Teaching Outside The Classroom: Does It Make A Difference?

By Mira Jugoo

Learning outside the classroom is not a revolutionary idea and the benefits of fresh air represent a significant part of educational theory since time immemorial. Break and lunchtime at WA are less regulated and closely associated with building soft skills and well-being. They represent the times when friendships are formed, games are created, the pressures of the classroom are relieved, and for us as teachers, the chance to have those “playground” conversations with some of our most challenging students can make a difference in the classroom. The importance of learning outside the classroom to develop the cultural capital of our students and providing out-of-school learning opportunities is well recognised today (DfE, 2015). Additionally with the widened scale of learning loss experienced by our students as a result of the Covid pandemic, and, in particular, the impact on disadvantaged pupils (46.9% of the school population at WA) who have clearly endured the most, the use of learning environments other than the classroom is more significant than ever. Despite the positive associations of learning outside the classroom to improve pupils’ academic achievement in several subjects (Nielsen et al., 2019), the opportunity to do so is often restricted to PE sports fixtures and a few selective trips and is not fundamentally incorporated into learning contexts across the different departments. In a time of rigid curricula, significant loss of learning time over the pandemic, reduced school budget, high accountability frameworks, and a school environment in which leaders are very aware of the risk in every sense of the word, there is a justified fear that schools might deprioritise education outside the classroom. The benefits of learning outside the classroom are invaluable to our young learners as fundamentally it improves their engagement with learning, develops their IB profile, allows them to demonstrate their HERO values, and improves their resilience, self-confidence, and well-being. Teachers also benefit from these opportunities which boost cohesion and bonding opportunities, bring a sense of belonging, and widens and develops their pedagogical skills (Waite, 2011).

Y12 IBCP Marketing Trip to investigate the ice-cream market in Chelsea

Year 9 Young Enterprise pupils budgeting for their Christmas Market stalls Do Ofsted value outdoor learning and residential provision? It is not only teachers and pupils who recognise the benefits of outdoor learning experiences; Ofsted has celebrated the value of outdoor learning and published examples demonstrating how schools have effectively used this. Recent Outstanding Ofsted reports note that; ‘Extra-curricular opportunities include hiking, camping, adventure days, museum, and theatre visits. These make a profound difference to the pupils’ experience of the world and broaden their horizons. Pupils embrace all opportunities with open arms' Preston Muslim Girls High School, January 2017 ‘The curriculum includes numerous opportunities for pupils to learn beyond the school. Pupils participate in a broad range of trips which play a significant part in enriching the curriculum’ Oasis Academy Byron, June 2016 When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom contributed significantly to raising standards and improving pupils’ personal, social and emotional development (DfE, 2015). Ofsted also recommends that schools ensure that their curriculum planning includes sufficient well-structured opportunities for all learners to engage in learning outside the classroom as a key, integrated element of their experience evaluate the quality of learning outside the classroom to ensure that it has maximum impact on learners’ achievement, personal development and wellbeing ensure equal and full access for all learners to learning outside the classroom by monitoring participation in activities by different groups of learners and removing any barriers.

Recommendations:

Given the clear benefits of outdoor learning, more needs to be done to ensure that children and young people are provided with the opportunity to leave the classroom. To improve access for every child to an experience outside it is recommended that:

1. Senior Leader Teams are exposed to the benefits of the learning opportunities provided. Research suggests that when SLT members support learning outside of the classroom, a shift occurs across the rest of the school with teachers becoming more confident in holding lessons outside. This could usefully be included in programmes for aspirant senior leaders
2. Alter the language used to describe outdoor and residential learning so that outdoor learning is not seen as an enrichment activity, but rather an integrated part of the curriculum with clear learning objectives and outcomes.
3. Develop low cost or resource-light provision that makes best use of partnerships between schools and local businesses in the area.
4. Celebrate the participation of the students following the outdoor learning activity through the academy’s website / newsletter / Twitter page and reward their behaviour
5. Share the workload with other colleagues such as one member of staff could complete the Evolve form while another could draft the consent letter.
6. We are very privileged to have Ms Edwards as our ECA coordinator and this is a luxury for us as teachers. Indeed it has been reassuring and practical to benefit from her expertise during the planning and preparation of visits.

