GONE ARE THE DAYS?

"You'll never get anywhere with handwriting like that, now hold your pen properly."

My handwriting has never won awards for being the neatest but, as long as it's legible, it's never really bothered me that much. Many a school teacher pointed out to me how it would hinder my life and lead me down a dark path of Special Brew outside my local Spar shop. Fortunately for me, the Spar shop closed down and I ended up teaching.

My school really did try back then - they gave me a rubber pencil grip. It was great for chewing on whilst thinking and it made me discover weird and wonderful ways of holding a pencil ready to transfer over to the pen (that remarkable milestone in any child's life). They provided extra handwriting lessons and worksheets which showed me how to form letters with the use of several arrows - turning the simple task of writing into a Crystal Maze style challenge.

Cynicism over, it all failed. I hold my pen in a weird way, I form some letters differently to what's expected (still in an efficient way - more on that later) and I still enjoy taking pens apart like a budding engineer. But my handwriting's mine and I like it. And I don't think I've failed just yet.

We rely heavily on typing these days. I've not drafted this post by pen first. We write by hand less and less, and we skim read more and more. We now read books on a screen, type on a whiteboard, start our cars without a key, video-call people, have thousands of albums on a hand-held device and we watch stuff in 3D. The world's changing rapidly. And I really, really love it.

I encourage children in my class to be careful and proud hand-writers. I don't want them experiencing the demoralisation that I suffered or the turn-off from writing. But what I refuse to do is pick at their style or formation (when I talk of formation, I refer to forming a letter in a slightly different yet still efficient way). We live in a world with hundreds of different writing systems that have developed over thousands of years and children witness thousands of different typing fonts throughout their early-life. Someone out there must have been prepared to 'break the rules'.

A plethora of logo-guessing games hit Apple's App Store last year with many of them providing different words in a company's font for the player to guess the correct company from the font. Does that make sense? Fonts are now a unique identity because people moved away from standardisation.

I've made my point. Handwriting is extremely important and a much needed life skill. But, in a 21st Century classroom, we need to be prepared to break away from 'the norm' and encourage a little freedom, right?

What's your stance on handwriting? Will it still be taught 10 years down the line? Do you enforce strict rules and regulations? Or have those days now gone with demanding targets, levels and expectations?

CREATIVELY RELEVANT...

I dislike planning. Some of the greatest things in my life have come into existence with absolutely no planning at all. The greatest outcomes, relationships, friends, ideas, opportunities, and so forth. But I appreciate that planning is an important aspect of my day-to-day job because, after all, very few people want to see a show where they've not read a synopsis or preview. There's a great analogy about teaching hidden in there somewhere...

Now, when I plan it usually involves a mixture of some sort of brainstorm (apologies if that causes any sort of offence but I prefer to use less syllables), a colleague, websites, videos, books, resources and Haribo (the latter being an optional necessity). Eventually, that planning makes its way to a word-processed document because that seems to be what we teachers feel we need to do.

I then add to this document and, as I frantically type away, I know that the actual delivery, findings and experiences will differ quite drastically. The only real concrete element is the objective which, although somewhat flexible, is a must-have to ensure value. Even if it's just something to guide me or remind me. But here comes my point...

Why do I, and many others, plan for a 21st Century education system (okay, so I know that's a completely controversial issue for another day) in such a restrictive way? Okay, here comes the real point...

Imagine an application, universal to most devices, where we can type, add images, add videos, add in voice-recordings when we have a great idea two minutes before break-time ends, insert other documents to view, etc - all within this application. Other colleagues can add to it and SMTs can watch it grow and grow into something spectacular. All of your digital resources would be in one place and its usefulness would develop. It'd be like a sandbox of planning.

Maybe it'd get too cumbersome. Too competitive? Maybe we'd dip in and out of it as necessary? And what would it look like? The nearest thing I can imagine is a Prezi, but that's not as smooth as I imagine it.

Of course, I'm not suggesting for one moment that this is the way to plan. A sprawled sentence on the back of a Kit-Kat wrapper could, theoretically, lead to something incredibly rich and powerful.

Maybe this application already exists and a simple point in that direction renders this post irrelevant? Or maybe, digging deeper, we can begin to question the effectiveness of planning. People seem to have a deluded vision of what 'good planning' looks like, when actually it should be creative and relevant. Creatively relevant. Keep your eyes peeled because I quite like that term...

20% Time Launching Globally!

