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Education is a
fundamental aspect of the human condition. The interplay between thought,
language and social relationships is, for me, the act of education. My interest
in education stems from this belief. I see beauty in the construction of ideas
by people through discussion and action. At a practical level I thoroughly
enjoy building with children their understandings of the world around them in
science lessons. This education is not the exclusive property of the youth; of
equal interest to me are the things which I am learning in school. I view this year
as a project of my own education, in which I have learned and am learning many
things about my own nature, and about the nature of learning.
Kingdown
Community School is a large mixed gender comprehensive school in Warminster
with sports college status, where I have spent much of the last year as a
novice teacher in the science department. There are around 1400 pupils
including a sixth form of over 200. There is a large staff at Kingdown, this
year with three NQTs, two of whom are in Science. The school has as one of its
mission statement aims Òto make effective learning the most important aim of
the school.Ó (KCS, 2002)
With so many teachers of all levels of experience, it is natural that this
Òeffective learningÓ involves teacher, as well as pupil development.
In my role as a
novice teacher I have seen and realised much around me this year which has been
perplexing; my learning curve has been as steep as any at the school. I have
had to engage with so many different issues and develop so many different
values. I have no doubt that I could not have engaged with issues surrounding
my practice as a novice teacher with sufficient intellectual clarity to
continue had it not been for the support of other novices, established teachers
and the staff support structure of Kingdown.
Engaging in
conversations with other novice teachers at Kingdown allowed me to realise that
others shared values with me, and that there were some things of importance
common to teachers at the start of their careers. I wanted to investigate how
one of these issues, reflective consciousness, developed through the
professional life of a teacher, and what the role of Kingdown is in helping
staff to develop in this way. The essence of this study is to reflect on how
Kingdown School supports staff in their personal development as teachers, from
the initial training, through the probation year and beyond into their career.
To research this question it was necessary to reflect carefully on what my own
educational values are, and in learning about Kingdown as an environment for
staff development I have had the opportunity for much personal growth. This is
a study of reflective practice at Kingdown from four different perspectives;
those of novice teachers, NQTs, experienced teachers and senior school
management.
In the
nineteen seventies Lawrence Stenhouse proposed a system of curriculum
development which was based firmly within the domain of teachers. He was of the
opinion that no classroom was an island (Stenhouse L, 1975, p157) and that by
sharing their research teachers could generate enough data for revisions of
local curriculum policy to be considered. Now, a generation after his ideas
were put forward curriculum decisions are arguably even farther removed from
teachers in the UK than they were in the Seventies; none of us really have a
great deal of choice as to what we teach or, increasingly even how we teach it.
There is often a sense among teachers practising at the moment that this
government intervention for, it is claimed, short-term political gain restricts
good teaching and removes a sense of ownership from professionals for their
work.
I am inspired
to work through this sense of distance by the work of the Brazilian
educationalist Paulo Friere. He wrote that education is the act of freedom
(Friere P, 1974, p147) and that educators must believe that people are capable
of participating in their own pursuit of liberation (Friere P, 1972, p150). I
am motivated to teach by a belief that education is an act of emancipation. The
contradiction between this sense of freedom and the growing sense of control
from government is one I feel strongly in my practice. Only through reflecting
on what happens in my lessons, and on my behaviour do I manage to teach in this
space between freedom and control.
A reflective
practitioner in the classroom context is a teacher who develops through
analysing their practice in order to make better sense of the teaching and
learning that takes place in their classroom (Sebba J, 1994, p81). Lesson evaluation
may not necessarily be a process of simply identifying problems:
ÒWe donÕt pretend to start with a
problem, clearly articulated and defined, and end with a solution. We are more
engaged with consciousness raising than in problem- solving.Ó
(Carspecken P + Macgillivray L, 1998,
p171)
This more
informal approach to lesson evaluation, without strict rules and boundaries may
be very important to teachers. Through informal conversation we are enabled to
articulate feeling and opinion, testing our own perceptions against those of
others (Hannan et al,
1971, p113). I discovered by surveying novice teachers that formal review is
often onerous. It is reassuring to read of the value in less stringent
evaluation.