And finally... have fun with the students and enjoy the bonding experience. They will not forget these opportunities provided and will always be grateful. References: Department for Education. (2015). Supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils: articulating success and good practice. Retrieved April 21, 2017 from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47 3974/DFE-RR411_Supporting_the_attainment_of_disadvantaged_pupils.pdf Nielsen, G., Mygind, E., Bølling, M., Otte, C. R., Schneller, M. B., Schipperijn, J., Ejbye-Ernst, N., & Bentsen, P. 2016. A quasi-experimental cross-disciplinary evaluation of the impacts of education outside the classroom on pupils' physical activity, well-being and learning: the TEACHOUT study protocol. BMC public health, 16(1), 1117. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3780-8 Ofsted, 2004. Outdoor education: aspects of good practice (HMI 2151), www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/2151 . Waite, S. 2011. Teaching and learning outside the classroom: personal values, alternative pedagogies and standards, Education 3–13, 39:1, 65-82, DOI: 10.1080/03004270903206141 Further Reading: Behrendt, M., & Franklin, T. 2014. A review of research on school field trips and their value in education. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 9, 235-245. http://doi.org/10.12973/ijese.2014.213a Gardinier, L. & Colquitt‐Anderson, D. (2010). Learning abroad. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2010, 23-29, http://doi.org/10.1002/tl.417 Morris, M. 2019. Education Outside the Classroom:An Assessment of Activity and Practice in Schools and Local Authorities, DfES. Ofsted, 2004. Outdoor education: aspects of good practice (HMI 2151) www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/2151 . Learning outside the classroom manifesto (ISBN 978-1-64478-861-3), DfES, 2006; Schauer, H., 1992. Education outside schools. Education and Computing, 8(1-2), pp.149-153.

Health and Safety Executive Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP); www.oeap.info

Bitesize Research: Evaluating The Prevelance of 'Neuromyths' In The Population

By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone’s had a great week! This week, I was really interested in a study released by UCL about the prevalence of ‘neuromyths’ in both the general population and in the educator population. ‘Neuromyths’ are misconceptions about the brain and neurodivergence including conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Objectives:

To evaluate the prevalence of ‘neuromyths’ in the general population Summary:

The five prevailing neuromyths explored are:

• Dyslexia is caused by visual problems
• Dyslexia can be helped by using coloured lenses/colour overlays
• Reducing dietary intake of sugar or additives reduces the symptoms of ADHD
• Prolonged use of medication for ADHD leads to alcohol and drug addiction in adulthood
• Autistic children do not like to be touched

1 in 4 believed in neuromyths related to particular neurodevelopmental disorders The authors of the study believe that these neuromyths have been long-lasting due to an increased fascination with the brain, as well as a drive for ‘evidence-based’ practice leading to very oversimplified statements about neurodivergence. How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• Do any of these ‘neuromyths’ need to be challenged in my own thinking?
• How can I ensure that I don’t oversimplify these things in my own thinking about working with students with these neurodivergence needs?

If you would like to discuss this further with me - please let me know! I’d be delighted to open up these discussions and conversations.

