Expertise ExThe Expertise Exchange Issue 8 Spring 1 February 2024
CONTENTS ISSUE #8 February 2024 Empowering Middle Leaders: Why we have pursued a coaching model of professional development Jack Mills is Assistant Headteacher responsible for Teaching and Learning at Q3 Academy Great Barr. Here, he shares an account of practice of implementing a whole-school coaching model. Educational Visits- Are they worth the hassle? Alex Hudson is an Assistant Headteacher at Queen Mary's Grammar School and an Accredited Practitioner in Outdoor Learning. He advises schools across the trust on Educational Visits and all things EVOLVE. Here, Alex outlines the numerous benefits of organising educational visits. Reflection Piece: Reclaiming awe and wonder in our classrooms Ben Adams, Trust Lead Professional and Head of Maths at Queen Mary's High School reflects on the importance of creating moments of magic in learning. Embedding Meta-cognition into A-level Revision Trust Lead Professional for Social Sciences, Gaige Pearson from Shire Oak Academy shares practical ideas to ensure higher level meta-cognitive strategies are embedded into revision. How inclusive is our teaching of Science? Kam Basra is the Trust Lead Professional for Science and Head of Science at Walsall Studio School. Here, she explores some of the issues relating to equality, diversity and inclusion in the teaching of science. The Critical Role of Design and Technology Education in Nurturing Future Creatives Trust Lead Professional for Art and Design and Head of Art at Q3 Academy Great Barr Michelle Jeanneret reflects on the pivotal role that D&T study plays in securing the future of creative industries. Educational Debate: To what extent is instructional coaching a useful mechanism for teacher development at all career stages? Helen Perera is the Assistant Headteacher responsible for Teaching and Learning at Queen Mary's High School. Last year, Helen was awarded a Certificate in Evidence-Informed Practice from The Chartered College of Teaching. In this article, Helen identifies and outlines the key debates surrounding instructional coaching for all. 368 10 12 14 15 2
When faced with the daunting task of leading teaching and learning across a busy modern comprehensive for the first time, it is possible to feel slightly overwhelmed by the range of options available to you. There are lots of things you could do, which makes it all the more challenging to determine what you should do. Whilst this article will make no claim to having answered that question correctly, I hope to be able to explicate our thinking in designing a model for teacher development at Q3 Academy Great Barr. As I write, we are currently in the very early stages of implementing our coaching programme for staff professional development. Having spent the autumn term of 2023 preparing the ground, we launched our plans at our January INSET day and have been monitoring its early progress. What is coaching? Coaching has become a bit of a buzzword in education debates in recent years. Whilst the core concepts are nothing new, the popularity of the term in recent times has led to many different visions of what it should look like and what it means in practice. Inevitably this also means that a) people can often be talking at crossed purposes to one another and b) the term ‘coaching’ can be prone to the kind of lethal mutations that give it a negative reputation or indeed make it actively unhelpful. A cursory glance across social media can confirm this! Often the term ‘coaching’, when associated with business and management, is thought of as ‘life coaching’ – a form that emerged from the 1980s onwards (Brock, 2019). This model does not require expertise on the part of the coach, simply an outsider’s view and an understanding of how improvement can happen. This is a highly facilitative model where the coach is trying to draw answers from the coachee through probing questions. There have been attempts to incorporate some of these features into professional development of teachers and, anecdotally at least, the memory of this was still present for some. Whilst we liked the notion of reflective conversations being Empowering Middle Leaders: Why we have pursued a coaching model of professional development central to this model, we were less interested in the low value placed on the expertise of the coach. Additionally, this is not really what most people in current discussions about coaching are referring to; which leads to a consideration of models which claim to have a stronger research base (Sims, 2019). A popular model in current educational discourse is Jim Knight’s ‘Instructional Coaching’ (Knight, 2007). This has been cited as a direct influence on the work of Sherrington and Caviglioli and their Walkthrus series (2020). Whilst being very clear about the importance of shared language, this model also emphasises each teacher’s autonomy and reflection as being a key part of how it should be implemented. There were many features of this thinking that we found appealing. However, it is also worth acknowledging that the language of ‘instructional coaching’ is contested and controversial given that it is also used by BambrickSantayo (2018) to describe a more directive approach to coaching. Whilst the idea of granular steps seemed to us to be logical and achievable, there were concerns with this model around the appropriateness for different teachers with widely varying levels of experience and, crucially, expertise. The process of reviewing this extant literature, as well as the voices that were more sceptical (Coe, 2023), led us the point where we wanted ‘eat the meat but spit out the bones’. In other words, we wanted to take what we liked about these models and adapt them to needs of the context in which we were working. What did we want from a model of professional development? We knew we wanted our model of professional development to be as effective as we could make it and our reading suggested that coaching seemed to be something worth exploring. Yet with so many potential options on the table it became necessary to go back to first principles and first ask ourselves what we wanted from a professional development model. Here are some of the things we wanted to ensure we considered. Jack Mills is Assistant Headteacher responsible for Teaching and Learning at Q3 Academy Great Barr. Here, he shares an account of practice of implementing a whole-school coaching model. 3
