Using technology to support basic skills

Technology continues to change many aspects of our lives and in school it is no different   Each new cohort of four year olds enters Foundation Stage more familiar with technology than their slightly older peers.   Picking up a tablet, a handheld device or sitting at a computer holds no fear for them.   They don’t look for the instructions before testing its capabilities, their approach to learning with technology is not a linear model more of an exploration fired by an inquisitive mind.   Using technology with young children presents educators with a great opportunity to develop basic skills.   A natural curiosity for learning can be further enhanced with an iPad or similar device.   Our reception children tend to use iPads as a social tool – they huddle in small groups to share, discuss and debate whichever app they might be using.   Such dialogue would seldom develop unassisted without technology to provide the stimulus.

@glynnlee and I have often discussed the power of blogging with primary children and, as Lee stated, if you replace the word ‘blogging’ with the word ‘writing’ it can give you some indication of the difference the use of technology can have on learning.  In the early years class blogs are mainly used to provide a window on the children’s learning for parents and families, but the junior classes tend to give more ownership to the children who use it as a vehicle for their writing.   Children enjoy blogging, it looks good, its appearance can be changed, it can be shared, has a potentially wide readership and is easily edited.   Regular contributions to a class blog also gives children their own digital portfolio.  Using technology to support writing in such a way is a positive application of the tools many children are increasingly familiar with out of school from an early age.

Making use of green screen technology is also a great way to develop basic skills.   Children respond readily to scripting, filming and re drafting and are often blissfully unaware that these steps are supporting them in their writing, speaking and listening.   The chance to write auto cues for their friends to speak often raises the  bar in terms of their expectations and listening carefully before re drafting is also a key skill that needs to be successfully employed to improve results.  Using the green screen gives children a strong stimulus for a whole range of basic skills.   If you suddenly have the chance to film your historical report about the beheading of Anne Boleyn from in front of the tower, it might just inspire you to greater achievements, to think more carefully about what you are writing.   If you are creating a micro tutorial on how to convert fractions into percentages, you will need to ensure you fully understand the process before sharing your learning with others.   You could argue that such approaches would work without technology but the opportunity for children to watch themselves, to share their learning, to get feedback from beyond the class makes the use of technology an attractive way of developing and enhancing their learning.   Embracing technology in the primary classroom  can provide practitioners with exciting ways of developing basic skills, many children already enter school familiar with a range of devices, we need to ensure we build on their early interest and curiosity to the benefit of their future learning.

Class to class, school to school – developing professional partnerships

It is a sad fact that for many primary teachers their educational world seldom extends beyond the four walls of their classroom.   It is easy to become overwhelmed by the day to day pressures in the high stakes arena and the opportunity to get out, to observe, to share, to collaborate and to reflect is often sacrificed for the potential short term gains of being permanently in the class.   The problem with this is that long term development is hindered.   One of the simplest, most effective ways to improve practice is to enable staff to get out of their own classroom and into those of their peers.   This is  easily managed in one school and only slightly more difficult to organise amongst several.   We often overlook this most valuable resource in favour of more expensive professional development in the form of courses, conferences and training but class to class and school to school links can be hugely beneficial.

While visiting one of our partner schools in Beijing I witnessed such a refreshing approach.   I asked our colleagues what the additional teachers in the lesson were doing – Were they trainee teachers?   Was a peer observation in progress?  Apparently it is routine in the school for a teacher to ask in the staffroom if a colleague wouldn’t mind watching them teach – perhaps they are trying something new and want feedback, it may be that they have concerns overs something else in the lesson and they want a second opinion.   The process was one of complete openness and support and something I was keen to emulate on my return to school.

Staff meeting are often run from classrooms now as this is another opportunity to staff to get into their peers’ learning environment, to ask them questions, offer ideas and advice, compare and contrast.   Our next round of peer observations has been an opportunity to match up the strengths of one member of staff with areas of development for another.   This isn’t a perfect match as you can imagine but gives peer observations a stronger focus and a strategic edge.   This pattern of getting staff into the classrooms of their peers with complimentary strengths is being extended to our partner schools after half term giving teachers the opportunity to see others wrestle with similar issues in their own school and beyond.   It also provides staff with the chance to see someone who has strengths in an area they might be developing.   Seeing someone ‘walk the talk’ is so much more powerful than hearing someone talk about what they do on a course, it has credibility with staff and enables them to build a strong professional partnership with fellow practitioners.   Allowing staff to get out of the classroom to build such partnerships can only help what goes on in the classroom

Speed Learning

There are a range of different ways of sharing good practice.   One of the most interesting approaches I have seen recently is Speed Learning. 

