I want to rummage through a teacher's kitbag to see what tools she uses every day. Today I will examine the compass (or alethiometer for Philip Pullman fans). Used properly it can keep us safely moving on the right track. But it is quite fragile and delicate, fiddly to set up and use. Its practice is often neglected in favour of more robust relaxation pursuits (like going for a drink with your mates to slag off the deputy head), or adding even more flashy techniques to your lessons (like interactive whiteboards).
What am I going on about? REFLECTION.
Reflection means 'gently' looking at what we did and said and the effects we had upon the children. In 'teacher-speak' we 'consider critically the learning outcomes'.
Fair enough. But critical does not mean 'harsh' or 'cruel' or 'vindictive'. To tell a teacher who has just finished teaching that the lesson you observed was 'less than perfect' is a hard thing to do. Akin to telling a lover that his technique is flawed whilst you are both still in the throes of passion. Better to wait for an hour or two before opening up that can of worms.
Even then, reflection is not a stick to beat a teacher with. It is not meant to wound or cause pain. It is meant to guide and steer. Like a compass.
We can work ourselves into a frazzle planning and preparing the 'perfect' lesson and pour all of our energy into delivering it only to find that it was 'boring' or 'average'. In some ways this is worse than lessons which fall apart and cause the 'children to climb up the walls'.
Even the 'best' lessons where the children are eating (metaphorical) snowflakes from our hands are probably not as good as they feel.
Reflection should be at the heart of our professional practices. It allows us to distance ourselves from our words and our actions to consider what was good about what we did and said in the heat of the moment. It allows us to discover what could be improved next time.
And yes, there is a next time. Remember that when you watch a slick performer 'in action': all jokes and patter with an uncanny ability to see what is going on in all parts of the room at all times. Remember that Ms UltraCool has probably taught that lesson ten times already in the last three years and has modified and honed it into into the sleek racehorse that gallops so successfully to the finishing posts. Because she has internalised the content and the methods, all her energy is focused 'in the moment', watching the reactions of the children, matching her words and actions to the learning going on.
Teaching and learning are not the same thing. This is a thread that will run through all of these blogs. There have been lots of lessons where my teaching has been 'good' in the sense of active and lively with stimulation but the children have been too 'passive' to learn much. There have also been lessons when I have been too tired to do the 'Elvis plays Las Vegas' routine and yet the learning has been excellent because I have given the children space to learn and been attentive to their needs.
It is reflection that allows such constructive observations to arise from our classroom practices, and which allows us to think about and develop new ways to storm the castle walls.
Today's background music to the blog is Optimistic by Radiohead on Kid A. It is a cheery upbeat way of looking at reflections.
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