Bitesize Research: The Impact Of School On Adolescent Mental Health

By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone’s had a great week so far! This week, I was really interested in a study that was conducted by UCL into teenage mental health, which looked at the possible impact that school itself plays on poor mental health (particularly in girls) during adolescence. It used a large amount of anonymised longitudinal data taken from mental health clinics, GPs and CAMHS Objectives: To examine data from students in secondary schools to look at some of possible causes of poor mental health in adolescence. Summary:

• The findings show that mental health issues are rare in primary-aged students, but then they increase rapidly in secondary school, wherein they become twice as common for girls compared with boys.
• For boys, the data suggests that only towards YR11 do mental health issues increase, whereas for girls it appears that this occurs from YR8 onwards.
• The authors suggest that this may be due to biological or hormonal changes in girls, as well as boys being less likely to disclose or seek help for mental health issues.
• Whilst recent educational policy has suggested that secondary schooling or specific year group dynamics play a part in this decline in mental health, this study raises some important questions about this
• The study contends that age rather than year group appears to be a stronger determinant of mental health issues. By comparing summer-born students and autumn-born students in consecutive years (who are therefore very close in age but in different year groups) they noticed that it was age rather than year group that influenced mental health decline more than say ‘being in YR11’.

How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• What is my awareness of mental health in our students? What are some of the signs of declining mental health?
• How does this study shape your thinking related to students you teach, or students in your tutor group?

If you would like to discuss this further with me - please let me know! I’d be delighted to open up these discussions and conversations.

Becoming A Research-Informed Department

By Divisha Patel

More often than not, a school’s core purpose is focused on the learning and achievement of its students. However, as the literature around professional learning communities grows, an emphasis is now placed on the importance of the learning and development of adults as well as students (Handscomb 2019). It is widely argued that teachers become more accomplished professionals through continuing to develop their pedagogy; reflecting upon their lesson delivery and honing their practice in the classroom (Bubb and Earley 2016). That being said, if you were to ask any teacher what’s stopping them from learning more, the answer is likely to be time. Humanities is now a department of seven subjects, therefore improving teaching and learning, and delivering an outstanding student experience, is what grounds and unites us. My motivation as DoL was to ensure that we built a vision that encompassed everyone, regardless of subject, qualification or key stage. Having merged Humanities and Enterprise, it is important to spend time learning about each other’s subjects whilst deciding our team vision or ‘non-negotiables’, as suggested by Jaya, for students to understand the expectations of a Humanities lesson. The main two ways that we’ve incorporated research into our practice is through the use of INSET time and our Wednesday department meetings. INSET For our Humanities INSET time, we do a range of activities such as having the subject coordinators deliver a masterclass about a topic within the T&L goals and/or vision building for our new and improved Humanities team. During T1, we spent some time thinking and discussing our visions as individual teachers, and how we could bring our ideas together through a coaching-style approach. In T2, Charlotte, Lucy and Helen each delivered a 20-min masterclass on an area of development that we’d identified through T1 learning walks and the work scrutiny. This approach was informed by EEF’s report on ‘Putting Evidence to Work’ which recommends the importance of identifying ‘a problem to solve’ (2019).

Lucy Taylor (Geography Coordinator) said “Having CPD in department meetings is such a valuable resource. It allows us time to reflect on our practice and discuss how we may implement new ideas into our classroom practice. The great thing about Humanities is the range of subjects taught - this means we get such a range of CPD from multiple perspectives and encourages us to consider different approaches and strategies we wouldn’t get from our individual subjects.” Here is an example of Lucy’s explicit instruction masterclass:

Department meetings Our Humanities department is organised as follows, with 15 minutes used for each activity:

• Addressing the habitual ‘to-do’ items and logistics
• DoL-led CPD
• Peer-led T&L showcase
• Informal conversations about curriculum, teaching and learning and behaviour