I attended my first speed learning event a couple of years ago.   It was  organised by Claire Lowe (@clairelowe2) and Kirstie Andrew-Power from the SSAT.   They had gathered a group of practitioners together to share their learning experiences in short presentations at a local high school one evening.  The twilight session began with an introductory key note by a guest Headteacher and quickly moved into the speed learning presentations.   Each presentation took place at a table and delegates moved round the room every 10 minutes hearing up to six different presentations.   The opportunity to hear from a range of practitioners close up and personal was well received.   Those presenting were able to share ideas from their ipads, laptops and other devices rather than relying on large screens to project their work.   This gave the short presentations a more intimate feel and an energetic buzz filled the hall as attendees heard from the likes 0f @ianaddison and other teachers in the area talking about a range of tech and non tech initiatives that were proving successful in their own schools.  Some gave out information and shared examples of learning using the table top presentation idea to good effect.  Following the presentations a closing keynote rounded off the event and looked to the future of such continuing professional development opportunities.

The speed learning model is a great way for practitioners to share ideas and innovations.   It requires careful organisation and timing, a number of willing presenters and an audience.   Such an event can reap dividends as staff return to school armed with a number of tried and tested approaches, peer support and new contacts helping to foster a sustainable and vibrant form of sharing and staff development.  The model is particularly successful where a numeber of schools in close proximity agree to sacrificing a staff meeting or two for the common cause with one hosting the event.

SSAT are supporting a series of Speed Learning events up and down the UK over the summer term, if you haven’t managed to get to one yet you might like to check where your closest one is by following the link below.   http://www.ssatuk.co.uk/ssat/speed-learning-2/

St Silas in Liverpool and Hawes Side in Blackpool are hosting two North West speed learning events on 12th and 13th June respectively. Contact @mrsdonaldson82 and @smichael920 on twitter for further information.  

Related articles

• School level models of CPD – a changing landscape (smichael920.wordpress.com)
• Professional development for teachers: how can we take it to the next level? (guardian.co.uk)

School level models of CPD – a changing landscape

The way schools approach professional developed has changed dramatically over the last few years. The rise of teachmeets and similar models has seen a shift away from the content driven courses run by consultants and advisors of the past. Many now prefer the engagement and active involvement of peer led training as opposed to the passive learning model that is the diet of many traditional courses. The kind of course that generally takes staff away from their day to day practice to tell them how they can do their job better. The problem for many with such delivery is that it can lack credibility, practitioners like to hear from those who are walking the talk, who understand the day to day pressures and recognise the difficulties that can be encountered. Practitioner led training is popular as it not only gives its audience a ‘warts and all’ account of tried and tested approaches, but it also gives those presenting it an opportunity to develop professionally themselves.

A number of practitioner led approaches at cluster and network level can be replicated to good effect in individual schools.   Below are a few approaches that work well both with groups of schools and within single organisations:

Staffroom teachmeet – this sharing good practice model is a great way to get staff up and talking about what they are doing in class that is proving successful.   It promotes conversation around teaching and learning and a quick five minutes in front of peers doesn’t necessarily worry people in the way a longer slot in front of a larger audience might.

Learning walks – many staff rarely get into their peers classrooms and giving a couple of staff meetings over to learning walks means they will be able to spend time learning from each other, getting ideas, discussing how the learning environment can support learners and informally planning future developments.   We spend an awful lot of time moving around school to meetings, classes, assemblies etc… so it is nice to actually slow down and make the walk around school purposeful in itself.   A meeting on the move!

Moving the meetings -asking staff to host a staff meeting in their classroom is a good way of encouraging them to talk about learning and the learning environment in more detail.   It is also a way of sharing the leading role and developing leadership skills in others. Having staff meetings in different classrooms can effortlessly put teaching and learning high on the agenda.   It is amazing how much dialogue around practice can grow out of a simple question about a classroom display.