It's been a while since I've posted much here and, yes, I do tend to start most posts with that these days. The truth of the matter is that I'm very busy with plenty going on and I'm stubbornly keeping that work-life balance (or blend) that I'm so passionate about teachers and professionals maintaining. But down to business...

20% Time (click here) has sparked an awful lot of interest, excitement and developments. And I'm not talking about the pupils either. This has been from you - professionals all over the UK (and even some international enquiries) eager to adapt, introduce and grow 20% Time to allow for intrinsically motivated learners with powerful results.

The great news is that the concept of 20% Time is being introduced in schools all over, albeit at a steady pace (it is looked upon as pretty risky, changing the norm and all that...). Individuals are either being brave and taking the plunge, discussing with SLTs and being granted permission or just employing elements of it within their classrooms. But that's sort of irrelevant. The main points here are that:

• professionals, parents and pupils are talking positively about it and the impact
• creativity is evident on a larger scale
• learners are motivated, excited and standards consistently high
• education professionals are adapting and tailoring it for their own context
• feedback is positive, exciting and inspiring.

Of course, it's the feedback that really matters. We are all learners and we can only improve by trying new things and adapting what we do well. Einstein once said something about insanity being where we do the same thing over and over again and expect different (better?) results and, in my humble opinion, that man spoke an awful lot of sense. We all want standards to improve and therefore we need to try different things. Here's something that seems to be working - give it a go.

I'll be writing a near-future post (honest!) containing quotes from feedback emails and discussions, case studies and, in the interest of honesty, any unsuccessful examples. Please do contribute yours via email to stuart@sjeducation.co.uk.

Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar

Dare I say it? SPaG. Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. Words that are possibly installing panic in the minds of teachers and boredom in the souls of learners as I write. The addition of the end of Key Stage 2 SATs test in this area has left a grey cloud hanging over many schools. Let me explain...

I've always liked words. I've always cared for academia, of course, but had an even greater love of words. Exploring words, learning words, using words. When the SPaG KS2 test sample surfaced, I realised that children needed a secure and confident understanding of terminology that perhaps wasn't always so rigorously taught.

The approach that I took was one where panic had overtaken. Not panic as in fear, but panic as in 'we need to get on with this'. Victorian-esque lessons of dictating definitions of 'adverb', 'parentheses', 'pronouns', 'subordinate clauses', 'homonyms', and so on, began to form. Luckily, it wasn't long before I realised that these sessions were dull and in no way a reflection of my practice. I let the panic cool off.

A realisation hit. The only way that children would learn these definitions and conventions so successfully is if they were fired-up about them, talked about them with enthusiasm and awaited the SPaG activities/sessions with awe. Luckily, I'd seen good practice with 'Games Based Learning' by Bill Lord (http://lordlit.com) and knew that an answer would lie somewhere with games. Out came the iPhone Apps...

In one instance we began by playing the well-known Temple Run game after discussing what verbs were. Children had to write down as many verbs as possible from the game. After three rounds, we had a list of thirty two verbs, all with past, present and future variations. Thirty two. I'd expected ten. We then used these verbs to look at active and passive, and on it continued...

In another instance, we played the infamous Angry Birds to check our understanding of speech marks and possessive apostrophes. Children wrote the speech captions for both the birds and the pigs, utilising a whole array of punctuation and adventurous vocabulary (particularly after agreeing that the pigs were very 'upper-class'!). You can imagine some of the things that the birds managed to shout as they shot through the air at top speed...

A further example saw us playing one of my personal favourite tactical games, Cover Orange to learn about prepositions. Children were able to orally create sentences involving prepositions encompassing prior learning of other SPaG elements. Even the most reluctant of contributors became frantically competitive, determined to produce the greatest of sentences.

I've deliberately left out a lot of detail because I'm sure you get the idea - these sessions can be fun, engaging and hilarious. And that's just for you. The necessary skills can be taught in exciting ways and almost any game, App or video clip can be used to do so with a little imagination and creativity. It's not about taking someone else's ideas (but do feel free to!) - it's about developing your own ways that are likely to engage your learners. Worksheets have never been the answer and they're not likely to start being now.

And you don't even need technology either. A simple 'showdown' game works well too. Put on some old Western music, children stand back-to-back, teacher gives them a noun, children have to shout the type of noun followed by "BANG!" and fire their opponent back to their seat. Where they muster up their revenge strategy, of course...! It's simple, probably something you've done before and, most importantly, you'll see children genuinely excited about the prospect of nouns. An intrinsic desire to learn grammar? Life can be a very funny thing.

Post your ideas, email for advice or let me know something that's brought you a lot of success.

