Friday, 27th November

In our last session with David Smith and Simon James we reflected about the “ingredients” that make a good school. When trying to evaluate whether a school is good or not, Ofsted inspectors will focus on leadership and management, teaching and learning, outcomes and results. But Simon insisted that he is interested in our personal opinion, not in the official perspective of Ofsted inspectors. Some of the aspects we highlighted were a shared vision, community links, inspirational space, leadership, students' involvement, consistency, good personal relationships, personal attention to every student, students' progress and life skills, safe and happy environment…

According to Simon, inspirational leadership is extremely important to make a good school. Good schools, in his opinion, have strong systems for quality assuring the curriculum, teaching and student progress. They don't wait for Ofsted inspectors to come in and tell them what they have to change, as they have their own assessment systems. They are passionate about the quality of the classroom experience. They believe that every child matters and they shape the curriculum to serve the needs of all students. They track the progress of students regularly and intervene immediately if anyone fails to improve or make progress. They are creative about the recruitment and retention of staff. They ensure that all the staff are excellent role models and that there is a culture of mutual respect. They take CPD (Continuing professional development) seriously, ensuring that all staff are adequately trained for their roles and are willing to learn from one another. Good schools share resources, teachers and strategies with other schools, so some members of the staff can teach in a different school and also observe other teachers' lessons in order to discuss about their skills and strategies. Good schools make sure that students feel happy working in a well ordered, stimulating and safe environment. They go out of their way to bring in a variety of successful people from all walks of life to serve as role models. They provide cultural opportunities which may be beyond the budget of some families. They keep parents informed of students' progress, curriculum changes and important developments in teaching and learning. They foster links with the community and beyond and seek to involve students in charitable activities.

David Smith talked about assessment for learning, which takes places during a lesson to check how students are progressing and how the teaching is working. Assessment for learning should be seen as central to classroom practice, and all teachers should regard it as a key professional skill. The big 5 principles of assessment for learning are: 1) The provision of effective feedback to students, 2) the active involvement of students in their own learning, 3) Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment, 4) Recognition of the influence assessment has on the motivation and self- esteem of pupils, 5) The need for students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve.

The key questions are: What do you expect the students to learn? What will you do to enable them to learn? What will they do to enable them to learn? How will you know what progress they have made? How will they know what progress they have made?

Asking students if they understand the teacher is not the best way to assess their learning process, as they might feel a strong peer pressure and lie in their answers. Some useful techniques used in assessment for learning are post-it notes, mini-whiteboards, true-false cards, exit cards, ABCD cards, thumbs up, traffic lights, stand-crouch-sit, post-it divider, stamps to have evidence of verbal feedback given, partnering, whiteboard words, voting pods, etc.

Thursday, 26th November

Today we had a very special session with Simon James and Dave Smith. We talked about behaviour management and we discussed what makes a good teacher. To begin with, we are invited to share with the rest of the group some of the features that identify a good teacher in a brainstorming activity. We compared our own opinions with what children think, watching a video in which students explain what they think makes a good teacher. According to them, a good teacher should be human, approachable, fair, enthusiastic, positive, professionally skilled, respectful of students and sensitive to their difficulties in learning,

Behaviour management techniques are very important for teachers to be effective. Positive behaviour management is a good way to deal with low level disruption. In the best schools, creating a positive environment is a shared responsibility. Consistency in the use of rewards and sanctions is extremely important in order to make everybody feel that rules are fairly applied. The certainty that misbehaviour will have consequences is actually more important than the severity of the punishment.

Good teachers know how to manage behaviour of most of the students most of the time – but they can't completely control everybody all the time. They can also control some important factors, such as the seating plans, the routines, the ways we display work or greet children, etc. And they should have complete control over how to respond to misbehaviour. Many of these strategies can be learnt from Dr. Bill Rogers, who is an Australian expert in behaviour management. He presents some of his ideas in these videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqIXB1RG-Vg&list=PLF1FBp_bi4gbXAvyDu1oO5o_LaJ6PufZm

Positive behaviour management uses positive language instead of negative instructions, telling kinds what we want them to do rather than what we want them to avoid. It is also important to make effective use of praise and rewards, and to redirect towards success rather than highlight mistakes. However, too much praise can be counterproductive, as some students don't like to be praised in public. Praise should be sincere if we want it to be effective. A powerful technique consists in saying 'thank you' rather than 'please'. Behaviour management can be done using the 4 Rs frameworks: rights, responsibilities, rules and routines. Rights are connected with responsibilities, so we should encourage students to choose responsible behaviour.

When kids misbehave, they are making a choice that should have consequences. Managing behaviour has three phases: 1) give children choices within fair rules, 2) influence them to make appropriate choices by modelling behaviour and 3) apply consequences of choices in terms of rewards or sanctions. It might be useful to remind students that everything they do is a choice: “If you choose to keep on talking while I'm teaching, you'll be choosing to come to the front to sit near me. It is your choice.” Another powerful technique is the “maybe...and...” approach: ”Maybe you were listening to me, and I still need you to pay attention, thank you”.

Rob Plevin also has interesting videos about behaviour management in the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_jQ81O0yzM

The effective way to give instructions begins making eye contact. The teacher should speak in a calm but firm manner, using first names and pausing after the name to make sure that the student understands the instruction using non-verbal cues when appropriate, saying 'thank you' rather than please, and dropping eye contact at the end, giving some take-up time to the pupil.

Wednesday, 25th November

This is our last day with Francisco. We will present our school attachment experience to the rest of the group using PechaKucha. This is a very interesting technique used to show in a quick and effective way our work using only a few images and a limited amount of time to explain them. Apparently, the idea of using PechaKucha arouse in a meeting where architects were supposed to showcase their work. As they seem to have a strong tendency to talk and talk forever, someone suggested to allocate only a limited amount of time for their presentations. This proved to be a very good way to organize these presentations, and is now widely used in other areas besides architecture.

Our PechaKucha personal reflection has three images. The first one will show something positive in our experience, the second one will focus on something that could be improved, and the last one will show another positive aspect of our stay in Chichester.

The rest of the day we worked in teams in order to prepare a presentation including a general reflection about what we learnt during these seven weeks. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to show these presentations to the rest of the group.

Tuesday, 24th November

Today we have a special session with David Smith and Simon James. As we were in 9 different schools, now we have the opportunity to present our experience to the rest of the group.

