The Enquiry | 005

E N Q U I R Y

LEARNING & RESEARCH AT DOWNE HOUSE

005.JOURNAL 1 A Student Perspective 2 Learning Environments 6 Digital Teaching Assistant 7 Literacy Corner

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005.JOURNAL Contents

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CONTENTS

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE NOTE

Page 4

A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE 01. What Do You Enjoy or Value in Your Learning?

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LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS 02. Building the Culture and Value of a School

by Matt Godfrey 03. Motivation and its Value in Careers Guidance

by Sarah Barnard 04. Mental Health and Neurodivergence

by Charlotte Jones 05. Benefits of Therapy Dogs in Reading Lessons

by Stuart Simons

10 12 14 16

DIGITAL TEACHING ASSISTANT 06. Chat GTP: A New Teaching Assistant

by Jane Basnett

22

LITERACY CORNER 07. The Literary Hinterland: A Lesson I Love

by Andrew Atherton 26 08. Seven Myths of Education by Daisy Christodolou reviewed by Agnese Lyne 29

NOTICE BOARD AND STAFF RESEARCH LIBRARY SHOWCASE

30

References and Bibliography

31

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A Note from the Editorial Committee

005. JOURNAL Welcome to the Lent term edition of our staff Learning and Research Journal, the Enquiry. Across this issue you will find a wealth of ideas and reflections from members of the Downe House community about all things educational research and Teaching and Learning.

We begin, importantly, with a section devoted to student perspectives about their own learning experience. Here, we asked students to write a brief summary of something they enjoy or find useful in their learning.

They were given no further brief or guidance. The comments are, not surprisingly, very insightful!

A STAFF JOURNAL DEDICATED TO REFLECTIONS ON EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND TEACHING AND LEARNING AT DOWNE HOUSE SCHOOL

We then move onto two article that both explore, in different ways, helping students to thrive and to achieve their very best. Matt Godfrey, for instances, discusses the importance of building a whole school culture whilst Sarah Barnard focusses on effective careers guidance.

In a similar vein – ensuring all students thrive – we continue with an article

by Charlotte Jones in which she examines the importance of cultivating a neuroinclusive environment. This is followed by a Guest Article by Stuart Simons (Head of English, Berkhamsted School) in which he investigates the role that therapy dogs may play in the classroom.

Next, two articles both with a focus on digital pedagogy. Jane Basnett examines the rise of ChatGTP and its many possible benefits in the classroom. Andrew Atherton then outlines one of his favourite lessons to teach, which includes embedding Microsoft Forms into teaching.

Scan to read all editions of The Rnquiry

The issue concludes with a book review by Agnese Lyne, looking at Daisy Christodoulou’s Seven Myths of Education.

Our thanks go to everyone that took the time to write and submit an article as well as Sue Lister who was instrumental in preparing and designing this edition. The next edition of The Enquiry will be published in Michaelmas 2023 as a retrospective of Summer term 2023. A Call for Papers will be announced soon, but if you have an idea and would like to contribute please do get in touch with any member of the Editorial Committee.

The Enquiry Editorial Committee Andy Atherton Charlotte Williams Kerry Treacy

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A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

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01.

A Student Perspective: Classroom Environment, Small Steps, Videos, and Class Discussion KATY YAO (LIV) TALKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DIFFERENT PEDAGOGIC APPROACHES AND START OF LESSON QUIZZES. I like how our work is a mix of written work and digital activities.

This motivates me to study and is helpful when I start taking notes later. I also like how several approaches are used within our lessons since it enables me to determine which method of learning is the easiest for me. For instance, having a Kahoot quiz on

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the topic we are learning, a video recap of the teacher’s lecture or a Quizlet with numerous flashcards for vocab. Another thing I like about our lessons are the starter questions at the beginning of each lesson, they are another aspect of some of the learning strategies that I particularly enjoy. This makes it much easier for me to get started with the lesson and helps me to remember what we did in the previous lesson. It resembles the warm-up game that happens before a sports game.

A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

CATHERINE YAM (REMOVE) DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPERIENCING SUCCESS FOR SUSTAINED MOTIVATION. Learning can be hard work but also fun. Hard work isn’t always everyone’s favourite but once you have finished something, it feels rewarding. Learning makes me confident to tackle the next challenge. I especially value how the things we learn link and build on ideas I never thought about.

I enjoy problem solving because finding the solution to a problem feels like an achievement that is well deserved. This really helps to keep me motivated.

LOLA OYEGUNLE (UVI) SHARES WITH US HER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHER PASSION. When Dr Atherton first asked me to provide a student perspective regarding ideas around teaching, I wasn’t quite sure what to write on. At Downe House every teacher has a lot to share with their students. Every teacher is highly knowledgeable. Every teacher is thorough, approachable. However, when I think of teachers that I am most successful in their subjects or teachers whose lessons I look forward to most, the distinguishing factor is passion.

IT IS ALWAYS APPARENT WHEN TEACHERS ENJOY TEACHING THEIR CONTENT AS THEIR EXCITEMENT IS CONTAGIOUS, PARTICULARLY AT A LEVEL WHEN STUDENTS HAVE CHOSEN THAT SUBJECT AND IT IS POSSIBLE TO ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION.

It is always apparent when teachers enjoy teaching their content as their excitement is contagious, particularly at A Level when students have chosen that subject and it is possible to engage in discussion.

Passion from a teacher makes lessons far more interesting, interactive, attention-grabbing and increases engagement. Even going on a tangent and straying from the syllabus ever so slightly proves helpful in building a complete image of the topic.

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From a student’s point of view, it feels much more like the teachers wants to be there rather than they have to be there. Though, I understand that teachers cannot be excited about every single topic on the syllabus and will have favourites as well as topics that seem incredibly dull or tedious, but chances are if as a teacher that’s how the topic makes you feel, your students may feel similar. I think sharing this information with your students reminds them that you too are human and allows them to begin to build a relationship, in the loosest sense of the word, with you. Like I mentioned above, I genuinely believe that every teacher at Downe is capable of teaching effectively and I don’t really think there’s anything I could say if this wasn’t the case to tell you how to do your job however, what I can do is provide insight into what students think and speak.

Often, what comes up in conversation after a lesson or when talking about teachers we find particularly effective, it’s the way they feel about their subjects that comes through and in turn how that drives us as students.

HELEN FOULKES (REMOVE) EXPLAINS HOW SHE VIEWS LEARNING AS AN ADVENTURE. The main reason I love learning is because it is like a great adventure.

Each lesson or test gives you the key to unlock more knowledge and ability. Imagine an explorer, hacking through a jungle to reach an ancient Incan tomb, or school.

