Professional values and teachers’ expectations
Professional values and expectations of the teacher were fashioned throughout my initial teaching observations. Both were positively implemented and reinforced within the boundaries of the classroom and the wider school environment and were successful in establishing a classroom climate which contributed to the creation of a positive learning environment (Rubie Davis, 2014).
Hart (2010) recognises the importance of consistency with regard to implementing high expectations, particularly establishing them from the start and reiterating them throughout firstly the lesson, but also throughout school life. My initial observations of professional values were indeed consistent across all key stages, which successfully inaugurated routines from the first day at school. These professional values communicated high expectations from the teachers to students around the school site and within the boundaries of the school classroom. All teachers observed were smartly, but appropriately dressed and this reinforced and exhibited the school’s high expectations with regards to uniform by normalising it and implementing it to the routines of the school day through consistency. Smart dress demonstrated a visual replication of what is expected from students; a reflection as such. Simmons (1996) replicates these philosophies by illustrating how the dress of the teacher is directly linked to higher levels of respect within the classroom. These professional values contributed to the ethos of the school, set the tone for individual lessons and exerted an optimistic outlook and a professional quality of the school.
Additionally, punctuality and preparation were observed throughout my initial weeks within the school environment. In all key stages, the teacher arrived at the lesson well before the students and arranged worksheets on their desk in order. Bennett (2016) epitomises the necessity of pace, punctuality and planning in conveying high expectations to students and transporting professional values within the classroom. Rubie Davis (2014) corroborates this by illustrating the importance of planning, and advocates its increasing difficultly when groups are not set by ability. I will need to take this into consideration within my future teaching practice as geography classes are mixed ability in key stage four. In a key stage three lesson I observed, the starter activity was projected on to the board as soon as the students arrived. They sat down and completed it straight away without the need for the teacher to instruct the students to complete the task as they knew that the teacher’s expectation was that they would complete the task without fuss. This saved time during the lesson and communicated both the teacher’s professional values and the high expectations that the teacher had for the students. Furthermore, the teacher used an online stopwatch that was projected on to the board so that the students could visualise how much time they had remaining to complete the task. This also produced high expectations as the students knew what was expected of them within the given time. The establishment of consistency and routines in this sense is synoptic of Bennett’s (2016) method for successfully employing high expectations within the classroom.
Moreover, in a key stage four lesson, one teacher greeted each student by their name as they entered the classroom and asked them about their weekend. All students responded well to this friendly style of communication and by learning the students’ hobbies and interests, the teacher clearly facilitated their pastoral as well as academic responsibility which allowed them to build successful relationships with the students (Capel et al, 2016). Rubie-Davies (2014) believes it is the duty of the school teacher to set an appropriate class climate for learning, whereby students feel “cared for by teachers” (Rubie Davis, 2014;90). This subsequently produces higher levels of motivation and engagement throughout lessons and successfully establishes a community within the classroom and school that positions itself within the professional boundaries of the teacher. By individualising the learning environment, the teacher generated a composed atmosphere within the classroom at the start of the lesson and facilitated the potential for a positive learning environment through a tone of professionalism and respect.
Capel et al (2016) argues that the level of expectations the teachers have for students is directly correlated to their engagement levels. Throughout my observations, these high expectations were communicated in a number of ways; some more explicitly than others.
In my observation of a key stage three lesson (the students first geography lesson at their new school) the teacher instructed each student to turn to the back of their book and write down a list of things that the teacher expects of them and another list of the things that the students expects from the teacher. The teacher then established the theory of mutual respect whereby if each student was respectful to each other and the teacher, lessons would be successful. This method is indicative of Rubie Davis’s (2014) notion that expectations should be whole class level. Finally, the teacher wrote down their three ‘non-negotiables’ on the whiteboard and the students copied these down in the back of the books. In subsequent lessons, if a student was talking over the teacher or another member of the class, the teacher would refer to these non-negotiables and illustrate that the students ‘knew’ what was expected of them. This also avoided confrontation as students were unable to argue their point and subsequently accepted any sanctions. In my opinion, the “classroom contract” was extremely successful at both establishing high expectations and routines, and effectively created a culture of potential within the classroom as students were involved and therefore held liable in the process.