Reflection of
this kind can come about in the normal social course of a teacherÕs day. It is
common for British teachers to talk together about their problems and successes
in the classroom, and to provide mutual support. (Claxton G et al, 1996, p71). Certainly my experience of
Kingdown was that this collaboration did take place. However, it is important
for me to find out why reflection is such a salient issue in the lives of
teachers, and how the structure of Kingdown allows for it. ÒIs it too great a
claim to say that reflection may produce school reform?Ó ask Osterman and
Kottkamp (1993, p171). In my context it may be possible to identify whether
school policy at Kingdown is motivated by a need for reflective practice or
whether it merely reflects the personal need of teachers for development.
This essay is
built around data gathered from novice teachers during a period lasting from
the middle of the block one practice to the middle of the block two practice,
and from staff at Kingdown at the end of the academic year. This data consists
of a questionnaire and several interviews taped and typed up, along with my own
reflective writing on these pieces. The questionnaire data is presented as
anonymous and I have changed the names of the participants with whom I
conducted the interviews. Full transcripts are presented in the appendices.
This is not
quantitative research. I do not believe that such a small scale study could
possibly contain the depth of research needed to make valuable statistical
inferences. It can however indicate trends in opinion, highlight points of
interest and raise questions and arguments. Admittedly this could be well done
using minor statistical studies (rather than proofs), but the issues I have
been interested in studying are better revealed by telling stories about their
protagonists, indeed the very telling of those stories allows me to consider
and develop aspects of my teaching. Does this make it valid research?
If a study
does not address a problem and seek to solve it then it is not research (Mallick
K, and Verma G, 1999). On a more specific level, Cohen and Manion have argued
that research constitutes undertakings and activities aimed at developing Òa
science of behaviour for the clarification of issues with a bearing on
education.Ó (Cohen L, and Manion L, 1980, pp.43-4). As my work has been
preoccupied with means of developing my practice and clarifying issues in my
education, it fits quite neatly under these banners of research.
Suggesting
that teachers transform their practices in an attempt to answer questions about
their situations, Jean McNiff (1990) plays with the idea that a teacher
adapting her or his practice is an act of research, that theories are brought
about by a teacher Òmaking external, through the act of writing, what is internal.Ó
(McNiff J, 1990, p56).
The idea that
teachers research education by writing about their practices is shared by John
Elliott who talks of a relationship between developing and understanding
teachersÕ thinking. He argues that encouraging teachers to inquire into their
own practice, in order to research how they perceive education, in fact becomes
a form of teacher development (Elliott J, 1992, p206). As this essay describes
-in a sense- the development of some trainee teachersÕ perception of education,
I believe I can justifiably call it research.
I have often
found fascinating and liberating ideas in education and other fields to be
inaccessible, hidden away beneath a spurious mass of academia and impenetrable
text. Rather than hope to reproduce with my essay the exacting standards of
intellectualism deemed necessary to make such research valid, I must look to
tell my story in other ways, ways accessible to me and, I hope, the reader. The
following discussion of my findings and their concluding overview are intended
therefore to be engaging and accessible accounts of how reflecting on lessons
affects teachers at Kingdown. These accounts are told firstly through the eyes
of four novices as they begin to experience such practice. Perspectives on how
the issues of evaluation and development might progress into the probation year
and beyond, and how Kingdown as an institution is committed to aiding this
development are then gained from the reflections of an NQT, an experienced
teacher and a member of the senior management team.
Part one: The
Novice teacher perspective- Why is reflecting important?