An entitlement for all We were particularly keen to avoid any pejorative connotations with the term ‘coaching’. It was incredibly important for staff to not see this as something that under-performing teachers were made to do. Tom Sherrington’s observation that even Serena Williams has a tennis coach is a helpful metaphor for the kind of practice we wanted to encourage (Sherrington, 2023). It is founded on the belief that all can improve and that all have an entitlement to feedback that would help them do so. In a range of contexts including education, coaching can and should be something that professionals engage with in order to improve their craft. Iterative improvement Another thing that we deemed necessary was for this to be a model that allowed for iterative improvement; a commitment to the accumulation of many small adjustments to improve the performance of the whole. There is value in admitting we cannot fix everything at once and instead ‘controlling the controllables’ by committing to addressing one thing and then taking the time to review. Our model would therefore need to provide clear, specific and achievable action steps to staff. A focus on self-reflection and expertise The more we considered the nature of what we were trying to achieve, the clearer it became that compliance with a checklist was not sufficiently ambitious as a goal. There are plenty of quality assurance models that will allow for this but would fail to encourage the kind of self-reflection that would support improvement. “What do I need to do to keep SLT off my back?” is not a question that lends itself to creating a thoughtful and inquisitive staff body. We therefore decided that improving expertise would be a more fruitful notion to explore. Subject-specific input This then led us to consider where the expertise was to be found within our organisation. It became apparent that Curriculum Leaders and Curriculum TLR holders were best placed to give subject-specific feedback. Therefore a crucial consideration became the role of Curriculum Leaders and Curriculum TLR holders in the model as we became increasingly aware of the kind of steps required to get better at teaching maths often required the insight of a maths specialist. A clear role for our middle leaders Much of this reflection was prompted by conversations we were having about the role of curriculum middle leaders in our organisation. We came to the conclusion that the highest priority responsibilities they had were to improve their department’s curriculum and to improve the practice of their teaching staff – ‘schemes and teams’ for short! In order for this to happen regularly and effectively, we knew it would be necessary to give a significant amount of training time on these processes and to empower our Curriculum Leaders to do this well and with confidence. Sustainability A key feature we hoped to be able to benefit from through implementing a coaching programme was to be able to make CPD sustainable; to be able to create structures that allowed the seeds of ideas to become embedded and grow within the organisation, rather than being choked by competing pressures or simply blown away in the wind. This would be important both for the staff being coached and for the coaches too. With so many urgent day-to-day demands on teachers, it would be necessary to find a means of keeping it high on people’s agendas. Based on a common language We also realised that to ensure consistency and provide clarity, a common language around good practice would be required. In order to be effective in meeting the development targets of the Academy as a whole, this would need to be closely tied to our focus on ‘deliberate practice’ and students being successfully prepared to work confidently and independently. Low threat Finally, we judged that fear of negative consequence would seriously undermine the manner in which people engaged with the process. There is a growing body of literature that suggests that psychological safety is an important prerequisite for effective team development and performance (Sinek, 2017). We wanted to ensure that we acknowledged this. What we decided to do Taking into account all of the considerations outlined above, the model we have designed can be summarised in the following way: We spent a full term just coaching the coaches; providing guidance on effective feedback and practice. Everyone has a coach; almost all of whom are relevant subject leaders. Coaches and coachees meet once a fortnight to agree action steps; these are recorded in a private logbook that is not monitored by SLT. Coaching conversations are based on ‘shared information’, which can be a lesson visit, a review of student work or a collaborative planning session. Most action steps are to be based on developing expertise in the ‘Deliberate Practice Framework’ (see fig. 1). 4
Coaches gather together roughly once a month for ‘coaching huddles’ where adaptive training can be given and issues discussed. Coaches also have the opportunity here to learn from one another and compare experiences. The whole process has been divorced from appraisal and performance management to ensure a lowstakes culture of feedback. What we hope it will achieve Firstly we hope that it will provide our Curriculum TLR holders with a clear mandate and set of tools for improving teaching practice in their departments. By taking the time in the first term (prior to launch) to consider models of feedback and how to adjust the role of the coach to respond the to varying degrees of expertise in the coachee, we hope we have given the support needed for people to feel they can fulfill the role well. In turn, we also hope that this will increase the prominence of the role middle leaders are to play in staff CPD. It has often been noted that high quality middle leadership can be the engine room of an organisation where subject expertise and modelling of good practice can be powerful drivers of change and standards. This is a role that deserves recognition and esteem and we hope that this can be enhanced by the structures we have put around them. This all leads to what we hope will be the conditions for a strong culture of professional development at Q3 Academy Great Barr. We want to be a place where all teachers have access to regular and impactful feedback and where conversations about iterative improvement are the norm. There is much still to do to embed this still further and to ensure that all actions are well founded in a solid research base, but we hope this is a good first step to take. Final Thoughts Ultimately, it is too soon to tell whether this model has been or will be a success. We know what happens to our best laid plans. There may well be problems that we have not foreseen and there may well be issues that derail us or force us to think again. As with any CPD model, the greatest challenge is implementation and impact over time. My hope is that we have baked in enough opportunity for self-reflection and strategic flexibility to allow us to meet these inevitable challenges with humility and adaptability. Let’s see what happens next! References Baars, S., Parameshwaran, M., Menzies, L., and Chiong, C., 2016, Firing on all cylinders: What makes an effective middle leader, Teaching Leaders, https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/ambition-institute/ documents/Firing-on-all-cylinders-What-makes-an-effective-leader_ FinFAuz.pdf Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2018). Leverage Leadership 2.0. Wiley. Brock, V. 2014, Sourcebook of Coaching History, 2nd Ed., Selfpublished. Coe, R, 2023, https://evidencebased.education/why-arent-we-doinginstructional-coaching-even-though-everyone-else-seems-to-be/ Knight, J., 2007, Instructional Coaching, Corwin and LearningForward Sherrington, T. and Caviglioli, O., 2020, Teaching Walthrus: Five-step guides to instructional coaching, John Catt Educational Ltd. Sherrington, T., 2023, https://teacherhead.com/2023/05/21/coreteaching-techniques-the-tennis-analogy/ Sims, S, 2019, https://samsims.education/2019/02/19/247/ Sinek, S., 2017, Leaders Eat Last: Why some teams pull together and others don’t. Penguin 5
