keeping the main thing the main thing
TRANSCRIPT
Time
Atta
in
men
t
Keeping the main thing the main thing.
David Rogers
@davidErogers
davidrogers.org.uk
Aims
• Evaluate a range of strategies to improve
attainment at GCSE.
• Consider some practical tools for
implementation.
What is the main thing?
What priorities for change are there at the moment?
Which are the most important?
Photo Credit used through Creative Commons
‘…there was a clear tendency amongst best teachers to see the power of the humdrum, the everyday.’Practice Perfect, Lemov, D; Woolway E; Yezzi, K p5-6
The strategic view v’s minutiae
I also knew, as did
every kid in Canada,
that it was
impossible….. But….
Just the day before it
had been impossible
to walk on the
Moon….. Maybe
someday, it would be
possible for me to go
too, and if that day
ever came, I wanted
to be ready.’Chris Hadfield, Aged 9.
Theory PracticeThe Gap
School Policy
The Gap
Culture
Teacher Skills
Financial
Time
Teaching load
What would you do?
Ideas
Plans
Steps
Share
Priorities
6 dots each.
Use them as you wish
What would you identify as the key priority?
What strategy would you use?
What is it like now?
What do we want it to be like?
How do we get there?
How do I know that we are there?
Project managing change
Audit, External Advice and reports.
People, Stuff, Culture, Data.
Vision – what is the main thing?
Plan, People, Stuff, Culture, Support,
Communication
Impact, Monitoring, Messages
Asking for forgiveness rather than permission
Imagine you walking around
your department.
Sketch what you want to see.
What three objects represent what you want your department to be?
A lack of vision is the problem in departments.Not government or SLT.
How will this improve learning?
How will this help my team to
improve learning?
Three groups – one for
each subject.
What is this data telling
you?
What would be your
priorities?
Raising expectations
High quality teaching and learning from lesson one of Year 7
GCSE questions a part of all lessons.
KS3 linked to GCSE expectations
All lessons driven by enquiry
It’s about learning
Simple, effective ideas
Banned Words
PEEL
SEEP
Prove it!
So What?
Thanks to Patcham High’s Art
department and @PrioryGeography
Literacy and
numeracy
Image of the
week
Core
geographical
terms
Banned Words Teacher email
address
Social media
linksKey command
words
Connectives
and Groups of
People
Learning
Objective board
A saying
Priory
geography
enquiry
Flowchart
The Priory
Geography
TeamYear 10
Controlled
Assessment
Tracker
Big Whiteboard Pupil work on
current unitStevenson
Screen
Grade
mountainsPriory
Geography
Mantra
More
connectives
Different maps
Structures
Development Plans
Is your curriculum full of
JONK?
‘It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere,
would much rather you weren’t doing it.’
Terry Practchett from the foreword to The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/xurble/376591423
“Your are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more
amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here
to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget this errand.”
Woodrow Wilson.
‘What gets you out of bed in the morning and in to school?’
@davidErogers
davidrogers.org.uk