As they push open the doors, they find a puzzle to figure out, or a code to crack to help them to the next stage, to finally reach the delights at the end. For me, the puzzle of reaching the end is fun and enjoyable, but unfolding the puzzle is more satisfying than the final result.

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Say in a Latin class, for me, figuring out the answer for each question, is more enjoyable than the final result of having more knowledge to help me succeed in harder questions.

The teachers are really supportive and push me on to try harder. We do a good mixture of group work and solo work, and if we don’t want to do a presentation in front of the class, we are supported to do the work and present or show our learning in a different way.

There is always someone to help if you need it, and you always have support in everything. The other students will always be happy to help you, and sometimes we do Kahoots and Blookets to add a little bit of healthy competitiveness.

The lessons are really fun and interesting, and there is always something more to do. I love learning, and here it is just made twice as fun.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

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02.

Building the Culture and Values of a School Ron Skelton

MATT GODFREY (DEPUTY HEAD) EXPLORES SOME OF THE ISSUES SURROUNDING BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE AND DURABLE SCHOOL CULTURE. My first teaching post was in 2000, when I joined an inner-city comprehensive in London as a newly qualified teacher of English. It was an extremely challenging school for a range of reasons: weak leadership, large class sizes, and the behaviour of the pupils was at times appalling.

There was a core of talented and committed teachers, but it was very unusual for anyone to stay in post for more than a few years. I was there for four years and was one of the longer serving members of staff when I left.

The main reason for staff leaving was the failure of the senior leadership team to get a grip on the behaviour of the pupils. This meant that teachers could not teach, and they quickly became exhausted and demotivated.

I have since been fortunate to teach at four outstanding independent schools, each with its own distinct and strong ethos. One thing they have all had in common, however, has been high expectations – of both pupils and staff.

I did not have to join the independent sector to experience this.

There are many examples of high standards and expectations in the maintained sector.

One such example is Broadway Academy, which is a non-selective, mixed, 11-18 academy with 1,240 pupils in Birmingham. Ron Skelton, who has been the School’s headteacher for 15 years, is now the longest serving Head in the region. When he arrived at Broadway in 2008, the School was in the bottom 3% for academic progress, and pupil attendance was very low.

Both have improved dramatically under his leadership and Broadway is now a leading school on both measures.

“Since I arrived, we have worked hard on establishing a culture and ethos in the School that is based on generosity, appreciation and integrity,” says Ron. “As staff, we all have to work together to get the best outcome for our pupils.”

Ron has developed a framework with his staff to ensure that the School’s values are recognised, modelled, and promoted by managers, leaders, and staff. It has helped to embed a culture that enables students and staff to excel and to commit to setting high expectations.

As Ofsted noted when they visited the School recently: “Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour… Pupils appreciate the support they

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receive from leaders. They say that they are taught how to manage their behaviour, and this helps them to achieve more in lessons.”

One of the most distinctive features of Ron’s tenure as Headteacher has been his partnership with Radley College, the leading HMC boys’ boarding school in Oxfordshire.

Ron says: “Our focus has been on developing strong relationships between staff and students across both schools while exploring a range of different partnership activities: academic, sport, music, and cultural.

“At each stage the feedback from students at both schools has been positive, with an emphasis on learning about one another’s culture, aspirations, and interests.

Overwhelmingly, it has been reported by the students that there is more that they have which is similar than different.

The partnership has involved Radley boys coaching Broadway boys with maths; both schools participating in the Gabrielli Roar concert at Coventry Cathedral in December 2022; Radley and Broadway students working together to create art, experiencing residential trips, activities, team building and an academic enrichment programme.

Ron will be joined by the Warden of Radley College, John Moule, as they co-chair a breakout session

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE DOWNE HOUSE ACADEMIC CONFERENCE WILL BE KATHARINE BIRBALSINGH, WHO IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS ‘BRITAIN’S STRICTEST HEADMISTRESS.’ SHE IS THE FOUNDING HEAD OF MICHAELA COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN WEMBLEY.

at an Academic Conference hosted by Downe House this June. They will be exploring how the partnership between their two schools has enhanced their respective cultures and values and how it now underpins their pupils’ progress.

The keynote speaker at the same conference will be Katharine Birbalsingh, who is often referred to as ‘Britain’s strictest Headmistress.’ She is the founding Head of Michaela Community School in Wembley. Many of its pupils come from challenging backgrounds and enter the school from underperforming primaries.

Astonishingly, this year Michaela’s Progress 8 score for Maths placed the School at the very top of the UK; furthermore, their overall Progress 8 score placed them fifth in the whole country. Last summer, 82% of the school’s leavers secured places at a Russell Group University, including Oxbridge, LSE and Imperial.

The School has little difficulty retaining its staff. Birbalsingh says

her teachers are so committed because they feel valued, empowered, and motivated by the School’s strong set of values and its strict behaviour policy. The latter is upheld and enforced consistently and rigorously by all levels of management in the School.

If I had started my teaching career at a maintained school with an ethos and culture similar to those found at Broadway and Michaela, my career may well have taken a different path.

I find it inspiring that neither Ron Skelton nor Katharine Birbalsingh are driven by ideology. They are pragmatists in the sense that they want to do whatever works best for their pupils and staff. Part of this is being open to working with independent schools.

As Katharine says: “I am delighted to be supporting Downe House’s Conference because it’s all about how, as teachers, we should be ambitious and bold with our pupils so that they reach their potential. It’s also wonderful that the event will bring together professionals from both the state and independent sectors; rather than focusing on our differences, this Conference will show that by working together and sharing our best ideas, it’s all pupils who benefit.”

MAXIMISING PUPIL PROGRESS: ACADEMIC CONFERENCE TUESDAY 13 JUNE, 9.45AM-5.00PM, AT DOWNE HOUSE (NEAR NEWBURY). TICKETS £75. SEE HERE FOR FULL DETAILS: WWW.DOWNEHOUSE.NET/CONFERENCE/ The Conference will bring together teachers and leaders from both the state and independent sectors who will share and discuss the ways in which we can maximise our pupils’ progress. The keynote speakers will be Katharine Birbalsingh (founding Headmistress of Michaela Community School) and The Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP (Minister of State for Schools). They will be followed by breakout discussion groups, each co-chaired by leading figures from the state and independent sectors.

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03.