There's no doubt about it, organising an educational visit is hard work! Consent forms, finance, risk assessment, Evolve – there is so much to remember to do. But is all that effort worth it? Let's looks at the impact educational visits can have, based on my own research into a programme of residential trips. Outdoor Learning Opportunities Outdoor Learning has long been credited with having a valuable role in education, particularly personal and social development (Fiennes et al, 2015). There is, however, something of a disparity between the experiential nature of Outdoor Learning and the knowledge-rich, output-focused policy that currently drives English education. Some schools find the pressure of accountability systems a barrier to offering enrichment activities (Niman & KerwinNye, 2017). Yet DfE advice is clear that a “broad and balanced curriculum” includes “what pupils learn from wider experiences such as educational visits and visitors to school” (DfE,2021). As a trust, our ambition of Increasing Opportunities Improving Outcomes rightly extends beyond the classroom. We expect all Mercian Schools to offer a programme of visits and enrichment opportunities for students to engage with. The challenge is to think creatively about our offer and how we support all our students, including our more vulnerable, to participate. Non-Cognitive Skills & Self-Efficacy Confidence, cooperation, trust and teamwork are often mentioned as aspects educational visits (alongside other enrichment activities like sport and music) might improve. But these are quite nebulous qualities, and it is very difficult to write a programme that specifically targets improving them. Many studies have found strong evidence that Outdoor Learning, in particular residential opportunities, benefit non-cognitive skills such as self-efficacy, noting how such programmes contain multiple opportunities for development through both planned and spontaneous events. Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief about their capacity to succeed, specifically the ability to control one’s motivation and behaviour. People with strong self-efficacy view problems as challenges to be mastered and recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments; whereas people with a weak sense of self-efficacy avoid challenging tasks and believe that difficult tasks are beyond their capabilities (Denny, 2021). Higher self-efficacy has been strongly correlated with improved performance in school and work environments. Year 7 Farchynys Weeks Each summer QMGS run a series of residential weeks for Year 7 students. Each class spends a week away in Mid Wales, staying in fairly basic hostel accommodation at Farchynys and completing a mixed programme of Educational Visits- Are they worth the hassle? Alex Hudson is an Assistant Headteacher at Queen Mary's Grammar School and an Accredited Practitioner in Outdoor Learning. He advises schools across the trust on Educational Visits and all things EVOLVE. Here, Alex outlines the numerous benefits of organising educational visits. 6
curriculum and tourist activities. As part of my research, I surveyed students both before and after these visits. Those who completed both surveys created linked-pairs, which showed a statistically significant increase in self-efficacy of roughly 3%. This matched similar findings from other published studies (eg Fang, 2021). The surveys also asked students about how they felt the residential had affected them. Many said they were: 1. more confident to try things they wouldn’t have done before (79%) 2. better at coping with new situations (73%) 3. realised how they can help other people succeed (70%) 4. Many felt their teachers knew them better as a result of being on the residential with them (71%). Did the residential change you? Asking students what is their favourite aspect of an activity always proves an interesting exercise. The fun, social aspects of the programme scored highly, but so did aspects relating to nature and the environment. Several students recognised how being outside made them happier and improved their mental health. A surprising number commented on the freedom and independence they were allowed, one even described it as “liberating”. Maybe we forget how cossetted our young people are, especially following the pandemic, and how important school is in developing independence and responsibility. Curriculum or Life Skills? Whilst these results weren’t unexpected, they don’t overtly feature as goals on our programme. They are essentially by-products from the experience, formed through the reality of having to live in close proximity with other people for an extended period of time. As a Trust, our ambition of Increasing Opportunities and Improving Outcomes rightly extends beyond the classroom... life skills and improved relationships are eminently transferable back to the classroom and to future workplaces These life skills and improved relationships are eminently transferable back to the classroom and to future workplaces. Our role as educators is not just limited to a specific subject, but rather to prepare young people to be able to thrive in the future. A single week away on residential can help do that in ways we will never achieve inside our classroom. Is all the hard work by staff worth it? Absolutely! In the next article I’ll look at what the staff who lead the visits told me. " " Organising your first educational visit, or just looking to refresh your knowledge and understanding? Look out for our half-termly Trust CPD programme for further opportunities to join Alex's training on educational trips and visits. Full information is available on the Mercian CPD Channel in 'All Trust Staff' on Teams. 7
