Key Changes & Takeaways while Distance Learning

14th May 2020

Distance Learning started with a hiss and a roar. I found it easy enough to transfer what I would had been doing in class with my students and just move this online. The junior programmes seemed to be running well (apart from the myriad of questions I was receiving) and I really enjoyed what felt like more individual time with my seniors to give feedback on their internal assessments. However, prior to seniors completing their internal assessments I was finding that engagement levels weren't the highest and I felt that was partially due to my lack in creativity. Moving into Term 2 I was determined to create changes within my teaching and learning programmes to increase collaboration and engagement of students. So what were my key focus points of change?

1. Be creative

Our Level 3 students were moving into their biomechanics unit of work. At first I was stumped - how the hell was I going to teach this? Typically when teaching biomechanics students learn about a principle and then learning is reinforced with a practical and class discussion. How can I teach students about biomechanical principles while keeping it fun and how can I still check for an understanding? Students firstly learnt about the principle via Edpuzzle, before completing a practical task and then applying their understanding to some knowledge review questions. A few of my favourite lessons included homemade tenpin bowling to see Newton's Laws in action, homemade or online angry birds to analyse projectile motion and the use of yoga and pilates to identify principles of balance and stability in action. A few of the students awesome setups from these lessons are pictured below.

2. Increase Engagement

By being more creative with my lessons this instantly helped to lift engagement. As mentioned above I also used Edpuzzle to help me with this. Edpuzzle is a great way to set video tasks for students, while also tracking whether or not they have watched the video. However, the best function is the ability to pause the video to add a note or ask students either multi choice or open ended questions. In our following lessons we could then discuss questions all students struggled with or I could catch up individually with students regarding a principle they may have struggled with.

Other ways I tried to increase engagement in lessons was through completing knowledge review tasks on the content for the week. This worked particularly well with my IGCSE students who had tasks such as a Kahoot or to create a video applying their knowledge of the skeletal system. Not only was it a great way for me to see potential gaps within student knowledge, students also commented that they enjoyed these application activities and had more motivation to complete these rather than practice exam questions.

3. Increase Collaboration

I identified that while distance learning in Term 1 I hadn't been encouraging collaboration between students. Normally students are always collaborating in my lessons - why had I stopped? To introduce collaboration again I started off nice and slow such as a shared group document in Google Classroom where students had been separated into groups and had to work together to create notes on a particular joint. I then moved to Padlet where all students needed to contribute and then work with a partner to summarise all of the ideas presented on the Padlet and feed this back to the class like this example here. We then finally got back to the point where in a Webex call students were collaborating through the chat function, discussion and working together on a shared document.

4. Pre-recorded Videos

In Term 1 I found pre-recording videos really useful when helping to breakdown achievement criteria or specific questions in assessments for my seniors. Students also liked the idea of being able to go back and rewatch a clip of my explanation and how it was available for them to access when they wanted or needed it. To help with the myriad of questions form my junior classes I decided to enlist the same approach. At the start of the week we would meet for a Webex call. In this call we cover their tasks and expectations for the week. I would also prerecord a short video clip to post to Google Classroom of their tasks and expectations of the week and post this prior to their first lesson. This allowed us to briefly recap and go over questions in the Webex call and the breakdown of their task was also available for them to rewatch if they needed to. This was also followed up with an email reminder before the start of their remaining lessons for the week. This along with the familiarity of the routine meant that the number of questions I was reaching dropped significantly.

5. Wellbeing

The time in distance learning has also given me time to reflect on my own wellbeing. I noticed that before our 'holidays' I was so tired and felt like this distance learning meant that I was working harder and longer everyday. I also found that over the holidays I was turning to my school work for something to do leaving me feeling like I didn't get much of a holiday. I also attended a webinar on teacher wellbeing which helped me to put some strategies in place when returning to Term 2.

1. Collaborate - I didn't need to recreate everything. Instead reach out for help and ideas, which also helped with my creativity!
2. Work-life balance - Don't touch any work after 5pm & no work weekends (with the exception of a possible hour on Sunday to prepare for the week ahead - if needed).
3. Self-determination theory - control what I can - let the other things go.
4. Connect - catch up with colleagues and others in the profession, not only about work.