Motivation and its Value in Careers Guidance SARAH BARNARD (DIRECTOR OF FUTURES) SHARES HER EXPERTISE ABOUT THE ROLE STUDENT MOTIVATION PLAYS IN CAREERS GUIDANCE. SHE OFFERS PRACTICAL TIPS TO HEIGHTEN MOTIVATION AS WELL AS SHARING KEY UNDERPINNING RESEARCH. It has been shown that for careers guidance to be truly effective then it is important that practitioners have an understanding of what a student’s reasoning for their chosen path may be, especially if there is a gap between their aspirations and potential. Much work has been done on the role of advisor in using techniques of

ALL OF THESE TECHNIQUES REALLY HELP TO CONTRIBUTE TO A GROWTH MINDSET AS YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE CLASSED AS ‘BRIGHT’ TO BE ABLE TO SUCCEED. IRONICALLY, A GROWTH IN CONFIDENCE AND CHANGE IN MINDSET DOES ALSO OFTEN GARNER BETTER ACADEMIC RESULTS AS STUDENTS BECOME MORE RECEPTIVE TO ADVICE...

motivational interviewing to guide students to be able to find their own best possible path.

These techniques are used across all areas of careers guidance but of particular relevance to a school setting, would appear to be the work of Miller and Rollnick.

As Rollnick himself states their approach was ‘borne of frustration in conversations about change that do not always go well: the more you try to insert information and advice into others, the more they tend to back off and resist.

Put simply, this involves coming alongside the person and helping them to say why and how they might change for themselves’.1 Whilst this technique had its’ origins in supporting those with addiction issues, it has been used in many fields and has already been proven to be particularly effective in aiding classroom management.

In order to be effective, motivational interviewing needs to start by engaging and building an alliance, through being empathetic, showing the discrepancy between what someone hopes to achieve and their current position, taking on board resistance to change before finally giving the student very practical tools to bring about this change.

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This is an incredibly valuable technique within a school setting, and particularly within the 16 – 18 year old age group where they may feel stifled by others expectations and so their aspirations are unrealistic. It is our role as their advisors (or to use the US term ‘counselor’, which seems particularly appropriate with this technique) that we can use or build on the relationship of trust that we may already have with a student to identify what their aspirations are and how they can be best supported in achieving this.

In order to motivate our students, we are able along with other key elements of school life, to show them that they will have support in pursuing potentially difficult conversations. In practice, this may well find us referencing other students who they admire and model the situation they found themselves in vis a vis the current student to show them what can be achieved. However, we would always make sure that the student was aware of the support that would be available and through their learning, in the broadest sense, we facilitate them to have a confidence in their own abilities.

Feeling as though someone understands their position is as critical as the advice given.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

We can also use platforms such as Unifrog to record the ‘plan’, so that students feel they have a direction and can be supported by other colleagues.

Miller and Rollnick’s technique sounds very straightforward but it is clear that at each stage a client may not respond in quite such a linear manner. A client may be so resistant to change that it is difficult to overcome or they may be reluctant to open up to the advisor in the first place.

Therefore, the value of motivational interviewing may not be seen for a lengthy period of time.

Another key theory that would appear to be particularly applicable to a school setting is the work of Carol Dweck. As a teacher, we often refer to the idea of growth and fixed mindsets in order to facilitate a change in approach by pupils to their learning but this can equally be applied to careers guidance. Dweck argues that someone with a fixed mindset will be challenge averse, sensitive to criticism, blame others for failure, be self defeatist but also hugely lacking in confidence as they fear they are not good enough in comparison to others. Given our own experiences in an all-girls setting, these are characteristics that are already often seen in our teenagers.

On the other hand, Dweck argues that those who possess a growth mindset realise that change can occur. They see criticism as helpful to further improvement, are tenacious, personally responsible and are motivated by the success of others. It is easy to fall into a trap, as advisors, particularly in a school environment where there may already be many preconceived notions of a pupil, that we do not fall into a fixed mindset within our own approach.

One of the difficulties within encouraging a positive mindset with school age students may be that they are overly focused on academic achievement as a measure of success whereas one of the factors we can emphasise through guidance sessions is the importance of soft skills to future employability and resilience. Dweck (2007) noted that ‘young people who were praised for their level of effort rather than for smartness or talent were far more likely to attempt challenging tasks and stretch themselves’.2 In Dweck’s explanation, praise seems to act as a measure of certainty as the young person feels they are ‘getting it right’. In order to facilitate further understanding of the value of these skills, and give them certainty as to their value, we have had workshops on teamwork and leadership.

For many, these are a great confidence boost as they had never realised that through doing something they enjoy, such as sport, they have developed key skills. We also use mock interview practice to support students as they transition from school to university to demystify what they may face in such a scenario. It is also useful to many students who are starting out in exploring their future options that we have a platform, such as Unifrog, which they can access as it allows them to record what skills and competencies they have. These provide a useful starting point to explore a students’ strengths when they are really uncertain.

All of these techniques really help to contribute to a growth mindset as you do not have to be classed as ‘bright’ to be able to succeed.

Ironically, a growth in confidence and change in mindset does also often garner better academic results as students become more receptive to advice and if this can, in part, be achieved through effective careers guidance then it is vital that all students, no matter their educational setting, have supportive and well trained advisors.

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04.

Mental Health and Neurodivergence

CHARLOTTE JONES (DIRECTOR OF PUPIL PROGRESS) EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEURODIVERGENCE AND EDUCATION, REMINDING US JUST HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO BE ALERT TO THE NEEDS OF ALL LEARNERS.

It will come as no surprise when I say mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can cause cognitive functioning difficulties and vice versa, impairing neuroplasticity and engagement in the classroom. Anxiety and depression are becoming more and more common place in schools and many of the symptoms a class practitioner is faced with can

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be difficult to tease apart from ADHD, ASD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and so on. To make matters even more complicated, mental health issues and neurodivergence often co-occur and it quickly becomes a mine field to work out, ‘how do I carry out adaptive teaching to meet the varying needs of my students in order to get the best from them?’

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

AS EDUCATORS, WE ARE IN A KEY POSITION TO AID WITH THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF NEURODIVERGENCE AND PROTECT MENTAL HEALTH. INTEGRATING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HOW THESE ISSUES INFLUENCE LEARNING STYLES PROMOTES SUCCESS – NOT JUST AT SCHOOL BUT IN LIFE AS A WHOLE.

Moving away from standard differentiation and centring around the idea that teachers have high expectations for every young person in their care, while recognising the distinct and separate needs of every student in the classroom, is essential when working with neurodivergent students. However, it can be a juggling act and as practitioners we can often come across roadblocks with students and with ourselves as well.

