Back of the net! (Alan Partridge)

Dealing with anxious and/or defiant students is tricky and no matter what school you are working in, you will come across tricky moments.

I've learnt the hard way that raising your voice, trying to dominate, and creation of a win/lose situation does not ultimately work.

Knowledge from experience tells me that private or non-verbal, fact based praise, a sense of calm, and a positive relationship with the student goes a very long way. 

Actually, I think it's the only way.

Nipping situations in the bud, being sensitive to student needs and tailoring the curriculum to include bags of student choice is the way forward as well.

When I started at Woodford House in 2013, I was returning to teaching after a long gap - 7 years in fact (Principal and overseas consultancy stints were the cause). I was rusty, plus I knew no one and had no relationship with anyone at the start. It was tough and some tough classes (hello Year 10 and 11 girls) were merciless.

After the first few terms, though, I had learnt names, established relationships and things began to improve.

I wish I'd read this Mind/Shift article back in 2013 when I was struggling with those Year 10 girls at Woodford.

This advice would have been good: 

...a break paired with a cognitive distraction does offer respite from the “all or nothing” thinking that’s so common with anxious students. An older student might take a break and record herself reading a book out loud for a younger student with dyslexia. It’s impossible to read out loud and think another thought. Other distractions could include sports trivia, sudoku or crossword puzzles. Little kids might do a Where’s Waldo or look through a Highlight magazine for the hidden picture.

I'm particularly struck by the idea that it is impossible to read out loud and think idea. That's pretty cool.

There are 19 other tips in that article for your consideration. Even if you only think you can use 2 or 3, that's a win.

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads (Dr Emmett Brown)

Obsolete - no longer of any use, past its use by date.

As promised - a revisit of those 21 things Tina Barseghian says have only three years left to run (Mind/Shift article - 21 things that will be obsolete by 2020).

The vast majority seem pretty clearly obvious but here are the ones I don't necessarily agree with: 

• FEAR OF WIKIPEDIA 
• PAPERBACKS (reading by old technology, i.e. books) 
• PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE NIGHT

And, these ones are contentious (at least, in my head the debate rages on):

• LOCKERS
• PAPER

A taking of Westmount's pulse on all 21 items is interesting. Gratifyingly, many are being, or have been, made obsolete already.

Here are the ones still in the mix, that are worthy of further thought:

• HOMEWORK
• ORGANIZATION OF CLASSES BY GRADE  LEVEL (i.e. age) 
• INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY
• CURRENT CURRICULAR NORMS (the silo effect)

That's the great thing about education - we're always aiming to improve, to question things, and to look for solutions!

What goes on in your mind? (The Beatles)

Because of the general busy-ness of my working life these days, I've been hording some interesting articles from the good people of Mind/Shift. 

Here is a bespoke selection of recent bookmarked gems that I can recommend:

21 things that will be obsolete by 2020 (that's only three years away!). I'll come back to this one next time out. I'm a sucker for these kind of lists.

Why giving effective feedback is trickier than it seems. I am always in need of advice for giving feedback! It's something I find has to be tailored to the individual and that's tricky.

What's going on inside a dyslexic's brain - a very useful piece for me, as a number of my current students are in this position.

and finally, why teachers say practising mindfulness is transforming the work. I'm a big fan!

I'll be your savior, steadfast and true, I'll come to your emotional rescue (The Rolling Stone)

According to an article I read recently by Katrina Schwartz on Mind/Shift, it appears that... 

'Sometimes English class can seem like an endless litany of literary devices and structured argumentative essays. But that’s not why most English teachers love what they teach — they love the way art reflects real life in all its confusion, pain and difficulty. In fact, some argue that the emotional side of literature should be explicitly taught as part of the curriculum.' (My emphasis btw).

Boyhood is the film that my Year 13 English class have decided on for their Response to Film external examination.

It's a brilliant film that I am loving more and more every time I see it.

There are no really big dramatic moments in it - just the human ups and downs of life - all the confusion, pain, difficulty, moments of failure, moments of success that make up a life. 

The things we all experience.

One of my students doesn't connect to the film (although she connects to Paul - the weird kid in the street who swears back at the kids when they ask him, mischievously, to tell them a joke). Not everyone will. I knew that going in. But she gets that I do. She knows that it's a Purdzilla film. And she's right.

Okay, yes, there are the popular culture references between the generations that I love, and the chemistry between the characters is obvious, as well as the content that is largely positive and real (the discussion about social media as Mason Junior drives springs to mind), all contribute to make a great film.

Finding the 'right' film to study is never easy. Having taught my favourite film before I can confirm that it doesn't really work. Pelle the Conqueror to a senior class at Mt Albert Grammar in case you were wondering.  

Boyhood, even though it's rapidly becoming a favourite film, is working out for the most part.

Teaching English is GREAT!!

I don't know why - throw it out and keep it in (Nirvana)

Welcome to the next edition of my bookmark cleanup. Five more for you to chew on:

1 Twenty one ideas to help students keep their momentum
This Te@chthought article is a useful run down of what it says on the tin. It's a site to dip into from time to time and I use it as a bit of a reminder.

2 and 3 Blended learning
A twofer: first an article from Mind/shift on blended learning. I'm a fan! I wrote a post using some key ideas from this but here it is again for your consideration.

Then one from eschoolnews, again looking at blended learning programmes.

4 Reinventing school
Another Mind/shift article - this one spoke to my strong desire to move away from industrial model education and embrace inquiry learning.

5 The science behind great teaching
I can't remember how or why I stumbled upon this one but an interesting article on what makes great teachers great is always going to hook me by the lapels!

We live in a wheel where everyone steals but when we rise it's like strawberry fields (Bush)

I read this from the Mind/Shift (How we will learn) blog, punched the air and uttered a triumphant 'YES'!!  

Are we empowering ourselves as teachers? In this day and age, change is peer-driven and crowd-sourced. Teachers need to see themselves as the leaders of change, not the tools of Superintendents or Departments of Education. This requires disruption on two levels. Conversations among teachers must range far beyond ordering new textbooks, deciding on a curriculum, or reviewing the tardy policy. Traditional structures, such as department meetings and grade-level teams, encourage this limited agenda. Professional Learning Networks offer a great structure, but must be energized by conversations oriented toward a meta-cognitive view of the organization rather than rearranging deck chairs. And, to make the collaboration deep and meaningful, the conversation must become more personal. Every teacher should be willing to share hopes and fears, examine biases, and reveal attitudes. This is the kind of ‘open space’ that develops the necessary momentum for shifting systems by linking people emotionally to a common mission.

Wow. This is bang on and I love it.

Disruption on two levels - ditch the hard focus on the mundane and traditional structures; shift to core business discussions. 

At the moment, for us, that is how to better use Schoology, BYOD, SAMR, to explore inquiry methods for the students. 

It also means continue our vertical push away from grade level teams.

Yeah baby! Awesome potential for great change (and change that is great)!!

The whole article can be found here: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/09/reinventing-school-new-learning-environment-ecosystems-for-inquiry-learning/