On the contrary, within a key stage five lesson that I observed a different process occurred whereby students were able to enter the classroom freely without permission from their teacher. Additionally, students could take their own seats and the teacher stated that they were going to give the students some independence so they could sit where they desired. They were trusted by the teacher to make a choice that would make a positive impact on their motivation to learn. However, the teacher reiterated their expectations and clearly affirmed that if this disrupted the learning environment a seating plan would be made “like the lower school”. This informal approach subsequently made the students feel more grown up and independent which was positive in cementing existing relationships. Nevertheless, consistency and routines were implemented through the uniform and equipment checks, which although were more informal in a bid to avoid confrontation, produced the same outcomes as key stages three and four, as the expectations were the same. In a key stage five lesson I observed, one student arrived late to the lesson and failed to give a valid excuse. In response to this, the teacher explained that there is the expectation that he will arrive on time ready to learn. The teacher then gave the student a choice: if he did not complete all the work to the best of his ability he would have to stay in at lunch.
Emerging professional development: professional values and high expectations.
Prior to my arrival within the school environment as a teacher, I was somewhat aware of the need to set high expectations from my time as a student. However, these initial observations demonstrated the necessity of communicating both high expectations and professional values consistently throughout both the classroom and the wider school environment. Throughout my observations, it has become clear to me that the most successful way to establish my high expectations and professional values to my classes is through building and consolidating successful relationships with students (Rubie-Davies, 2014). In lessons that I observed the most successful learning took place once the teacher had created a positive learning environment by taking the time to strengthen their relationships with the students in a professional manner.
Identified target:
– Continue to build relationships with students.
In order to achieve this target, I will annotate my seating plans based on student’s needs and will use this information to build relationships with students. Now I know my classes a little better, I feel that I can successfully build relationships with the students by using their names when asking questions and finding out about their extra-curricular hobbies. This will create a positive learning environment and facilitate mutual respect between myself and the students and will demonstrate myself facilitating my pastoral as well as academic responsibility as a teacher.
Behaviour and Learning Management
Throughout my initial observations, I have witnessed behaviour management techniques that have been successful in employing a ‘behaviour for learning’ climate that has optimised progress and de-escalated confrontation. These techniques have been used in all key stage lessons through the development of consistent routines, proactive responses and positive relationships, as advocated by Bennett (2010 and 2016).
Routines
Routines were indeed observed in nearly all lessons initially observed. Firstly, in multiple lessons pupils lined up outside classroom in silence and entered only once teacher had set up for the lesson. The teacher then greeted each student as they entered the classroom by their names which was effective as it brought a calm atmosphere to the lesson and established an environment of both comfort but also professionalism; a climate of learning. Bennett (2016;5) consolidates the important of routines by exclaiming that “classroom routines are a fundamental source of high expectations, a scaffold for conduct, and a community vision of optimal habits and behaviours.”. Hart (2010) validates Bennett’s (2016) theory by highlighting that consistency is key in minimalising behavioural management concerns. Furthermore, students’ homework planners were opened on desk at beginning of lesson on the house points page which created a positive learning environment where students expected to be rewarded for their hard work with house points. Bennett (2016) and Rogers (2000) advocate the necessity to harness a whole school behaviour system that is replicated consistency throughout every classroom.
Additionally, throughout both key stage three and four observations, most teachers created a strategic seating plan for the first lesson and referred to it throughout subsequent lessons which was effective in promoting routines, the development of professional relationships, and as a tool for harnessing successful learning. Hart (2010) illustrates the necessity of the seating plan, and exercising students’ names which he believes is a successful means of individualising the learning process and building positive relationships between the teacher and students. The seating plan also employs routine into the classroom environment as students know that they sit in the same seat for every lesson. Garner (in Capel et al, 2016) demonstrates that positive relationships are successful in harnessing higher levels of self-esteem and therefore motivation within students. Furthermore, the use of an annotated seating plan is highly effective for catering to individual student’s needs throughout the lesson. Targeted questioning can therefore be used through the seating plan which optimises progress and is individual to learners needs.
Creating a classroom climate that replicates behaviour for learning, as Bennett (2016;9) argues, can only be achieved through “shared values and behaviours that drive positive culture and minimalise disruption.” One successful behavioural management technique that I observed was the use of the phrase “3, listening in 2, ready in 1” which the teacher consistently repeated when he desired the student’s full attention. This was effective in allowing time for the students to acknowledge that the teacher required quiet and is an example of a non-confrontational behavioural management technique, as it allows time for pupils to react to instructions. An Ofsted report in 2014 stated that on average ten minutes were lost every lesson as a result of low level disruption (Ofsted, 2014). Routines for commanding quiet such as this help to minimalise low level disruption within the classroom by providing consistency and comfort within the classroom environment (Rogers, 2000).