DoL-led CPD: The DoL-led CPD is something that has been introduced for T2 following learning walks and the work scrutiny. It is a way of addressing the areas for development in Humanities, by engaging with research, whilst allowing for an informal discussion around the topic to share ideas. Topics include effective marking; the use of retrieval practice and the importance of student voice, to name a few. The reason for introducing this element of department meetings was to create an implementation plan for the areas we need and want to address, whilst also developing my own leadership capacity, considering half of the team were new to either Humanities and/or the school. The format of the DoL-led CPD follows the same structure, whereby each session starts with a short discussion as a ‘hook’, leading on to research, and then ending with deliberate practice. Here is an overview of the slides for ‘Retrieval Practice’: Nazik Ahmed (ECT2 for Citizenship) said “Personally, I love (and get a kick out of) research and reading around topics (be it on teaching and learning or other aspects of our role) so this has really just enabled me to regularly read around different topics and engage with other perspectives on my areas of interest. It's also played quite a significant role in me developing my teacher persona because I've either been able to engage with authors that share my views/philosophy on education and teaching or challenged me because I've engaged with other perspectives” Peer-led T&L showcase Each week, we have a peer-led showcase delivered by our Humanities colleagues on rotation. At the beginning of the term, I allocate slots to each staff member, ensuring that everyone delivers an equal number of sessions, resulting in approximately 3 CPD sessions for the academic year. Each Humanities member is given the autonomy to do the showcase on anything they would like, such as:

• A form of AfL/questioning
• A piece of work
• An online resource
• A teaching strategy
• Academic reading/research

During the T&L showcase, the teacher tells us a little bit about why they have chosen the topic; the reasoning behind the focus and how they implemented/plan to implement the focus in the classroom. As a team, we then discuss how we could be flexible with the focus and its use for specific key groups such as SEND, EAL or different attainer groups. See here for examples from members of the Humanities team: Michael Paulus- Questioning Charlotte Nicholas- Object Analysis Nazik Ahmed- Thoughts from an ECT William Glydon (ECT1 for History) said “I am really enjoying the variety in CPDs this year. Last year, Nazik delivered a very memorable CPD on staff wellbeing and this couldn't be any further from the 'Dynamic Lesson' CPD offered by Brian, which was fun, organised chaos! The Humanities team is incredibly strong, and has had some fantastic new additions this year. The merge with Enterprise has meant that we can be more cohesive and collaborative in sharing a larger variety of ideas as a team” Further Reading:

Bubb, S; Earley, P; (2016) Schools as learning communities: effective professional development. In: Falus, I and Orgovanyi-Gajdos, J, (eds.) New Aspects in European Teacher Education. EEF (2019) Putting Evidence to Work. Accessed: Putting Evidence to Work - A School’s Guide to Implementation Handscomb, G; (2019) Evidence use, research-engaged schools and the concept of an ecosystem. In: Godfrey, D and Brown, C, (eds.) An Ecosystem for Research-Engaged Schools: Reforming Education Through Research.

Bitesize Research: Impact Of Spaced Practice And Retrieval Practice On Learning

 By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone’s had a great week! This week, I was interested in an article from Edutopia about spaced practice and retrieval practice - two areas that use current understandings of cognitive psychology to support teachers in making learning ‘stick’ more. Objectives: To explain the impact of spaced practice and retrieval practice on student learning and retention. Summary:

• Spaced practice can be thought of as when the learning occurs, and retrieval practice can be thought of as how
• Spaced practice is when students encounter material from the same topic multiple times. It draws on the Ebbinghaus ‘curve of forgetting’.
• Strategies to introduce this into the classroom include planning a quick review of a topic from a few months ago or using homework that draws on material from previous topics.
• Retrieval practice contends that by quizzing the students, teachers do not only perform important AfL but that the act of quizzing actually supports the students to build longer-term knowledge. This is sometimes referred to as the testing effect.
• Retrieving content from one’s memory has been shown to be much more impactful than rereading notes
• Strategies to introduce this into the classroom could be quizzes (using a variety of platforms including Google forms, or quizziz) or having students write down everything they can remember on a mini whiteboard from the last lesson.
• Both strategies can feel very challenging for students, but they offer important opportunities to strengthen learning.

How does this impact me and my practice?: Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• How am I currently using spaced practice and retrieval practice?
• How aware are my students about good study habits that are rooted in cognitive science?
• What other opportunities are there for me to introduce these practices into my teaching?

If you would like to discuss this further with me - please let me know! I’d be delighted to open up these discussions and conversations.