Believe it or not, maths was not always my favourite subject. When taking my GCSEs, chemistry was my real passion. It is probably no surprise that I had a truly inspiring chemistry teacher. In Year 10, I remember we were looking at phosphorous and how it reacts with oxygen. I will never know what the true plan for learning was (back then there were never clear objectives or a big picture to be shared). That day, the phosphorous was mishandled, the line of oxygen jars exploded, one by one. I remember a white light, bangs and screams, thick smoke, a strange smell, fire alarms and an evacuation. The arm of my teacher's white lab coat was on fire. I remember going home and telling everyone who would listen, "You will never guess what happened in school today!" Not a common sentence starter for a teenager. In terms of the learning that took place, when we went back in the classroom, I remember it with crystal clarity. I remember why phosphorous was so reactive. I remember the chemical equations and the name of the gas: phosphorus pentoxide. I remember its uses and what we should do if we ever inhale too much of it. So, was my teacher a genius or a madman? I guess we will never know. To any chemists reading this, this is not a proposed lesson plan! This was not an isolated lesson in chemistry, I remember throwing lithium, sodium and then potassium into buckets of water and asking the teacher if he had any rubidium or cesium. Thankfully, he said he had just run out. I remember again going home and telling my parents, "You will never guess what happened in school today.” At Key Stage 4, I do not remember my maths lessons as fondly. I'm sure some chemists may argue that chemistry is simply more exciting than maths. This is a viewpoint that now I simply can't subscribe to. Last week, I went to a secondary school open evening with my Year 6 son. The headteacher addressed us with something strange, wonderful and thought-provoking that I remember more than anything else from the evening. He said, once a week, he wants every child in his school to have a light-bulb moment. A moment of wonder and awe. A moment to remember. A moment where my son would come home from school and say, "Dad, you will never guess what happened in school today." I'm too realistic to say that this will be every lesson, or even every day, but once a week? Doesn't he deserve this? Doesn't every child deserve this? I know this was a clever sales pitch. Maybe he can deliver this, probably not. It made me think whether I, or my department, really do offer enough memorable moments? Moments where the children go home and say, "You will never guess what happened in school today." On reflection, do I, do we, give student experience the degree of importance it maybe deserves? According to psychologists Barbara Frederickson and Michelle Tugade’s “broaden and build” theory, positive emotions can temporarily increase our attention and build resilience, curiosity and elicit better academic performance. Essentially, but unsurprisingly happier students are better learners. But how much time do we really spend planning occasions for students to have positive emotional experiences? I know many curriculum plans, including my own have hooks embedded in the Big Picture to address Ben Adams, Trust Lead Professional and Head of Maths at Queen Mary's High School reflects on the importance of creating moments of magic in learning. Reflection Piece: Reclaiming awe and wonder in our classrooms 8
this, but do they really deliver? Can every teacher deliver these moments in the same way? I’d argue that the collective personalities of the teacher and the class define what is possible. The timing and spontaneity are also crucial. If planning is the question, wonder, awe and memorable moments are possibly the most complex and difficult thing to consider. Without wanting to conclude this article in a sea of negativity and nostalgia; I will share with you some positive ideas of how to possibly move forward. An expert teacher in my department prides herself on having classes that often feel like families. Well-being and relationships are always high on the agenda. She baked some cone shaped scones to explore the conic sections. She called them sconic sections. Classes often come out of her room with cake crumbs on their lips or telling tales of maths orientated pass the parcel or breaking the safe-code to get a prize. Wonder and awe? Maybe. Do students say to their parents, "You will never guess what happened today." Certainly. I think maybe when lightbulb moments are hard to deliver, good relationships go a long way towards what I am talking about. To share another reflection: if every lesson is a set of objectives, key words, flashback-4 and a PowerPoint, mixed up with carefully timed learning checks. Is it really as exciting as it can be? Why not mix things up a bit, if only for one lesson a cycle? At QMHS we are planning a week, where teachers in my department will explore a range of different teaching approaches with a particular emphasis on exploring different lesson ideas and creativity. Certainly, no two lessons should look the same. PowerPoints have their place, textbooks have their place, but will they ever make students say, "You will never guess what happened today." If every lesson has the same vehicle for delivery, it is quite easy to guess the student experience. I don’t want to omit the fact that it is desirable for students learning any subject to eventually see the value and enjoy routine learning, routine repetition and routine practice. There is also intrinsic self-reward in simply learning, achieving and knowing you are making progress. How many students, however, really and honestly get to this point? Lots I hope, if we are lucky. But certainly not all. Maybe at Key Stage 5, for me, maths overtook chemistry for this very reason. Maybe when the bangs and flashes went away, I simply did not have the same passion for routine book work, practice and revision. Maybe it was my change of teacher. To conclude, I know and do not disagree that many students need routine and consistency. All schools look to deliver consistency. It’s a means to an end but not a desirable end in itself. All students should have the occasional lessons or moments of wonder and awe. All students should be able to say to their parents, maybe not every day, but sometimes, "You will never guess what happened today." Here I do include the pastoral, trips, social and extracurricular elements of school into this consideration. Yet surely, it can be in at least some maths lessons too? As maths teachers we can’t pass the buck to language trips, history trips or geography trips. We can’t say English, drama or PE is where they can have fun, maths is too serious for that; we certainly can’t rely on the chemists to provide all the bangs and flashes of light! 9