Staff Surgery – I have posted about this approach on this blog before but simply put, we make use of this model to support staff in developing their use of technology.   Each term we have a staff meeting where everyone brings along a device (or we use the IT suite) and we share what is working well, what people are doing with their blogs, what they are struggling with or have heard about. It is a real collegiate environment and has become a recognised opportunity in school to develop collective and individual use of technology to support learning.   Recently phase meetings have also introduced an ‘app of the week’ where staff will share an app they have been using in class on their iPads.

With a range of external directives and initiatives competing for space and time on an already crowded staff meeting agenda, taking a step away to develop such sharing is hugely valued and seen by many as the best way to approach school level cpd.

Related articles

• Professional development for teachers: how can we take it to the next level? (guardian.co.uk)
• TeachMeets: An underground revolution! (teachertoolkit.me)
• Are teaching research projects the ultimate form of professional development? (guardian.co.uk)
• Teachmeet Bolton 3 – CPD 2.0 (simonhaughton.co.uk)

Bridging the gap

Lucy’s out of school business!

The countdown to the animators next upload!

I visited a partner school a while ago and as I walked through the Foundation Stage I looked over at a group of children on the class computers. The teacher laughed as he explained to me that when the children had started school in September they went immediately to the computers, picked up the mouse and pointed it at the screen! Their pre school experiences with gaming platforms clearly dictating their understanding of how to approach this new experience. I recently recounted this story to a friend who explained that his three year old had stood in front of their television, put his hand in the air and attempted to ‘pinch’ to control its content as he was already comfortably doing with his iPad!

These two incidents illustrate the stark difference in experiences with technology for our youngsters and older generations. They also highlight the need for us as educators to understand the out of school experiences of children in order to bridge the formal and informal learning gap. For many pupils their out of school experiences with technology and their inquisitive, exploratory approach to each new device only serve to widen the learning gap. Celebrating their skills and developing understanding in school provides us with an opportunity to build on their out of school interests, benefiting their learning and sense of achievement.

In the last few weeks I have been sharing some of the children’s out of school hobbies with their peers in assemblies. Lucy from Y5 has her own business out of school which she advertises on her website http://www.yummycupcakes.webeden.co.uk/
Adam, Josh, William and Regan make their own animations and upload these onto their website http://theanimators1.weebly.com/animation-page.html Such enterprise and innovation are celebrated, supported and where possible, these out school interests encouraged within the school setting. We plan on ordering staff cakes from Lucy!

Our older children now bring their own devices into school to use as learning tools where appropriate. The technology they so often hold in their hand while out of school has such potential in the classroom that it makes sense to embrace it and explore its learning potential.  The challenge is for us as educators to find ways to blur the children’s formal and informal learning, to bridge the gap between in school and out of school experiences in order to support their development, and where appropriate using the tools they are becoming increasingly accustomed to.

Uncommon Inset

I have blogged before about our Kaizen network of schools, a small group of primaries who share common beliefs about education and learning.   We began to work together about six years ago to improve the learning experiences of our pupils, we weren’t funded by any external agency and followed no external agenda but grew ourselves from the ground up, following our own instincts about what our schools needed.   Within our network we agreed from the outset that as Headteachers we were privileged to be able meet and work together on areas of common interest. We support each other and challenge each other benefitting from such collaboration. We share common Inset days which provide all staff with the chance to meet up with peers in partner schools and work together on mutual areas of interest. The sharing of costs and resources has enabled us to move all our schools forward through a collegiate and supportive model of sustainable and relevant professional development. Recent shared Inset with the likes of Tim Rylands, Zoe Ross, Lane Clarke and others has been extremely well received by staff who are then able to build on what they’ve seen through school visits and joint working within the network.

This year we are once again taking advantage of ‘uncommon’ Inset days. This is when we put a working day aside for all our staff to get into partner schools to spend time in someone else’s class, working together, observing, taking in new ideas and approaches, and sharing good practice. Each school chooses a day when all the others are in full operational mode (not straight after a half term) and organises staff to visit one of the network, in small groups, to be let loose to spend the day being part of a different environment. These visits are followed up back at school with discussions and actions, further targeted visits and future projects. We have find these uncommon Insets to be invaluable. It is reported by McKinsey, that to improve teachers need to see best practice in an authentic setting, our approach gives staff the opportunity to do just that.