The Value of CPD: Reflections on Coaching

By Alice Hall

At WA, we are always encouraged to seek out CPD. This can feel like an extra thing to add to the list but, the reality is, seeking out continuing professional development opportunities can leave us inspired, renewed and able to develop our skillset in a way that directly benefits our job performance and, most importantly, our students. We are lucky to work in a school that encourages staff to undertake regular CPD and are in a fortunate position where it is usually funded for us. EqQuals, a leading provider of educational CPD in the UK, stresses the importance of teachers continuing to add to their own professional development, and states some of the benefits of CPD include: 1. Maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills to deliver a professional service Through undertaking CPD, teachers can ensure their knowledge and skills are fit for purpose and ensure the best possible outcome for their students. Required knowledge in your subject may change, and regular CPD helps the teacher to stay abreast of changing information. 2. You stay up to date with changing trends Knowledge and required subject information can change over time, and sooner or later your university education may become, in places, outdated! With CPD, your skills and knowledge can stay relevant and up to date. 3. You become more effective in the workplace Higher levels of efficacy have many benefits in a school, including more effective planning and time management of workload, better resources in lessons and better outcomes for students. Through increased knowledge developed in CPD, teachers can become more effective in their role, which can also lead to more opportunities in the future. 4. You stay interested in your profession It’s fair to say WA houses scores of motivated and dedicated teachers. However, over time, it is natural for interest to wane and sometimes work is just that, work. CPD can help to keep us feeling refreshed, renewed, interested and engaged with teaching or our subject specialism. Through focused CPD, new knowledge and skills can be developed, and who doesn’t want to keep it fresh! The more invested you are in your subject, the better your teaching will be. 5. It gives you access to experts in the fields Through investing in continuing professional development, we have the opportunity to build knowledge and connections with experts in education or our subject. CPD at WA Recently, I was fortunate enough to take part in the Anatomy of Coaching course, offered by Jaya and Donna here at WA. Colleagues from both WA and other schools took part, and across the two-day course we learnt a variety of new skills including listening and questioning techniques, how to prompt the coachee to find their own answers and the importance of understanding how we feel about a problem to lead us to a solution. I found some of the activities such as the Start with Heart model, a method that encourages the coachee to move away from the mind-body dualism and connect with their emotions and feelings to be intriguing, and relevant to how we work on a daily basis. The Three M’s of Listening- Me-Listening (the internal thoughts and musings of our brain), Micro-Listening (what is the person in front of me saying) and Macro-Listening (what is the whole picture: verbal and non-verbal communication, gestures, body language) was incredibly insightful when working with both staff and children. Across the two days, we learnt many different techniques to be applied when coaching, either another member of staff or a pupil. The beauty of coaching is that it can be applied in many different situations. At its core, coaching believes the coachee is fully capable of creating the answer and solving the problem at hand. The role of the coach is to help the individual find the means with which to create the solution, and not to create the solution for them. At first, I was a little bit worried about taking the course- it involved me missing two days of work, it meant I missed my Year 11 lesson and it was in the middle of assessment and marking! During the actual CPD course, however, I really enjoyed the opportunity to close my emails, put down my laptop for the day and focus on my own education and development. It is easy to get caught up in the day today, but with CPD we can replenish our own cup and take some time to nurture our own education and training needs. Recommendations There are several opportunities for CPD at WA. Beyond our INSET Days, termly Tuesday CPD sessions and PLCs, why not seek out some CPD? At best, it will revolutionise your teaching practice and at worst, help to build your network of professional contacts and provide a different perspective. If you are considering undertaking some CPD and are unsure where to start, some options include: -See if your exam board offers subject-specific CPD. Many do, and the added bonus is it is tailored to your curriculum needs. -Is there a particular skill you have always wanted to develop? Perhaps your CPD might not be subject-specific and instead revolve around using peer assessment, giving feedback or developing cross-curricular opportunities in the classroom, for example. -Contact Westminster City Council: We are lucky to work in a borough that offers a host of CPD opportunities through regular teacher meets (often a 1-hour meeting once a term). Sometimes the best CPD involves meeting like-minded teachers and simply picking their brains! The WCC/ Tri-borough teacher meets are also an excellent opportunity to build your network of contacts. -Arrange a school visit. Are you stuck on developing a new curriculum or simply want to see how another school does it? Arranging a visit to see an Arts Department at another school, for example, can offer insight into other ways of developing the curriculum. -Sign up for some coaching. Perhaps the CPD you seek is in the form of some professional coaching from a WA colleague. Coaching offers a confidential, guided opportunity to develop your skills in a safe space and time-efficient setting. Finally, if you are interested in CPD but unsure how to go about it, ask! I am always available if anyone wants to discuss further, or else we have the lovely Holly Youlden who coordinates CPD here at WA. Bibliography and Resources:

• Cerri, M and Simpson, Q. The Anatomy Foundational Coaching Course, 8th edition. Graydin, 2020.
• https://www.edquals.com/blog/what-are-the-top-10-benefits-of-cpd/
• https://continuingprofessionaldevelopment.org/why-is-cpd-important/
• https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-for-you/assessment-associates/aa-gateway/training-and-cpd/cpd-for-aas.html
• https://fisd.westminster.gov.uk/kb5/westminster/fis/advice.page?id=SeskgpEo0mM
• https://cpduk.co.uk/news/importance-of-cpd

Bitesize Research: Using Cognitive Science To Enhance Student Engagement

By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone’s had a great week so far! This week, I was interested in an article from September 2020 from Impact (the publication of the Chartered College of Teaching). This looks at what has been described as the ‘engagement myth’. Objectives:

To explain the importance of cognitive science in conjunction with engagement to ensure pupil learning. Summary:

The article makes several points about the nature of engagement and some misconceptions within learning and the teaching community:

• Engagement is a necessary not a sufficient condition for learning.
• It cautions against some misconceptions around engagement whereby appearing busy suggests learning
• It reinforces Professor Robert Coe’s famous indictment in 2015 about ‘engagement being a poor proxy for learning’ and gives some examples from the US-based Deans of Impact comparing strategies that prioritise engagement, and strategies that prioritise learning based on cognitive science.
• They argue that teachers have been exposed to and socialised to believe that engagement is equivalent to learning and caution that cognitive science is also really important for teachers to consider

How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• What does engagement mean to you? What does it look like in your classroom? How do I know if the students are engaged?
• How much do I consider cognitive science in my planning? What do I still want to find out?
  

If you would like to discuss this further with me - please let me know! I’d be delighted to open up these discussions and conversations.

Bitesize Research: Strategies To Support Independent Learning And Metacognition

 By Jaya Carrier

Welcome back - hope everyone had a great half term! This week, I was interested to see a Harvard study that took place in 2019 which looked at strategies to encourage independent learning and metacognition. This study focused on how these strategies were used in a problem-based learning STEM curriculum in the US for high school students. Objectives:

To examine the effectiveness of strategies to support independent learning and metacognition Summary:

The research concluded that the strategies included in this project supported better and more effective independent learning. They also made problem-based learning more accessible. The scaffolds used were:

• Encouraging students to consider context: Students should actively question what they do and don’t know in an ongoing way
• Use open-ended questions: Teachers should look to question this way, rather than correcting students outright. For example ‘Can you tell me more about that?’ or ‘Can you explain that?’
• Activate prior knowledge: Students should be encouraged to consider regularly what they already know about problems both with respect to their academic knowledge, as well as their wider general understanding of the world around them and lived-experience.
• Student choice: Students should be encouraged to make their own choices, and should be questioned in an open-ended way about these choices. For example ‘What’s next?’
• Cultivate and celebrate risk-taking: This is a culture created by praising risks and learning from taking them. It can also be created by way of not immediately correcting mistakes for students and instead allowing them to come back to the right path by way of exploration. For example, using phrases such as ‘That’s interesting, let’s explore it.’
• Time for reflection: Students should be encouraged to see themselves as active learners, rather than just participants. This should be done by way of regular check-ins, asking questions such as ‘How do you think your group is doing?’ or ‘How are you managing your learning’

How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• How independent are my students? How do I know?
• How am I using these strategies already? How could I employ these strategies further in my lessons?
• What do I know about problem-based learning? What do I want to find out about problem-based learning?

