Professional journal final

CherwelllearningThe Professional Journal of The Cherwell Schoolwww.cherwelllearning.blogspot.com

The Comparison Effect

Secrets ofthe teenage brain

revealed

ProfessionalLearning

Teachers Learning AboutLearning

Homework- the SEN experience

Using our ASTs

Newbies!Get to know our new colleagues

Edition 1February 2012

Prof Journal2_Co-op Booklet 1 09/02/2012 08:55 Page 1

Cherwell Learning IWinter 2012 I1

EDITORIALHello and welcome to the first ever

edition of Cherwell Learning – the Pro-fessional Journal for The CherwellSchool. This journal is launched in thebelief that the best schools are charac-terised by frequent sharing of practice,experience and ideas about learning andteaching. The aim is to provide anothermechanism through which this sharingcan take place.

Furthermore, this journal is an attempt tocontribute to a culture of professionallearning at Cherwell. It is common tohear the view that our students will needto become expert learners in order toflourish in a world characterised by rapidand unpredictable change. The same ap-plies us as teachers. It’s hoped that shar-ing ideas and experiences here mighthelp all of us learn and adapt to the shift-ing educational context in which wework.

This edition contains contributions from arange of colleagues, and huge thanksmust go to all who've taken the time totake part. This includes our newest col-leagues, who've provided self-profiles tolet us get to know them better and ourASTs reminding us of the great thingsthey have to offer. Kat Lygate has pro-vided an insightful overview of the'Teenage Brain', showing how recent ad-vances in neuroscience have gone someway to helping us explain and under-stand teenage behaviours. Carmel Mc-Namara’s reflections on her own

professional learning in achieving her MA isvaluable in two ways: one, for the insight itgives into her research topic of questioning,and secondly for the light it sheds onto theexperience of completing an MA as a work-ing teacher. Through Lorraine Hunt, we getsome student views on issues surroundinghomework and classwork for students withSEN. Finally, there is a review of some re-search regarding the impact of studentscomparing their own performance to theirpeers; a topic which came out of the recent‘Moving the Middle’ work.

Hopefully, the next edition of this Journalwill be out in the summer term. If you haveanything that you think would be interestingfor colleagues to hear about, or if you'd beinterested in contributing to the journalthrough contributing articles or editing,please do let me know. TB



THE TEENAGE BRAINRecent advances in neuroscience have

led to a significantly increased understanding ofthe working of the brain. At a recentworking party meeting, Kat Lygatepresented on ‘The Teenage Brain’,looking at what we’ve learnt, andhow brain development affectsteenage behaviour, attitudes andabilities to learn. Look out for a filmversion of this powerpoint in thenear future (as soon as her dam-aged digit repairs itself!); in themeantime, here’s a written sum-mary of her main findings.

“In the last decade there has beena great deal of excitement gener-ated by a series of MRI studiesshowing brain development inadolescence. These showed anincrease in grey matter followedby sustained loss and thinningstarting around puberty, whichcorrelates with advancing cog-nitive abilities. Scientists think this process re-flects greater organization of the brain as itprunes redundant connections. These neuronalchanges could have a profound influence onbehaviour and learning.

Some tentative studies have shown that theremay be differences in brain chemistry that in-hibit learning in adolescence. Studies have alsoshown that during adolescence studentsprocess emotions via the amygdala (linked togut instincts) rather than the frontal cortex(linked to higher reasoning) and hence can lackempathy. Motivation to get rewards is also un-derengaged and they may need a greater stim-uli to get the same reward – risk takingbehaviour.

Melatonin levels peak at a later time in the dayand this leads to night owl tendancies and sleepdeprivation. Hence, although they may be moresubdued and easier to manage in the morningthey are not at their optimum for learning. Aschool in the last year is experimenting with alater start as a result http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/edu-

cation/8579951.stm.

We need to be cautious about over-in-terpreting findings, however we need to beclear that adolescents are operating underdifferent cognitive constructs and take thisinto consideration in our expectations with re-gards to learning. This website(http://www.docstoc.com/docs/24062168/Secrets-of-

the-Teenage-Brain) provides a link to a power-point outlining some teaching strategies builton engaging attention, cognitive challenge,repetition, teaching empathy, celebratingachievements, and recognising individuality,all of which help address some of these is-sues.So in essence what we are saying is thatsometimes it really isn’t their fault they driveyou up the wall! However the skills learnt inadolescence are laid down for life so wehave an important job in helping them refinetheir brains.”