North Mundham Primary school – Eva and Celia

In this school, teachers found that tables are arranged in a very interesting way. Behaviour management uses green and red cubes to reward or punish the students. If there is bad behaviour, the class loses part of their free time, represented by the green cubes. In Spain schools use textbooks, so there are some limitations and constraints to the implementation of these new teaching techniques. However, some of the writing activities that are done could be put into practice in Spain. They use a VCOP code (vocabulary, connectives, openers, punctuation). Every student knows their level and their goals, so they have a clear idea about what they have to do in order to reach their objectives. Students also assess their own progress following a key – this is the 'traffic lights' assessment. The school also has meetings with the parents, at least twice a year, to show them what children learnt.

Davison High School for Girls – Paco, Susana and Mercedes

Davison school is a Church of England school, with a clearly defined ethos based on learning, engagement, thinking and success (LETS). The Spanish teachers had the opportunity to observe some interesting examples of good practices in this school.

• Structure of the lesson – All sessions have the same structure, and teachers in the same department have a very consistent approach to teaching, giving their lessons in the same way. All sessions begin with a starter, and learning objectives and success criteria are written on the board every day. The lesson usually includes other activities, as well as a plenary at the end.
• Activities are generally dynamic and participative, including think-pair-share activities, rally-robin (giving all students in a group of 4 people the opportunity to contribute in the process) and learning by doing. Teachers don't lecture their students, but they try to make students create their own knowledge working individually, in pairs or in groups.
• Students are encouraged to reflect about their learning process, reflecting individually, in pairs or in groups. Debates and discussions are very frequent.
• Assessment is done asking the students to reflect about what went well and what could be done even better if… There is self-assessment, peer-assessment and feedback given by the teacher, emphasizing the effort and giving a lot of praise to the pupils.
• Teachers use a rubber stamp to mark the notebooks. They also use KPI (key performance indicators)
• Differentiation is done working in Kagan groups of four. Each member in the group is assigned a colour according to his/her skills. Teachers also produce various resources and materials, according to the different levels of the students. Students are encouraged to work on the problems and activities they feel confident enough to face. Low ability groups have a low ratio (about 15 students) And each SEN student is helped by an assistant.
• Literacy is enhanced using DEAR time (drop everything and read). Once per week students go to the library and they have time to read.
• Students also have a red book (which is different to the ordinary notebook), used to write down difficult key words.

David Smith explains that a very interesting experiment was done to check how Chinese teaching style (mostly based on lecturing students) would work in an English school. Details about this experience can be found in the following link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/33766156/what-it-was-like-being-taught-by-chinese-teachers-in-the-uk

St Mary's Primary School – Javi and LuisMi

There are a lot of Polish students in this school – 34% of the pupils don't have English as their mother tongue. They also have a lot of students in each class (up to 34), but there are also teaching assistants who work with them.

Classroom routines were very effective as they were very well structured. Every day there is an assembly at the beginning of the day, and then students have numeracy classes, a break, guide reading, literacy, lunch time, and more classes in the afternoon.

In every lesson there is some time for individual work, some time to work in pairs and some time for team work. They foster autonomous learning, which is great, but there are some students who lose their time and are not learning at all.

Students can collect house points if they work properly. These points are used to assess students' behaviour using a 'traffic light' system. There is also group assessment, self-assessment and individual assessment. Students show if they found the activity easy, difficult or impossible with emoji images.

It is curious that children don't like PE lessons. Apparently teachers are not very interested in this subject, and they don't spend too much time preparing PE sessions.

Depending on the students' attainment level, they are placed in groups that vary from one class to another. Behaviour is managed praising students and being positive rather than giving warnings or grounding students.

Advanced students who are fast learners can move on to take a challenging task, which is always ready for them if they want to do it.

As for the curriculum, in this school most of the time is devoted to Mathematics and English. Other subjects, such as Science, are not considered equally important, which is quite surprising.

Bishop Tuffnel school – Cristina and Ana

Students are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated in this Church of England School. They use the traffic light system, but there are few students who will admit that they are in the “red” area needing extra help from the teacher. Students place themselves in the colour they think that corresponds to them. There are several awards that are given to the “star of the week” or the “advanced reader”. They also use stickers, trophies…

The pupils are given targets at the beginning of the lesson, they follow the plan and review their progress, and at the end they reflect on what they learnt and how successful their plan was.

There is a code of symbols that everyone knows and which is used for assessment by all the teachers and pupils. For those students that are outstanding and did their work very well, the EBI section can include a new difficult challenge for them (next steps, the extra mile)

St Philip Howard catholic high school – Gerardo and Isabel

This is a faith school, so regular attendance to religious services is one of the important selection criteria for the students who subscribe it. Even though the buildings are very old, the school has invested in making everything visually attractive. The distribution of spaces encourages learning and makes students feel comfortable and engaged. There are bright decorations and displays everywhere, as the school hired someone who is especially devoted to do this task. All teachers share a common philosophy of education, so they have the same perspective and teaching styles are quite consistent.

Downview Primary School – Luis and Nina

This is an academy, an outstanding school according to the ofsted reports. Everybody shames the mission of the school, based on collaboration, communication, creativity, resilience and risk taking.

Teachers have one day off, which is used to plan their lessons. The whole school follows the same lesson model, so there is a strong consistency. Learning objectives are always shared with the students at the beginning of the class.

Class management involves many routines, which helps to create a good atmosphere. Consistency in the use of rewards and sanctions is also remarkable. The teacher is a conductor rather than an instructor. Instead of subject notebooks, students use 'learning journals', based on the idea that the learning process is a journey. The progress of students is assessed using evidence, such as pictures of their productions to compare their initial work with their final outcomes at the end of the school year. Differentiation is very important, and teacher focus their attention on slow learners and SEN students, as they want them to catch up with the rest of the class.

Bourne Community College – Olga, Paz and Aurora

This school is focussed on progress. The school set targets for every student, based on their key stage 2 tests. Teachers share their learning objectives with the students at the beginning of the lesson, and they use a starter activity in every session. Warm-up activities can include spectacular experiments, or mysterious questions which can be quite engaging. Teachers use different ways to give information. For example, the teacher can distribute different handouts with certain problems and solutions, so that students must try to match them. This is a great way to deal with information instead of using a boring and dull textbook. A practical approach to education can be found everywhere. Peer assessment and self-assessment is used to check the progress of the students. Critical thinking is also a strong point in this school.