If you would like to discuss this further with me - please let me know! I’d be delighted to open up these discussions and conversations. Thanks, Jaya

Book Review: Teach to the Top by Megan Mansworth

By Holly Youlden

At the end of last year, I spent a chunk of time auditing the provision we offer as a school for students we might describe as More Able or having High Prior Attainment. I spoke to staff, students, middle leaders, observed lessons and had a student in every year group “shadowed” to gain insight into the type of stretch and challenge students were actually experiencing in a typical day of lessons. The results of this audit were not surprising:

• Students are excited and enjoy subjects they feel a good level of challenge in but are frustrated if tasks are not accessible to them
• Staff feel somewhat confident in how to support more able students but were very keen for more training in this area

This year, I am lucky to be in the Stretch and Challenge PLC which, after our first meeting, enabled me to reflect on these findings. One of the things that struck me was, although I had spent several years acquiring experience teaching very able students, I had not recently had a chance to think deeply about the ways in which I approach my teaching to stretch and challenge these students. This led me to read Teach to the Top, a brand new book by Megan Mansworth, an English teacher, leader and current PhD student in Literary Linguistics.

What is the book about? Teach to the Top advertises itself as a “research-informed guide to aspirational teaching”. One of the first things Mansworth writes is to clarify that teaching to the top does not mean taking approaches that prioritise high attainers. Instead, it looks to “consistently teach high-level ideas and knowledge” and make them accessible to all in the class. Echoing Sherrington in The Learning Rainforest and work by Reynolds and Farrels in the 1990s, learning happens best when expectations are high for all, including stretching the highest attaining members of a group. Mansworth then explores several key elements which she believes are essential for teachers to truly stretch their classes and create this culture of high expectation in the classroom.

First up was the subject knowledge of the teachers and how it is impossible for a teacher to have the “inner confidence” required for high-level questioning and quality explanations if subject knowledge is “fragile”. The second was a focus on curriculum, and thinking about how we build our medium and long-term planning to embed challenge, depth and what we assign value to in our curriculum. This also involves the pedagogical content knowledge, and how well teachers understand how best to teach particular topics or areas of content. Next was providing opportunities in lessons for students to think hard, reflect and discuss big ideas. Mansworth emphasised that this requires a distinct change in language from staff away from grade-focused language, which can cultivate a culture of students obsessed with exams, rather than learning. Finally, the book explored recent research by Smagorinsky (2018) which highlights how the concept of Zones of Proximal Development is often misapplied and stops many teachers from stretching students far enough. Mansworth highlights that we should not be reducing the aspiration of a lesson, irrespective of which set it may be or the prior attainment of students, but instead provide better access points and scaffolding so that all students are able to reach those high levels of thinking. Techniques discussed included Socratic questioning, asking students to generate questions about challenging resources and counterfactual thinking (i.e. “what if” questions) to help generate challenge in our lessons.

Overall the book provided a critical exploration of a lot of research and boiled it down to a short, sharp, straightforward guide with lots of questions to help teachers reflect and refine their own approaches.

Questions to think about:

• How regularly do you audit your own subject knowledge? How do you keep your subject knowledge up to date?
• How could you make the most of the subject knowledge of colleagues at WA? Beyond?
• Is the content of your lessons demanding? Is it accessible? Will all students have the opportunity to explore tricky concepts or ideas?
• How can we design activities that encourage deep thinking or add challenge?