It is
springtime and I have taught well over a hundred lessons. I probably have
pieces of paperwork relating to every single one of them; IÕm certainly
supposed to have. I should be able to demonstrate that I am Òcommitted to
improving personal teaching practice through reflection and collaboration.Ó
(UoB, 2002, p54). Naturally I will do everything I can to meet this and other
standards, but such targets do not motivate me to develop. I want to improve my
practice to be a great teacher, not to meet the basic entry levels of the
profession. A typical lesson for me would end with a little personal reflection
and some amount of feedback from the class teacher. There is almost always an
experienced teacher to offer her or his opinion alongside my own. The two do
not always concur (I donÕt always point this out to the teacher, for obvious
reasons), so who is in the right?
John
ÒMy mentor is pretty honest. [In my
review] he was quite formulaic. What he was saying was IÕd achieved my
objectives, IÕd kept control of the classroom, so if he was ticking boxes then
yes, it was a successful lesson, but no, it wasnÕt the best one IÕd ever done.
But normally I get a feeling if a lesson is going well, and itÕs normally if
IÕm having fun. If IÕm enjoying it, then normally itÕs going well and if I
ainÕt enjoying it then itÕs usually because itÕs heading downhill.Ó
Me
ÒSometimes I can feel it when itÕs going and I just know
itÕs going well, other times, when IÕve been in a bad mood about the lesson
before and IÕve thought Ôoh this isnÕt going wellÕ but when IÕve come back out
and thought about it and the teacherÕs gone: Õthat was a good lessonÕÓ
John
ÒIÕve had
that! IÕve had lessons that I know are going well, and lessons that I thought
were shocking, and I was in a foul mood when I stormed out, but the report IÕve
got back from it was quite the opposite. Whether that was just to keep my
spirits upÉÓ
I donÕt think
anyone would disagree that one of the most important duties of tutors and
mentors is to be supportive. It seemed in the early days of the autumn that
novices tended towards overly negative reviews of their own performance in
lessons; one colleague was so negative that she eventually left the course.
This negativity left the tutor to take the lead in reflecting on the positive
points but this was not a problem as in those days they seemed to be more aware
of what had happened in the class. I found their ability to review as a unit
the entirety of my work and effort in a lesson both useful and irritating.
Me
Teachers are great to learn from because they are often
masters of their art and by their nature good teachers.
John
I canÕt fault my mentors, butÉ
Me
Teachers are awful to learn from because they are teachers
and they canÕt turn it off. The more detailed and intricate your actions are,
the more deeply and savagely they dissect them. The harder you try the more
they push you. They are never satisfied with your learning. Happy, yes.
Satisfied, no.
John
Exactly!
This leaves us in an interesting
situation. Nobody likes to be criticised, and teaching is such an emotionally
exhausting job that the last thing anyone wants at the end of a long day is to
be told or to tell themselves exactly what it was they could have done better.
However, although it may not be possible for even the most reflective of
novices to be entirely honest with her or his self about the performance,
reflective practice does not have to be entirely an act of self flagellation.
Reflection may well, as Day (1999) points out, be initiated in other ways, for
example curiosity or escape from boredom. The danger, he points out is that
teachers become prisoners of our own intent and only see what we want to see
(Day C, 1999, p27+28).
The role of the tutor and mentor may therefore be said to be one of guidance;
not necessarily expounding how she or he thinks the lesson went, but overseeing
the noviceÕs reflections, making sure they are not too far from reality.
The need for
some form of review is clear. Novice teachers surveyed had some interesting
suggestions as to how that review should come about.
Evaluation needs to be reflective but should be done in a
variety of forms; interview, written, discussion. Should be in a form
appropriate to the teacher.
Helps with some lessons but doing them for all lessons is
time consuming and repetitive.
Needs to be done with other teachers, novices and pupils. If
I do them myself then I miss a lot.
I find it
helpful to evaluate my lessons but just by jotting down a few notes about what
was good, bad, and what to do next time. University evaluations are tedious and
pointless.
