Reinventing Teaching and Learning group

I. John

The Teaching and Learning group has reinvented its approach this year in an attempt to draw upon the expertise and knowledge of all staff, not just NQTs and other trainee teachers. The fortnightly meetings of the group now take place in the staffroom so as to encourage a more open and informal forum for discussion. We would like to remind staff that you are welcome to drop in for as much time as is convenient to you: a five minute discussion can easily provide ideas that might even be used for period 5, that day! 

Our discussions are now based on a fortnightly focus, which is a topic that can be applied to all subjects. Each fortnight, a question or theme is written on a flip chart in the staff room; staff are encouraged to write their ideas up and engage in written dialogue about how best to approach that focus. So far this term we have considered the best way to consolidate learning and how to make success criteria meaningful and engaging. Our current focus until half term is the best way to set homework. It has been very encouraging to see the contributions and we hope that even when staff are unable to attend the group itself that they take full advantage of the presence of the chart to share (and "steal"!) ideas to inform and develop their own practice.  

As the year goes on, we hope that more staff from all specialisms and departments will consider attending the group. More experienced staff are able to lend valuable insight on a particular idea in terms of how it might be achieved and what other factors should be taken into account. Similarly staff of any experience can always benefit by simply taking a new idea, trying it out and feeding it back. We hope to see more staff coming along to share best practice in the near future. 

This blog will record the findings of the Teaching and Learning group, as well as reporting on the progress of the Outstanding teaching research group as it investigates the pedagogy behind outstanding teaching - watch this space!