Relationships
Upon entering the classroom, in one lesson I observed, the teacher asked almost every student whether they had had a good day so far, and questioned them about their hobbies. Additionally, when the students left the classroom at the end of the lesson, the teacher spoke to the remaining students, thanking them and telling them to enjoy the rest of the day. This simple touch used by the teacher helped to establish a sense of community and mutual understanding within the classroom, which I believe transferred into higher levels of motivation and progress in collaborative as well as individual tasks.
Responses
A technique I observed that was successful in founding and upholding positive relationships was the use of praise and encouragement. As well as low level verbal praise such as “great work”, house points were distributed to students who were working to the best of their ability. Gervis and Capel (2016) acknowledge the important of praising students with token rewards such as house points in increasing productivity within the classroom. From my observations, the house point system was more effective in harnessing engagement within the lower years of the school, but the house identity often faded during GCSE years. Additionally, Levine and Fasnacht (1974) dispute the notion of token rewards in increasing intrinsic interest in the subject content, arguing that often students behave solely for the reward as opposed to developing their skills and knowledge within the given topic. Bennett (2010;15) also acknowledges the floors in token rewards, explaining that students will do “more to avoid punishment than they will to gain a reward”, signalling that the risk of sanctions are more effective in establishing a behaviour for learning climate than encouraging positive behaviour through rewards. Interestingly, this contrasts Rubie-Davies (2014) ideas which advocate the necessity of positive techniques to manage behaviour as opposed to negative ones. The house point system is something which I will experiment with and I will aim to strengthen house identities within my future lessons to engage students with the lesson content and the ethos of the school.
Additionally, in a lesson I observed, one student was excelling beyond his usual standard of work and the teacher stopped the class and praised his work individually. The teacher exclaimed to the class: “look at ….’s work. They have used really high level geographical terms and great persuasive techniques”. This verbal praise in front of the class was successful in encouraging all students and demonstrating the teacher’s expectations of the standard of work produced, which consequently increased levels of motivation in the classroom as other students wanted to receive verbal praise in front of their peers. This form of verbal praise is synonymous with Williams’ (2008) ideas. He recognises that when positive behaviour is praised, it underpins the expected behaviour and is consequently more likely to be echoed in subsequent lessons.
On the other hand, one example of a sanction that I observed was in a key stage four geography lesson. A table of four boys were off task and chatting loudly; disrupting others. After a verbal warning the teacher moved one student on to another table. Interestingly, the dynamic of the chatty table suddenly transformed and both the rest of the students on the table and the student that had been moved started engaging with the lesson. In order to avoid confrontation, the teacher explained that if the student who had been moved worked hard, he could sit in his original seat next lesson. This is an example of Bennett’s (2016;5) positive sanctioning, whereby the student knew what he had to do to ‘get out’ of the sanction. This technique also illustrates the importance of using positive language to get students back on track in a “productive and proportionate way”.
Moreover, in a key stage three lesson, two students failed to complete the given homework. They had also not given in their homework the week before. Therefore, they were immediately put into a lunchtime detention where they completed it. Before issuing the detention, the teacher instructed the students to turn to the back of their book where the student-teacher expectations were written in their first lesson. He read allowed the non-negotiables; one of which related to the sanctions that students would receive if they failed to complete their homework on two continuous occasions. This was a non-confrontational detention as the students expected to receive a detention. They knew that if they handed in their homework late again they would immediately be put into a lunchtime detention. The expectation to complete homework on time had been conveyed many times previously. Additionally, Capel et al (2016;16) recognises that often behavioural management issues form as a result of not “planning ahead and preparing possible responses”. In this case, possible issues with homework were acknowledged at the beginning of the term and the student-teacher expectations demonstrated the teacher planning ahead in order to avoid confrontation. In short, this was, I believe, an effective technique at managing behaviour and subsequently the learning environment as sanctions were consistent and implemented in a proactive as opposed to a reactive manner. Rubie-Davies (2014) demonstrates the value in these preventive statements and positive techniques in reinforcing behaviour for learning.