As a young person, learning and taking part in school life can pose as a significant challenge. Mind (2021) conducted a survey of 1271 young people in secondary education across England and identified that many schools are struggling to meet the needs of young people with mental health difficulties. Some 96% of the young people surveyed reported that their mental health had affected their schoolwork at some point. This data leaves one wondering what percentage of the young people surveyed were also neurodivergent? Many young people will go through life without ever really understanding the root cause of their challenges, including poor mental health.

Neurodivergence is diagnosed through analysis of individual developmental history, cognitive and behavioural symptoms, in line with DSM 5 criteria. In recent times, the number of such diagnosis’ have risen exponentially.

It can be exceptionally difficult to observe and diagnose with girls in particular, especially those who are high functioning – they tend to be very good at masking ‘traditional’ symptoms such as spacing out and their lack of focus could easily be misread as low mood or just poor attitude. Many only gain diagnosis later in life, after suffering exhausting levels of stress and setbacks. For some, this delayed diagnosis leads to significant secondary problems in terms of mental health and impaired professional achievement.

For many girls with ADHD and Dyslexia, paying attention to the task at hand is their biggest challenge. They can get distracted by small things such as a bird outside a classroom window – taking their attention away from something more important in the room such an announcement about an upcoming exam. A common strategy for some to self-manage is to simply request to hand books out in class, open windows or to go to the toilet, to action a ‘movement break’ to recalibrate and re-engage with the task. They are often implementing these important self-regulating techniques without even realising what they are doing or why. Importantly, when the teacher does not know either, such behaviour can easily be misinterpreted as disruptive.

A further element to be mindful of when teaching this population of young people is to make sure the language we use to correct them is sensitive and respectful of their additional challenges – not isolating or embarrassing for them.

The way in which we as educators react can all too easily add fuel to the fire when someone is already struggling with poor self-image.

Empathetic, compassionate language from us can relieve a young person of a huge burden of guilt and shame.

Next time you find yourself having to repeat the same thing again, consider altering what you say – even if ever so slightly. For example, something like ‘I explained this yesterday,’ could be reframed as, ‘maybe I can show you another way’ – fostering a non-judgmental, collaborative dialogue between you and the student. An approach much more likely to encourage, empower and promote success.

As educators, we are in a key position to aid with the early diagnosis of neurodivergence and protect mental health. Integrating our knowledge of how these issues influence learning styles promotes success – not just at school but in life as a whole.

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05.

Guest Article: Therapy Dogs and Reading STUART SIMONS (HEAD OF ENGLISH, BERKHAMSTED SCHOOL) SHARES THE OUTCOME OF A RESEARCH PROJECT HE COMPLETED, ASSESSING WHETHER HAVING A THERAPY DOG PRESENT IN READING LESSONS HAD A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN READING. A dog is anecdotally said to ‘Make a house a home’ and while it is somewhat clichéd, I believe the same could be transferrable for schools: having dogs in a school helps to make a school a community. As a life-long cynophile (dog-lover), I have regularly advocated having well-trained/ behaved dogs in school to aid the general well-being of not only students but also staff. Then, after learning about a canine reading project based at schools in Utah (Stone, 2008) and its subsequent journey over to the UK through the Kennel Club (The Kennel Club, 2021), I’ve expanded my advocacy to include reading dogs.

As Head of English, and as a natural bibliophile, I face an almost daily struggle to pass my love of literature and the restorative joy of reading onto my charges or anyone who lends me an ear!

As an educator during one of the most technologically advanced periods in human history, where social media provides immediate dopamine hits (Haynes, 2018), it

is a serious endeavour to make the “slow-burn” of a great novel or in-depth analysis of a nonfiction exploration appealing to many students. After a year at Berkhamsted, appreciating the overwhelming cynophilia of those at the School, I realised the potential to place my two loves together for an Action Research project to encourage students to become bibliophiles as well.

Before fully conceptualizing my research project it was important to consider the breadth of work that had already been done in the field. A large number of research papers and projects had been completed in both America (for example, Lenihan, D., et al., 2016) and the UK (for instance, Hall, et al., 2016) with most focused on early years and foundational habits rather than engagement in reading at the secondary school stage. While a great deal of the results focused on reading aloud, noting that dogs are good listeners and don’t judge or criticize readers, there were also numerous transferrable ideas about the impacts on reading engagement for older students as well. Having dogs nearby whilst reading can aid relaxation, slow one’s heartrate, and even lower blood pressure, whether the student is reading silently or aloud (Intermountain Therapy Animals, 2019). There is also some evidence to suggest that improving reading motivation can impact reading performance, with

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time spent with the dog serving as the incentive (Guthrie and Cox, 2001). Initiatives such as ‘Paws and Think’ and Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D) offered a strong foundation of positive evidence to encourage me to explore what benefits Berkhamsted pupils might gain from introducing my canine buddies regularly into the School environment.

Prior to the CV-19 pandemic outbreak, we began introducing dogs into the School environment under the title of “Well-being” dogs and then explored the impact of 1:1 sessions with these dogs alongside particularly reluctant readers, timetabling students with one of the dogs for 30 minutes a week during the 2019/20 school year.3 The initial plan was to explore pupil well-being through questionnaires as well as take a baseline assessment of reading age at the start of a 10-week programme and then again at the end of the period of time. Having visited the Institute of Education to outline my hypothesis for Action Research, I was advised to lower my ambition levels from what I had characterised as hard data and measuring progress to a less concrete, softer, but no less significant, impact of having dogs in school. Indeed, the Literature Review (Hall et al., 2016) I evaluated at the start of my project gave so many potential avenues for exploration as noted above.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

These “Well-being” dogs became a part of the daily experience of many pupils walking around the campus. However, those experiences were generally limited to offices, duties and drop-in appointments, as the dogs were not actually present in lessons. It felt like a missed opportunity not to incorporate these animals into lessons with students who were unphased by their presence. While my initial intention was to focus on tracking potential improvements in reading age encouraged by the dog, the aftermath of returning to the classroom in a pandemic required a shift in my objectives. The students’ wellbeing, concentration and focus became a new priority, following the potentially distraction prone environment that had been online learning in the quarantine situation of 2020.

The first trial was to bring the “Well-being” dogs into two reading classes, a group of Year 7 girls and another of Year 8 boys; both classes were very excited, with a few exceptions, by the prospect of having a furry friend in lessons with them. At first, I worried that the dogs themselves would be a distraction, so to pre-empt this potential issue, all pupils entered into a classroom contract. They would greet and “pet” the dog at the start of the lesson or before the lesson began, and then interaction with the dog would be limited to one pupil at a time having a well-

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How often do you read outside school for pleasure?