So What?

Although I'm looking forward to returning the the classrooms, continuing to build relationships and increasing collaboration once again I also plan to take a couple of these tips with me. I plan to take the pre-recorded videos with me, particularly for seniors with achievement criteria breakdown and explaining questions in an assessment. I also plan to hold onto the creativity of lessons rather than returning back to usual and what I have just always done. I am also looking forward to returning to more of a settled routine which helps me feel settled - I can also ensure I set time aside for myself.

Below is also an article I wrote in Term 1 for the school's e-news about our distance learning setup in PE.

Self Evaluation for Improvement - Using feedback & other evidence to improve performance

6th May 2020

What’s going on here? For which learners? Who are my priority learners this year? (Those in danger of not achieving)
I had a hunch at who my priority learners were prior to completing our first written internal assessment in Level 3 PED. I had used knowledge of learning difficulties, observations of students transferring into the subject and other observations such as students with low motivation levels. I had identified 5 students with learning difficulties, an additional 3 students who may struggle to settle into both a new subject and a new school and 2 students who were struggling with motivation levels in class. Throughout the process of completing our first written internal assessment a lot of these priority learners were confirmed.

What does achievement data tell me about my current cohort? Is this what I expected?
The achievement data from the first internal assessment told me that I have quite a large range of ability in my class this year. This had already been quite obvious through the different teaching and learning activities, having to differentiate lessons to ensure the top are being extended enough and that the bottom are getting enough support. The assessment results confirmed this. However, I believe it has shown me that the gap is bigger than I expected it to be. The results from the first internal (3.7) were as follows: 7 Achieved (3 Low, 2 High), 3 Merit (1 Low) & 7 Excellence (2 Low, 2 High).

What are my learner’s perspectives on the situation? What do my learners and I agree are my strengths and areas for development?After completing our first written internal I ensured to collect feedback from the students regarding the teaching and learning process and the assessment itself. In terms of strengths key themes included; help & explanations, support & feedback, range of resources provided, use of sentence starters and the use of class discussions to reinforce learning and share ideas and perspectives. In terms of areas for development key themes included; more personalised feedback, explanation of questions, aid with research, the assessment layout and one student wanted more encouragement.

What changes can I make to my practice? How long will it take for me to notice improvements in outcomes?
I ensured to take their feedback onboard when moving into our second written internal assessment (3.1). We managed to get one week of teaching and learning at school before lockdown started and continued online with distance learning. Before starting the assessment we did an activity that aided students with where and how to find relevant research for their upcoming assessment. I also made sure to review the assessment layout to make it more structured, including sentence starters to help guide student answers. As I was not there to explain the questions in person I decided to create videos breaking down the assessment questions. I choose to do this over a Webex call as students might struggle with different questions, therefore they could watch the video relating to the question they were struggling with. Students commented that they found this really helpful and it is something I will consider continuing to do even once we are back at school. As for feedback, I notice that when we are completing assessments in class it is always the same students who would ask for help or feedback. To try and avoid only helping these students I kept a tally of help/feedback given. This gave me a quick visual on who may have not received as much help or feedback and who I should turn my attention too. At the start of each day I also choose 7 students in which I was going to give feedback to before the end of the day. This helped me to balance out the amount of support and feedback I was giving. As for the encouragement, the one student who noted this is also one of the students who has been struggling with motivation levels. Because of his honest feedback I was able to ensure I was giving him more encouragement and 'warm fuzzies' rather than mainly constructive criticism.

How has this impacted on my learners? Which of my learners are/are not benefiting? How do you know?
The results from the latest written internal assessment (3.1) were as follows; 5 Achieved (1 Low, 1 High), 2 Merit (1 High) & 10 Excellence (3 Low & 3 High).I do acknowledge that the increase in results may also be due to the different content and 3.1 being rather personalised. However, I also believe that the improvement in grades for certain students were directly due to students being able to act on the feedback from their last assessment and due to the more equal spread of support and feedback throughout this assessment, as these students don't always ask for help or feedback. E.g. one student went from a High Achieved to a High Merit as he was able to include more detail in his analysis, another from an Achieved to a Low Excellence. However, what I found frustrating is that even giving the one particular student encouragement like he asked his motivation levels still appeared to remain low and he remained at a Low Achieved.