" " It is vital that students understand how to revise and that we prepare them for success from the very beginning. Here are some strategies that can be embedded from the beginning of a programme of study and can be referred to until the exam to develop students' independent skills. Using Introductory Lessons to Share the Bigger Picture If you provide a student with the lay of the land contents page at the start of each new unit by creating a contents page that is organised, for example, it has text book pages and the pages of their exercise books next to each section. When students come to revise at the end of the topic, their checklist is pre-created in a way that encourages independence and allows them to make use of their books, reducing workload for both parties in the future. It essentially creates a schema map and allows them to gauge their progress- you as the teacher can provide regular opportunities in class with retrieval or with homework by directing them to sections of their contents pages in preparation for assessments. Students are able to know before even starting the course where they need to get to, where they are now, what steps they need to take to be on track and what they have done so far. After students have finished the content, this can be further broken down into assessment objectives to find specific parts i.e. evaluation. Homework - Examiner Reports Examiner reports are a valuable resource for students preparing for exams in contemporary society as they allow students to read beyond the lines of an exam question. Exam reports can be used to encourage independent learning if students are taught to access Embedding Metacognition into A-level Revision Trust Lead Professional for Social Sciences, Gaige Pearson from Shire Oak Academy shares practical ideas to ensure higher level meta-cognitive strategies are embedded into revision. Flipped learning “allows for teaching time to focus on participation in active tasks” (Advance HE, 2020) and analyse examiner reports effectively. If an exam question is set as homework or completed in class, the exam commentary can be used as an in-class pedagogical tool or as an extension homework to check if they have made ‘common mistakes’ other students are doing across the country. As a result, students are developing their meta-cognitive skills and are embedding what not to do in the exam to develop their own writing skills as they can self-regulate their assessments in relation to the assessment objectives. In addition, often examiner reports offer example answers alongside the commentary to demonstrate mistakes or model effective answers that can also be utilised as a free resource to save time. Students can also categorise an exam paper into difficulty levels, such as red, amber and green to create a revision focus based off of official data. If these are utilised alongside mark schemes, students will be able to identify what is required for questions rather than simply ‘listing content’. Flipped Learning Flipped learning is an effective tool where students are required to complete content at home so you can focus on skills within lessons. Flipped learning “allows for teaching time to focus on participation in active tasks” (Advance HE, 2020) which actively increases engagement in questioning tasks or 10
assessments due to students having developed prior confidence on the knowledge of the topic. This is an effective pedagogical tool as it “accounts for cognitive overload” (Dawson, 2014) as students will be able to develop skills and spread the learning of content across lessons and homework so students can retain more information. This is extremely effective in a content heavy curriculum as it allows for more room to focus on exam questions for courses that teach up until the exam. What does the research say about meta-cognition? According to an extensive meta-analysis of research conduced by the Education Endowment Foundation, the average impact of meta-cognition and self-regulation strategies is an additional seven months’ progress over the course of a year. Meta-cognition and self-regulation strategies can be effective when taught in collaborative groups so that learners can support each other and make their thinking explicit through discussion. The meta-analysis also concluded that: • Studies that use digital technology, for example, intelligent tutoring systems that scaffold learning show particularly high impacts on pupil outcomes. • Meta-cognitive and self-regulation strategies have been used across the curriculum, with approaches in mathematics and science particularly successful. • Studies involving primary school pupils have typically been more effective (+ 8 months) than those with secondary school pupils (+ 7 months). How do meta-cognitive strategies help to close the disadvantage gap? There is some evidence to suggest that disadvantaged pupils are less likely to use meta-cognitive and selfregulatory strategies without being explicitly taught these strategies. Explicit teaching of meta-cognitive and self-regulatory strategies could therefore encourage such pupils to practise and use these skills more frequently in the future. With explicit teaching and feedback, pupils are more likely to use these strategies independently and habitually, enabling them to manage their own learning and overcome challenges themselves in the future. References www.advance-he.ac.uk. (n.d.). Flipped learning | Advance HE. [online] Available at: https://www.advance-he. ac.uk/knowledge-hub/flipped-learning-0. Kerac, C. and Ocak, M.A. (2017). Effect of Flipped Learning on Cognitive Load: A Higher Education Research. Research Gate, [online] 1, pp.20–27. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313195180_ Effect_of_Flipped_Learning_on_Cognitive_Load_A_Higher_Education_Research [Accessed 24 Jan. 29AD]. Education Endowment Foundation, July 2021- https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/ teaching-learning-toolkit/metacognition-and-self-regulation 11
How inclusive is our teaching of Science? Kam Basra is the Trust Lead Professional for Science and Head of Science at Walsall Studio School. Here, she explores some of the issues relating to equality, diversity and inclusion in the teaching of science. Do we really include every student we teach? This is the question I was faced with during an “Inclusion in Science Programme” offered by the Association for Science Education (ASE) via STEM Learning by two very passionate course leaders Yeasmin Mortuza and Sarah Cosgriff. During the session, not only did the programme allow me an opportunity to reflect on my current strategies for an inclusive culture in my department but to really consider if every student in my classroom felt included in the science I was teaching. I revisited the buzz words Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Although I can define each of these words, I was forced to question whether I really value the presence, participation and achievement of all my students. Equality is the right of different groups of people to have similar social positions and receive the same treatment. Diversity refers to who is represented, such as gender, age and ethnic diversity. Inclusion is a dynamic approach of responding positively to pupil diversity and of seeing individual differences not as problems, but as opportunities for enriching learning Issues in Science In science, cultural barriers exist, as a traditionally male- dominated subject, data reveals that only 20% of students from disadvantaged backgrounds take triple science, half that of their non-disadvantaged peers. Those students are also likely to underperform and less likely to progress to post-16 science subjects. Within my own context I have had to work hard to shift a culture where students are only interested in maths and English core subjects, especially