Interchange

On Monday we are taking a group of pupils to visit one of our partner schools, Robin Hood in Birmingham. The visit will go beyond pupils meeting their peers, being given a tour of the school and discussing teaching and learning. On this visit the children will be donning the uniform of Robin Hood and spending the day as a pupil. This small scale piece of ethnographic research is intended to give our teaching and learning group a real understanding of how different schools operate. Following the visit, the children will present their findings on how our schools are similar, how we differ in our approaches and what we can learn from each other. A reciprocal visit is planned for later in the year and ongoing online collaboration via class blogs will aid communication.

Over the years, our teaching and learning groups have enjoyed looking at a range of approaches to classroom practice, the use of effective questioning and the work of educators such Guy Claxton, Chris Quigley and Dylan Wiliam. They have visited partner schools, made videos, led assemblies, given presentations, collaborated on projects and even organised a teaching and learning conference. The groups have furthered their own understanding of teaching and learning and regularly share their findings to support developments in pedagogy across our schools.

Through our networked approach to teaching and learning we have facilitated opportunities for staff to visit partner schools and experience the day to day practice in a colleague’s class. This is always hugely appreciated and staff benefit from such an open and collaborative relationship. This will be the first time we have undertaken such a venture with pupils, the outcomes are eagerly awaited.

Related articles

• Sharing our learning (smichael920.wordpress.com)

The Staff Surgery

Reblogged from Smichael920's Blog:

Last week we held our first ICT staff meeting of the year.   This was a chance to have a good look at the class blogs.   We asked staff to come with something they needed help with or something they wanted to share that had gone well for them.  The intention of these meetings is for them to operate as a workshop, they provide the time and support to enable all staff to develop their skills and understanding in specific areas.  

Read more… 213 more words

Sharing our learning

I’ve been reflecting on the simple things that can have a profound impact and wondering what we can do more of to further the children‘s learning experiences.   Something that was successful last year and is worth taking further is sharing our learning.   Pupil to pupil, class to class and school to school.  The children really enjoyed sharing their learning with others.   Not only did it help consolidate their own understanding, but it also made certain areas of learning more attractive and easier for others to grasp.  We made good use of assemblies to share the children’s recorded learning, they enjoyed using the class blogs, the ‘show me’ app for screen casting and the school’s green screen studio to produce ‘micro lessons’ on a variety of themes.   Children were very keen on suggesting ‘micro lessons’ they felt might help others and much of their content was produced by themselves, in their own time – a real sign that they were enjoying the process. Below are some examples of how pupil to pupil, class to class and school to school sharing helped children further their learning.

Pupil to pupil sharing

All classes make good use of learning partners, which is a simple way of encouraging the children to share their learning, discuss their ideas and provide peer support.   In addition to this beneficial approach the children also made tutorials on the iPad using the ‘Show Me’ app.   They reduced concepts down to two or three minutes and recored simple screencasts to help their peers with tricky areas of learning.   We kick started the idea by showing some of the first few in assembly which galvanised the children to create more.   They were embedded on the school blogs which enabled children (and parents) to easily access them as often as they wanted.

Class to class sharing

As a three form primary I often feel this is an area we should be making more use of.   Older and younger classes really enjoy pairing up, as do classes in the same year group.   The older children loved dressing up on character day and reading to the younger children in costume!   Groups of children going to other classes to share a project or present findings not only gives them a real sense of purpose to their learning but makes a great starting point for further learning for the class.   This year we are keen to look at how class to class sharing can help further the children’s speaking and listening.

School to school

Working closely with a small network of schools can provide some fantastic opportunities to develop projects beyond the classroom.   I have written here previously about the Y6 Space Museum, that not only opened to other classes and parents at our school, but went on the road enabling the children to share their learning with their peers at Heathfield in Bolton.   I have also written about how a group of children used the green screen to make adverts which acted as a lesson starter for children in Hall Park in Bradford.   We have fully enjoyed hosting kidsmeets which is another great way of school to school sharing.  This year I hope to further explore the potential for such approaches to sharing learning.   It would be great to hear from others who are doing something similar.

Technology, where are we now? One school’s story

Technology is moving us forward at an increasing rate of knots.   No sooner is one piece of new kit embedded in school before another one comes along that is slicker, faster, more fitting for your needs.   It is nigh on impossible to keep up with such a fast pace and a clear remit for the use of technology is needed if we are to avoid jumping in with every new innovation that comes along.   At Hawes Side we use technology in numerous ways but  it’s core purpose is to stimulate, enhance and support learning.   It is not as a bolt on but permeates the very fabric of school, part of its DNA. We have recently taken stock of where we are now with technology, what is embedded and working well, what requires attention, and what is no longer applicable.  Some of the approaches covered here I have blogged about before but hopefully this provides a station stop on the technology train!