Questionnaire to Kingdown novices, Dec
02
I particularly
appreciate the idea that evaluations should be appropriate to the individual
teacher and that they are collaborative. It is of no surprise that novices
resent the imposition upon their time of the university, who often come across
to us as abstracted from the realities of teaching. It does seem an oversight
however that there is little opportunity for pupil evaluation of novice
teachers. A normal part of the teacher pupil relationship is one of feedback.
If this feedback is missing from the novice/pupil relationship then not only do
we miss the most important educational perspective of all, but we also make it
that little bit harder to define ourselves as teachers.
Rather than
seeing evaluation as a bolt on attachment to my teaching, I prefer to see it as
an integral part of my practice as a teacher. If I experience problems with
some of my educational values then it is natural for me to imagine a solution
to the problem, act in the direction of the solution and then evaluate the
solution (McNiff J, 1990, p56). With good guidance there is no reason why this
cannot become a normal teaching habit, something which would aid my teaching no
end.
[The role of
novices at Kingdown is]Crucial, because we see that we are developing our
future teachers. They are not teachers, but we see it as an integral part of
what we do as a school. We want to have an input into our school and other
schools with future teachers. To be able to guide and impact on that is really
important to us as a learning community.
Interview Sara Edwards, Deputy Head
Kingdown, June 03
Me
Novice teachers always get their lessons watched and reviewed. Does that happen with NQTs as well?
Sally
Yes but not very many lessons.
Me
What do you think about that? Do you evaluate other lessons
as well?
Sally
No not really. They will evaluate it and IÕll try to apply
that evaluation to my teaching, but I very rarely evaluate my own lessons.
Me
Do you agree with their reviews?
Sally
Yes, but you know when they are coming in, so you act in a
certain way; you do things well in the way you should do, and thatÕs not always
the way a lesson would go for you. Sometimes your lessons would be better,
sometimes they would be worse. So no, I donÕt think theyÕre a fair
representation of us teaching.
Me
ThatÕs not the only support you get as an NQT at Kingdown?
Sally
ThatÕs the only feedback we get. ItÕs good to have that,
good to have feedback.
Me
But if you have a problem you can go to other teachers. Does
that system work?
Sally
Me
Novices have to write things down after every lesson. I know
that full time teachers simply donÕt have the time to do that after every
lesson. Is that writing down then to get us into the habit of thinking
reflectively?
Mike
Sara
There is no
official policy stating that every lesson you do you must fill in an evaluation
form, but every good teacher should be evaluating their own lessons and knowing
what went well and what didnÕt. In terms of observations of lessons, there is a
proforma, agreed on by all staff about what we should be commenting on, and we
have space for strengths and areas of development, so that does cover evaluation
of a lesson like that.
Interview Sara Edwards, Deputy Head
Kingdown, June 03
There are
several important points to make here. The first is that the staff with whom I
spoke are clearly thinking in line with school policy on lesson evaluation; that
some form of review at the end of every lesson in essential. This is very
important and agreement such as this is one reason why Kingdown functions as a
society so well; there are basic educational values which are shared by senior
management, teachers and pupils. In fact reflection on the part of pupils
regarding what they have learned and how they have learned it is actively
encouraged in Ôlearning to learnÕ lessons and within the implementation of the
national key stage three strategy.
The second point
is one of involvement on the part of the school management with the teaching
which goes on at the school. I felt that the senior leadership team played a
very proactive role in encouraging reflective practice. This encouragement was
more successful precisely because it did not make unreasonable demands upon the
time of teachers by asking for more formal review of every lesson, but at the
same time it was known that to be dispassionate about ones performance was not
acceptable:
Me
Is there an expectation that teachers develop their
practice?
Sara
Yes, a very high expectation. ThatÕs why we have things like
me going into observe regularly, and we have staff evaluation, where we go into
a department and look at teaching and learning in faculties.
ÒWe came to see teacher knowledge in terms of narrative life history, as storied life compositions, These stories, these narratives of experience, are both personal, reflecting a person's life history - and social - reflecting the milieu, the contexts in which teachers life.Ó
(Connelly & Clandinin, 1999, p.3)
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