ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT

COGNITION, WITH A SIDE ORDER OF OPTIMISM AND A DASH OF VISIBLE LEARNING

‘To love is to live.’, our school motto, really does encompass every aspect of what we do here at Manor House. But perhaps the greatest gift we develop with our pupils is teaching them to learn to love themselves: especially their brains! And this means embracing all aspects of their make-up, from their neurological wiring to the colour of their hair, to their ability to hit a ball! In my line of work, cognition is the primary focus.

As professionals, we spend a great deal of our time learning about cognition and about what we can do for our children that will make the most impact on their learning. In that sense, our school’s purpose, is as Professor John Hattie, Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, and author of Visible Learning, suggests: ‘to ensure that all students learn, and not merely that all students get taught.’ What we do at Manor House, is to learn about all the different ways brains (and hearts) can work, then ensure we do all we can to cater for them in our classrooms. If a child ‘isn’t getting it’, our first question is always, ‘what can I do differently (as teachers)?’ Sometimes it is as simple as providing some extra scaffolding, or a key vocabulary list. Sometimes it is testing our own practice to spot anomalies and try a different tack. It might be inviting a colleague in to watch what we are doing and give us feedback on our efficacy. Other times, we may need to run a ‘booster class’, like our extra maths sessions for senior girls, for example, or take the learning outside, like you’ll often see in physics lessons! Sometimes, a child’s brain (and heart) will need more than an effective teacher, inspirational curriculum and a wonderful group of classmates. In that instance, Academic Advancement, working closely with our colleagues and parents, can swing into action to help guide staff, provide extra teaching for teachers, work as an extra teacher in the classroom, or work with a child in a small group, or on a one-to-one basis. We can help advise if a child needs external, specialist support and we can arrange to have that happen here on site, in the school day. Perhaps, a child’s heart may need more bolstering and strategies via our ELSA and Counselling arms. These too are easily organised and often it is just a few sessions that are needed to get the heart and mind back on track. By and large, it is the demystification of learning and the provision of tools to help children access what they need that are the keys to cognition. When we put the power of the learning in our children’s hands, they learn that mistakes are just stepping-stones to greater understanding. When we give them the tools of learning, they understand how to get themselves out of the learning pit and into the realm of knowledge. However, sometimes, there are bigger blocks at play preventing smooth cognition. Parents often wonder whether they should further assess their child, above and beyond the cognitive assessments run here at the school. I’m a big fan of cognitive assessments: I believe there is power in finding out all we can about how a person’s brain works, unearthing potential learning gaps and strengths. Assessments only become problematic for a child when the focus is solely on the learning gaps without enough focus on the strengths. Let’s face it: it is the strength that is going to provide the child the life-long tools for traversing future learning pits; not the label of ‘I’m not good at this’. Professor Martin Seligman, pioneer of Positive Psychology, Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and author of quite a lot of books, my favourite being ‘Learned Optimism’ (1998) concurs: ‘using your signature strengths every day produces authentic happiness and abundant gratification.’ To label or not to label: that is often a

question asked by parents about their children, and it might be a question you have been wondering about yourself, for you or your child. In my experience, labels can be very helpful for some children: they finally have a reason why they take so long to read something, why the letters jumble about the page so much, why they can’t see the patterns of maths, why they don’t understand jokes, or why they keep losing their pencil case! I have regularly seen the liberation to be found in just ‘knowing’ and how a child can then shift into second gear to find and use tools that work for them. However, I have also seen that, at times, a label can be detrimental. It can become an ‘excuse’ not to try, an opt out of anything involving further effort. For a small percentage of children, it can be a depressing metaphorical post-it on the forehead forever stuck, and seemingly forever visible. This negative cycle of what Segilman defines as ‘learned helplessness’ can however, be broken. The current cultural and political shift towards embracing neurodiversity is certainly going some way to help. Thankfully, as a team, our school is adept at encouraging resilience and helping children love their whole selves. In close liaison with the family, we will help support you in whatever decision you want to make regarding assessments and any subsequent ‘labels’. Ultimately, you will pursue an assessment as a way of supporting your child’s learning gaps and honing their strengths. Together, we teach our children that one difficulty or crisis is not permanent: ‘it is just a temporary setback or a challenge (and) its causes are just confined to this one case’ (yes, Segilman again). At Manor House School, to love is to love every aspect of oneself and live with compassion, respect, resilience and grace. We look forward to welcoming your child to do exactly the same. MRS SMITH, HEAD OF ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT

I am Mrs Zaltsman and I am an ELSA.

An Elsa is a member of staff who is trained to support students in the development of their emotional literacy.

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL LITERACY?

• Understanding and coping with feelings towards ourselves and others. • Developing high self-esteem and positive interactions with others. • Being emotionally literate – to help students focus better on their learning.

SOME OF THE AREAS THE ELSA MAY WORK ON?

• Recognising emotions. • Self-esteem. • Social skills. • Friendship skills. • Anger Management. • Loss and bereavement.

HOW DOES THE ELSA WORK?

• A regular slot during the School week for six to eight week’s, lasting approximately 20-30 minutes. • Sessions can be individual or in small groups and tailored to the student’s individual needs. • Sessions are fun, light-hearted and, depending on age, crafts, stories or role-play may be used. • They include time to talk. • A student’s progress will be reviewed on a half-termly basis along with a weekly recording of the sessions.

AS A PARENT/CARER, HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• By informing the class teacher if there are any issues that you feel may be affecting your daughter. • Please feel welcome to contact the teacher or the

ELSA if you have any questions.

MRS ZALTSMAN, ELSA czaltsman@manorhouseschool.org