Daily

Thrice

Twice

Weekly

Weekly

Once a Week

Occasionally

Rarely for

in a month

pleasure

1 Vera

Molly

being break. If the dog wandered the room, pupils were welcome to “pet” the dog, but not call her towards them or play directly with her. The contract proved an effective tool that ensured initial clarity of expectation, and while the dog’s novelty eventually wore off, the potential consequence of taking the dog out of the classroom, was enough to ensure students’ best behaviour.

Ahead of the lessons I also engaged the class in a baseline questionnaire that explored engagement in reading and reading habits (Appendix 2).

Of students’ responses, an encouraging 59% claimed to read daily, with a somewhat concerning 15% noting they read only occasionally. (1 – above) While these numbers are unverified student responses, the tail, pardon the pun, of these occasional readers, led me to earmark this group as those students who might benefit most from an extra element of motivation/engagement provided by a dog’s presence.

Prior to Covid-19, reading lessons would have taken place in the Library providing a fresh and relaxing space for reading lessons coupled with the gamification of the reading process with “Bookopoly” but upon our return to school, years 7 and 8 were confined to a single classroom for a majority of their lessons. The lack of a change of space risked an added monotony to their reading

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lessons; however the presence of a pooch shifted this significantly.

It was notable that students settled quickly at the start of lessons, fulfilling their contractual obligations (detailed above), and over the course of the year there was an audible buzz coupled with a spring in their step thanks to the dogs’ presence.

Because of the Covid related disruptions, it is hard to quantify the students’ improved engagement in their reading beyond their own anecdotal offerings, as much of the year was spent online. At this point in time, the dogs’ involvement can neither be credited nor blamed for their lack of winning position in “Bookopoly”; however, I am encouraged by both classes’ upper-mid-table rank in terms of books read and reviews completed within the game. While the success of the Action Research was not intended to be measured in terms of numerical ranking as initially considered, I credit a great deal of these students’ post Covid enthusiasm in these classrooms to the presence of the dogs.

This enthusiasm was quantified through regular blind straw polls regarding their enjoyment of their reading (using the traffic light system) and the impact that the presence of dogs in the lessons.

Only two of the 39 pupils regularly voted that they did feel the dogs were not helpful.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

2 My conclusions regarding their enthusiasm linked to the dogs’ presence were also made evident by control lessons – those in which the dogs were not present.

Students consistently gave higher scores in terms of enjoyment of the lesson when the dogs were involved. In fact, when the dogs were not present, students would immediately enquire as to their whereabouts and noted dissatisfaction with the dogs’ absence.

In terms of further assessment of the impact that the dogs had to reading engagement and progress, pupils were invited to voluntarily offer their personal responses to the dogs’ presence in class in February. Given the ongoing Covid-19 situation, I was not able to gather responses from all of the involved students, but of those who shared thoughts, their responses were interesting in terms of quantifying the impact the dogs had on not only their experience of reading, but also on their general well-being and engagement in the lesson. Pupil comments included references to the ‘calming’ presence of the dogs, the ‘nice’ feeling having the dog around for a well-earned break gave and even helping pupils ‘to read a lot’, and it helped some ‘concentrate’.

Many equated the dogs to ‘fun’, ensuring lessons were ‘relaxing’, and the dogs helped some ‘destress’, which I feel is an important element of non-screen time in a screen dominated Covid-19 world.

When school shut down, many students who have dogs at home even took to reading with their dogs during the streamed lessons as represented in (2 – above).

Once we were back in school and the dogs were cleared to re-join, I took a more formal questionnaire to compare experiences before and after the “Well-being” dogs being in class and the feedback was noteworthy. (3 – below).

How do you feel when you are asked to read to yourself?

(Prior to ‘Well-being’ dog’s presence)

0 1 2 3 (Physically Ill)

4

5 (Happy)

How do you feel when you are asked to read to yourself?

(Post - ‘Well-being’ dog’s presence)

0 1 2 3 (Physically Ill)

4

5 (Happy)

3 The Enquiry | 19

How do you feel when you are asked to read to the class?

(Prior to ‘Well-being’ dog’s presence)

0

1 2 3 (Physically Ill)

Pupils can be seen to be happier when asked to read to themselves with 22% happy to read to themselves after the time with the dogs compared to 10% before.

(4 – above).

There also appears to be an increase in students feeling more comfortable reading to the class moving from 66% up to 80%, which is encouraging. The extra spaces for comment were also taken up well with some highlights below: “I love having the dog around, because when you are focusing hard on a book, it is always nice to stroke the dog every now and then.”

“I have loved have [sic] the dog in but I [sic]don’t really thinks that she helps with my reading. I do love the company though. I also love how calm and sweet she is and she does make me smile when I see her.”

“I really enjoy the dog coming in and I am always excited for my reading lessons.”

“I think I like the dog being there now I am used to it. I am scared of dogs but sometimes it is a little scary when she is excited. I still read in the lessons but I do notice she is there. I don’t mind either way, but it does help me build my confidence slowly around dogs, so I do find it useful because I can always quietly read and it won’t distract me too much.”

4

5 (Happy)

How do you feel when you are asked to read to the class?

(Post- ‘Well-being’ dog’s presence)

0 1 2 3 (Physically Ill)

“I don’t really notice Vera too much but she’s a nice addition to the room and I enjoy having her here.”

“I think it’s very good to have Vera here because whenever i find it hard to concentrate i watch Vera for a bit and that helps reset my concentration” “Great to have her but can sometimes be slightly distracting” “The dog makes the atmosphere a lot more calmer and more relaxing.

I have enjoyed having the dog.”

“I don’t notice that the dog is in the room until I lift my head up and see the massive fluff ball but when I do look at the massive fluff ball I always think that it’s cool that there is a dog in the room where I’m supposed to [sic]learning but I do sometimes think that it is distracting because I would be in the middle of reading a sentence but then I would look down at the dog and lose my place on the page.”

“I really like having a dog around whilst reading because it is really calming!”

It is really encouraging to read the pupils’ comments, those positive, reflective and even critical, as it helps me analyse the process and refine it ahead of next year. A more uniform experience for pupils in their reading lessons would be ideal, as many noted the positive impact the “Well-being” dogs had on their reading experience.

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4

5 (Happy)

Clearly, logistically this simply would not be possible; however we can certainly look at getting a dog into at least one reading lesson for every class. There was real joy communicated through the final questionnaire and the long process of this Action Research has proved worthwhile.

Stepping back there have been so many variables involved in trying to enrich the pupils’ reading experience, but the presence of “Well-being” dogs has been a positive one and I hope to continue to build on these foundations.