Further observations introduced and consolidated responses to behavioural issues through the power of non-verbal behaviour such as the teacher standing with their arms folded and waiting for quiet when the class became chatty. Also, the teacher simply pausing mid-sentence was a powerful response and a non-confrontational way of instructing quiet in the lessons that I observed. The teacher’s body language exuded an aura of confidence; the teacher’s presence and was fabricated through walking ‘tall’ and the avoidance of pacing. Bennett (2016;11) recognises the power and importance of non-verbal behaviour, exclaiming that “80 percent of our communication is non-verbal”.
Emerging professional development: behaviour and learning management
Throughout my initial observations, Bennett’s (2016) “3 R’s” (relationships, routines and responses) were fundamental in establishing a consistent climate that promoted positive classroom behaviour. They formed the foundations to every lesson and were referred to more explicitly in some lessons than others by the class teachers. In my opinion, it is the classroom routines that formed the bedrock of the successful lesson and within my future teaching I will aim to establish and consolidate these.
Identified target:
– Establish and consolidate classroom routines.
In practice, the start of each of my future lessons will be structured around the same framework; thus establishing my own classroom routines. This will involve greeting students at the door and consolidating the relationships I have already begun to build up with the students (which links to my first target). Additionally, it is my ambition that I will start each lesson with a short task that will aim to refer back to, and henceforth consolidate previous knowledge. The starter will already be on the board along with the date and title which will non-verbally communicate my expectations for the lesson to the class. I will reiterate my expectations that students will sit down quietly and begin the starter immediately if this is required which will create a consistent positive classroom environment aimed at optimising learning and progress.
Effective teaching and learning
Teaching strategies implemented by teachers throughout my initial observations directly correlated to levels of progress within the lesson. In almost all lessons observed, teachers employed numerous teaching strategies within a single lesson in order to cater for different learning styles and abilities. Titchmarsh in Capel et al (2016) recognises the value of eclectic learning through differentiation which he defines as “matching the work of individuals or groups in order to extend their learning” (Capel et al, 2016;223). Jarvis (2005), corroborates Titchmarsh’s theory by acknowledging that the learner’s cognitive style (the way in which individuals think) is hard wired and that learning through differentiation effectively caters to different cognitive styles and optimises progress.
In a lower ability key stage four maths lesson, multiple learning strategies were employed to optimise and monitor progress. These included an individual starter activity which consolidated knowledge through factual recall, targeted questioning and self-assessment. Upon entering the classroom, students were instructed to pick up a worksheet and a green pen which were put into piles on the nearest desk to the door. They were then instructed to complete the individual study which involved short maths questions that consolidated prior learning. Rubie-Davies (2014;86) demonstrates how practices that link to previous lessons “have been identified as effective teaching” styles. In my opinion, an independent and silent starter activity suited this class perfectly and created a calm and positive learning environment. Furthermore, the teacher was extremely reassuring when class feedback was given. They clearly explained common mistakes and misconceptions and gave students a sense of security by demonstrating that it was okay if the students did not get all of the answers correct. Additionally, the teacher used a number of every day examples such as “the volume of a can of Coca Cola is 330ml” to aid learning and optimise progress. Justifying the importance of visualising concepts as a way of remembering them was beneficial in improving motivation levels within the classroom.
After marking the worksheet as a whole class, the teacher instructed the students to “pick one you got wrong and make it your target”. This form of self assessment and independence is, as Black et al (2008) notes, fundamental to achieving progress. Angelo and Cross (1993) corroborate Black et al’s (2008) thesis by advocating that assessment needs to be learner centred. Arguably, the independence and level of choice that the students were given individualised and motivated students to engage with the learning activity. This sense of independence is synonymous with the notion that within the classroom, teachers should act as facilitators of learning, which is arguably most effective way to initiate progress (Hattie, 2012).
Furthermore, targeted questioning was used throughout all elements of the activity. Both Black et al (2008) and Rubie-Davies (2014) acknowledge the importance of open questions to “enhance students thinking” (Rubie-Davies, 2014;87). Questioning is therefore an essential mechanism of their learning experience. These open questions also present an opportunity for teacher to check the progress of the students and provide useful feedback which Rubie-Davies (2014) recognises is particularly important to reinforce student learning. Questioning was also a useful way of implementing Blooms Taxonomy in a lesson that I observed. This was successful at pushing the high achievers to challenge themselves but also created an inclusive learning environment whereby each student could answer a question without explicitly knowing its level of complexity.