Kat LygateFor a full list of references and more tips onhow this information can inform your teaching- see Kat.



THE COMPARISON EFFECT

various reasons, we live in a world wherepeople are more likely to understand theirown success and performance through directcomparison with those around them. The textargues that this tendency generates signifi-cant stress and anxiety for young people.

One related problem, claim the authors, is thegrowth of negative self-esteem amongstyoung people. Whilst healthy self-esteem isbased on 'a reasonably accurate view ofone's strengths … and an ability to recogniseone's weaknesses', the authors identify 'inse-cure high self-esteem', a defensive trait char-acterised by 'a denial of weakness,insensitivity to others, an excessive preoccu-pation with success and with their own imageand appearance in the eyes of others'.

The Spirit Level also suggests that excessivecomparison causes stress. It suggests that'human beings are driven to preserve the so-cial self and are vigilant to threats that mayjeopardise their social-esteem or status'. Theauthors describe experiments which test sce-narios to establish which cause the moststress or negative responses. Most negativewere conditions in which there was 'the pres-ence of an evaluative audience... a potentialfor negative social comparison, such as scor-ing worse than someone else'. Clear parallelswith typical school experiences are apparenthere, with all of the above features arguablyan inevitable part of classroom learning.

To sum up then, Wilkinson and Pickett claimto provide convincing evidence that increasedcomparison and 'social-evaluation' betweenyoung people is a significant, damaging trendin society. It's easy to see how, in a school en-vironment, particularly in a context charac-terised by regular high-stakes assessment,this sense of evaluation might be particularlystrong, and therefore something that weshould be aware of and sensitive to in our in-teractions with students.

Over recent weeks, there's been lots of empha-sis on 'Moving the Middle', with much discus-sion about the best ways to engage our middle /lower achieving students. When reflecting onreasons for relative underachievement amongstthese groups, teachers and students are unitedin picking out one aspect of the student experi-ence at Cherwell: the 'Comparison Effect'.

Simply put, teachers and students expressedthe view that, as we have a considerable num-ber of students who achieve very highly, thoseworking at middle/ lower levels are likely todraw negative comparisons between them-selves and their peers. It was felt that their con-fidence, self-belief and motivation suffered as aresult, and that this is a barrier to their progress.

One year 11, for example, described the rea-sons that she didn't opt for a more challengingcourse in KS4 in these terms: “I got the grade inyear 9 to take it and then, because I knew thatso many people who were really bright weretaking it... I felt like everybody would understandand I wouldn't be able to ask because everyonewould understand except me”.

So – it seems that the issue of students publiclycomparing their performance with others is intu-itively idenitified by teachers and students alike.However, what does the research say? Is thereany evidence to suggest that this sort of evalua-tive comparison might really have a damagingimpact on the potential achievement of lesshigh-achieving students? And if so, what can wedo about it?

One recent text which engages in depth withthe influence of social comparison is The SpiritLevel: Why Equality is Better for Everyone(Wilkinson and Pickett, 2010). As part of a studylooking at the impact of inequality in society, anumber of points are made which relate toyoung people and education. The authors de-scribe a general rise in anxiety amongst youngpeople, caused by an increase in 'social evalu-ative threat'. Essentially, this means that, for



THE COMPARISON EFFECT

So far so worrying, but is there anything thatwe can do about it? Some interesting per-spectives on the issue of attitudes and moti-vation in school are provided by Stanfordpsychologist Carol Dweck. Dweck places em-phasis on the role of mindset and self-per-ception in influencing student success andhappiness. She also claims that conspicuouscomparison is potentially damaging to themotivation of young people, particularly thoseachieving at relatively low levels. Dweck sug-gests that one way to counter this is forschools and teachers to put heavy emphasison developing 'growth mindsets'.