Bersted Green Primary School – Teresa and Esther

This school has gone through a very difficult period, but now it has a new headteacher. At this school teachers use wonderful warm-up activities, such as “Do as I say, not as I do”, “Good morning children”. They are used to start the class every morning. Teachers use many different techniques and activities, which can be done individually, in pairs, in small groups or in plenary sessions. For example, a controversial topic can be proposed to the students to launch a debate, in which students are invited to choose and defend one side or the other. Creativity is fostered with activities such as writing poems. Silence techniques are regularly used by the teachers, including the use of a special word that children associate with silence, the clap and rhythm, the call and response or the use of significant gestures. Among the feedback techniques, both the traffic lights and the thumbometer are widely used. Rewards are given using techniques such as a Class Dojo, a Vip pass or house points.

Monday, 23rd November

Today we received the visit of Toñi Fernández Yubero, who is the main coordinator of our training programme in the Comunidad de Madrid Regional Ministry of Education. She was eager to know the particulars of the course from us, so we had a meeting in the afternoon where we had the opportunity to share our impressions and suggestions about the programme with her. Most teachers said that they found the experience both fruitful and very interesting. However, there were also some teachers who considered that the first weeks at Chichester University had been somewhat confusing and stressful. The great variety of different learning strands, the amount of information that was given to us and the considerable effort that we invested in doing our tasks after classes made some of us feel a bit overwhelmed. The attachment experience at schools was, generally speaking, much more satisfactory, as most of us consider that observing how English teachers give their classes is an exceptional and very useful experience. Many members of the group also had the opportunity of teaching, making this experience one of the most interesting and valuable parts of our training course.

In order to make this training programme even better in the future, we gave Toñi some ideas and suggestions. Some people considered that it would be great if a certain amount of time could be allocated to give us the opportunity of sharing our good experiences, as in the group there are some outstanding teachers who could show us some of the activities and techniques that they successfully use with their students. Other people explained that, even though getting to know how English teachers prepare and give their classes is quite interesting, putting this educational approach into practice could be a rather challenging experience in Spain, especially for those of us who are used to a more traditional teaching style. If possible, it would be interesting to devote some time in the training programme to prepare some kind of scaffolding strategy that could help us to cover this gap, in order to make this transition between old-fashioned and modern teaching approaches easier to implement.

Friday, 20th November

During my last day at Bishop Luffa school I had the opportunity to observe a P4C class taught by Mr Walker to Year 8 students. The session was called ´My responsibility to others´and was about charitable giving.

Mr Walker reminds the students that the purpose of P4C is not to tell students what to do, but rather to give them accurate information so that they can take their own personal decisions.

As Christmas is coming soon, this class will make students aware of their gifts list, and it will show them the importance of responsible giving and the possibility of taking into account charity, alternative presents. This is a challenge to the traditional commercial view of Christmas.

To begin with, Mr Walker asks the students about the meaning of the word 'responsibility'. The starter task consists in writing their 'wants list', making it clear that there is a difference between wants and needs. Students are also invited to make a list of approximate costs associated with their list. Later, they will compare their personal list with their neighbour´s list. I notice that, even though the first part of the activity was supposed to be individually done, most students are talking about their wants with other people. This seems to be a very interesting task for them.

The teacher shows the award winning video 'Don't buy crap'. He is not only focussing on the content of the video, but also on the strategies used to make it effective and impressive. After watching the video, students are invited to work in teams. They must prepare a short presentation to raise awareness of the Oxfam unwrapped scheme. Later, they will be encouraged to talk before the plenary in order to present their 'pitch'. This will not only make them aware of the importance of this initiative, but if will also improve their communication skills.

I feel quite surprised at the way this subject is taught, in close and direct connection with the real life and personal interests of the students. Instead of discussing about abstract concepts or philosophical ideas, they are always focussed on practical, down-to-earth topics that have a real impact in the pupils´ lives!

Thursday, 19th November

The Philosophy for Citizenship class today is quite unusual, as it will be taught by Miss Smerdon to a very big group of students (90 of them). The class is about drugs, AIDS and contraception. These three topics are generally dealt with in three different sessions, but as there is not enough time they will be combined in a single 60-minute session.

FIRST PERIOD – Philosophy for Citizenship (P4C) – Year 11 - Miss Charlotte Smerdon

As a starter, a video is presented to the students, showing the dramatic effects of methamphetamine. Later, the teacher explains what drugs are, stressing the difference between legal and illegal drugs. Even though some drugs, such as alcohol, are legal, they are also dangerous. As for illegal drugs, the teacher shows a video called 'Top 10 deadliest street drugs'.

The teacher tells the students that people abuse of drugs because of peer pressure and to forget their problem. However, drugs can produce addiction and they can also be extremely dangerous. The teacher spends some time explaining the classification of different drugs, its effects and the legal punishments associated to each one of them.

In order to make them think, the teacher shows a picture to the students and asks them to imagine what it is about. It is a photo of Rachel Whitear, who was found dead in her bedroom after having drugs.

The second part of the lesson was about sex. A video was shown, 'The STD song', introducing some of the sexually transmitted diseases (or infections) and the dangers of unprotected sex. To explain the peculiarities of these STIs, very explicit images of its effects are shown to the students. I guess most of them are feeling quite scared after watching these disgusting pictures. I know that it is not easy to talk about these topics without patronising, but I must say that I find that this presentation was a bit biassed.

The last part of the lesson was about contraception. The teacher used a short video about it, before presenting all the different contraception methods that can be used to prevent undesired pregnancy.

As a final activity, the teacher asked the students two questions: 'Which are the only two contraceptive methods that will protect you both from pregnancy and STIs?' and 'Who is responsible for contraception, the male or the female?'

Taking into account that this period combined three different lessons in one single session, I think the teacher did an excellent job. However, I think that these topics are so important that it would be necessary to give them more time, in order to present them in a deeper and more effective way.

Wednesday, 18th November

Today I will be witnessing how Philosophy for Citizenship is taught at Bishop Luffa School.

