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Infectious Learning: Teachers as Lifelong Learners
20 CommentsLast month I went for a job interview at a very successful school. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the job. When I asked for feedback I was astonished when the Head told me that he was somewhat ’suspicious’ that I had remained in full-time education ‘longer than I had to’ in order to get my MA and that my current Ed.D. research would likely to have had a negative, rather than positive effect on my capacity as teacher at his school. A few thoughts on that…
Why should teachers also be learners? Well first and foremost, teachers are role models. If we as teachers aren’t interested and intrisinsically motivated by the learning process, why should we expect our students to be? I’ve broken down my thoughts on this subject into four main points:
Reasons why teachers also need to be learners:
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1. To improve teaching style
2. To keep up-to-date
3. To remain enthusiastic
4. To give something back to the community1. To improve teaching style
Whilst I’m not advocating that every teacher undertake some kind of postgraduate degree (although that would be great), I do think it’s necessary for teachers to put themselves in the position of learners regularly. Not only does this prevent the ‘know-all’ syndrome, but it allows one to develop empathy with one’s students. I don’t know how many times I’ve had the comment made to me or overheard it during an all-day INSET, “I know how it feels for the kids now – I’m glad I don’t have to do this everyday” – or words to that effect.
Putting yourself in the position of learner, the non-expert, allows you to see the world in a different way. Even a simple informal learning situation such as asking a colleague for some interactive whiteboard training whilst you sit in various positions in your classroom can reap rewards. I think we forget all too often that learning is an emotional process which is impacted by a number of factors, including classroom environment. Some research on this, whether extremely practical (visiting colleagues’ classrooms during lessons) or more theoretical (reading the latest research on the topic) can only help to improve one’s teaching.
Something that trainee teachers have to do a lot of during their training is observe other teachers. I was shocked to find, once I’d qualified, that observing other teachers is something that one has to go out of one’s way to do and is far from the norm. Whilst I can understand that the atmosphere of teachers’ classrooms can be fundamentally altered through outside observation, nevertheless casual and informal observations of colleagues can only serve to improve one’s own teaching. This can be through the positive – through picking up little tricks and tips, or through the negative – by finding out which things you perhaps both do which serve to harm the learning process, self-esteem of the student, or motivation of the class.
2. To keep up-to-date
Although the central tenets of education haven’t changed for millennia, the context of learning changes constantly. Learning should always be relevant to the learner, start from ‘where they’re at’ and move them from there to a place or level of understanding that you wish them to reach. To this end, then, the teacher must be up-to-date with new teaching techniques and guidelines, as well as being familiar with the cultural context in which students find themselves. The former can be easily obtained through following the latest government advice/directives (although not blindly!), reading blogs such as this one, and creating dialogue with other practitioners. The latter, however, the ‘cultural context’ is more difficult to determine. It’s more of an immersive thing where one has to be aware (although not necessarily part of) the pressures and expectations placed upon young people from various sources. This is done best through making oneself acquainted with TV shows they watch, websites they visit and language they use. Although there’s nothing more cringeworthy than a teacher trying to be ‘cool’, it does pay to actually know what they’re talking about sometimes to phrase concepts in ways they might better understand!
Something which teachers really need to keep up-to-date with, now more than ever, is the realm of educational technology. The learning gains, although not necessarily in testable ‘achievement’, are real and can pay off in terms of motivation and relationships with one’s class. Whilst I’m not saying that all teachers should be using blogs, wikis, interactive whiteboards and the like every day with every class, teachers should know how to use, set up and integrate these elements into the curriculum. Unfortunately (at least in the UK) teachers cannot rely on their schools to provide training in these areas. It is vital, therefore, that teachers have the nous to seek out new ways of presenting similar material.
3. To remain enthusiastic
When I was on teaching practice the Head of Department (HoD) was in his mid-50s, gave off an aura of ‘knowing everything’, was proud of his ’scary’ reputation, played ‘Solitaire’ on his laptop whilst pupils ‘got on with it’ and derided the whole education system every break and lunchtime. In contrast my Dad, who’s the same age and also a HoD, is the most enthusiastic person about education you could ever meet. He’s constantly bringing in new ideas to his teaching, shares tips and tricks with others, organizes weekly informal ‘ideas’ meetings with his department, is part of the School Improvement Group, delivers INSETs to other departments in the region for free, and gets students in from two or three universities at a time for their teaching practice.
What’s the difference between the two? Learning. My Dad keeps himself up-to-date with the latest news, policy and ideas in education whereas the other HoD had ’stopped’. Whilst both probably had the similar levels of ICT expertise in the mid-90s my Dad has continued to learn (both from me and others) how to use, for example, his interactive whiteboard to best effect and to cut down his workload through the use of ICT. The other HoD, through his own lack of professional development, probably finds his job increasingly hard to do as he hasn’t ‘kept up’.
Teaching is perhaps one of the hardest jobs in the world. You can never do your job perfectly – there’s always some way in which you can improve learning. In that sense it’s very difficult to remain enthusiastic, especially if you’re a bit of a perfectionist! I would, however, suggest that by keeping up-to-date in various ways teaching can remain an energy-giving, fun occupation rather than one which – as one unfortunately sees fairly often – people feel ‘trapped’ in.
