effectively evaluate the impact of afl on teaching ... · 2011/12 year 3 2012/13 engage afl engage...
TRANSCRIPT
Effectively evaluate the impact of AfL on Teaching & Learning to develop a targeted action plan & deliver progression
Andrew Conroy Deputy Headteacher
Parklands High School
1. Context to our school and my role 2. An overview of our 3 year journey
to outstanding Teaching & Learning 3.The methods I use to evaluate those
standards on a regular basis, and move teaching forward.
As a school, we are reaching the end of our third year of a major push on Teaching & Learning, led by a genuine re-focus for all teachers on AfL. I hope this presentation shows the journey, some of the specific action plans that we have developed over the 3 years and how we have evaluated success…. And there is no doubt it has been a success!
CONTEXT TO OUR SCHOOL
• Old grammar school • 11-16 comprehensive, 1150 pupils • Today, fully comprehensive intake. Slight skew to more able. • Coasting school: traditional ethos that became left behind. Lack of data.
• 2008, new Headteacher, new Deputy Head • 2009 move from two to one Deputy, 3 new Assistant Heads • Rapid improvement in many respects:
• Focus on achievement through tracking, personalisation and intervention • Improved curriculum, with range of pathways • Tightening of procedures • Greater focus on staff development and distributed leadership
• December 2009: OFSTED Section 5 full inspection: Good with 7 outstanding categories inc. Achievement and Pastoral • 2010 Onwards … re-focus on the Quality of Teaching
Systematic, rigorous, data-driven
BEFORE: • Focus elsewhere ( achievement ) • Some outstanding teaching, some poor teaching. Nothing done to address the poor teaching. • Teaching sound, but uninspiring. Can perform when observed. • Didactic teaching: our pupils are “easy to teach” • Pupils lacking independent study habits • Some thriving areas, but no collaboration • A small group of pioneers and pockets of good practice • Some peer lesson observations, but mechanical
We needed a radical overhaul, and a new commitment from SLT A co-ordinated approach to transform teaching and learning. 2009-2010 …. One school focus on Teaching & Learning
Crucial pre-requisites:
Designated SLT leader, with support from key excellent practitioners A core team of willing participators Clear communication to the whole teaching body A personal standpoint, research and point of view For me, it was
AfL Professor Dylan Wiliam Cramlington Learning Village.
A co-ordinated and transparent plan, planned before the start of the academic year so that everyone knew what to expect.
OFSTED “Good Professional Development in Schools”: March 2010
Effective headteachers create a school culture where staff are strongly committed to discussing and improving teaching and learning and pride themselves on being part of a “learning community”.
There must be a central importance in creating a consistent approach to teaching and learning, with open dialogue and discussion between teachers so that methods of teaching and assessment within the classroom are consistent. All staff need to understand the school’s approach to teaching and learning, as part of each individual teacher’s professional development.
Professional development and teaching and learning strategies should be tied together. It is crucial that school leaders demonstrate high levels of trust in their staff, involving everyone identifying and implementing changes. Sufficient time must be given to staff to reflect, so that they can discuss their learning and developing understanding.
This became a core consideration for me when thinking about how to move forward
Promote consistent good practice by engaging ALL teachers Embed AfL in every classroom Move away from courses and INSET to personalised teacher professional development
3 core ideas that are the foundation:
Year 1 2010/11
Year 2 2011/12
Year 3 2012/13
Engage AfL Engage teacher discussion Re-evaluate practice Begin to share
Embed AfL Innovate
Challenge Evaluate Innovate
AfL focus INSET day TLCs INSET by our staff, for our staff – Kagan, creativity etc Formative assessment re-focus Learning Walks introduced New learning spaces
TLCs Year 2 Introduce “Innovation” Introduce very detailed feedback, linked to AfL. “Achieving Excellence”, linking appraisal to teaching Tackling “satisfactory” Re-focus on skills agenda
TLCs Year 2 “Innovation & Technology” Consistent and detailed feedback, with coaching of the “satisfactory” Systematic recording of progress and evaluation
Exemplar systems to evaluate the quality of
teaching, through embedded use of AfL across the teaching
body.
Autumn 1 Knowledge
CONNECT Activities Asking Better Questions New approach to Peer Lesson Observations
Autumn 2 Reflection
Discuss Moodle
Discuss new resources Discuss “no hands up”
Discuss boys’ performance
Spring 1 Knowledge
The Role of Feedback as a true AfL process
Spring 2 Reflection
Experiences of using different feedback
strategies
Summer 1 Knowledge
Challenge and
Independent Learning
Introduce Year 2
Summer 2 Reflection
Recap learning from year
Activities on impact Evaluation of impact
How have the following initiatives impacted
on your practice this year ?