when there is no expectation in many level 3 courses to gain a pass grade in science. The Royal Society reinforced this concern in their evidence to the 2023 House of Commons Committee report into ‘Diversity and inclusion in STEM’: “any lack of diversity in the scientific workforce represents both an absence of talent that the UK could be benefiting from and a lack of opportunity for people in the UK.” and was echoed in other evidence, inclusion Dame Ottoline Leyser, the UKRI Chief Executive: “High-quality research and innovation needs diversity. You have to have people with different ideas and different backgrounds coming together to create the kind of environment where extraordinary things happen.” During the first module I was somewhat surprised that socio-economic status is not a protected characteristic, despite the government and education leaders insisting it be a focus for teachers and schools. Within our MAT there is a huge drive to improve outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and we regularly discuss the progress made by students on FSM (Free School Meals) and PP (Pupil Premium) within my department and the leadership team. Do I ensure Equality, Diversity and Inclusion? I’d like to think I do but I fall short on many occasions. Provision of access to the same resources just does not cut it, if I have not considered the needs of the student and whether they have the same opportunities as their peers. Like most of us, offering revision guides in subject areas, STEM clubs and optional trips does not promote inclusion due to personal and financial situations that our students are facing daily. 12
Whilst studying for my Master's degree, I had the opportunity to discuss how we support students identified as Pupil Premium (PP) and how the PP budget is spent. A reality of the situation is that students do not feel that they belong to this community. Students find change difficult even if it is expected change as post Covid students have become more risk averse. It is then no surprise that more than double the students on FSM6 do not have a level 3 qualification. Three of my ‘at most risk of failing GCSE science’ are all PP students. I now question what am I really doing to support them? What can I really do? Yes, these students have other factors contributing to this high-risk of failure (attendance/behaviour) but is that an acceptable answer or an excuse? I am at the start of my journey and I really hope that this programme will enhance my understanding of how I can include all students in Science. Why do we need to know about this? We need to keep driving the inclusion agenda so that no one is left behind due to factors over which they have no control, affecting them in all areas of their lives. If we want all our students to be able to reach their full potential, we need to ensure they feel like they belong in our schools and in every one of their lessons. We know that there are several student groups who do not get the opportunities which other students do, for example, students from a low socio-economic background. Staff cannot see themselves as either in the Teaching and Learning camp or pastoral as they are not mutually exclusive. When behaviour for learning and a child’s self-efficacy improves, the causal impact is an improved outcome. References: Cambridge dictionary Vale, D., Mullaney, S. and Hartas, L. (1996) in The Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, Science and Technology Committee (2023) House of Commons. Guidelines for Inclusion: Ensuring Access to Education for All (2005) UNESCO. Module 1, Inclusion in Science Programme Spring (January 2024) Yeasmin Mortuza and Sarah Cosgriff. Association for Science Education (ASE) STEM Learning. Would you like to explore diversity, equality and inclusion further? Check out our session ' Diverse Curriculum' at the next Trust CPD event on Wednesday 6th March. This recorded webinar, featuring Amardeep Panesar, Christopher Richards, Laila El-Metoui, Sufian Sadiq and Penny Rabiger explores the following areas: Amardeep Panesar - Cultural Competency Christopher Richards - Diversity in Textbooks Laila El-Metoui - Inclusive and Bias Free Curriculum Sufian Sadiq - Inclusive Curriculum To secure your place, find the event brochure in the Mercian CPD MS Teams channel. 13
Today's world is changing rapidly, and creative industries are at the forefront of economic growth and innovation. The UK is a leader in areas like digital media, fashion, and product design, and it's clear that a strong education system is key to supporting and future-proofing these sectors. Design and Technology (D&T) education is crucial in getting students ready for these future jobs, and its importance is backed by educational research and the Department for Education's guidelines. D&T isn't just about learning to use tools and materials. It's a subject that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. The Design and Technology Association reports that D&T students gain a mix of practical, technical, and intellectual skills that are in demand in the creative industries. They learn the entire design process, from coming up with ideas to making them happen, which is essential for careers in product design, architecture, and engineering. D&T also teaches students to work together and communicate well as they often work in teams to turn their ideas into reality. These teamwork and communication skills are vital for success in any job, especially in creative fields where people from different disciplines come together to work on projects. The Department for Education understands the value of D&T in the curriculum. It stresses the importance of designing, making, and evaluating products that solve real problems, keeping in mind the needs of the user. This approach prepares students for a professional world that values innovation and the ability to adapt to new consumer needs and technologies. The curriculum also includes important skills like understanding nutrition and cooking, which are useful in the food and hospitality industry. In a world where technology is everywhere, D&T ensures students are not just users of technology but can also understand and create technological solutions. The subject covers robotics, electronics, and computeraided design (CAD), which are crucial in industries like Trust Lead Professional for Art and Design and Head of Art at Q3 Academy Great Barr Michelle Jeanneret reflects on the pivotal role that D&T study plays in securing the future of creative industries. The Critical Role of Design and Technology Education in Nurturing Future Creatives animation, video game design, and virtual reality, all of which are expected to grow significantly. Educational research shows that we need a curriculum that's ready for the future of work. The Edge Foundation found that the practical and technical learning offered by D&T can lead to more opportunities after school, like apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and direct entry into creative jobs. D&T helps build a diverse workforce that can drive innovation by valuing practical skills as much as academic success. D&T education is more than just a subject; it's a vital investment in the future of our creative industries and the jobs that will shape our society. By following the Department for Education guidelines and using insights from educational research, D&T teachers can keep inspiring and preparing the next wave of creative talent. As the creative industries continue to grow, the role of D&T in giving students the skills and confidence to thrive in this ever-changing field is more important than ever. We should see D&T as a fundamental part of an education system that values creativity, innovation, and practical skills. 14