What further adjustments might be worth considering?
I do believe I need to focus more on giving all students more encouragement and 'warm fuzzies'. I realise when providing feedback particularly on assessments I mainly tend to provide feedback on how to improve rather than telling them what they have already done well.
I also want to focus on how I can extend and encourage those achieving to achieve higher. I know two are definitely capable of achieving at a higher level as they were achieving with Merit & Excellence last year in Level 2 PED - how can I motivate them?

Harnessing & Enhancing Assessments in Schools

29th April 2020

Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: Harnessing & Enhancing Assessments in Schools

Provider/Presenter: Stuart Kime

If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why?

• There are 4 key principles that should always guide assessment; purpose, validity, reliability and value.
• I really liked the way Stuart explained how assessment, pedagogy and curriculum interrelate. He explained that assessment is only a tool for pedagogy which is guided by curriculum and that assessment is a tool used to understand the next steps when guiding a student through a curriculum and therefore can guide pedagogy.
• Tips for assessment while distance learning - ensure there is a slower pace and do fewer assessments however, do them better. This could be by varying the mode of assessment

How has this professional development challenged my thinking?

This presentation helped to remind me that testing and assessment are different, although testing can be a part of assessment. This is something I often get caught up in with my IG students. The tip of varying the mode of assessment has also made be consider the assessment I have been conducting with my IG students while distance learning. I have been completing the same style of tests that I would in class however, they are open book. I have actually found that some students have done worse in these open book tests than they do in a closed book test. I believe this is because students are focusing on certain key words to do with content and writing from their notes about that rather than reading the entire question properly. This has already made me think about how I can trial different methods of assessments with my students to see if I achieve better results.

What aspects of my practice would I consider changing as a result of this professional development and why?

His tip about ensuring a pragmatic approach spoke to me. He suggested that by revisiting content that was introduced earlier it can help students create more dependable and credible connections with their assessment. The example he gave is a teacher starting each class with 3 questions; 1 question on current content, 1 question on content from the last topic and 1 question from an old topic. This is definitely something I can introduce more in IG PE. Students quite often do well in end of topic tests. However, some students struggle when completing end of unit tests as there is more for them to remember. Normally this is not a strategy I bring in until Term 3 but is definitely something I could look at starting this term.

I am also going to trial different methods of assessment with my IG students while distance learning. Can I create a knowledge review that is more meaningful from a Quizizz or by getting students to create a video applying their knowledge rather than a test?

Fostering Engagement & Wellbeing while Teaching Remotely

22nd April 2020

Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: Fostering Engagement & Wellbeing while Teaching Remotely

Provider/Presenter: Dale Sidebottom

If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why?

The PEGG strategy helps to increase student engagement by allowing students to feel a sense of fun and to feel connected to others outside of their bubble. Just like our Hauora the different dimensions of PEGG (Play, Exercise, Gratitude & Giving) are all equally as important. The PEGG strategy can be treated like a challenge with each of the different areas needing to be ticked off and completed each and every day. Once students have been able to complete a task for each of these they are encouraged to reflect on these before being able to "peg" themselves - they can literally have a physical peg to help remind them. This is also a strategy that students can then share with their family to increase household engagement. Then as pictured in my notes above we were given multiple different ways that we can help foster and engage students in each of the different aspects of PEGG.

How has this professional development challenged my thinking?

With the lack of class discussions and group work in my distance learning classes at the moment, how can I help students to feel more connected to school and increase their engagement and sense of fun?

What aspects of my practice would I consider changing as a result of this professional development and why?

I would look at introducing a small task at the beginning of a lesson. This can help to differentiate lessons and make them a bit different. This could also be a task used at the start of the lesson which I have typically been using as the 'wait time' to ensure all members were there and that I could do the roll. These activities could be ideas from the different areas of PEGG i.e. an exercise challenge one day, a gratitude task the next.

'Where to next?' Leveraging your new found digital skills in a post pandemic world

16th April 2020

Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: Where to next? Leveraging your new found digital skills in a post pandemic world

Provider/Presenter: Carl Condliffe

If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why?

