Our 1st session of the year, and we looked at how various ingredients go into creating the growth mindsets and stretch and challenge for all our lessons.
Our role is essential, not surprisingly, and it is the right combination of the circles below that gets the challenge right.
How we communicate is so important, as this will contribute to the establishment of the right ethos and mindset – growth as opposed to fixed.
We start with resilience, and the old straw-through-potato trick. Spit, grit and a whole lot of duct tape was used by some, with varying success, and it was agreed by all that if we are to drive stretch and challenge, a resilient attitude amongst all learners was vital.
This connects with our growth mindset – do we practise and preach this as well? Jodie was a true believer on this…
The areas that we considered really crucial to improving the learning ethos stemmed from a few key concepts:
“Challenge in education is the provision of difficult work that causes students to think deeply and engage in healthy struggle. If we get this right, all else will follow.”
- It is not just about the ‘most able’.
- It is high expectations for all.
- It is good for students to struggle just outside of their comfort zone – that is when they are likely to learn most.
The next step in the jigsaw was looking at the pedagogy behind Establishing the right ethos: As a group we looked at The Learning Zone Model (Senninger, 2000)
Comfort Zone | Struggle Zone | Panic Zone |
Low challenge
Low stress Limited thinking Limited learning |
High challenge
Low stress Thinking required Effective learning |
Very high challenge
High stress Cognitive overload Limited learning |
Together we watched this amazing discussion about the difference between a Fixed and Growth mindset. It is important that we, as teacher’s reflect the same positive ethos in our classroom and model high expectations and trust. This video created lots of exciting discussion around our pupils at Westfield and how we can diminish fixed mindsets amongst the most challenging pupils. We very much look forward to putting our ideas into practice.
The next stepping stone on our whole staff CPD session was to get the staff talking about what they key ingredients are; to establish this growth mindset ethos in their lessons. So , of course, we played a game of Pictionary. Special thanks go out to our amazing Art teachers Sam and Leah, who designed our wonderful playing cards.
After a long and healthy discussion and a lot of different diamond nines, we were able to identify the key ingredients necessary in enabling stretch and challenge. It created several debates- but that is good- because every single element is vital:
- Working with your LSA
- Contact with parents
- Listening
- Promoting resilience
- Clarity of the learning direction
- Having strong subject knowledge
- Using your class context sheets as a daily guide to planning
- Having high expectations of all students
- Having good relationships
- Creating a safe and inspiring learning environment
- Being a strong presence in the classroom, and running the show.
Knowing the students, knowing the subject, knowing what they find difficult
If high expectations are in place, with the bar set high, we can differentiate downwards with the most suitable strategy to hoist each individual child up.
After a fantastic and engaged session, we left our teachers with a few tasks for the upcoming week:
1.Context sheets- know the students you are teaching
2.Read your SEN Booklets
3.Raise the bar for the learning direction of the lesson
4.Stretch their capabilities- put them in the learning zone-not the comfort zone.
5.Settle for nothing but their best-inspire & support them in their learning, every lesson.
Did you have an outside provider for this or was it in house?
LikeLike
All in-house, led by team of t and l associates. We used as a foundation Shaun Allison’s ‘Making every lesson count’. We’ve now established a core set of procedures that work for us at Westfield. Happy to share.
LikeLike
Hi that would be great, my email address is head@ralphsadleir.herts.sch.uk
LikeLike
Hi – This looks wonderful. I teach in north London and would be really keen to see this – can is end you my email? Would you be happy to share the resources you used?
LikeLike
Just left above message but without email – my address is davidmullen14@hotmail.com Thanks in advance.
LikeLike
Hi Thanks for the offer of a share-do you have a copy of this presentation and cards you used in this stretch and challenge CPD? My email is davidmullen14@hotmail.com
LikeLike
Hi do you have a copy of this presentation and cards you used in this stretch and challenge CPD? My email is benrhys@hotmail.com
LikeLike
Hi
Would you mind sending me a copy of this CPD? It looks fantastic!
Many thanks in advance.
Aimee
ladypickle86@yahoo.co.uk
LikeLike
This CPD looks great – as above I would love a copy if possible!
Many thanks in advance 🙂
Beth
b.glew55@gmail.com
LikeLike
I am delivering a CPD in a couple of weeks and would be really grateful for a copy of your presentation and resources (cards etc) if you don’t mind sharing? Many thanks, Debra
LikeLike
No problem, what is your email?
LikeLike
debra.vincent@academy360.co.uk
Thanks!
LikeLike
Hello, this looks really good. I am also delivering a CPD in a few weeks would also be really grateful for a copy of your presentation and resources if you are happy to share? Many thanks, Scott
tithers@turton.uk.com
LikeLike
Hi loved the ideas, esp Pictionary. Would you be willing to send me a copy too.
Rosina.noor@gmail.com
Many thanks
LikeLike
Hi, this looks amazing. Would you be willing to share? d.anderson@tsatrust.org.uk
Thank you
LikeLike
As above- would be great to trial this with my team if you don’t mind sharing?
shaun.daly@hotmail.co.uk
Regards
LikeLike
Hi, Your Stretch and challenge CPD looks brilliant. Would you be able to share any of the resources you have? I like the look of the potato activity! I’m looking to deliver a CPD session on Stretch and Challenge in a couple of weeks. My email is l.walmsley@stmarysblackburn.ac.uk. Thanks.
LikeLike
May I also join the list of those eager to produce something similar? our staff would learn a lot from the creativity and relevance of this session. Many thanks,
sbyrne4@sky.com
LikeLike
I have found this so inspiring and would also like to use some of your ideas for an in house CPD course at a sixth form college. Please could you email me any resources you are willing to share. Kind regards and thank you! mshepherd@greenhead.ac.uk
LikeLike
Would be very grateful if you could share please – bbrown36.209@lgflmail.org Thank you for sharing
LikeLike
hi I know you delivered this a long time ago but can you email me any of your core values and resources please, I am about to deliver a similar cpd. s.scott@divinesaviour.herts.sch.uk
LikeLike
Hi there, same as above. Anything you could offer for our September CPD launch would be great. Thank you so much, it really looks great😁. cfancett@eccoschool.com
LikeLike
Hi, I too am delivering CPD on Stretch and challenge in a couple of weeks and your session looks perfect for my school in Norfolk, we also use the Shaun Allison ideas in our development of T & L. Would you be willing to share? My email address is berryd@nwhs.uk
Thank you!
LikeLike
I am delivering a course on a similar topic. Would you mind sharing resources / slides? My email is amorris@stm.beds.sch.uk
Thank you!
LikeLike
Happy to send on resources. Please let me know it all goes.
LikeLike
This is quite useful. Would you mind sharing this me especially the resources. how does the pictionary work
? my email is esther.chelliah@virginmedia.com
LikeLike
Hi this looks inspiring, Would you mind sharing this with me especially the resources and the core set of procedures that have worked for you.
shaziaakram@live.co.uk
LikeLike
This CPD looks really interesting. Would you mind sharing these resources with me. Many Thanks.
LikeLike
No problem, send us an email address
LikeLike
Hi do you have a copy of this presentation and cards you used in this stretch and challenge CPD please. Looks interesting. My email is
LikeLike
would you be willing to share please. email
LikeLike
Would you mind sharing these resources please as I am doing something similar
LikeLike