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Product reviews for Whole School Progress the LAZY Way
Jane Hewitt, AST Dearne ALC, Barnsley and affiliate of Creative Teaching & Learning magazine
Having a copy of -˜The Lazy teacher's handbook` which is so well thumbed it is in danger of disintegrating, I was eagerly awaiting the sequel. I have to say this was worth the wait.
How many times have I said -˜Just have a go and if you are stuck put your hand up and I'll come and help you?' I don't do that anymore, I think of Jim and his Pomodoro di Pachino tomatoes (sorry but you will just have to read the book). For years I have effectively been saying to students that it's OK to do nothing! Jim talks about -˜Learned helplessness' and it suddenly all begins to make sense, why would students do the hard work themselves and make progress when the teacher is happy to do it for them if they just wait long enough?
The book looks at how we treat pupils and gives teachers a whole range of strategies and ideas to try, it's the sort of book where you find yourself sticking in post it notes and scribbling in the margin.
Progress paparazzi, MANAP, Prove it, cue prompter .-¦and what seems like hundreds more -” all ideas that teachers can try.
The section about lesson observations really turns everything on its head, by having the pupils making progress the lazy way, you as a teacher are free to discuss with the observer the actual progress that is being made. The observation question menus are a really useful tool (although I do think Mr Smith may have to go on a diet soon if his fixation with food is real and not just a tool to help us to remember ï'Š)
CPsD (self development) is great and for years I've been frustrated by staff who see CPD as the province of SLT and something that they have to endure! His questions about meetings, Lesson observations and performance management are thought provoking -” buy a copy for your school and encourage the questions. I love the idea of Stars in their eyes-¦'Today Matthew I am going to teach-¦' how refreshing would that be and how much more respect might we as teachers have for one another if we tried it?
What really stands out for me are the two points Jim makes on P85.
1. It's the students who are capturing the progress.
2. At no point is the learning coming to a shuddering halt in order to capture progress.
By following his ideas there is no longer a need for constant -˜mini plenaries' which effectively slowed down learning and frustrated both staff and students alike.
In summing up Jim gives the moral purpose to his work, by putting students at the centre, and making them the focus of their learning we are giving them what they deserve. Thanks Jim I'm certainly right behind you.
How many times have I said -˜Just have a go and if you are stuck put your hand up and I'll come and help you?' I don't do that anymore, I think of Jim and his Pomodoro di Pachino tomatoes (sorry but you will just have to read the book). For years I have effectively been saying to students that it's OK to do nothing! Jim talks about -˜Learned helplessness' and it suddenly all begins to make sense, why would students do the hard work themselves and make progress when the teacher is happy to do it for them if they just wait long enough?
The book looks at how we treat pupils and gives teachers a whole range of strategies and ideas to try, it's the sort of book where you find yourself sticking in post it notes and scribbling in the margin.
Progress paparazzi, MANAP, Prove it, cue prompter .-¦and what seems like hundreds more -” all ideas that teachers can try.
The section about lesson observations really turns everything on its head, by having the pupils making progress the lazy way, you as a teacher are free to discuss with the observer the actual progress that is being made. The observation question menus are a really useful tool (although I do think Mr Smith may have to go on a diet soon if his fixation with food is real and not just a tool to help us to remember ï'Š)
CPsD (self development) is great and for years I've been frustrated by staff who see CPD as the province of SLT and something that they have to endure! His questions about meetings, Lesson observations and performance management are thought provoking -” buy a copy for your school and encourage the questions. I love the idea of Stars in their eyes-¦'Today Matthew I am going to teach-¦' how refreshing would that be and how much more respect might we as teachers have for one another if we tried it?
What really stands out for me are the two points Jim makes on P85.
1. It's the students who are capturing the progress.
2. At no point is the learning coming to a shuddering halt in order to capture progress.
By following his ideas there is no longer a need for constant -˜mini plenaries' which effectively slowed down learning and frustrated both staff and students alike.
In summing up Jim gives the moral purpose to his work, by putting students at the centre, and making them the focus of their learning we are giving them what they deserve. Thanks Jim I'm certainly right behind you.
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24/09/2012 01:00
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