FIRST PERIOD – P4C – Miss Smerdon is teaching Year 9

This is a class about divorce. The starter activity is a song. While the students listen to the song, the teacher shows a list of questions they will try to answer about the story. Pupils should focus on the lyrics in order to answer them properly. After listening to the song, the teacher gives the students a couple of minutes to think and to jot down their answers. The teacher invites the students to give their answers raising their hands, and she later corrects them. However, I notice that shy students don't participate and have no opportunity to share their own opinions with the rest of the class.

Next activity is a mind map that students must complete. In the centre of the map there is a single question: 'What are the reasons why a couple may divorce?' Students work individually, and they share their opinions with the rest of the class later. After this, the teacher uses a slide to explain the main reasons that might cause divorce. Special attention is given to the common idea that many teens share when their parents divorce, thinking that they are responsible for their family to split up.

In order to explain this, the teacher shows a video making it quite clear that when parents divorce, it is never the kid's fault. The video also gives some advice about how to behave in such a difficult situation. Many students raise their hands and share with the rest of the class their personal experiences connected with divorce.

Working in pairs and threes students are invited to discuss what coping strategies could be suggested to a thirteen year old whose parents are going through a divorce. After a few minutes, the teacher tells the kids what is ok and what is not ok in such a situation. Another video is shown to present some strategies that might be useful for these 'teen betweeners'. Later, the teacher presents two tasks for the students to choose. They can create a role play showing a couple going through divorce, or they can write a diary entry from a person whose parents are divorcing. They are given 15 minutes do finish this task. I notice that students stand up, move around the class, meet their friends and feel free to do whatever they want. They seem to enjoy the role play activity, but I am shocked to see that they are not taking any notes at all!

PERIOD TWO – P4C – Year 9 - Gav Walker gives a lesson about divorce

Mr Walker's lesson is also about divorce. Actually, he is using the same slideshow that I saw at Miss Smerdon's class. Comparing how the same lesson is taught according to the different teaching styles of these two teachers can be a very interesting experience!

First of all, Mr Walker invites students who might feel uncomfortable with the lesson to leave the classroom if they want and spend this period in the library. He also explains that this class will be very helpful, both for those students who have been personally affected by divorce and for those who haven't. Actually, after watching the video a girl felt so bad that she began to cry and had to leave the classroom! He also makes it clear that the purpose of the lesson is not to share personal experiences, but to give some useful tips that might be helpful for the students. He also stresses the two basic ideas of this session: 1) kids are not to blame for their parents' divorce, and 2) it is important to get external support when facing such a situation.

Mr Walker is also using the song, and he is also asking the students to answer some questions about the lyrics. But this time he asks individual students to focus on specific questions, so they will pay special attention to particular aspects of the story. I think this is a fantastic way to keep them focussed and engaged in the activity! However, only some students take notes while listening to the song.

To complete the mind map, Mr Walker invites the students to share their opinions with the rest of the class before showing the next slide, which has the answer. Even though the teacher gives a lot of praise to the students, I feel that there is little time to listen carefully – everything seems to be very fast, at least from my personal point of view!

Another difference between Mr Walker and Miss Smerdon has to do with the Samaritans. Mr Walker talks about them, showing that they are ready to listen to people's problems when they need someone to talk to. Even though they will give you no advice at all, they are good listeners and they will help you to cope with your personal suffering. He also reminds the students that they can also talk to their friends, to a member of the Church, to someone in their family, to a teacher, to a psychotherapist or counsellor… as the worst thing they can do is to bottle up their emotions in such a stressful and distressing situation as a divorce.

When Mr Walkers shows what should be done and what should be avoided in these cases, he asks the students to copy these tips on their book, in a table. The last video doesn't seem to work, because of a technical problem, so Mr Walker goes on with his class, showing the kids the Samaritans webpage and telephone number. He also shows the Childline website. This is a charity organization that tries to help children who are suffering distressing situations.

As a final activity, the teacher asks the students to recap three important pieces of advice that could be given to someone whose parents are divorcing. Pupils raise their hands and give their opinions, while a students jots down these ideas on the board. This is a good way to revise the lesson contents and end the session.

Tuesday, 17th November

My three week stay at Bishop Luffa has given me the opportunity to know how this outstanding school works, but it has also proved to be an excellent way to perceive some of the striking contrasts of English educational system. Even though teachers are vocational, skilled and committed professionals, they are put under a lot of pressure. They are always busy, as there is always some marking or planning to do. Most of them told me that they are forced to work during their weekends, as this seems to be the only way they find to catch up with their tasks. The annual increase of their salary depends on how successful they are in achieving their prescribed goals. They are always afraid of the Ofted inspectors, which may show up with no notice at all, and of their most frightening reports, which may cause serious trouble to them or to their schools. The headmaster is also aware of the academic evolution of every student, and makes sure that all teachers work as hard as possible in order to motivate and engage them. This is particularly important in a learning environment focussed on pupils’ autonomy, but not effective enough in making students aware of their own personal responsibilities. Lazy irresponsible pupils receive extra support, as their poor results might produce a bad impression both for parents and inspectors. According to my personal point of view, this is not exactly the best way to promote their responsibility, which is an essential feature in their personal and academic development.

Nevertheless, there are also astonishingly surprising elements in Bishop Luffa school life. As it is an academy, this school receives its budget directly from the central government, rather than from local authorities. The school also has great academic freedom, as it can decide its own curriculum according to its own particular preferences. Actually, the current curricular design is being altered, and major changes may occur in the following future. A special staff meeting was held yesterday in order to launch a debate trying to find the best curricular design for the school. All teachers were invited to share their opinions and suggestions, in a quite democratic and open process which I found quite unusual, especially if we compare it with the typical decision-making procedures which are habitual in the Spanish schools I know. Teachers were sitting in groups, and they were asked to participate in a way that was strikingly similar to the working techniques that are commonly used with their pupils in their classroom activities. As an open debate would have been a too wide and confusing way to participate, teachers, working in teams, were encouraged to reflect on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the new curriculum design. This SWOT analysis is an excellent way to produce good results in a very short time, combining open participation and synthetic effectiveness. There are so many interesting things to be learnt about these teachers!

Monday, 16th November

My stay at Bishop Luffa school is now in its third and last week. This week I was supposed to observe how Philosophy for Citizenship is taught, but the timetable I have been given for this week is not complete. Some of the teachers I was supposed to be attached at haven't answered the email that Stella sent them. Anyway, I talked to some members of the staff asking them if they would mind to have me observing their classes, so I finally managed to do some arrangements for this last week.

