Bitesize Research: Facilitating Conversations About World Events

By Jaya Carrier

I hope you’re all having a good first week back! Lots of amazing work has taken place in PD lessons this year. One of things I know tutors, YCs and the pastoral team work really hard to do is manage and facilitate challenging conversations about difficult or disturbing world events. As such, I was interested to come upon this Edutopia article that gives some guidance about these kinds of conversations. 

Objectives: To suggest some ideas about facilitating and managing conversations about disturbing news stories or world events. 

Summary: 

• The author gives some recommendations about how to ensure these conversations can be supportive and well managed. She recommends that in the first instance, educators aim to:

• Developing self awareness: Understanding your own bias and lens on the event as an educator

• Know your students: Understanding the cultures, backgrounds and experiences of students before entering into a conversation

• Being present and available: Making it known to students that they can talk to you when they need to

• Invite students to share their thoughts, feelings and reactions: This can help build connection, which in the first instance can be more important than providing a detailed analysis of what has happened and why.

• Normalise student feelings: Let students know that worry, fear and anger are normal reactions to upsetting situations.

• Listen and paraphrase: Seek to listen and paraphrase, which can help with students feeling that they are not being judged

• The author also recommends after the initial shock that educators provide accurate information, enable students to ‘zoom out’ so that they don’t see events in isolation and to promote loving action including social justice campaigns. 

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

• What kinds of conversations have I had about difficult and upsetting events with students before? How did it go?

• How can I facilitate these kinds of conversations in future?

• What support do I need to have these kinds of conversations effectively?

If you’re interested in being coached through your biases or want to talk further about this more generally, please do get in touch - I’d love to hear from you!

Bitesize Research: Talking To Students About Misogyny

By Jaya Carrier

I hope you’re all having a good week so far. A few months ago, Sophie and Anita led an INSET session about how to address some of the challenging misogynistic ideas presented by students. I know that YCs are also doing some further training to help empower their tutor teams on this too. In particular, with Andrew Tate recently being arrested, there has been lots of public discussion on this and about how schools can work with young people effectively. As such, I was interested to read an article in the TES magazine outlining some strategies for this.

Objectives: To understand key strategies to use when speaking to students about misogyny  and Andrew Tate. 

Summary: 

• The author identifies some of the difficulties with tackling these views in a school context. He suggests five strategies when working with young people on this topic:

1. Avoid silencing boys - the author argues that some well-intentioned attempts to shut down misogynistic conversations actually entrench the problems and worsen them. The author argues that teachers should reframe these as ‘teachable moments’ and give boys a space to have their ideas listened to and challenged by ‘calling them in’ rather than ‘calling them out’ (as the latter very rarely creates attitudinal shifts).

2. Understand the reasons why boys are susceptible to these ideas - allured by his lifestyle and wealth, many boys see Andrew Tate as a role model. The author argues that when boys realise that his wealth has been created by ‘incendiary content sharing’ they will begin to understand he is not as glamorous as he appears to be.

3. Use assemblies or lessons to challenge - the author argues that teachers should not fear mentioning Tate, but that they should use opportunities to highlight and challenge his views. He argues that male teachers doing this is particularly helpful.

4. CPD - the author argues that staff can be given the right tools for this through CPD.

5. Avoid focussing just on Andrew Tate - the author argues that putting misogynistic views into a wider perspective is helpful

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

• How confident do you feel with addressing some of these issues?

• Which strategies are you currently using? Which do you need more support or practise with?

Please do get in touch if you would like to talk further about this - I’d love to hear from you!

How To Get Students Talking

 By Ruhina Cockar

How do I get my students to talk?! This may sound like a strange question when so often we’re thinking about how to positively encourage students to stop talking and focus on their work! Talking and discussion offer invaluable learning opportunities for teaching the curriculum as well as for the development of the “global citizens” we aspire for our students to be. Let’s say, for example, you want to have a whole-class discussion on a topic like “Bullying or banter? What is and what isn’t acceptable” or you want students to discuss one-to-one with each other about domestic abuse and its effects on the family unit- can these topics be explored effectively if students don’t talk? In general, students are more likely to discuss and participate freely if they feel comfortable in their environment and trust that their contributions are valued- so how could you achieve this? Fail to prepare, prepare to fail holds true when facilitating a discussion: having an idea of what the journey of the discussion will be from start to finish, and the questions you might ask to ensure the discussion stays on track will maintain the flow and ensures there is an objective to it; free-flowing discussion with no purpose or direction leads to off-task behaviour and erodes trust. Establishing the ground rules before the discussion takes place will help build trust: it might be helpful to refer back to your Partnership Agreement (or to create one if you haven’t got one established in your classroom) and remind students of what everyone has agreed to in terms of how to speak to and how to treat one another. Clearly communicating the purpose of the discussion, whether you will do hands-down questioning or not, whether this is a pose, pause, pounce, bounce type of discussion will also work towards creating a comfortable environment for students to be open: they understand theirs and their peers’ boundaries. If you choose not to use hands down questioning, an alternative approach would be to use a token system: Distribute three tokens to each student at the beginning of the discussion. Each time a student speaks, a token is given to the teacher. The goal is for students to spend all their tokens by the end of the discussion. This system can be really useful in limiting students who dominate the discussion and encouraging quiet students to contribute. A technique for ensuring quality discussions take place is one built on thinking time. Posing the question for discussion and asking students to work in pairs or as a group to write down their initial thoughts, answers or ideas will help ensure the class discussion is meaningful and productive as students have had a chance to think about the issue beforehand. Learning things about your students, asking them about their interests, acknowledging their answers through writing the comments on the board and/or making connections between their comments and the discussion at large will start to help students feel comfortable and valued. Examples of comments that acknowledge a student:

• That’s an excellent point Lara.
• I like that you’ve given the other point of view Ahmed - it shows balance and many of us would not have considered that perspective.
• Aya it was brave of you to share such a personal experience - thank you.
• I think you may have misunderstood the question Borislav but I appreciate your contribution and willingness to speak.
• As Samiya said earlier…

A further question to consider about seating arrangements: could everyone sit in a circle? Around a table? Would you like the person speaking to stand and make their point? Seeing each other facilitates listening, and acknowledging each other.

With a nod to life skills and careers we know communication and working collaboratively is an essential skill, whether this is in a group work setting or in a discussion setting - it’s imperative students feel confident in their ability to articulate their thoughts and ideas so they are heard.

I hope this post goes some way to helping you teach our students this and please share any ideas, suggestions and experiences you may have in the comments below

How To Be An Excellent Tutor

Featuring: Ellie Fields (English), Sid Garg (Maths), Sophia Evans (Maths), Axelle Diot (MFL), Jamie MacInnes (MFL), Michelle Chen (Science)

This year has been one full of challenges and, of the many things we should be proud of as a staff body, is the phenomenal pastoral care we’ve provided for our students throughout this difficult time. At the heart of this is the role of the pastoral tutor. We thought that, as the year draws to a close and we start to look forward to September (!), we’d speak to some of our wonderful tutors to get their tips and advice on how to be a fantastic pastoral tutor in preparation for next year!

• What makes a good tutor?

A tutor should be someone who students can trust. This means that there is a genuine and caring relationship where students feel like they are seen and heard by their tutor on a daily basis. (Ellie) 

The students must know that you genuinely care about them, and should feel comfortable sharing information with you. If they know you have their best interests in mind and will support them in all fairness, your relationship will grow stronger. I believe the role of a tutor is to be there for students, no matter what happens. (Axelle)

In my opinion, a good tutor is almost a parental figure. You need to have a close relationship with your tutees but have very clear boundaries about what is and isn't acceptable in your form / wider school life. A tutor needs to settle their students at the beginning of each day and ensure that they are mentally prepared for the classes to come. (Jamie)

I think the overriding objective is to ensure that pupils understand that they represent the tutor group around the school and you as a tutor represent them around the school in turn. This helps set expectations around their conduct in such a way that there is a "want" to have high expectations rather than out of necessity to stay out of trouble. In my head, I think of the role of our tutor group as a "home base" for them at the school and their first point of contact. This means that staying up to date with changes and events around the school is important. (Sid)

• What did you find most helpful when you first started as a tutor? How did you develop your skills and confidence as a tutor?

Do your homework on your students-  reading data on the students gives you an idea of the class dynamic. I personally spoke with previous teachers of the class to consult with them regarding seating plans and get background info on certain students (Sophia)

Shadow/observe those you struggle most with- in order for them to know I was interested in their progress and in improving our relationship. I would then have conversations with my tutees about things that I have picked on and would compliment them (beautiful handwriting, excellent work completed in a lesson I observe them in, great question they asked in a lesson, etc.) (Axelle) 

Show you are listening- It was useful to find small/easy ways to show the tutor group that you care about them and are listening to them. No matter what their skills or interests are, you are the tutor for all of them, and finding a way to relate to them helps build a positive relationship. A positive relationship is the foundation for me. (Sid)

Use the support around you- As an NQT, the support from the Year Coordinator as well as my DoL was vital to building the environment in my form. Without reaching out and using the support available at WA, my form group would not be as settled as they currently are. (Jamie)

• What are some of your most recommended start of year routines/tips/tricks?
• Making phone calls home in the first couple of weeks both positive and negative is also really effective. (Ellie)
• Students start reading at 8.25 as opposed to 8.30. Therefore, the students who arrive late and ones who are slightly more disruptive arrive to a quiet and calm setting. (Jamie)
• Using a tutor slide in the classroom projected on the board. It has daily notices but also a quote, word and news story for the week. Asking certain students to find this really helped me build those initial relationships and soon the whole class wanted to contribute! I also put a riddle or an optical illusion that seems to engage the whole class and build a positive and cohesive atmosphere. (Ellie and Michelle)
• Show your personality. There's a difference between being a tutor and being a teacher and when it comes to the tutor-student relationship I think it's important that they see more of your ''human" side. (Sophia)
• Be consistently positive. Say hello to every student. Be consistent even if their mood/attitude changes throughout the year. (Sid) Your tutees must feel equally important to you, with no favouritism or unfairness. (Axelle) 
• Establish routines from the start. Make sure you have clear routines and you stick to them for everyone. (Axelle) Are you going to get students to read each slide? Are you going to take volunteers to read? Make sure you're constantly checking equipment, if you check a lot during the start of the term you'll notice that they will maintain this throughout the rest of it (usually...) (Sophia). Show them that you care about uniform and equipment expectations. (Sid)
• Get to know students quickly. Be interested in the students' lives very quickly. What are they passionate about? If it's art, ask them to share it with you (drawing, playing an instrument, etc.). If they do a sport at school, go and see one of their games. It is really important for you to be interested very early in the academic year. (Sophia) At the start of term, having a birthday wall is a great way to make the classroom feel personable for your students. (Michelle)