Helen Perera is the Assistant Headteacher responsible for Teaching and Learning at Queen Mary's High School. Last year, Helen was awarded a Certificate in Evidence-Informed Practice from The Chartered College of Teaching. In this article, Helen identifies and outlines the key debates surrounding instructional coaching for all. Instructional coaching has a much stronger evidence base behind it than other forms of professional development and as such many schools are introducing it to improve student outcomes through improving teacher effectiveness. In instructional coaching a teacher works to improve practice towards a specific goal. The goal is split into a series of sub goals and the teacher works towards each through a cycle of modelling, rehearsal and feedback (Chartered College of Teaching 2021). In 2018 a randomised controlled trial (RCT) was published which looked at the effect of two treatments instead of comparing the instructional coaching group with a control. One group had training delivered in a more traditional CPD model and the second the same training but via instructional coaching. The group receiving the more traditional CPD had no statistically significant increase in reading test scores compared to the group who received instructional coaching which had an effect size of 0.15 (Sims, 2019) suggesting it was a more effective mode of delivery, these results have since been replicated in a similar study. Meta analysis prior to the 2018 study had found only one other study with this design with a positive effect (Sims, 2019), more replicated trails and meta analysis are needed. In my current setting instructional coaching has been introduced as a way for curriculum leaders to feedback on lesson observations, this has replaced some department CPD sessions. In 2011 a RCT of the My Teaching Partner (MTP) instructional coaching programme found it had a positive effect on results in Virginina state secondary schools with an effect size of 0.22 (Mccrea, 2022). In 2015 a larger RCT of the MTP programme found similar positive test scores (Sims, 2019). The question to ask is are these positive results due to this specific model of instructional coaching and can they, are they being replicated in school which don’t use this model. In my current setting no specific model such as MTP has been adopted so in the absence of this mechanism can I still expected the same outcomes. Instructional coaching is not the only CPD intervention supported by RCT’s however there are few with meta analysis and the inclusion criteria for studies for these were weak (Sims, 2019). In contrast in 2017 a meta analysis of all studies on instructional coaching including 31 casual studies looking at the impact on attainment found an average effect size of 0.15 (Mccrea, 2022). However, the effect size was slightly lower for studies with larger group sizes and those which targeted general pedagogical approaches but results were still positive and statistically significant (Sims, 2019) leading to the conclusion overall it is a positive mechanism for teacher development but there could be a barrier for whole school implementation when scaling it up. With a strong evidence base in comparison to other CPD programs, supporting its effect in English and cross subject teaching practice across all school phases, it would seem the system to adopt even though the evidence is more limited for STEM and humanities subjects (Mccrea, 2022). However it is important to consider the mechanisms by which it works and therefore the feasibility for implementation in different settings and the scalability notably the effect it could have on teachers at different career stages. The EEF guidance report for professional development based upon a review of the best available international research and current practice states the mechanisms needed for professional development. Many of the mechanisms are part of instructional coaching and defined by Matthew Kraft and David Blazar that is it is, individualised, intensive, sustained, context-specific and focused Educational Debate: To what extent is instructional coaching a useful mechanism for teacher development at all career stages? 15
(Goodrich, 2021). Within my own setting I wonder if feedback from learning walks by instructional coaching is all of these particularly sustained and intensive so are we just paying lip service to the term and does that matter. A study in 2022 found coaches can vary considerably in their effectiveness the study focussed on coaching during teacher training and found 0.2-0.35 standard deviations (SD) variability in the effectiveness of coaches which is close to the full effect of coaching programs, meta analysis estimates coaching improves teaching practice by roughly 0.5 SD (Blazar et al, 2022). Recent experimental evidence of pre-service coaching identifies effects on teacher practice that are on par with or larger than effects of in-service coaching (Blazar et al, 2022). Finding effective coaches will be a barrier to the scalability and sustainability of instructional coaching in a school. Defining how coaches operate could help and applying knowledge of cognitive science of how adults learn would be important in this. The literature mentions different types of approaches to instructional coaching, but the research doesn’t state which is best. There is the Bambrick-Santoyo's instructional coaching model, the ‘directive approach’ to instructional coaching. There is an observation, the coach selects the goal which will have the biggest impact and directs the coachee to act through modelling and deliberate practice. For someone early on in their career with more limited knowledge and experience of pedagogy unable to perhaps identify the specific problem in a lesson and importantly know how to fix it this model could bring about change quickly and be motivating. It would be easier for a coach to identify a goal as there could be more elements to choose from to move to ‘expert’ however for an experienced teacher with existing knowledge this could be more challenging. The purpose of instructional coaching is to improve a teachers domain specific knowledge and move them to be more ‘expert’ for this to occur there needs to be a shared understanding of