A growth mindset thinker would see ability assomething which is grown through practice,good teaching and effort, rather than an in-nate quality in the individual. Dweck contraststhis to 'fixed mindset' thinking (which she ar-gues is far more prevalent in society); theview that people are born with an essentiallyfixed level of ability in any given activity, andthat exceeding this limitation is either not pos-sible or extremely unlikely. In relation to com-parison, Dweck argues, for fixed mindsetthinkers, comparing their own performance tothat of others serves to confirm their own in-

adequacy, destroying motivation to make effortsto improve. Growth mindset thinkers, in con-trast, are better placed to cope with achievingless well than others on a task. This is becausethey are more likely to see themselves as incontrol of their achievement, believing that witheffort and skilful learning, they too can raisetheir performance to high levels.

One strategy that Dweck claims may help to de-velop health, growth-mindset thinking is bychanging the way we use classroom praise.She suggests that altering the language we usefrom praising innate ability '...this is great, youare such a talented writer...', to promoting focuson learning and effort '...this is great, you haveworked really hard on this...', can have a pro-found impact on student motivation and en-gagement.

Informed by Dweck, much writing on AFL picksup on the importance of fixed / growth mindsetthinking, and how this may be influenced byschools. Wiliam and Black in Inside the BlackBox (1998) present compelling evidence to sug-gest that caution should be taken when givingfeedback which includes grades. They arguethat, by including grades on work when it isgiven back, this immediately draws students to-wards comparing their performance with others– a phenomenon that many of us have wit-nessed in the classroom. When looked at fromthe perspective provided by The Spirit Leveland Dweck's ideas on mindset, it does seemthat the issue of how we manage grading andlevelling in the classroom may be a significantfactor in promoting a negative comparison ef-fect.

In conclusion then, it seems that as well asbeing a 'gut instinct' of many members of ourcommunity, there is intriguing research evi-dence to support the view that the ComparisonEffect is a real influence on student achieve-ment. There is also some clear guidance forwhat we might do about it, in the ways that wetalk to, praise and think about students.

TBCarol Dweck’s Mindset and a number of textson a similar theme are available to borrow fromNS library.



HOMEWORK

What have you found difficult about your

homework?

I find it difficult with homeworks when there area lot of words in, and I come to the base andthey really help me out. I find it difficult with bigprojects because I can't find the time to fit it in,because I have to care for my family, I can't doit and then I get a C3. Some teachers say whycan't you do it at lunch and break, but how canI? It's my lunch and break and I want to see mymates, we want to catch up with each other! I really struggle with using IT – I haven't got acomputer at home so I really struggle... I got aC3 because I couldn't get five facts aboutsomething. It's really hard because I havespelling difficulties and I really struggle when itcomes to finding facts and reading them. If Ihave to write something and then type it I justcan't do it! To use the internet is really hard be-cause I can't spell to get to the place I want toget.

With long projects, in a way they are helpful be-cause they help you learn in a different way, butthey are also really bad because you have tobuy stuff. I can't sit down and do it with mymum because of her disabilities and my broth-ers are always working and doing their ownthing. I really struggle with making stuff andhaving to fit in the time...with caring (for mymum) it can get really really bad and I'll haveto rush it, and it will come to the point wheremy mum will say 'you'll just have to do a C3' be-cause you can't get it done in time. It's having to

find the time and worry about getting a C3and having to care my mum as well, it's toomuch.

What do you imagine homework will be

like as you go to the later years in the

school?

I think … in my first year I started top of thelist for getting in trouble, and this has comedown, but I can see it's going to go up again.In my tutor period my teacher told me aboutall the homework and I was really freakedout... it stressed me for the rest of the day,thinking 'I'm not going to be able to do it'. Icame and spoke to the people in the baseand they said they'll help me out with it. NowI just come in to the base whenever I gethomework. The base really help me. Thebase is really really good... me and the peo-ple from the base have a lot of conversa-tions about me doing my homework. All Ican keep on saying about the base is it's re-ally really good and they help you with prettymuch everything they can help you with. Itreally helps me and stops my mum worryingabout me getting in trouble for not doinghomework.

Setting regular, appropriate

homework for students with SEN is a con-

siderable challenge. In this section, we have an

extract from an interview with one of our KS3

students, who talks about the difficulties he

faces in completing homework. On the next

page is some direct advice from students in the

base about what they think works and what

doesn’t, for homework and approaches in class.