WORK LIFE BALANCE?

So there I was. Alarm set, 4:00am. Train to catch, 5:26am. Expecting to collect my tickets from a self-service machine that actually happened to be inside the main building, requiring staff to be present. The main building was closed and not a soul at the station. Self service? Good start.

I'm now on board the train after a lot of explaining and my iPod battery seems to have developed a fault. No music on my iPhone or iPad (or rather, no Wifi connection on board) and a three hour journey to survive. Expectations for the day are well and truly lowered. Still, I do have a slightly out-of-date website here - maybe it's fate...

More interestingly, however, is that tonight is Burn's Night. And I'm missing it. You see, I'm heading to Manchester for a course and it's going to be a long old, but hopefully exciting, day. It's my choice to be on the course and my choice to skip Burn's night. I've made a choice around that touchy area of a 'work-life balance' and I'm content with it.

At first, this post was going to be aimed primarily at trainee teachers, although I hope that it could resonate with most professionals. Often, as the omniscient lot that we are, we forget to put to practice what we preach...

How often have you said or heard something along the lines of: 'children need first-hand experiences to ensure quality learning and to broaden their minds'? My big concern is that people usually start that with 'children' and not 'humans'. Everyone needs a contrast to their work-life and allowing time to do so doesn't make you any less career-dedicated.

In the past few years I've directed a show, produced a show, presented on local radio, played in a band, performed, written several songs, published articles in the media, invented a solar powered helicopter, and so on. Okay, so I might have made that last one up...

You get the idea, though. And the most frequently asked question is 'how do you manage it all?'. The truth of the matter is, if I didn't do things like that, I'd go insane. I love my job, I really do. But as human beings, we need variety. Scope. Colour. We need sides to our life that aren't always work-focussed. And, most importantly, we need to make - not find - time for it.

A large difficulty for NQTs is, I think, feeling comfortable that you don't need to spend every hour working, preparing, assessing, resourcing, planning, etc to be a good practitioner. Your brain needs a variety of stimuli and your pupils want to see personality - share your experiences and hobbies with them. Use them as part of your practice. It's okay.

Of course, you do need to find a balance. You know what you're capable of and how much you can take on. Try taking on interests or tasks that are flexible as you never know what's around the corner, but make sure that you find something you genuinely enjoy. If going to the gym is more of a chore than a gripping moment in your life, don't go. If learning to play the violin is something quick that you can half-heartedly do once a week, then don't do it. Be true to yourself.

How do you manage your balance? What keeps you going? Do you make time or just hope to find it one day?

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION?

It's been a while since I posted anything, but that's mainly because I've been appearing elsewhere (click here) - spreading the gospel of 20% Time and getting my head around new stuff mainly. The response has been overwhelming and I think there's a definite impact out there. Keep it going!

So then. Philosophy. Nothing deep, I promise. But a little thought...

I remember hearing the phrase 'Philosophy of Education (PoE)'. In fact, I heard that a lot during my university years. I never really understood what it properly meant to have a PoE. Was it an idea of the traits you wanted to have? Was it a kind of pedagogical oath*? Perhaps it was how you intended to run your classroom or learning environment?

As time went by and I learnt more and more, I realised that a PoE, to many people, was a vision of a perfect approach to education, often ground in theory (in most cases using key names deemed important, such as Piaget or Plato).

Some schools or educational institutions even go as far as to have their own PoE that all staff must adhere to. A kind of 'this is our philosophy of education and values'. That's all well and good - but can you really tell someone what their values are? I mean, values are inbuilt, right? You can't tell someone what their values are.

The same with a PoE. It needs to come from within and be very personalised indeed. Grounding it in theory may look good on paper, but in reality, it's meaningless if it doesn't match who you are, what you truly believe and, of course, how you utilise your talents.

My PoE is simple. Perhaps too simple. In fact, it's three words. But not three random words or 'buzz words'. But words that actually mean a great deal to me. I know exactly what they mean, how they work and what they do. I call it the 'CGI' approach to teaching. Here goes:

Challenge. Grow. Inspire. 

'Challenge' comes from the idea that I want to challenge learners, be challenged myself and challenge anything the education system throws out that I don't believe will be right for my learners.

'Grow' is the idea that I want to grow my learners into intrinsically motivated people who enjoy learning and appreciate that learning never stops. They need to embrace to many types of learning from independent through to interdependent, even appreciating the role of serendipitous learning. Of course, I'm also part of this growing process as I learn too.