PERIOD TWO – Latin – Year 9

During period two, I observed Chloe's latin lesson. The way she takes the register is quite interesting, as she asks the students to conjugate a latin verb in order to check if they remember their last lesson.

After taking the register, a vocabulary revision is made. The teacher writes some latin words on the board, and the students copy them on their books. She asks some students individually about the English translation of these words. At the end she aks every one of them in order to check how many of the words were correct, and she takes note of these scores. Students who have a lot of mistakes are invited to meet the teacher on Friday at lunchtime to revise these words.

The class is focussed on the genitive case. The first activity is a 'Think, Pair, Share' one. Students have to think how many different ways are there in English to tell someone that a book belongs to you (20 seconds – think, 1 minute – pair, 5 minutes – share, with the teacher writing the different alternatives on the board) This is an introduction to show the students how in latin the genitive case is made changing the ending of the word. Then, students are asked to copy the table with the corresponding declensions on their books while the teacher makes sure that they have written them correctly.

The following part of the lesson consists in a story, written in latin, that students are reading. Next to the text there are some pictures which help students to guess the content of the story. The teacher asks the students to imagine what the scenes might represent. Later, pupils are invited to work in teams. Each group will focus on one specific section of the text. They will try to find genitive cases and they will translate them into English.

I notice that, even though students seem to understand the basic concepts and follow the class quite easily, some of them are not always focussed, as they are playing with their friends, gossiping or involved in their own private conversations. I am surprised to see how the teacher is not worried about this, as long as they learn and finish the activities. This shocks me as a striking contrast between the strict dress code and behaviour regulations, and the rather loose attitude towards the students who are distracted, playing or singing, instead of doing the tasks they are supposed to be working on. Anyway, when the activity is corrected they seem to have done everything quite well! Anyway, I also notice that some students, who are shy and never raise their hands, have less opportunities to participate than others.

The final activity consists in finding the genitive for a word given by the teacher.

PERIOD THREE

Gav Walker – Year 8 – Enriched Language

The class begins with two questions: Can I present a pitch and develop my verbal skills?, Can I listen to improve my note taking skills?

This ECL class is focussed on how to give good presentations. First of all, the teacher reminds the students that there will be a chairperson to control who will have the right to talk after the presentations, and also a scribe who will take notes of all the interventions.

As a starter activity, the students are asked to find the top five tipos on what makes a good pitch (meaning a good speech)

The core activity is centred on the presentations that students have prepared to show their friends the ride they took at New Thorpe Park. All students will take notes while another pupil is talking about a trip they did. While their friend is talking, the rest of the class will try to identify what went well (WWW) and what could be done even better if… (EBI) They will create a table with two columns, and they should be able to jot down two or three points in each of them (WWW and EBI)

Mr Walker is a very dynamic, active, energetic teacher. He jumps over the desks and moves around the class all the time, keeping students engaged and motivated. He appoints one chairman and one scribe, and all students have the opportunity to give their personal opinion about the presentation. The teacher reminds them that positive criticism is welcome, as long as it helps us to understand how to improve our presentation skills.

Though at certain moments the class seems to be quite noisy, I see that these students are learning a lot. I am amazed at the way these 12 year old students present their experiences and talk before an audience. It is obvious that this is a great way to improve their talking skills and foster their awareness of strong and weak points when listening to a speech. I am not surprised that they become so efficient and convincing speakers when they grow up, considering the wonderful training they have!

Friday, 13th November

Today, Bishop Luffa school is celebrating the 'day without uniform'. This initiative tries to raise money, because students are allowed to come to school in their ordinary clothes if they give one pound to charities. I find it quite interesting that some teachers are worried about this, as they think that discipline at school is connected with the clothes pupils wear. This emphasis on external signs and formality is quite shocking, as I personally think that behaviour has more to do with the personal rapport between teacher and pupils, and also with the emotional atmosphere in the classroom, rather than with dress codes and strict rules.

After observing during a whole week how Religious Education is taught at Bishop Luffa School, I realized that, even though the learning process is truly based on a student centred approach, most of the teaching was not as creative, challenging and innovative as I would have expected. In the class students are involved in many interactive activities, and teachers try to avoid the everlasting lecturing that is so characteristic in Spanish secondary schools. However, I felt a bit disappointed when I found that most of the teaching was based on rather dull slideshows which most of the time were only a mere reproduction of the textbook paragraphs. Certainly, the teacher proved to be a very energetic, enthusiastic and dynamic person, so students were easily engaged and interested in the lesson contents. But I was caught out by the amount of time students spent reading their textbooks and trying to figure out what the chapter was about. I couldn't help thinking that a flipped classroom approach would be much a more motivating, effective and productive way of teaching these contents. I hope this reflections can help me to be more aware of the drawbacks of my own teaching style, and that they will encourage me to find the strength and self-confidence that I need in order to experiment new teaching methods and techniques.

Overall, I think Bishop Luffa is an outstanding school, with excellent teachers and amazing learning standards. Some of their initiatives are really fantastic. For example, they encourage students to jot down their own personal opinion about their subjects, their teachers and the school management in anonymous notes that are regularly collected and taken into account. Some of these notes are even posted on the staff room, so that everyone can read them. I also love the way they use self-assessment and peer-assessment, since year 7 to year 13, so at the end of their secondary education these students are not only skilled in passing their tests, but they also become expert evaluators. Another amazing aspect of teaching here is the way in which they deal with different learning styles, respecting all individual needs and orientations. When asked to do an activity, students can choose the way to solve it – whether it be writing, drawing, creating tables of mindmaps, etc.

Thursday, 12th November

Today I finally enjoyed the opportunity to experience how to teach a lesson to English students in a British classroom. As the reference teacher had to give individual feedback to Year 12 students, she asked me to give her class. It was a session about Situation Ethics, an interesting approach to morality based on Christian values which was developed by the American theologian and philosopher Joseph Fletcher in the 1960s. According to this particular approach to Ethics, what is right or wrong cannot be rigidly derived from a strict set of absolute rules, as the context and the situation should always be taken into account. Fletcher considers that the only intrinsic good is love, so love should be the only central rule for Christian decision.