Children at  Hawes Side use a range of technologies and approaches in school, mirroring their informal learning out of school.  Technology is part of each learners’ toolkit and as the children would reach for a pen, pencil or ruler, they will also confidently reach for a laptop, an iPod or iPad. Technology helps us blur the distinction between home and school, between formal and informal learning.   It provides parents with a window on their child’s education and a gateway to shared learning experiences that can have a profound impact on children’s attitudes towards education.  It means the world to most children, to have their parents and families not only show an interest in their learning, but to actively be a part of it.

All the technology we use supports basic skills in some way or another.   Parents are able to participate in their children’s learning journey every step of the way, and at every stage of their development.  Reading, writing, speaking and listening are all developed through the innovate use of filming and green screen technology.  From scripting, drafting, planning, writing and reading auto cues to presenting, reviewing and modifying performance, the technology supports and enhances the children’s learning.   It isn’t seen as a gimmick but as a powerful tool to engage learners in these vital areas. One of the many benefits of using technology in this way is that the results of such experiences can be shared across the school community via a number of large screens around the school and beyond the physical building through the school blogs.

Hawes Side school blogs are extensively used by all class and pupil groups as a powerful vehicle for learning in its many forms, and for sharing learning.  The virtual environment forms a flexible e-portfolio providing children, and the wider school community with an online record of learning- easily accessed and shared. QR codes enable us to link online learning with traditional, non digital approaches.   Using a QR reader to open web links not only excites and enthuses the children, it also allows them to quickly find the learning and links to learning that they require.

Staff are well versed in the use of new technologies to support learning and further their own professional development.   They continue to develop new, exciting and innovative approaches to their classroom practice that stimulate and motivate the children.   We run staff surgeries each term to share ideas, approaches, web tools and apps that are working well in classes.   We also use the surgeries to support each other with concerns and problems- to provide a coaching and collegiate environment that helps us move forward together as a community of learners. Piloting new ideas and approaches serves us well and gives us a chance to really assess the value of new initiatives before they become whole school.   It is easier to monitor the success or failure of a new initiative in one or two classes than it is across twenty one at one time!  Staff can visit each others’ classes to observe how a particular pilot is being played out. The use of the iPad as a teaching tool, with the whiteboard being used to mirror out via an apple tv is currently generating lots of interest across school, with those classes that don’t have this yet clambering to be part of phase two.

Technology allows us to link immediately and meaningfully with our partner schools around the world.  The children can collaborate with their peers in classrooms from Birmingham to Beijing, from Bolton to Berlin! Staff also fully embrace such partnership working, keeping in touch with colleagues in Australia and our European partner schools.   Blogging is a fantastic way for our school community to support our worldwide connections, bringing real global learning into our classrooms.

The use of technology has also seen a rise parental involvement and engagement.  Families have the opportunity to become fully versed in new learning approaches with the school providing workshops and special events to support this. Recent experiments  in live blogging have shown a healthy appetite for furthering IT skills that serve a real purpose. Parents and relatives have appreciated being able to stay in touch with the children whilst they are away on residential visits, learning along with them and sharing insights into what happens on such trips.    Innovative approaches to homework involve parents and families like never before, links via the website and blogs keep the whole community informed and recent micro tutorials using the ‘show me’ app on the ipad enable to the children to record their learning to share with their peers and the world.   Learning is discussed and shared- it is high profile in the home as well as the school giving children a powerful positive message that says learning doesn’t stop at 3.30pm, nor is it confined to a school building- learning is everywhere, learning is collaborative and learning is fun!

Learning for the community of Hawes Side extends beyond the school gates.   It is not restricted by time or place.   Learning for the children of Hawes Side is not an insular experience, it has a real, worldwide audience who are easily reached,  encouraging and supportive and hugely interested in sharing and participating in collaborative approaches to learning.  Technology is changing the way we think, teach and learn.   It is providing the children with opportunities like never before. It is up to us to engage with, manage and ultimately embrace these opportunities.

Related articles

• Powerful Parental Engagement (smichael920.wordpress.com)