'Inspire' is that dream element. The idea that you can inspire learners (which most of us do, most of the time - it's just that we never really dwell on it or consciously plan to do so) to achieve what they want to. It also encompasses looking for your own inspiration and building (growing) upon that. And that's often a challenge.

You get the idea. The words are simple and they interweave, overlap, merge - whatever you want to call it. They carry more meaning, weight and significance than a 1000 word document. And they're personal. They're mine. Relatively speaking.

What's your PoE look like? Do you have one? Do you need one?





* See the work of consultant, expert and legend John Pearce - click here

TWENTY PERCENT TIME - TERM THREE

Previous articles on the use of 20% Time within schools seem to have been remarkably successful and thought-provoking. I've received a plethora of emails on the issue and have had many teachers/educators enquiring about adopting it in their classroom and ethos. The great news is that these enquiries have been from teachers all over the UK (with a few from the US too) concerning different ages of children, and not just Primary either. There is also an article appearing in Teach Primary magazine soon - keep an eye out!

My proposal is simple. Be brave and try out 20% Time in the third term of this academic year (you need to know each child as an individual learner for it to be effective, term three or four has usually allowed enough time for this). Upon returning from Christmas, your children will receive the greatest gift that a teacher could give. Really.

But you're not alone. I have provided support material personalised for each case, taking into account the age and needs of the learners. I am happy to continue to do so and offer talks, presentations, meetings or further support, again, tailored to your needs. Don't feel restricted if you live outside of the UK either. Let's get this global.

I'm still learning about 20% Time. So are other educators. So are Google. Learning is life, right? This is your chance to get involved and show that intrinsic motivation and interdependence can create something very special indeed. You'll not believe the results.

Go on. Try it.

Email: stuart@sjeducation.co.uk

VERBALLY MARKING

"If a child can't talk about it, they can't write about it. If a teacher can't talk about it, they shouldn't mark it."

There's been a lot of silence on my blog over the summer period, but that doesn't mean my brain's been off education completely. This post is really a throw-out idea to see what you think - please do leave a comment or drop me an email with any kind of feedback.

Allow me to begin - Verbally Marking. Make of the name what you will - at least it's not another acronym. Let me give you the background (if you're not interested, skip the next two paragraphs).

Back in my school days, I used to love getting my marked work back. Literacy was my favourite because, rather than a somewhat meaningless list of arbitrary ticks, there were comments throughout. Things like 'wow', 'a superb intro', 'this paragraph creates wonderful tension' and 'your handwriting needs to be neater'.

Occasionally, the teachers would talk to me about my written work. Occasionally, they'd read a section to me and explain why it was good, or they'd read a section as they would have written it - highlighting more appropriate adverbs or styles. But that was the problem - it was all occasionally.

Halfway through the last academic year I made a conscious effort to mark as much Literacy work as possible with the child present, or go and speak to the child after marking their work to ask questions and tease out improvements. This wasn't too different to normal, but I ensured that the verbal interaction had impact. So, what did it offer...?

1. The child was able to justify choices which showed them to be greater writers than I had considered.
2. The child could hear a better suggestion (if I had one!) and it made sense to them, or they could ask for clarification.
3. The child could identify and correct errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar that they had previously missed, should they notice them during the conversation.
4. (and this one is the selling point for me) The child could see excitement and pride in my eyes as I read from, and discussed, their work.

As time went by, I generally found the children in the class more open when writing too. They'd talk more about their choices and seem determined to impress the primary reader. And the greatest thing of all? I ended up saying not a lot. The children led the discussion and critically analysed their own work. Far richer than being told what's good and what needs to improve, in a patronisingly positive green pen, right...?

Of course, the idea of Verbal Marking is more of a dream than a guaranteed reality. If we had the time to mark and discuss each single piece of work with the child present, I'm sure we'd all take it? If anything, I was only 'testing the water' - trying to see if verbally marking a piece of work had anything better to offer over written comments (do you even know that your written comments are read?).

Does written feedback really benefit students of a young age? Is it just to please parents? OfSTED? Visitors? Does written feedback belong back in the 90s?

There will always be a place for written feedback and it does carry some weight, but is a verbal approach (I guess I could use the term 'discussion approach') the better way forward in a 21st Century classroom?

Perhaps you do this already? Maybe your policy is to offer verbal feedback on all work where an answer isn't 'black and white'? There's a possibility that you've done this for years - so tell me more! But however you work, try it out in this next term and see if you find great power in it. That excuse of not having time to do it - you're a teacher. Make time.