As the teacher had a slideshow presentation for this lesson, adapting it to my own teaching style was not a difficult task. I introduced a punchy starter activity, including a short excerpt from the last sequence in the classic film 'High Noon'. I thought that this scene could help me to show how Situation Ethics considers that sometimes rules can be overridden in specific cases. Later, I prepared a simple test to revise the basic concepts and ideas the students had already studied in their previous lessons. Finally, in order to present the central core of the lesson, I asked them to work in teams. Each team had to focus on one of the six different principles of Situation Ethics. They were encouraged to write a clear explanation of this principle, and to find an example which may clarify its meaning. I also asked them to think about the strong and weak points of each principle, so that they could have arguments to decide by themselves how sound this particular Ethical Theory is.

The class seemed to be quite successful, as all students were engaged, discussing their personal ideas in their groups and producing interesting and relevant examples for the six principles. All of them copied the basic contents of the lesson in their books, and seemed to understand the main rationale of Situation Ethics. However, I found that they were not very participative. It was hard to make them share their personal opinions. Maybe they were caught out by my presence in the class, as the lesson was supposed to be taught by their reference teacher. It might be hard for a 17 year old student to behave in a natural and spontaneous way in front of a new, foreing, unknown teacher who just appeared out of the blue. Nevertheless, I felt that at the end of the class most of them were satisfied with the lesson, and I had the impression that all of them learnt what Situation Ethics is about. This probably means that my teaching objectives were hopefully achieved in this lesson, the first one I ever teach in front of a full class of 28 British Sixth Formers!

The interesting point is that, at the end of the day, during the fifth and last period, I had the opportunity to teach another class to the same group of students. This second lesson was about euthanasia, so I thought that a debate could be an interesting way to address this tricky and controversial topic. I designed a rather complex lesson, including video clips and several examples of well known people who fought to get the right of putting an end to their own lives. I also presented the students a difficult moral dilemma: the case of Frances Inglis, who killed her son in order to prevent him from suffering. Students were divided into two different groups, depending on their personal position about euthanasia. I asked them to find, working in teams, different arguments to defend their opponents' positions. Later, I asked them to find adequate rebuttals for these arguments. Finally, the debate was put into practice. I asked them to sit in rows, facing their opponents. Each student had 2 minutes to defend his/her own position with sound arguments. At the end of this brief dialogue, each pupil was asked to grade his/her opponent in two different aspects – the soundness of his/her arguments and the respect with which he/she considered differing arguments and reasons. After these 2 minutes, students had to move one position, and this process was repeated 7 times, so each pupil had the opportunity to debate with 7 different people. This part of the activity was quite noisy and I had some difficulties when trying to explain the instructions to the class. Its obvious that I am far from mastering these new teaching techniques, and that I need a lot of practice before I can run them as smoothly and effectively as I would like to. But, generally speaking, I think that the students had fun and learned a lot. Hopefully this lesson helped them to understand the ethical complexity of euthanasia, and to identify arguments for it and against it. After watching the impressive final sequence of 'The sea inside', we still had a few minutes for a final activity, in which students had the opportunity to compare their previous opinion about euthanasia with the more sophisticated and rich arguments that they learnt during the debate. I think it was a quite successful and interesting experience, and I am looking forward to putting it in practice when I go back to my own school in Madrid!

Wednesday, 11th November

There is no doubt that having the opportunity to witness how English schools work is a rare and precious privilege, especially when the observer is not an Ofsted inspector, but an ordinary teacher coming from a foreign country. For me, getting to know Bishop Luffa school has not only been a privilege, but also an exceptional and quite revealing experience. Stella Richi’s wonderfully welcoming attitude made things much easier for us and contributed to make us feel like if we were at home. In order to organize our stay at Bishop Luffa, she carefully planned a detailed timetable that helped us to have a general vision of the school and also a specific understanding of how our own subjects are taught here.

After our first  day’s induction experience, we had the  opportunity to accompany three different students, shadowing them during a whole day at school. This helped us to understand the similarities and differences between the English and the Spanish educational approaches, and made us aware of the way teachers design and put into practice their specific lesson plans. The following days we were attached to different faculties and departments, so that we could see how our own subjects are taught. Even though there are some peculiarities which are specific to certain subjects, most of the teachers share a common student-based perspective, fostering interaction, dialogue and participation in the class. For me, this was probably the most striking aspect of my observations, as our teaching style in Spain tends to be mainly focussed on contents provided by the teacher. Now I have realized that lecturing my students is not only a dull and boring way of teaching, but it is also less effective, motivating and engaging than encouraging them to think by themselves and try to build their own  knowledge using their own resources. Though I was quite familiar with the theoretical bases of this constructivist approach to teaching, the truth is that I never had the opportunity of witnessing how it really works in practice. The experience has been a revelation, as it showed me the amazing power and effectiveness of letting our students develop their own potentialities. Instead of focussing their teaching on an unattainable list of contents, teachers at Bishop Luffa are more interested in developing their skills and capacities, which seems to be a much more reasonable and productive way of teaching, and which is actually what we are supposed to do according to the educational guidelines provided by the European Union.

Another fascinating aspect of teaching at Bishop Luffa is the way teachers try to make students aware of their metacognitive processes. Reflection about the different learning styles is frequent, and it helps students to understand that there are many different ways to learn and that each person should know how to apply his/her particular style in each specific situation. When asked to do an activity, some students prefer to write, while others might choose to create a mind map, a table or a drawing. All these possibilities are equally valid, as long as the answer is suitable and adequate, so every child has the opportunity to develop his/her own approach to the same contents. There is also a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including languages, music, sports, charities, drama and nearly every possible kind of option you may possibly think of. Taking part in these after school clubs, students are not only extending their knowledge and skills, but they also keep more involved in the school activities and in their local community.

Bishop Luffa school is also exceptional in the way it promotes social cohesion. Everywhere I could sense a feeling of brotherhood and belonging that is rarely to be found in the Spanish schools I know. Morning briefings, daily assemblies and regular meetings are very effective ways to foster community integration. Everybody seems to share the same goals and the same values, so the atmosphere at school reminds me of a big family. Moreover, every individual is taken care of, as the school is organized both horizontally (in houses) and vertically (in age groups and key stages). Every house and every key stage has its own head, who keeps an eye on every student they are responsible for. This is an astonishingly effective way of addressing individual problems, both academic and personal, and of making sure that nobody is left behind.