With regards to structure, this lesson was typical of Bennett’s (2010) style of lesson planning which advocates the importance of keeping the pace of the lesson “brisk and interesting” (Bennett, 2010;24). This technique is successful in avoiding low level disruption and consequently sidestepped a war of attrition within the classroom environment. In a low ability class such as this, my observations have demonstrated the necessity of small, scaffolded tasks that captivate high levels of engagement and subsequently, learning.
Another successful observation of teaching and learning was witnessed in a key stage four mixed ability geography lesson. On each table lay a series of photos in which the students investigated as a team how they related to reasons for living near a volcano. The simplicity of the photographs was highly effective as it meant that the materials were accessible to all abilities in the classroom and therefore promoted inclusionary learning styles. This strategy was particularly successful as the class was mixed ability, and it helped the lower ability and SEN students to participate on the same level as the other students in their group. After spending a brief amount of time studying the images, data sheets were handed out so the tables could investigate further. Finally, newspaper articles and fact files were distributed around the classroom which helped consolidate their new knowledge. In my opinion, this layering of learning, coupled with collaborative learning within the classroom helped to fuel a positive classroom climate. This style of learning is typical of Biddulph et al’s (2015) theory which advocates that teachers need to develop thinking geographically within students; through ‘detective’ skills which apply prior knowledge to new scenarios; a catch all approach. Jarvis’s (2005) theory of active learning also involves student engagement with learning material and is an example of a cognitive approach to learning. Additionally, this teaching approach is emblematic of Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism which “stresses the necessity for group interaction and adult intervention in consolidating learning and extending thinking” (Capel et al, 2016;334).
Moreover, the task required student to teach other tables once they had gathered all of the necessary information. This resulted in visible progress and proved to be an effective teaching strategy as it obliged students to transfer clearly in their own words new information to their peers. Additionally, this task was student led and new information strategically built on previous information and expanded the students network of learning. The student led approach is synonymous of Capel et al’s (2016) experiential approach to learning which is constructed around the notion of learning by doing. Hattie (2012) also promotes a humanistic approach to teaching which involves student led teaching strategies, that are pupil centred. He professes that self learning is the end goal of education.
This theory of developing and consolidating skills is challenged by Christodoulou (2014), who illustrates that a bedrock of knowledge is fundamental to the success of the learning environment. Christodoulou (2014) advocates the importance of building up a basic repertoire of facts and that although developing geographical skills is pivotal in enhancing learning, a bedrock of knowledge is necessary to optimise learning. Once the creative activity finished, the teacher introduced a fact file worksheet to complete to ensure all students had the fundamental schema of facts needed for possible exam questions. This learning approach of developing and consolidating a sound set of skills, coupled with the process of building a new repertoire of knowledge, created a balanced lesson which catered to all cognitive styles and the learners’ needs.
Emerging professional development: teaching and learning
My observations impacted my professional development considerably during my initial weeks within the school environment. Pupil and teacher shadowing were pivotal in allowing me to explore the multitude of teaching styles executed by teachers within a number of subjects. This consequently allowed me to translate their ideas into the teaching of geography, and allowed me to visualise which strategies would be more successful than others depending on the activity and students’ needs. By deepening my understanding about the different principles of teaching and learning, I will now aim to explore different theorists and implement their ideas into my own lesson planning. These observations have allowed me to develop particular targets that aim to enhance my success as a teacher in the following weeks.
Identified target:
– Ensure all resources are accessible to a mixed ability class through differentiation.
Differentiating activities and resources will enable me to ensure all students are reaching their potential both within the boundaries of the classroom, but also through their homework. Offering multiple of activities which appeal to different learning styles works successful when classes are of mixed ability. Additionally, I will ensure that each activity is scaffolded and differentiated for all learners needs. This will include those with SEN requirements and PP requirements, as well as aiming to push high achievers to reach their potential. This will ensure that all students acquire the necessary skills set and knowledge but in a way that suits them and focuses on their individual cognitive style. In order to meet the requirements for this target I will ensure that lesson resources and proposed activities are emailed to both my subject mentor and the class teacher at least forty-eight hours before the lesson for review.