poor funding and the number of staff required, such an approach is not impossible.  I have blogged before about a school to school approach and the possibility of involving support staff as researchers.   We are also looking at the use of other adults in school (as a Confucius Classroom School we have additional staff) and are in conversation with local universities and supply agencies about the possibility of utilising their students and teachers as research assistants.  This model not only enables the school to run with a form of LS it also provides insights in what does and doesn’t work in the classroom and professional development opportunities to all involved.

With the class teacher taking the role of host researcher and additional adults acting as research assistants, the LS model outlined in previous posts can be adapted to suit this approach.  With Lesson Observations, observers spend the majority of time watching the teacher teach (as Dr Neil Hopkin said ‘the only thing we can be sure of as teachers when we leave the classroom is that we have taught something‘).   A Lesson Study approach with it’s emphasis on the learner’s response allows us to assess whether that teaching is having the desired impact.

The Love of Learning – Kaizen Conference 2018

On Monday we held our tenth annual Kaizen Conference.   This is a day all schools in the partnership set aside each year for a shared Inset day.   The Kaizen Inset day is the first date we all mark on our school calendars – usually a year or so in advance.   The first Monday after the spring half term holiday is always our designated day to work together, share ideas and hear different speakers engage us with a range of educational thinking.  This year, nine schools were involved from Blackpool, Preston, Wigan, Bolton and Liverpool.  The morning was led by Dr Andrew Curran, a pediatric neurologist who specialises in ASD.   Andrew’s messages about how the brain develops, how children learn and the barriers to learning were positively received and many of us wondered if such fundamental information was taught in initial teacher training, as without such understanding the role of the teacher is made all the more difficult.   Andrew gave us an insight into how different parts of the brain act, the role of dopamine and serotonin and how we can create the optimum conditions for learning.   His practical, no nonsense advice gave those present something to reflect on and consider when thinking about the pupils in their care.

As is the pattern each year, the afternoon was given over to a Teaching and Learning Exchange.   At each Inset we run a series of workshops that allow staff from each school to share their practice on a range of different areas.  This year, the afternoon was simply titled, The Love of Learning.  Staff were invited to share something they really enjoy teaching.  These practitioner led workshops ranged from hot seating, using picture books to develop critical thinking and developing characters through the use of props to forest schools, outdoor learning, yoga and mindfulness. Staff had the opportunity to choose three workshops from the fifteen on offer. The sessions provide a great opportunity for staff to find out more about what is happening in partner schools.   It can lead to classroom visits and collaboration leading to focused, specific school to school support.  The annual Kaizen Inset day is something all those involved look forward to.   In a world where schools can easily become isolated, or forced into awkward and unwanted partnerships, we relish the opportunity to work together.   Over the last ten year we have benefited from the input of some inspirational and passionate educators, we have worked together on a range of initiatives and learnt from each other through practitioner led workshops, where staff are comfortable to share with their peers and give an authentic take on things.   We have built a strong, robust network that has grown from strength to strength and influenced the teaching and learning in each of our schools, more than any top down initiative or missive.  Alongside our peer reviews, lesson study, pupil teaching and learning conferences, HT briefings and subject leader meetings, the annual shared inset is a great way for us to work together and learn from each other in uncertain times.

11 going on 12 – The point of transition

Last year we set up and ran as series of interviews with pupils in Y6 from April through to a similar time in Y7.   The purpose of the interviews was to see what happened to their attitudes and approaches at the point of transition. We have engaged in a range of transition projects in the past but they have all tended to be based around learning experiences and we felt it important to look at the children’s attitudes and how they might change over that most important of years so that we might be better informed to deal with transition from primary to secondary education.

The six pupils involved in the project were carefully chosen to ensure that they would be receptive to the initiative, that they would be happy to share with us their thoughts and could be relied upon to provide us with an honest account every step of the way.   We worked closely with our high school colleagues but they did not attend the interviews until the last couple, as they did not want to inhibit the children’s responses. The semi-structured interviews revolved around the same questions and left space for the children to elaborate and expand on given themes (What makes a great teacher? What makes a great learner? What are the features of the best lessons?) The children’s responses remained consistent in key areas. They all believed good subject knowledge, good classroom management, interesting lessons and getting to know students individually so they can help them learn were the key components.   The latter response was interesting because this was not mentioned at primary school but something they talked about regularly at high school.   This was informed by the fact they had experienced a range of teachers and some would regularly have supply staff covering regular staff absence. All very different to the primary model they had been used to.   They all believed that where staff really made the effort to get to know them, they benefitted and the learning was more successful.

None of the interviews gave us any great revelations and we were not surprised by their answers however the interviews informed staff meetings at the high school as they recognised the value of hearing the thoughts of new students who were meeting their primary school head and deputy each half term to talk about the teaching and learning.   When it came to classroom management they very quickly recognised the teachers who made idle threats.   They cited many examples of teachers threatening those displaying unacceptable behaviour with detentions and other such sanctions but not following them through. They said that all students grasped these matters very quickly and those prone to ‘playing up’ would know they could do so without any further recourse meaning those who wanted to learn were potentially distracted. The children also stated that the higher the position of the member of staff, the more respect they had in the classroom. It was apparent that supply and cover staff were viewed on the whole as those who dealt with the brunt of poor behaviour and were the least effective at dealing with it.   Lessons were covered by staff who weren’t specialists in that subject so the quality of teaching and learning could be a cause of behavioural problems. The number of teachers the children had during a week was a big factor in their changing attitude to teaching and learning and their comments about staff getting to know them were obviously informed by this impasse.   How do all their teachers get to know them?

They stayed firm to their views that the best learners were resilient, didn’t give up, could avoid distractions and sought to challenge themselves.   They spoke about the importance of a growth mindset and it was good to hear that the same messages were being given at primary and secondary about the importance of failure as part of the learning process. They told us about children who had left primary school with them who now misbehaved and would tell us we ‘wouldn’t believe’ how they had changed.   We pondered on this and privately thought about the level of emotional support that some of these children had needed at primary and whether the high school was able to replicate this model given the different approaches at secondary and the difficulty in engaging with parents once they leave primary. The influence of older students also seemed to have a bearing on behaviour and perceptions of the school environment. Children who were big fish in a small pond suddenly became small fish in a bigger pond, this was clearly something they all wrestled with and overall seemed to have grasped positively, knowing where and who to avoid as if by osmosis.

The children’s views on the best lessons didn’t waver over the duration of the project and largely the key factors for them were found in exciting lessons that challenged their thinking and help them learn.   They talked about the importance of engagement and questioning, being comfortable enough to make mistakes and to know that they weren’t going to be in trouble for make them.   The best lessons were, again, where they knew the teachers and the teachers knew them.

It would have been interesting to keep up with the interviews as the group progressed through high school.   They were still excited to see their primary school staff but I guess that would have cooled off over time!   By the end of the project high school staff sat in with us and we had a good enough relationship for the children to continue to inform us and in doing so enable to us look again at transition.   How do we build and develop the kind of relationships that are necessary following transition to high school?   How do we limit the number of staff and so enable those who do teach the children to really get to know them? Is it possible to do this when each subject requires specialist teachers?

I hope the high school have kept the group together as a teaching and learning forum and continue to meet with them.   When we want to know about teaching and learning who better to ask than those in the class.