However, there are also some aspects I didn’t like so much. For example, I noticed that there is a nearly ubiquitous competitive spirit, which seems to underpin both lesson plans and extracurricular activities. Students are encouraged to obtain ‘stars’ giving correct answers for the questions posed by the teacher. These stars are eventually transformed into merits, which are highly valued rewards. There is also a system to punish offences using ‘red slips’ which can eventually lead to a detention when they accumulate. Though this proves to be a very effective way to manage discipline, and though the students seem to enjoy this endless competition against other schools, other houses and other pupils, I personally find that this specific approach has a strong behaviourist bias, as it insists in individual reward and punishment instead of promoting generous cooperation in a collaborative approach.

There is also another key aspect of English education which I find strikingly shocking, and which refers to the teacher’s role in the class. In stark contrast with what is usual in Spain, there is a clear formal distance between English teachers and their pupils. This detachment is not only visible in the dress code that everybody respects, but also in the teachers’ words, gestures and attitudes. I am well aware of the cultural differences between England and Spain, and I also understand the importance of the authority role that teachers are supposed to represent. But I personally feel more comfortable with a warmer, more affectionate way of teaching.

Nevertheless, taking into account the outstanding teaching standards at Bishop Luffa and the exceptional results of their students in their tests, I can only feel grateful and honoured for the exceptional opportunity of visiting this school. For me, this extraordinary experience has been a source of inspiration and an incentive to reflect on how to improve my own way of teaching. Hopefully, the wide range of activities and techniques I had the opportunity to witness will help me to change my own approach to education, shifting the focus of the lesson in  order to place students in the centre of the process, and making them more aware of their own cognitive processes.

Tuesday 10th November

 

MEETING IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL

Year 10 have a meeting with the head of Key Stage. The meeting is focussed on Remembrance Day, which is the 11^th November. The students are reminded of the meaning of the red poppy and the white poppy.

FIRST PERIOD

Year 10 – RE lesson taught by Miss Ghinn

It might be interesting to take into account that Miss Ghinn is temporarily in char ge of the head of the RE department, as the person who was appointed for this post had an operation. If I understood her correctly, the slideshows she is using were prepared by the head of the department. She also told me that she uses these slideshows as her own lesson plans, so that she gets rid of a lot of paperwork. They help us to know what goes next and what should be done in each period.

This lesson is called 'Looking for meaning – the nature and existence of God'

The teacher asks the students about the characteristics of God.

In order to understand the nature of God the students will read their textbooks and make a table, comparing how Christianity and Islam describe the Supreme Being

The teacher also explains what revelation means. She asks the students about how people experience God. With the correct answers, she fills in the gaps of a cloze text activity. As usual, when students give correct answers or relevant information, they get 'stars' or positive points.

Using their textbooks, the students also get to know some of the symbols that are used in Christianity and Islam to make a reference to God. They also reflect about what influences people's understanding of God.

As a final activity there is a 'shoot out' plenary. The teacher asks students to stand up. She asks a question and students raise their hands to answer. If they are right, they can 'shoot' two students, who will sit down. This is a great, engaging and motivating way to revise the contents of the lesson!

SECOND PERIOD

Year 10 – RE - Lesson taught by Miss Ghinn

This lesson is quite similar to the one taught by Miss Ghinn during the first period, only that this has extra content as the students are in a 'express' course.

As a revision activity, the teacher asks the students to answer the following questions, which were included in previous GCSE exams:

• Explain how a religious believer might worship God.
• Everyone should use symbols to help them God? - 4 minutes
• Explain from one religions tradition teachings about God. - 6 minutes

In each of these questions, students are also asked to give 2 reasons why a religious believer would agree or disagree with the statement made by the student.

The teacher insists in the importance of taking into account the minutes invested in every question, as they will have no more times in their real examination.

PERIOD THREE

Year 12 – Lesson taught by Miss Ghinn

The lesson is focussed on euthanasia. The teacher explained in previous sessions the difference between active and passive euthanasia. The starter activity is a revision of these concepts. As an assignment, the students were asked to find factual information about DIGNITAS, the Swiss organization that helps people who want to die.

Anyway, as this is a sensitive topic, before beginning with her lesson, the teacher reminds the students that participation and attendance will not be compulsory. In case any of them needs some time out of the class, they are free to leave the classroom.

Philosopher James Rachels challenges the idea that passive euthanasia is morally acceptable whereas active euthanasia is not. Acoording to Rachels, killing, in itself is not necessarily worse than letting people die. He gives some examples to support his own position, showing that in some situations omission can have the same effects as active intervention.

The debate involves the difference between the action in itself and the intentions underpinning it.

The teacher also shows the students a quote by Piergiorgio Welby, an Italian artist who campaigned to be allowed to die: “Death can never be dignified, it is life that should be dignified… euthanasia is not about death, it is about life.” Students discuss their views about this quote working in pairs. Later they are encouraged to share their points of view with the rest of the class.

As an assignment, the teacher asks the students to draw up cases for and against euthanasia, taking into account different possibilities: situationist and utilitarian philosophical perspectives and also religious perspectives. In order to prepare their points of view, the teacher gives them several handouts, including arguments for and against euthanasia. There are many different articles and documents, covering a very wide range of standpoints, from Christian groups that defend life to associations that try to promote changes that legalise euthanasia.

Another interesting quote comes from Ecclesitastes: 'Death is better than a miserable life, an eternal rest than chronic sickness'. The teachers shows many more quotes, some for and some against euthanasia. She herself offers, from time to time, her own rebuttals for some of these arguments.

I feel shocked when I notice the straightforward and direct way the teacher gives her own opinion about this controversial issue. However, she also presents alternative points of view in a very open-minded and respectful way.

As a final activity, students are asked to pick one of these handouts and take quick notes about it. The homework for these students consists in analysing these perspectives, using all these resources that can be accessed through the school intranet.

After the class, I talk to Miss Ghinn about the possibility of preparing a lesson plan focussed on a debate about euthanasia. Not only she agrees, but she also suggests me to prepare another lesson about Situation Ethics for next Thursday. I am looking forward to teaching these wonderful students!

Monday, 9th November

MEETING IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL

All year 10 students have a meeting with the head of Key Stage. They have such meetings every two weeks, focussed on the academic progress of the students

This week I will be attached to the Religious Education department (RE). This will give me the opportunity of getting to know how philosophy of religion is taught in the school.