No impact Limited
impact
Some
positive
impact
Has
impacted on
my practice
Has been a
major
influence
1 2 3 4 5
New ideas in TLCs 0 2 13 23 22
Discussion/
reflection TLCs 0 2 13 31 14
Sharing good practice
TLCs 0 2 15 24 19
Taking part in learning
walk 0 2 8 10 14
Feedback from SLT
walk 2 7 26 16 9
T&L Action Group 1 2 18 26 13
Focus on questions 1 0 12 30 17
Focus on lesson
objectives 1 2 11 39 7
Focus on feedback 1 2 9 29 19
Formative assessment
policy 2 2 13 20 23
Classroom resources 1 7 13 24 15
Comment rather than
level 2 2 15 22 19
INSET by our staff 0 2 10 31 17
Moodle 4 6 30 14 6
“My TLC leader has been brilliant! Have really enjoyed TLCs and gained a great deal from them”
“I enjoyed my Learning Walk and want to do more! Whiteboards and my visualiser have impacted most on my teaching”
“The students see more relevance to the marking and assessment that we do. As the year has progressed, I have noticed the students increasing in confidence in the way they discuss assessment.”
“My TLC leader has been excellent. The discussions have been really beneficial to develop my own teaching and I have employed so many new strategies. It is excellent to have TLCs”
“The opportunity for our own staff to deliver INSET and use our own skills is invaluable” “TLCs and Learning Action group have both been really positive in broadening my perspective of other teaching areas and building relationships with colleagues I would never normally speak to” “Could we undertake unplanned learning walks in our free periods?”
“TLC techniques such as marketplace and `no hands up’ have had a real impact on the way I teach”
“The Kagan structures INSET equipped me with new ways of engaging with pupils”
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
No impact Limited impact Some positive impact
Has impacted on my practice
Has been a major influence
Nu
mb
er
of
staf
f
New ideas in TLCs
Discussion/reflection TLCs
Sharing good practice TLCs
Staff Evaluation of T&L Strategies, July 2011
The content of TLCs
TESTING AfL QUESTIONS … Are they aware of their current “level”, and how to improve ?
Does feedback help them to improve ?
Do they understand the learning process in a lesson ? ( are objectives explained at start, and revisited at end? Use of plenary? Use of verbal formative assessment plenaries? ) Are they involved in the assessment process ?
Do they feel they are challenged in lessons, and their teachers have high expectations of them? Do they find their lessons interesting and engaging ?
What do they really enjoy doing / really hate in their lessons ?
Evaluating Formative Assessment
Pupils were asked of their
understanding of the "learning
process" in lessons ( use of learning
objectives, starters, plenaries and
mini plenaries )
7 students said that starters and plenaries were
common practice in all subjects.
30 students were able to provide specific examples of
their use in some or most subject areas. More
students were used to starters and learning
objectives than plenaries, which were viewed as less
common.
5 students did not fully recognise starters and
plenaries as part of their lessons.
Are you involved in the assessment
process? Do your teachers ask you
to mark your own work or the work
of other students?
Students are becoming much more conversant in
this, and why teachers use it. There were many
examples of the use of Dedicated Improvement Time,
and also teachers using exemplar graded material to
ascertain grades.
31 of the students could provide specific examples of
how it had helped them, and were enthusiastic about
its effect. The remaining 11 could provide specific
examples, but commented that it was not
consistently used.
Year 10 male Gifted and Talented Pupil: A/A*target grades
I know my target level in all of my subjects. Teachers almost always give me a specific grade when I complete a key piece of work in terms of it being B, A or A*. I find it incredibly frustrating when I do not achieve an A* grade and the teacher doesn’t then tell me how I can reach this grade. About half of my teachers automatically give me the quality of feedback I would like, and they tend to be my best teachers. Even if it is verbal, it’s better than nothing. None of my teachers give me the feedback prior to receiving the grade and ask me to work out which grade I think I have achieved. However, I love it in Maths when my teacher marks a test and asks me to comment on the aspects of Maths that I need to improve as I look back through the paper and the marks. It is only when I have assessed it myself that she provides me with her written feedback and I like seeing if I have “got it right”. It makes me read her comments. Some of my teachers try to tell me that I am peer assessing my own work. I’m not stupid! A lot of the time they are just using it to reduce their marking load. I can always see when the peer assessment is helping me to understand the work better. My teachers use lesson objectives most of the time, though not always in the written form. I know what a plenary is, and why it should be there. But it is hardly ever used in my lesson. I find 85% of my lessons interesting and engaging. I like lessons where I am given a problem to solve and go about finding the solution for myself. In History recently, we were given a set of cards to determine why Hitler turned out the way that he did. We had to prioritise them and prepare an argument in terms of which factors were most influential in his development. I could explain myself, and justify my opinions and we had a discussion that helped me understand the topic better. I like a good mix of group and independent work: too much of either becomes counter-productive. I get frustrated in one of my option lessons. There are seven of us, and five of the other pupils are C/D borderliners [his own words!!]. The two of us who are pushing for an A *don’t always get catered for, particularly in assignments. So I end up having to do my own research at home. I can see that it isn’t the teacher’s fault, but it is still very frustrating. I remember in Year 7 that we used to get lectures from some teachers that lasted the full 60 minutes. That never happens now: teachers get us involved and learning for ourselves more, though some of them still talk too much. The only thing I really hate is when supply teachers come into school and make us copy out work from a text book: it is so pointless.
Termly management report, for SLT, governors, staff and OFSTED.
12/1/2013
