‘Is feedback an art or a science and should it be taught?’

As a headteacher I have always had giving feedback as part of my role as have my SLT. My recent post ‘Classroom Observations – tools to destroy?’ elicited quite a few comments, mostly centring on poor experiences of receiving feed back. How should SLT make sure that feedback is constructive even if it is giving messages of poor performance?

However, I would like our discussion this week to look beyond feedback to teachers following formal lesson observations. I want to look at peer observations among staff and the effects that this can have on morale and expertise. Should teachers ‘judge’ each other?

Further exploration can be given to the feedback we give children. Do we understand the purpose of the ‘praise sandwich’ and is it more often than not extrinsic in it’s delivery along with rewards? What about children giving feedback? As part of the 100 Word Challenge, one of the ‘rules’ is to visit other entries and leave constructive comments.

Am I risking children being unpleasant to their peers? Does this put extra pressure on already stretched classroom teachers to teach how to give feedback? When you comment on a blog, are you giving feedback?

Lots of questions here and I hope you will bring more and some answers when you join me on 23rd February at 8pm on Twitter using the hashtag #ukedchat!

The availability of a world-wide audience has encouraged teachers in all phases of education to set up a blog and post different aspects of the work done by the pupils. Some have tempted youngsters to post whilst at home giving ‘homework’ a different meaning to that I knew. As my good friend and colleague, David Mitchell reminded me ‘ There are some great things going on out there and they need to be shared and celebrated’!

So – today I am pleased to launch the ‘Daily Dip’. This is where we will dip into class blogs an select one each day that will be shared here. It will be from Monday to Friday during term time. Hopefully,if we get contributions from schools across the world, we should have something to show most days of the year!

Make sure you are following the Head’s Office blog and on Twitter and on Face Book (see side bar) so that you don’t miss the great posts being shared!

Let’s get dipping!

As a Head teacher and even now as a governor, I have been into many classrooms for the purpose of observing what is going on. I saw it as my job to find that ‘something good’ even if the bulk of the lesson was poor. That was not to prevent me from saying that overall it was inadequate but to approach it in the same way as we approach feedback to the class.

Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that inadequate practice should be covered up or brushed over. It shouldn’t. Children’s life chances are held in classrooms and they deserve and should get the best. However, as a senior leader you should remember that you are dealing with a human being. Unless this is the very first observation that has been held of this teacher, you should already have some idea of the quality of their teaching. People do not become inadequate over night. If they have had previous poor judgements the school should have been actively putting support packages in place. Obviously if these have not produced any improvement then you are going to be moving into capability – and as quickly as possible which we know is not fast!

The reason for this minor rant was finding out how some senior leaders feed back to their staff. In one case, a previously outstanding teacher (over several observations) was given inadequate. The judgement seemed to attack their whole approach to teaching and completely destroyed their confidence. This was a teacher who had always produced excellent results for SATs despite not ‘teaching to the test’. Their relationship with the children was unique but it worked. Suddenly, out of the blue, one person was able to come and wipe away several years of passion, energy and enthusiasm. This was not an inadequate teacher who had presented the school with concerns for the children’s progress. This was the sort we need in our profession.

Now that particular observer may well be able to justify their comments. However, it was not done in a way that would foster improvement (if it were needed). It smacks of someone not understanding the environment they were in and not being prepared to find out if it was in fact working for the children. I’d go a little further and suggest that they may well have been threatened by what they saw.

Whatever the reason, it highlighted for me the fact that classroom observations are very powerful tools that must be used with great care.

Have you been on the end of a ‘heavy’ judgement? Do your SLT support you during the observation weeks or are they as bad or worse than Ofsted?

I have recently visited an outstanding school. It is a small one form entry school that has had the outstanding judgement from Ofsted since 2007. Their SATs results are obviously good and they have done marvellous things in areas such as Rights Respecting Schools and International links. I went along to talk to the staff about the 100 Word Challenge.

It is often not until you come out of your comfort zone that you really look at things that you thought were quite simple. My presentation I realised is based on the assumption that most schools have class blogs. The reason for that assumption is due to the interaction I have on twitter and other activities link to schools with class blogs.

I found myself surprised that this school not only did not have class blogs but only had a limited school website that does not have the capacity at present to support blogging. Speaking with the staff, I found no tweeters among the young staff and some very nervous folks when it came to talking blogging.

Now this post is in no way a criticism of the school. My dear friend is the head and she and her staff have done amazing things. No, this piece is about my assumptions. I clearly had expectations linked to that ‘outstanding’ label. I had expected an interactive whiteboard, class blogs and keenness to further extend the children’s experience of IT.