HOMEWORK

HOMEWORK•Giving us a project scares us - we•need short tasks and each task to begiven a deadlineHomework needs to be fun and varied•Better if homework instructions can be•stuck straight into planner but if not,put simple written instructions on ahomework sheet so only short detailsneeded in planner e.g. CompleteMaths worksheetUse simple vocabulary and instruc-•tionsNever let us off homework – go•through sanctions and expect a notefrom parents/carers explaining whywork hasn’t been completedArrange homework so max of only two•pieces a night – we struggle to movehomework to another night We prefer to hand homework in the•next time we have that subjectWe often find essay questions a chal-•lenge, and will need help ICT based homework can be a prob-•lem if we don’t have a computer athome – we don’t want to spend breakand lunch doing the work.We find researching difficult because•our spelling is poor – “googling” canbe a nightmare if not impossible

CLASSWORK •We want an idea of what we will be•doing in the next lesson; not to knowleaves us feeling anxious and uncom-fortableOften we don’t feel very confident in•class so if we have to present any-thing to the class we need time toplan and practise itWe like instant praise; staff sending•email to YL, ringing home etc Seating plan is vital•We like it when staff say hello to us at•the beginning of lessonsThe teachers we like the best are•those who know us wellWe like teachers to be the same•each lesson – we don’t like it whenone lesson they are strict and the nextthey are notIf we don’t have any homework we•like the teachers to look after ourbooks so that we don’t lose them

Given the challenges of setting useful,

effective homework for students with

SEN, Lorraine Hunt undertook some

Student Voice work with students from

the base. Here are the main points

they came up with in relation to home-

work, alongsiede some more general

points about lessons which came out

of the discussions.



PROFESSIONAL LEARNINGHuge congratulations to Carmel McNamara

on successfully completing her Masters Degreein Learning and Teaching, with a focus onQuestioning in the A Level English classroom.

What was your research about and what led

you towards that topic?

Ok, when I was doing the course, one of theareas I was really interested in was thinkingskills and we did a lot of discussion and read-ing on how to raise achievement and raisestudent thinking.

I just thought, I want to know what it is I doin the classroom that is being effective. I'mtrying to take on board new strategies andapproaches (although what you find is thatthe same stuff comes around from twentyyears ago!), so I just really wanted to in-vestigate what it was that I do in theclassroom.

I think it was that the students learnt totrust you pretty quickly, so it creates a safe en-vironment. It’s also starting to structure theirthinking, so they are actively thinking and hav-ing to report back. So active strategies has gotto be part of it, but talk within the classroom isreally at the forefront. Students talk, so whatrole does the teacher play in that? Of coursethe teacher can act as a guide, can model goodquestioning, and can then take an idea that astudent has, layer it with other language, giveother alternatives, build it up and push it back tothem so that they are developing their ideasand making it more sophisticated. It was fasci-nating talking to Mal, as her insights wereamazing from over the years of classroom ob-servation, and all the AFL tools are an attemptto give that experience to teachers when theyare new in the classroom.

What were the challenges of doing the MA in

terms of the learning?

I think what was most difficult about starting theMA was reflecting on your own practice... youstart to really think again, and you have to start

reading again. All thattheory takes you to a different level... youhave to train your mind again to actually un-derstand some of the texts you have to read.It's very different when you haven't done thatfor years, so it was sort of just getting involvedagain with other people and other learners – alot of people were many years down the line,but some of the people were five or ten yearsin … that was very refreshing in itself actu-ally... and they'd set up online discussions be-tween the people on the masters and that wasreally interesting, talking about what worksand what doesn't. It asked us to reflect on ourown practice and what we do, and there was alot of sharing.

Some of the lectures were quite 'talk at you',thinking that you'd chosen to learn so in a waythey didn't have to work very hard, but lots oflecturers were very aware that teachers werecoming to them at five and staying until eight,and just wanted to sit there and be spoon fed.



PROFESSIONAL LEARNINGplistic, but my results show that if they were tobecome more engaged in their learning andfeel safe to do so then they'll engage in highlevel debate, but it's the result of skilful ques-tioning from the teacher and students learningto respond to that.