FIRST PERIOD

RE – Year 9 – Class taught by Mr. Shummer

In this classroom students are sitting in rows, not in groups. According to what some of the pupils tell me, Religious Education doesn't seem to be a very exciting subject for them.

The class begins revising the homework they are supposed to be working on. As an assignment, students must create a Memorial design, with their own personal suggestion for a space devoted to the memory of the victims of tragic events such as the Holocaust. They will show their ideas in a drawing and also in a written document which should argue whether racism can be overcome. The teacher will check the reasons given by the students, as well as the language used by them. They should use some of the key concepts and ideas that have been explained in the class.

It takes the teacher quite a long time to take the register. While he is doing this task, the students are supposed to revise the instructions about the assignment they have to do. Later he shows a slideshow about personal identity. What is your identity? Students give different answers What did the Nazis think about Jewish identity? The teacher expects them to use concepts such as racism, stereotypes, etc…

Only now the teacher shows the Learning Outcomes of the lesson: Students will consider what is meant by identity and they will get to understand Britain's multicultural roots. He also asks the pupils some interesting questions: Who would say 'I am a patriot'? In which context? What does this mean? The teacher talks about the British National Party, as when they say 'I am proud of being British' they actually mean 'I am proud of being white'.

To show this a video is used – Billy Bragg sings the song 'Half English'. The teacher explains the context in which this song was sung – in a multi-ethnic festival that was held in a multicultural city. He asks the students to pick some remarkable concepts and sentences connected with the lesson. After the lesson he asks the students to share with their partners one of the ideas that they have identified in the song. What are the benefits of being a multicultural society? Is multiculturalism a good thing? Is England a 'beautiful country'? What makes it beautiful or not beautiful? Do you agree? What would someone say in response to your view? After discussing in pairs, the teacher asks them to share their ideas in groups of 4.

Kids seem to enjoy this activity very much, but I am not sure whether they are actually discussing the particular topic the class is focussed on. Besides, they are not asked to jot down their ideas so it will be hard for the teacher to check if they really did their task. The teacher asks individually half of the students what makes Britain a beautiful country. Later, he asks individually the rest of the class what could be improved. The answers are really interesting, as some pupils talk about insecurity, overpopulation, taxes… The teacher also talks about his own personal opinion, showing the kids that racism is also a problem in the UK, even though no student talked about it.

As a new activity, the teacher shows a video with the testimony of a survivor of a Nazi death camp. After the video, the teacher explains his own opinion: he thinks that the way UK welcomed Jewish refugees after WW2 is a very beautiful aspect of the country – however, according to his own personal point of view (something he stressed a lot) it is not so beautiful how they are treating Syrian refugees nowadays.

SECOND PERIOD

RE – Year 11 – Lesson taught by Miss Ghinn

Students are distributed in groups, sitting with their mates.

The topic these students are studying is called 'Challenges to the argument from Religious Experience.' There are philosophical arguments against the experience of God, and there are also scientific arguments against it.

They had some homework that the teacher reminds them to do.

Students use a notebook: 'AQA – Religious studies – philosophy of religion' by Anne Jordan, Neil Lockyer and Edwin Tate. They also use another book 'Religious experience' by Peter Cole

The teacher asks the students the following question: Is an experience of God a philosophically sound notion? This is connected with a previous essay they have written, about the cosmological argument and Aquinas's ways to demonstrate God's existence. The teacher gives the students 5 minutes to read some paragraphs from the textbooks they are using. Later, she asks them to make notes to summarise what both sources say about these challenges. She insists in the importance of showing in their writing some evidence that proves that they have read the books.

In order to discuss if the 'experience of God' is a philosophically sound notion, the teacher asks the students to give their own reasons and opinions. Students give excellent arguments, such as the 'fallacy of composition'!

The teacher insists in the fact that perfectly sane and healthy people feel that they had the experience of God, so pupils should not talk about them in a disrespectful way. She asks them to consider this experience and think about it giving arguments.

There are several possibilities to foster debate and exploration. The teacher compares the experience of God to: 1) A material experience, 2) An experience of people, 3) Can god be recognised? 4) Direct experience of God is impossible

A good strategy: Can any of you explain this as if your friends were in year 3?

The class is based on an open dialogue, so students can interrupt the teacher and express their own opinions and suggestions. The teacher also talks about some personal experiences – including a very touching story that happened to a close friend of hers – in order to engage the students and foster debate.

I feel quite surprised by the depth, understanding and critical comments of these students, who are supposed to be Christian believers. Nevertheless, they are thoughtful and very intelligent listeners, and they accept nothing at face value!

THIRD PERIOD

RE – Year 11 – Lesson taught by Miss Ghinn

This lesson is

The teacher gives the class some homework. They have to make an index revision card of key thinkers and their major ideas. In order to explore the question 'Can the finite experience the infinite?' they will have to read a chapter in the textbook, but they will also have to do some further reading to expand their knowledge, as they will have to sit an exam on RE for their AS levels.

The objective for this lesson is to identify some of the main philosophical challenges to the argument from Religious Experience.

As their first activity, the students will have to explore the question 'Is an experience of God a philosophically sound notion?'. In order to discuss this topic and to be able to write a good essay on it, they are encouraged to read their textbooks. The teacher is using the same presentation and the same resources that have been used in her previous lesson with year 10. I also notice that most of the questions and arguments in her slideshow are taken from one of the textbooks they are using.

I love they way the teacher encourages her students to find arguments and counter-arguments for all the questions in the lesson. Apparently, in the class there are both believers and atheists. The teacher respects all opinions and tries to promote debate and discussion on rational grounds about these issues. However, I also notice that in this lesson she has been talking a long time, as their students are not very willing to participate.

FOURTH PERIOD

During the fourth period, both Marga and I have free time, so we can prepare our lesson plans and meet our tutors from Chichester University

FIFHT PERIOD

Year 13 – Class taught by Miss Ghinn

As starter, there is a recall test in order to revise the key concepts that were taught in the previous lesson. The class is about John's Gospel, so the students are asked to explain some of the basic ideas that will make the text understandable. 

Students will have to do some homework. They will have to create a one page summary poster about the topic they are studying, and they will have to complete wider reading an notes and then produce an essay plan. They will also have to examine the nature of signs, using the study guide they are following.