excellence in teaching and learning within a school (Hutchinson, 2021). The coach could need to be more skilful to identify the problem or the more marginal changes in an experienced teacher limiting the choice of coach. Teachers that perceive the observation and feedback cycles associated with coaching as a process intended to document shortcomings towards efforts to exit teachers may be unwilling to acknowledge a coach’s critiques or take risks by experimenting with new instructional techniques (Kraft et al, 2018) older teachers will remember the previous graded lesson style appraisal process. When giving feedback for lesson visits my ‘work on’ (goal) does focus on our teaching and learning protocols and therefore becomes an agreed goal as it remains a school priority but could be viewed by some as an appraisal process and not a tool to facilitate improvement. An alternative model to instructional coaching is that of Jim Knight, the ‘non-directive approach’. This is centred on a belief that teacher learning is best served by supporting the teacher to solve problems around their practice rather than being directive. In this model there is still the observation and feedback cycles coupled with modelling and deliberate practice (features identified in the EEF report) but the coach asks probing questions to guide the teacher to solve the problem and decide on an action in their context. For this to work teachers would need an established body of knowledge to have a solution, it would also assume no one is an expert as there is no right way to teach which would be a barrier in a school with defined learning protocols and there are also the OFSTED reviews for subjects on best practice. Observing outside your specialisms is a skill and it raises the question on coaching paring is subject or pedagogical more important. This model would give teachers autonomy in their goals to work towards which can be considered motivating however it can be frustrating, in a time poor profession knowing you have a problem and someone could help you improve it but doesn’t give the solution. As within our lessons it is important to consider cognitive load theory, problem-based learning approaches are expensive in terms of working memory capacity and these approaches have been found to be problematic for most students, why are we still using them to underpin our approach to teacher learning (Goodrich, 2021). However students don’t have the long term memory resources which 16
an experienced teacher would and therefore this approach could be optimal. When using the ‘directive approach’ with an experienced teacher who already has long term memory resources we risk the redundancy effect. Presenting information, they already have increases their cognitive load preventing them attending to their long term memory resources to solve the problem (Goodrich, 2021). In conclusion, instructional coaching is a useful mechanism for teacher development across all career stages. It is supported by a strong evidence base and aligns with the mechanisms identified in the EEF guidance report but is only going to be effective in a school with a culture of openness to change. I think there needs to be a shared defined definition of excellence in teaching otherwise what is the end goal of the coaching but this would be part of the ethos of the school. The biggest barriers for implementation and ensuring effectiveness for teachers of all career levels is through the mechanisms of approach of the coach. The model used needs to be adopted to recognise the differing needs of approach for inexperienced and experienced members of staff, directive and non-directive mechanisms are just two approaches to coaching more research is required to understand what differentiates more and less effective coaches and is it beyond the mechanism. I think a model for coaches to operate within needs to be defined and training supplied to ensure it is instructional coaching with the elements of modelling and deliberate practice and not a poor informed version. References Blazar, D., McNamara, D., and Blue G. (2022). Instructional Coaching Personnel and Program Scalability. Available at: https:// www.edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai21-499.pdf (Accessed 19th May 2023). Chartered College of Teaching (2021). An introduction to instructional coaching. Available at: https://earlycareer.chartered. college/an-introduction-to-instructional-coaching/ [Accessed 18 May. 2023]. EEF (2021) Effective professional development guidance report. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/ education-evidence/guidance-reports/effective-professional-development (Accessed: 26th May 2023) Goodrich, J. (2021). What Do We Mean When We Talk About Instructional Coaching? Available at: https://steplab.co/resources/essays/BPav00-5/What-Do-We-Mean-When-We-Talk-About-Instructional-Coaching. (Accessed 19 May. 2023). Hutchinson, J (2021). Instructional coaching at all stages? [Online Video]. Available from: https://mypd.chartered.college/ course/view.php?id=230#section-33. [Accessed: 19 May 2023]. Jacobs, J., Boardman, A., Potvin. A, and Wang, C. (2017): Understanding teacher resistance to instructional coaching. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alison-Boardman/publication/320506842_Understanding_teacher_resistance_ to_instructional_coaching/links/59ef2d40458515ec0c7b4fbc/Understanding-teacher-resistance-to-instructional-coaching. pdf (Accessed 19 May. 2023). Kraft, M., Blazar, D., and Hogan, D. (2018). The Effect of Teacher Coaching on Instruction and Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of the Causal Evidence. Review of Educational Research. 2018;88 (4) :547-588. Mccrea, P. (2022). A Beginner's Guide to Instructional Coaching. Available at: https://steplab.co/resources/papers/BP6w3bcs/A-Beginners-Guide-to-Instructional-Coaching (Accessed 19 May. 2023). Date awarded: as an Reaccreditation Date: in recognition of meeting the required standard. The Chartered College of Teaching certifies Accredited Chartered Status CPD Partner 31 July 2023 Mercian Trust July 2025 The Mercian Trust are thrilled to be an Accredited Chartered Status CPD Partner of the Chartered College of Teaching. We wish our 2023-2024 cohort of Certificate in Evidence Informed Practice luck as they work towards their assessment next half term! To find out more on how you can start your journey to becoming a Chartered Teacher, check out the Mercian Trust's CPD brochure here. 17
@MercianTrustCPD @MercianTrustCPD Contributors Wanted! We would love to hear from more practitioners across our 9 Trust schools who are experimenting with different, research-informed methods in their classrooms and areas of work. If you’d like to write an article for the Expertise Exchange, please email tracy.goodyear@ merciantrust.org.uk with proposed details of your submission. All contributors are given support through the planning stage and all articles are edited prior to publication. Don't forget to follow us: 18