IRF is supposed to be the most common pat-tern, meaning initiation, response and follow-up from a teacher, so the teacher will start itoff, the student will respond and the teacherwill follow it up. Sometimes that pattern stopsafter the three, and a lot of my reading wasabout how to move that on and keep studentsgoing. The book Asking Better Questions(Morgan and Sachs) was useful for moving itand moving it and breaking the teacher's dom-inance so the students come into it more.

Feeling safe frees them to conduct their owndiscussion without the constant intervention ofthe teacher because the teacher's modelled itand they can be working with somebody else.Of course, you can't say that this is the defini-tive model for every teacher in every school.

How do you generate a sense of 'safety' in

the classroom, so that students are happy

to engage?

I found the difference between the largergroups and smaller groups was significant –they were more likely to be inhibited in biggergroups.

It's also building up a sense of trust betweenthe students themselves. I think mine becamecomfortable within their own small groups, butwe'd got to the point where they'd run out ofthings to say to each other and liked it whenthe groups were moved around... it took awhile to get them to realise that and want tochange the groups around. In the end though,they realised the advantages of working withnew people and getting out of their comfortzones, which was good.

What was it like doing a Masters in practi-

cal terms?

I'm lucky that I'm part time, because that willbe a huge issue for people doing a Masters,but I think a lot will depends on why you'redoing it. For some teachers it will be very use-ful in terms of career progress, and there wasa distinct group of teachers who were therefor that purpose. For others, it was for rein-forcing, consolidating what we know and Isuppose giving what you'd done over theyears some sort of importance and gettingsomething back from the time that you'd putin. I do wonder how students straight from adegree write an educational dissertation, buttheir new way of looking at things is useful –it's not the case that experience is all. For meit might have been reflection, but someonewho came in it would be learning.

If I hadn't been part time, it would have beendifficult – you need to be very driven, getsomeone else to look after your children, andit becomes all consuming, particularly whenyou come to the dissertation. When we wenton holiday, I'd spend the mornings in Francedoing my dissertation! Transcribing takes a lotof time.

The management of your time is tricky – don'tlose the initial impetus, try to do it in as shorta time as possible as it fits in with your familyand lifestyle. Do hit your deadlines! Extendingyour deadlines again and again makes it soonerous – much better to just get the work outof the way.

What were the main findings of your re-

search?

The dissertation is 20,000 words, with a Liter-ature Review, Methodology etc – it's a veryformal presentation. 'How can teachers en-hance A Level students' quality of oral contri-butions?'.

Reducing the findings can become very sim-



PROFESSIONAL LEARNINGDo you think it's changed your practice much?

I think it's honed it and it's helped me to understand the policies within the school, understand the im-portance of it more and get behind it, such as the assessment for learning... I suppose that somepeople can get very cynical, but when you are part of taking on board the message again, you under-stand and it reinforces what you do.

I've started to put think-time into my practice – I'm now aware that thinking-time allows them to articu-late their ideas, rather than that instant just 'let's say anything to keep her happy'!

I try to give them lots of responsibilities, eg for reporting back, and I establish teaching groups whereone group would be an expert group and would go and teach the others. This allows them to explorethe material in a secure way, with their group, before they have to go and teach others.

Final Thoughts?

I did enjoy it – certain bits were a pleasure because you were with a group of new people … someroutes to an MA allow you to stay at home and do a lot online, but I think that also misses somethingabout going out and being with a group of people and getting that support.



ASTsWe are fortunate at Cherwell to have

three Advanced Skills Teachers on our books,each of whom are happy to offer help and ad-vice on learning and teaching matters. Thismight involve a chat over lunch or in the corri-dor, or more structured help, such as throughobservation, giving feedback on lessons or pro-viding advice on planning. The profiles here wilgive you some insight into what each of themhas to offer!

Kat Lygate has specialist expertise in Sec-

ondary Science, A level biology and Assessment forLearning.She has previously held a role as enrichment coordi-nator and can advise on managing a team and deliv-ering an extensive science enrichment programme.She also has many years experience in ITT both as amentor and professional tutor.In her own practice, Kat is currently looking to de-velop strategies for questioning, looking at ways to en-gage middle-achieving students in pair and groupwork.Kat can provide support to teachers in any of theareas outlined. This support could involve:· Observations and coaching for teachers· Ideas for developing schemes of work/ curricu-lum maps· Modelling good practice· Advice, coaching and mentoringOr simply an opportunity to have a friendly chat!