What I got and left was a desire to join the 100 Word Challenge. I left folks thinking creatively about how they could take part in an online challenge when they have not got that facility (thankfully there is an opportunity to take part even without a class blog – just get in touch!)

The biggest thing I left with though, was the understanding to check my expectations at every stage and make sure the presumptions I take with me do not colour my thinking to the point of not being able to support schools whatever their position is with the ‘hardware’. My ‘Twitter Bubble’ is very tiny and I must remember that!

however, in another of his posts ‘My Toolbox is MY Toolbox’ David explains that IT is not the b-all and end-all of promoting great learning. I agree but I would suggest that in order to grab those amazing experiences out there, some basic IT is becoming an essential in that toolbox and class blogs are moving into the ‘basic needs’ category.

I had spent most of the week getting ready and my excitement was palpable! Why on earth should that be because I am in no way a geek and especially not an IT one! I was going to do what a lot of other folks were doing – selling something and making contacts.

That seems quite cold, calculated and clinical but it was anything but. I had the chance to share the details of the 100 Word Challenge on two stands. Many thanks to Chris Ratcliffe at Scholastic and the BrainPop team for letting me loose and being so supportive.

I also had a list of people I wanted to meet. Many were members of my Personal Learning Network that I ‘know’ through Twitter and blogging but I wanted to see them in the flesh to cement our relationships.

There is no doubt that the BETT Show is about sales. There are multi-million dollar firms touting their wares, trying to entice visitors, many of whom were representing schools and some local authorities with permission to buy hardware and software. In the past this was its main purpose together with launching new gadgets and gizmos.

In the present climate there is now another element that is gaining influence and getting folks like me to go along. That is the idea of networking to share ideas and good practice. The evolution of the TeachMeet  ‘brand’ came to the fore throughout the four days of the exhibition. Various exhibitors (as mentioned above) gave  space to teachers, children and educationalists to ‘Take Over’ for a few minutes to present activities that had gone well. The children were able to present how they use IT in all aspects of their learning.

My time was eaten up with talking! Talking to those I knew, talking to those I recognised the names of (thank goodness for twitter ids!) and making new friends. Many were practising teachers and a good percentage were IT co-ordinators or managers. As you would expect, they had a great deal of energy and excitement for the event and what they wanted to get out of it.

I found it quite sad and very telling that most of them had adopted an approach with their colleagues at school of ‘eking out’ new initiatives. One told me that they did not dare mention the 100 Word Challenge yet because ‘they had just had to take on gaming’. This surely is a problem for moving forward with IT being used as another tool in the children’s tool box rather than an additional subject taught by that geek at the beginning of this piece. Is there a need for senior leaders to get some of that enthusiasm?

However, getting back to BETT – there was a tweet that asked if the TeachMeet held on the Friday evening needed to come from the BETT event. Did we need to all gather in London in order to share ideas. Obviously the answer is no because these events are held across the country throughout the year. However, I have to say that the glitz and glamour that is BETT does add to the experience of meeting people. It does present a brave new world and when you are there it fuels your enthusiasm and passion.

The key is what happens next! What are those individual co-ordinators going to take back to persuade colleagues to take a step not into the unknown but something new? Does the appearance and people like the Secretary of State, Michael Gove help or hinder the cause? I have not read the speech yet so cannot comment. There is one thing though – I will be booking a ticket next year!

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ was often a question that visiting aunts and uncles might ask a youngster. I suspect it was often part of a passing the time / getting to know you’ session which hopefully would give both a further conversation to have.

When I was asked, the answer was always the same – a teacher. The family didn’t bother trying to encourage me into other things because I was so adamant. I had a proper desk one year for Christmas and a passion for pens and paper that is still with me today. At the time many of my friends wanted to be hairdressers or stewardesses but me – it was always a teacher. I can remember explaining that it would suit me because I was bossy and liked being in charge! Sadly few disagreed with me.

I can remember filling out a very detailed questionnaire that had to be sent away for the results that came back and told me I was most suited to social work or teaching!

This recent post ‘Why I Became a Teacher’ from Oliver Quinlan has made me reflect on the question again and wonder, if I was not of retirement age and had the choice again, what would it be? For me it would still be a teacher. In a long career it has given me so many highs and although there were lows, I’m not able to recall them quite so readily as the good times. Perhaps I never wanted to grow up and the school environment helped retain a youthful perspective! Who knows!

So, if you had to choose again, what would you be when you grow up?