• Can you give an example of a challenging scenario you had as a tutor and how you dealt with it?

One student in my tutor group had quite a problematic internet history. Working with the head of year we had a meeting with his mum and provided some resources for her to do with him at home. I am calling her each week to check-in and getting feedback from his teachers. Whilst I don't speak to him directly about it in lesson, he is sat at the front so I can check in with him and I use a lot of positive praise. (Ellie)

I at one point had all of the core teachers of my tutor group complain about their behaviour and email me for a meeting. The issue was not with just one or two students but with the whole class. As a result, we devised a plan to monitor their behaviour closer (leaving the :) and :( on the board for Maths, Science and English which worked quite well to see who the recurring characters are. I also kept some students behind (just a few extra minutes) if their names were on the board under the negatives side. Even if it's only for 2 minutes the difference between seeing all their friends leave and they stay behind had quite an impact. We also (core teachers) ended up writing a list of students we wanted to target for phone calls and split them up between us. This I think is a useful strategy if you're having problems with more than 8 students as you can get support with contacting home (not feeling too overwhelmed). (Sophia)

I had a parent contact me regarding their child's worsening mental health and, in particular, anxiety. The parent was understandably very worried about their child's wellbeing and in order to allay any worries, I talked her through the support services that WA can offer. Following our conversation, I completed a WAIT referral. The student is now seeing the school counsellor and has been referred to CAMHS. This action has been very positively received by the parent and student. (Jamie)

When there was a pastoral issue between two students, I separated them in the classroom, had conversations with them separately about what is expected of them, and probably also adapted expectations for the whole class. It is important to judge when a strict environment is needed to maintain order and when it is appropriate to have lively discussions about topics in TTB. (Sid)

• What are some of your ultimate tips for being a great tutor in general?
• Be positive! I always think you don't know what their time at home is like and someone smiling and saying hello in the morning makes a huge difference. It also really helps me if I am feeling tired or stressed to smile! (Ellie) Make sure you end the day on a positive note, even if you think they have had a bad one. (Sophia) The classroom mood is often a reflection of your own! (Sid)
• Have a sense of humour- Don't take anything personally (Sid) 
• Work with the team- As a form tutor, you are not qualified or expected to handle each problem alone. From my experience, knowing who to go to for help is essential. (Jamie)
• Be a champion for your students- It is also important to celebrate your students' wins: sports matches, one of your tutees leading in the assembly, great feedback from a teacher, winning the line up, etc. (Axelle) I have recently been attending the Yr 7 Basketball games and the students really appreciate the support. (Jamie) Each week a student in my tutor group is the star of the week with their name hung up in the classroom for everyone to see. (Michelle)
• Prioritise parental questions- When parents / tutees have a question or an inquiry, I will make sure this is resolved extremely quickly so they know I will help them. In the case, this cannot be resolved quickly, I will make sure to keep regular contact with the family so they still feel supported. (Axelle)
• Make the most of unexpected teaching moments- Make sure you take those questions in TTB that may seem a bit off-topic but can be teaching moments that the students may not be getting in other lessons (prime example would be questions about LGBT in pride month) (Sophia)

Thank you all for such fantastic ideas! If you have any you’d like to share, please get in touch

Bitesize Research: Attendance

This week, I wanted to share with you a summary of key research that was compiled in 2016 on student attendance by AttendanceWorks, a charity based in the US that looks at tackling chronic absence issues. 

Objectives: To outline the key ‘takeaways’ from recent research on resolving issues around attendance.

Summary:  

• Balfanz et. al (2007): whole-school interventions for attendance, when coupled with behavioural and other interventions can make a significant difference to student attendance.

• Allensworth et. al (2007): freshman year (UK YR10) is a pivotal year for completing secondary education. Attendance percentage in this year group is a better determinant of success at the end of KS5 than YR9 test scores.

• Ready (2010): absence from school serves to widen social divides. If students from low-income backgrounds have worse attendance, the impact this has on them is far greater than those from more affluent families.

• Liu and Loeb (2018): highly engaging teachers can decrease absences by 49%. Personal teacher connections to families can work also to decrease absenteeism.

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

 

• What makes improving attendance so important?

• How does engagement link to both student attainment and attendance?

• What interventions can I enact to support my tutees and students to improve their attendance? How can I communicate home to support this?

If anyone would like to discuss this further with Jaya - please comment below! I’d be delighted to open up these discussions and conversations.