Marcella McCarthy is a specialist in Eng-

lish and Gifted and Talented education. She has writtenand presented extensively on outstanding teaching, andon innovative and creative strategies that engage stu-dents of all levels. Marcella offers support for teachers on all aspects ofEnglish, behaviour management, Assessment for Learn-ing, and Gifted and Talented education, and has workedwith Primary and Secondary schools both within and out-side Oxfordshire.In her own practice, she is continually looking to refineher use of AFL, and has been working with Dylan Wiliamin this area.

She is able to offer flexible and practical support and ad-vice, with particular interest in:· Embedding Assessment for Learning· G &T education· Questioning strategies

She is also deeply interested in promoting Literacyacross the curriculum, and makes delicious cakes!

Paul Slater is an AST with a specialism in

Drama. He has trained as a coach and has worked

throughout the Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Bucking-

hamshire and Kent secondary schools looking at rais-

ing attainment through Drama.

He is the artistic director of the Idle Motion Theatre

Company who have performed regularly at the Edin-

burgh festival and toured both nationally and interna-

tionally.

At The Cherwell School, Paul has worked with a broad

range of subject teams to look at creative education

projects which enthuse, invigorate and excite learners.

He has particular enthusiasm and expertise in:

- Behaviour Management and student motivation

- Kinaesthetic Learning- ‘Use of Voice’- elearning- Use of film to enhance learningHe is keen to be involved with the development of

elearning and can facilitate the filming and editing of

films for inclusion on www.youtube.com/cherwellonline



NEW TEACHERS

Name: Anderson Mutemererwa

1. Where have you taught / did you train in the past?

Post-graduate degree at the University of Hull during which

time I worked as a TA at the university.. Did some teaching

as a Mathematics trainee at South Craven School (North

Yorkshire) and St. Thomas à Becket (West Yorkshire) but did

not complete the PGCE course.

2. Best things about your previous school or teaching

practice school?

The scope for continued learning and an enjoyment of

breaking down a seemingly complex subject to young peo-

ple.

3. First impressions of Cherwell?

Well-organised. Surprised at the non-uniform policy and how

it works. Helpful and very collegial work-mates.

4. What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Making a difference and always learning new things, both in

terms of how to do things and also the subject matter of my

specialism.

5. What would you most like to develop or improve in

your practice?

Be able to incorporate various strategies (such as AfL) that I

have seen others use into my teaching. Adoption and use of

technology to teaching to make Mathematics less "ritualis-

tic".

6. What do you enjoy in your spare time?

Almost all sports but cricket, football (support Liverpool FC)

and rugby especially. Have started reading pre-20th century

English literature.

7. Anything else we should know?

Worked for 10 years in the Zimbabwean mining industry as a

minerals economist. Lived and studied in Sweden, too. Used

to be politically active in Zimbabwe (don't tell Mugabe).

I've also run the Humber Bridge half-marathon twice in 7

years.

Name:Mohammed Shafqat

Where have you taught / did you train in the past?

I went to Cardiff University Joint Honours Maths &Physics. PGCE University of Oxford. Taught for two yearsat Gillotts, in Henley-on-Thames. Went to Pakistan andfarmed for three years. Taught at Cheney for 6 months,joined Cherwell in Septmeber 2011

Best things about your previous school or teaching

practice school?

The students, especially my tutor group. We had verticaltutoring with a house system. It was excellent.

First impressions of Cherwell?

Well-organised. Strict but mature.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Inspiring young Mathematicians, and sharing my own en-thusiasm for the subject and making a real positive differ-ence to the society by moulding youngsters to becomegreat citizens.

What would you most like to develop or improve in

your practice?

AFL. I would love to be able to improve and enhance thetechniques of how much the student has understood andhow effective my teaching and feedback has been to thestudents.

What do you enjoy in your spare time?

I play a lot of sports, with Cricket and Squash being myfavourite.

Anything else we should know?

Can speak, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.


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