As a final note, I’ve included the reflections of a Year 13 student highlighting her positive experience with the presence of these dogs – “I really appreciate having the “Well-being” dogs in school, especially Molly and Vera when we have them in our tutor time. I think it gives us something else to focus on as a bit of a distraction and relax instead of stressing over work. I also think seeing “Well-being” dogs around school and just being able to give them a stroke or a cuddle is really useful for all of us because it leaves us feeling happier and more relaxed.”

4

DIGITAL TEACHING ASSISTANT

DIGITAL TEACHING ASSISTANT

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06.

Chat GTP: A New Teaching Assistant?

JANE BASNETT (HEAD OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL LEARNING) INVESTIGATES THE INCREASINGLY TALKED-ABOUT CHATGTP, EXPLORING ITS POSSIBLE USES FOR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. Disclaimer: No Chatbot was employed to write this article.

All the teacher-talk on social media recently has been about ChatGPT and what place it could or should play in the classroom. It seems that teachers are actually fearful of the bot’s intelligence

and understandably, there has been concern about the misuse by students of ChatGPT. Naturally, we must be aware of this, just as we should about any issues of plagiarism. Early on in ChatGPT’s short life, the New York City Department of Education banned use of the chatbot, citing concerns about the ‘negative impacts on student learning’.

Nonetheless, a recent study revealed that three in ten teachers have used ChatGPT for lesson planning and building background knowledge and furthermore that “within only two months of introduction, 51% of 1,000 K-12

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teachers reported having used ChatGPT, with 40% using it at least once a week.“ It seems, then, that some teachers have overcome their hesitancy and decided to embrace this tool realising that ChatGPT is another useful resource that they can harness to impact positively on their teaching. How have they used it though? My very first request to ChatGPT was to create a series of three lessons on the perfect tense in French for beginners. The resulting ‘lesson plans’ were not disappointing, but they were not the lessons I would have planned.

DIGITAL TEACHING ASSISTANT As an educator, there are several ways you can use ChatGPT to enhance your teaching and engage with your students: 1. Answering questions: You can use ChatGPT to answer your students’ questions, either in real-time during class or as part of an online Q&A session. This can help students who may be too shy to ask a question in front of the class or who need additional clarification on a topic.

2. Demonstrating concepts: ChatGPT can also be used to demonstrate difficult concepts or provide visual aids for your students. For example, if you are teaching about the human body, you can use ChatGPT to generate 3D models or diagrams to help students visualize different parts of the body.

3. Practice exercises: You can use ChatGPT to generate practise exercises for your students. For example, if you are teaching a language, ChatGPT can generate exercises for students to practise grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary.

They were a great starting point and for a teacher new to the profession the plans would have set them on the right path and provided some questions on which to reflect; when faced with a topic you have never taught before, having some suggestions can be so useful. ChatGPT itself provides several ways it can be used as a teaching assistant. Although, as mentioned above, ChatGPT was not deployed to write this article, in the interests of research I did ask it ‘How can I use ChatGPT as an educator?’ to see what the response would be. You will find the response here in figure 1.

These are all great examples. I would like to explore how, at the very least, ChatGPT can be a fantastic resource generator and given how creative we have to be as teachers on a daily basis, having a resource that can help ‘spark’ creative thinking is not to be sniffed at. What follows are a few ideas. I could ask ChatGPT to: ■ Take an article and write a resume of it that would be more appropriate for my A Level or GCSE students.

■ Create a cloze/gap-fill exercise out of a text that is relevant to my students.

■ Create a model answer for an A Level or GCSE question and then discuss with my class.

■ Create a multiple-choice quiz or comprehension questions based on an article I input. See figure 2

4. Personalized learning: ChatGPT can also be used to personalize learning for your students. By analysing student data, ChatGPT can generate personalized quizzes and exercises based on their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to focus on areas where they need the most help.

5. Feedback and assessment: ChatGPT can be used to provide feedback on student work and assessments. By analysing student work, ChatGPT can provide feedback on grammar, sentence structure, and even suggest areas for improvement.

Overall, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for educators, helping to engage students, provide personalized learning, and enhance the learning experience.

1

[FR] Cependant, le travail bénévole peut également présenter des défis. Il peut être difficile de trouver du temps pour le bénévolat en plus des engagements professionnels et familiaux. De plus, il peut être difficile de trouver un organisme qui a besoin de bénévoles dans le domaine d’activité souhaité.

[EN] However, voluntary work can also present challenges. It can be difficult to find time for volunteering in addition to professional and family commitments. Furthermore, it can be difficult to find an organisation that needs volunteers in the desired field of activity.

Can you now create a multiple choice quiz based on this text?

Yes, I can create a multiple choice quiz based on this text. Here are five questions: 1. Qu’est-ce que le travail bénévole? a. Une activité rémunérée pour aider les autres b. Une activité non rémunérée pour aider les autres c. Une activité rémunérée pour aider soi-même d. Une activité non rémunérée pour aider soi-même Réponse : b. Une activité non rémunérée pour aider les autres 2

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3 ■ Reflect on a pupil’s response and consider how the work can be improved/correct the work and provide a rationale for this – to be done in class.

■ Create typical questions for GCSE/A Level with answers which I could then mix up to make a matching exercise for my class. Or, I could add in a few incorrect answers to encourage deeper reading from the students where they would have to look at the detail.

■ Create a list of useful quotes based on the novel/film we are studying. This could then be a useful starting point for discussion in class or could be made into an activity to be completed individually.

■ Create a list of key words and explanations which can then be made into a matching exercise or a true/false activity. (for MFL, create a text and write the translation for it – figure 2) ■ List the key points of a particular A Level topic which I could then transfer to a PowerPoint and use to introduce a new topic.

These are some of the ways that ChatGPT can become my teaching assistant in my classroom, and I believe that some of these ideas, if not all, are transferable to other subjects. Naturally, this all comes with the proviso that, as with any tool or resource you use, you must check that the content is correct.

No one is going to replace you as

the teacher and ChatGPT does make mistakes – but then, often, resources we find online are not always perfect.

Finally, it is worth noting that many online tools that we already use are fully embracing AI and implementing its use in conjunction with the offerings they already have. For example, Quizlet now takes a set of terms and definitions and allows students to work on and develop other skills too. In languages the options are Quiz me, Story Mode and Practice with sentences as demonstrated in figure 3.

it’s a much more stringent marker than I am, but it did make me reflect on my marking (I believe I’m better at this than ChatGPT) and on the student’s work.

For me, ChatGPT is a free teaching assistant that we can employ to help us in our roles as teachers.