Overall the PD was looking at the issues and challenges we may have faced going into the lockdown, opportunities that may have presented themselves to us and where to next after the lockdown. Below are some of the key points I took from this morning's presentation:

• We are fortunate that King's took the week to prepare us for distance learning as many schools and teachers felt underprepared
• A huge opportunity that is given to us is that we can create student agency and autonomy as they are accountable for their own work/effort - can we transfer and continue this when we return to the classroom?
• Ensure the focus is on identifying issues and creating solutions, encouraging students to think critically, rather than rely on content

How has this professional development challenged my thinking?

This lockdown has presented us with many opportunities to enhance our practice. How can we ensure to transfer these skills when we return back to the classroom?

What aspects of my practice would I consider changing as a result of this professional development and why?

This year I proceeded to push blended learning to help create a more authentic learning environment for my IG PE students. As the IG curriculum has so much content I found classes were heavily based on learning new content rather than allowing learners to apply this, reinforcing their knowledge. I feel like this is something that I haven't done as much for my senior NCEA classes as we have more time in class for each unit of work. However, I have found that creating videos for my senior students particularly around breaking down of achievement criteria and assessments has been useful and is something that I would look to continue in future.

Leadership Session #2 - Time Management

17th March 2020

Key Points:

• Steven Covey’s matrix of time management - looking at tasks and whether or not they are urgent, not urgent, important, not important as shown in the matrix pictured below:
  

• Try to drop tasks that are deemed not important off the list
• Try to avoid a list mentality - doing so can be overwhelming and it often does not show priorities
• Simon’s tips:
  • Daily planner matrix
    • Includes list, properties and times that you are free
  • Ensure all high priorities are completed by the end of the day
  • Ensure that there is time to work on components that are important but not urgent each day
  • Remember that sometimes may come across your desk because they are important/urgent to others but not yourself, just as things that are urgent to you may not be urgent to others

Q&A

• If something is urgent to you and you need cooperation from others however, it is not urgent to others how do you work around this?
  • Questioning about what has been done before handing up the line
• Leaders who micromanage - how do you address a manager who has a crisis and makes their crisis become your crisis
  • Courageous conversations
    • It is all about the delivery of the conversation
    • how can you support them in their role whether it is planning or taking some of the load off them

I feel that over time I have gotten better at prioritising my tasks and identifying tasks that are important and urgent and focusing on those first. The key tool I help with my time management is the apple app 'Reminders'. It allows you to create a list, prioritise your tasks and even set day and time reminders that will sit on your home screen until you have marked these as complete.

A key point I have taken away from this session is the idea that you need to ensure that everyday you are working towards a task that is important but not urgent. This can allow for greater thought and creativity. This could be by researching for 10 minutes or having a conversation about a future event etc.

Being an Effective HOD

20th February 2020

Name of Course/Programme/Seminar: Being an Effective HOD (18th & 19th Feb)

Provider/Presenter: Kay Hawk & Jan Hill from the Education Group

If I was to summarise the key things I took away from this Professional Development what would they be and why?

• The different leadership and managerial roles of an HOD and breaking down of the educational leadership capabilities
• What make an effective department and one that is 'moving' (teams where everyone is adding value, working together towards a common goal) or a performing
• Reinforcing the importance of a team knowing the 'Why' e.g. a team usually knows what their role is and how they complete it but they need to fully understand the why to get complete buy in
• Frameworks for leading professional learning discussions including opening discussions and fronting an issue

How has this professional development challenged my thinking?

• By placing emphasis on the need to develop group culture - what is our vision and what are our department goals for 2020?

What aspects of my practice would I consider changing as a result of this professional development and why?

Key points I have identified that could easily be implemented are:

• Creation of a Google Doc - emailed once a week to the department, includes department meeting agenda, important dates for the week, recognition, notices, etc.
  • Ensures meeting time is not used for admin and stops overuse of admin emails
  • Allows for all members to contribute to the doc
• Ensuring the whole department is aware of the vision and 2020 goals

*Have spoken to REY about both of these points. He thinks it would be a good idea for the first to be implemented. As for second he agrees this needs to happen and wants input from the whole team

Further notes that I took away from this PD can be found here.