If schools are not grading lesson observations, how can we take this further?
This post forms the crux of my presentation at TeachMeet London 2016 and is what I believe, to be the next stage for all schools – whether you are grading individual lessons or not!
Without lesson gradings, how can we improve teaching and learning? Many schools will be conducting Learning Walks – I stopped doing these 3 years ago – and department reviews. I know I have also been the by-product of our system, but I hope from all of our experiences, I am able to contribute to a solution. One that reduces time, is costed and is a feasible solution for improving teachers and teaching and learning.
I now ask that we have no more formal observations, ever!
Video:
Here is my pitch to banish high-stakes formal observations (x3 per academic year) and help schools and teachers move towards a coaching model; to develop the teacher and genuinely improve teaching and learning.
Click below to watch my 2-minute presentation at TeachMeet London 2016 (and read the pre-blogpost here).
What? Why? How?
How can we genuinely improve teaching and learning? How can we add a brick in the wall to strengthen teaching and learning?
If we keep doing the same things, we will keep getting the same results.
Pre-2014, teachers were graded (sometimes wrongly) in 3 formal observations per-year. Despite teaching over 800 hours, only those 3 hours were used to evaluate the quality of teaching over time.
Eighteen months on, Ofsted and 50% of schools are now, no-longer grading teachers via individual lesson-observations and teachers are now free from high-stake decisions that have been proven to be unreliable and lack any valid judgment.
Image: Shutterstock
What? No Feedback?!
However, some schools still conduct learning walks, despite not offering specific feedback to individual teachers. Instead, a blanket generalisation is made of what has been seen throughout the process; providing generalised areas for development for all. This has no benefit to the individual teacher, whatsoever. In 2013, I said I was binning learning walks and I’m pleased to report, I haven’t conducted any since!
In my video I offer how ‘coaching‘ can be a solution for every school and every teacher. I also offer some time and financial solutions to enable the proposal to work. It will not be bullet-proof, but it is a start …
How?
- Banish lesson gradings forever.
- … then STOP the traditional 3 lessons per year.
- No more formal observations. Ever!
- Allow every teacher to receive coaching.
- Identify 25-50% of staff to be coaches.
- Allocate funding.
- Allocate time: one period per week (15 min / 30 min)
- No paperwork. Optional log book.
- Rigorous training for coach.
- Relationships outside of appraisal.
- Across departments, levels, roles.
- Specific framework. A common vernacular …
- The cycle would repeat every week.
- The coaching would be for 2 terms.
- Voluntary … let appraisal take care of itself.
Gallery:
Feedback:
Click to open some feedback provided on social-media …
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… and you can download my presentation here.
Thanks for reading.
TT.
What a fantastic opportunity to develop practice and treat each other in the positive, supportive and personalised way we are told is best practice with our students!