We should engage with it and not be fearful of it; like the textbook, YouTube, or Quizlet, it is simply another tool in our armoury.

PS: For a good, open-source 3D model generator, you could consider Blender or 3D Slicer

For other subjects the options are Quiz Me, Deepen my understanding and Tell me a fun fact. This new feature is currently in Beta and I have no doubt that it will soon be a regular offering on the website and that other online tools will also shortly be adopting the use of AI. I encourage you to have a look at ChatGPT. I believe that it is important that we embrace AI and understand what it is capable of.

Doing this will certainly help us to understand its capabilities and perhaps enable us to recognise if it has been used inappropriately by students. I have seen that teachers have used the chatbot to help with marking and out of curiosity I did then ask ChatGPT to mark one of my student’s written pieces based on the mark scheme. It seems that

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FOR ME, CHATGPT IS A FREE TEACHING ASSISTANT THAT WE CAN EMPLOY TO HELP US IN OUR ROLES AS TEACHERS. WE SHOULD ENGAGE WITH IT AND NOT BE FEARFUL OF IT; LIKE THE TEXTBOOK, YOUTUBE, OR QUIZLET, IT IS SIMPLY ANOTHER TOOL IN OUR ARMOURY.

LITERACY CORNER

LITERACY CORNER

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07.

The Literary Hinterland: A Lesson I Love ANDREW ATHERTON (DIRECTOR OF LEARNING AND RESEARCH) OUTLINES ONE OF HIS VERY FAVOURITE LESSONS TO TEACH, TAKEN FROM AN ELECTIVE HE RUNS WITH LV. Each year I’m fortunate enough to be able to offer my LV students a short enrichment course that lasts 6 weeks and which I title, after Bob Eaglestone’s superb book, Doing English. The aim of this enrichment course is to get the students thinking much more conceptually about literature and its study, asking questions such as: ■ Where does the study of literature come from?

■ What is literature?

■ What is the canon?

■ Who decides what is literary and what isn’t?

■ What relationship does literature have with politics?

■ Why are some texts excluded from the canon?

■ Why so much Shakespeare?

Running this course is one of the highlights of my academic calendar and provides a wonderful opportunity to immerse myself, and, hopefully my students, in the literary hinterland. It is a chance to explore the disciplinary world that exists at the margins of the curriculum, those ideas, concepts and topics that feed into our core teaching; no less valuable and enriching, even if it happens not to be within the chosen curricular circumference. Like a curricular cartographer, the hope is to map routes out of the curriculum, detours that can be navigated and explored.

In this article, I wanted to share with you one of the lessons I teach as part of this course and how I’ve adapted it by using digital technology.

SO, WHICH IS MOST LITERARY? The lesson begins with this task waiting for the students as they enter:

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I begin by explaining in a little more detail what I want them to do, before then sharing my screen and showing them where to find the texts in the Class Notebook. I then quickly introduce each one as factually and neutrally as I can, and then stress that, of course, in order to complete the task they need to think very carefully about what we even mean by something being literary.

I then, without further discussion, put them into breakout rooms and give them 10 minutes to discuss their initial, immediate thoughts, with the eventual aim being to rank the texts via a Microsoft Form. The aim, here, is to explore what assumptions already underpin their perspectives about what it means to be literary, and why one text might be conceived as more literary than another.

THE TEXTS Here then are the 6 texts that the students now have access to and need to rank according to their ‘literariness’: (1–4 – right) After 10 minutes to discuss with their partner the order of ‘literariness’ they think is most appropriate for these texts, they then rank them using the below Form:

LITERACY CORNER

Williams’ The Red Wheelbarrow

1

Once I can see all answers have been submitted, we then come back together as a group. At this point, and without actually having looked at the responses themselves, I try to guess what I suspect the ranking will be: Goldsmith’s Traffic

2

■ Shakespeare’s sonnet ■ Dickens’ Bleak House ■ Williams’ The Red Wheelbarrow ■ Goldsmith’s Traffic ■ The washing machine manual We then look at the actual submissions, and each time I have ran this lesson I am usually pretty much spot on. The students always find this a fascinating party trick (how did you know?!) to which I respond with this big question: why do we think it is that we all seem to have a similar understanding of what defines literature?

Why is that? Isn’t that fascinating, that we all seem to intuitively know what is literary and what isn’t? Why?

BUT, WHAT EVEN IS LITERATURE?

Washing Machine Manual

Shakespeare’s Sonnet

3

4

With these questions ringing in our ears, I finally arrive at the central question of the lesson: what is literature?

What do we mean by something being literary and something else non-literary? I pose these questions to the class, and having just gone through the process of interrogating their own assumptions, it invariably turns into a detailed, fascinating and richly conceptual exploration. Indeed, I am always amazed by just how rigorous the students are in their thinking, just going to show that when we have sky high expectations of the material and ideas students might be capable of engaging with they very often ascend to those heights.

We explore, for instance, what we expect from a literary text and why Shakespeare’s sonnet seems to meet that expectation but, say, a washing machine manual doesn’t. And why is it we seem to all have a similar expectation? I might ask, for example, for a certain student to defend or extrapolate why they decided on the order they did or perhaps to try to tease out the ostensible differences or divisions between two of the kinds of writing on the list.

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This is also a great opportunity to play devil’s advocate.

A student might propose, for example, the entire concept of ranking literary texts is unfounded to which I respond, with mock indignancy, but surely we can all see a Shakespearean sonnet is better than the washing machine manual? Coming to my aid, another might then say ‘well, yes I suppose it is because look at how well it’s crafted’ to which I say, perhaps mischievously, ‘but is it? Could you point to the precise moment one becomes literary but the other doesn’t?’ And so the conversation continues, probing and playing with the assumptions that underpinned not only the original decisions that were made, but the very concept of ranking the texts against one another.

At this point, I introduce the idea of the literariness of literature being defined as something that is internal or external, as explored with Eaglestone’s Doing English:

We discuss the idea that perhaps a text is designated as literary because there is something within it, a quality that is internal to it, which makes it so.

Or, perhaps no such internal attribute exists and maybe what we describe as literature is a product of external factors. By this point in the lesson, whilst not using this exact framework, it’s almost certain both of these positions have already been broached and touched upon in some form or another. I might then ask which of these two positions seems to make most sense to the class based on our discussion thus far.

THE CANON The lesson concludes with me introducing the idea of the canon, the focus of our next session, and specifically the way in which the canon as a construct seeks to enshrine and codify a certain accepted view of what constitutes literature. I end with these words from Toni Morrisson: ‘Canon building is empire building.

Canon building is national defence.’ and ask the students to ponder them over the course of the week, especially in light of this lesson’s conversations: And thus concludes this lesson, a lesson I love.

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08.

LITERACY CORNER

Seven Myths of Education AGNESE LYNE (HEAD OF SCIENCE) REVIEWS DAISY CHRISTODOULOU’S GROUND-BREAKING BOOK SEVEN MYTHS OF EDUCATION. Daisy Christodoulou’s Seven Myths About Education is an insightful and thought-provoking book that challenges many common assumptions about education. This book is clearly worth reading, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in advancing education.

Daisy Christodoulou is an experienced teacher and educational researcher who has worked in English schools. Throughout the book, Christodoulou presents a range of evidence to support her arguments, including studies from cognitive science, educational psychology, and neuroscience. She also draws on examples from real-life classrooms to show how her ideas can be put into practice.

The seven myths analysed by Christodoulou are: ■ Facts prevent understanding ■ Teacher-led instruction is passive ■ The twenty-first century fundamentally changes everything ■ You can always just look it up ■ We should teach transferable skills ■ Projects and activities are the best way to learn ■ Teaching knowledge is indoctrination The myth that is closer to my heart as a Science teacher is certainly “You can always just look it up”.

The best part of this chapter is the description of a study in which a group of students were asked to use a dictionary to learn new words. Let’s pick a couple of scientific words: erosion/to erode and correlation/ to correlate. When students were asked to put them into a new sentence the results were:

“Our family erodes a lot” (they meant to say “our family eats out a lot”) “Me and my parents correlate, because without them I wouldn’t be here” 1 This should be enough to convince any readers that “just look it up” is not an excellent teaching technique, but don’t worry Christodoulou gives further explanation of the importance of having a broad knowledge before being able to “look things up” appropriately.

One of the book’s strengths is Christodoulou’s ability to present her arguments in a clear and concise manner.

She avoids jargon and academic language, allowing her ideas to be understood by a wide range of readers.

Her writing is also engaging and easy to read, making it an excellent choice for anyone interested in education.

If you are a supporter of the idea that we should teach students only skills and not facts, then this book is not for you. One of my favourite quote from the book is: “He [Hirsch] sees the relationship between knowledge and skills as being like a scrambled egg.2 You cannot unscramble an egg, as you cannot unscramble knowledge and skills.”

The fact that the book is divided into chapter/myths makes it a very easy read. It can be read cover to cover, as well as in small chucks. We are all very busy teachers and reading a full book might be a challenge during term time. This is certainly not the case of Seven Myths About Education. You will be surprised by how often you will mentally, or sometimes, loudly agree with the author.

In conclusion, Daisy Christodoulou’s Seven Myths About Education is an informative and enjoyable read that debunks many common educational myths.

The author makes a compelling case for rethinking how we approach teaching and learning, and she offers practical advice on how to put her ideas into action.

I would highly recommend this book to all involved in education.

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NOTICEBOARD

THREE BLOGS TO READ 5 invaluable lessons from cognitive science | Feature | RSC Education This short but excellent article suggests 5 essential lessons from cognitive science that undoubtedly will have a positive impact on teachers’ practise.

Noise and the Art of Mirror-Modelling | Round Learning An excellent blog post on how to get modelling right.

Teaching | A note on marking and feedback – Kat Howard (wordpress.com) A very valuable reflection on marking and feedback and how to do this in a sustainable and effective manner.

ONE VIDEO TO WATCH Ruth Ashbee: The Dos and Don’ts of Curriculum Leadership – ResearchED In this conference presentation Curriculum Leader Ruth Ashbee explores the keys to great curriculum design.

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OUR BOOK OF THE TERM SLOW TEACHING BY JAMIE THOM For a book that claims to help find calm and clarity in the classroom, this is perhaps more relevant now than ever before. Here, Thom explores what he describes as ‘slow pedagogy’ and the positive impact this approach can have on student outcome.

This includes discussions of classroom management, classroom dialogue, building meaningful relationships, and leadership. The book provides an excellent exploration of the power of deliberate, purposeful and ‘slow’ teaching.

NOTICEBOARD

References

03.

MOTIVATION AND ITS VALUE IN CAREER GUIDANCE [1] https://www.stephenrollnick. com/about-motivationalinterviewing/ (accessed on Dec 28th 2022) [2] Liane Hambly & Ciara Bomford – Creative Career Coaching Theory into Practice (2019) Routledge, p151

05.

BENEFITS OF THERAPY DOGS IN READING LESSONS [3] The therapy dog programme began in February 2019.

[4] Bookopoly is a Monopoly based game where students are encouraged to read a wider range of book types and styles with the overall aim to read a book from each “Bookopoly” square.

Works Cited Hall, S., et al. (2016). Children Reading to Dogs: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

PLoS One, 11.2.

Guthrie, J., and Cox, K. (2001).

Classroom Conditions for Motivation and Engagement in Reading. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 282-302.

Haynes, T. (2018). Dopamine, Smartphones, and You: A battle for your time. Available at: <https://sitn.hms.harvard. edu/flash/2018/dopaminesmartphones-battle-time/>.

Intermountain Therapy Animals.

(2019). Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.).

Available at: <http://therapyanimals. org/read/>.

Lenihan, D., et al. (2016). Measuring the Effects of Reading Assistance Dogs on Reading Ability and Attitudes in Elementary Schoolchildren. J Res Child Educ, 30.2, 252-259.

Stone, A. (2008). ‘Reading’ Dogs Help Children Learn: By lending an ear at storytime. Available at: <https://thebark.com/content/ reading-dogs-help-children-learn>.

The Kennel Club. (2021). Bark and Read. Available at: <https://www. thekennelclub.org.uk/about-us/ charity-work/bark-and-read/>.

06.

CHAT GTP: A NEW TEACHING ASSISTANT BY JANE BASNETT https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/ tech-news/new-york-city-publicschools-ban-chatgpt-devicesnetworks-rcna64446 ​​​​https://www.zdnet.com/article/ teachers-are-using-chatgpt-morethan-students-heres-how/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/ play/m001gx1g

08.

SEVEN MYTHS OF EDUCATION Miller, G.A. and Gildea, P.M. How children learn words. Scientific American 1987; 257: 94-99 Hirsch, E.D. The 21st century skills movement. Common Core News (2011), http://commoncore.org/ pressrelease-04.php [accessed 3 March 2013].

Christodoulou, D. (2014) Seven myths about education.

Abingdon: Routledge

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Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire RG18 9JJ T: +44 (0)1635 200286 www.downehouse.net 32 | Downe House | Learning & Research @DowneHouse Downe House School

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