4. To give something back to the community
Too often I have found the implicit analogy in directives and ideas which flow down ‘from above’ that teachers are more like ‘Rambo’ than the ‘A-Team’. That is to say that each teacher has to go it alone fighting the forces of evil in their classroom, occasionally calling on backup. Instead, teaching should be more like the ‘A-Team’ – planned, collaborative and using each team member’s strengths. The trouble with teaching is that you’re expected to perform many different functions equally well and that’s just not how most human beings work! It makes sense, therefore, for each (whilst attempting self-improvement in all areas) to work most in the area which they excel. If this is making resources, then these could be shared with those not so adept in this area. If this is training other teachers, then they should be given time to do this.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: blogging is a great professional development tool. Not only is what you say read upon and commented on (usually!) by others, but the process of writing something down helps you to formulate it more coherently in your own mind. Sharing good practice is what helps educators to get better at their art, for that is what it is – an art. If you’re somebody who scours the Internet looking for the fruits of other people’s labour (and there’s nothing inherently wrong in that) perhaps you might want to start giving something back – to your department, to your school, to the educational community at large? Even the smallest seed (an unfinished resource?) can spark ideas and grow into a mighty tree… ;)
Published on April 22, 2006 · Filed under: Uncategorized;
20 Responses to “Infectious Learning: Teachers as Lifelong Learners”
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While that’s a shocking response, if I think about it the idea of lifelong learning still hasn’t really taken off in schools. And as well as the issues for teachers you’ve highlighted, I think there’s another serious repercussion of this for our pupils.
Before I became a teacher I worked in the Centre for Widening Participation at Aberystwyth Uni. We targeted groups who were statistically under represented in the HE population and ran everything from taster days with year 9 pupils*, to GCSE revision weeks, to a six-week ‘Summer University’ for year 12 and mature students, the completion of which provided an offer of a place at Uni. The point was that people could re-enter education at a suitable place for them, even if they’d previously ‘fallen off’.
From working with mature students (technically anyone over the age of 21), I heard the same comments again and again – that they ‘weren’t ready’ for whatever qualifications they’d been trying, but thats what they did, because the school system says that’s when you do GCSEs / A Levels / what-evers. Since coming back into the secondary education system, I’ve become even more aware than I was that to a great extent we’re running a production line. Pupils take GCSEs when we tell them, go on to take A Levels when we tell them, and then we spend a huge amount of time and effort telling them that they then have to go on University. Maybe, some of these people would actually be better off stopping, having a couple of years out, figuring out what they want to do with the next part of their lives and then getting the best qualifications for that. Instead we have a situation where people are discovering at 21 that they’ve used up their ‘free go’ (although it’s hardly that anymore) and to retrain in an area they now want to enter may well be financially impossible.
Schools need to accept that, post 16 (18?) we’re living in a life-long learning culture. Until we see that fact accepted, this crash point at 18 and 21 is going to remain.
And people like that Head are still going to be making frankly stupid remarks to people like you.
*The rationale behind this was an interesting one – many people with no family experience of HE see University as something other-worldy and not for them. By bringing them in, giving them ‘cool’ things to do with helpful departments and (sometimes) giving them an overnight stay we were trying to break down those perceptions and hopefully raise aspirations in people (and communities) who would never have considered HE before
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Keith Belshaw said on April 22nd, 2006 at 7:48 pm
Hi son – thanks for the positive comments about how I operate, and see my role in teaching.
The main thing I think I with which I want to leave the profession is a legacy of good practice.
Some thoughts therefore: I might not be the best mathematician in the world – even in my department – but I do think I have certain qualities that inspire and motivate the pupils I teach, the student teachers I supervise and the colleagues I manage.
You are so correct with the analogy of being similar to “The ‘A’ Team”. The worst thing that can happen to any teacher is being left alone to plough their own furrow. In how many schools do: supposed “departmental colleagues” pass the time of day with others then retreat to their classroom for the rest of the day; have department meetings where the agenda is mostly determined by issues that the Senior Managers want feedback upon; where the HoD delivers a monologue to anyone listening with no interaction or thought coming from other departmental colleagues? They are there because they have to be, it is expected that this is how a departmental meeting is conducted.
How good it is to meet colleagues every morning with an enthsiasm, commitment and a desire to do the best for each pupil who comes into the department. All my colleagues teach 3 part lessons for the vast majority of the time at the interactive whiteboard – pupils have come to expect this – and be driven to higher achievements. How do I know this – all my colleagues wander into each others lessons when appropriate – no invitation necessary – team teach for 10-15 minutes, wander out again, then we talk pedagogy every Wednesday lunch. My wife provides the food for us all – my colleagues give of their time. Our agenda is our own – anyone can bring anything to the table – new software is demonstrated; younger colleagues ask us oldies how we would teach a certain topic – vital points, learning building blocks are debated; problems are aired. The protacol is that nothing discussed leaves the room for discussion with anyone outside the department. This gives a trust that anyone can ask for advice, air a problem, highlight an issue which they feel has been overlooked. We talk together about the smooth running of the department – planning – everyone can input, and they do. I practice collegiate management, I encourage everyone to improve themselves (one colleague is about half way through his MA, another has taken on the resposibility for numeracy across the curriculum, another is teaching Year 6 pupils in our local feeder schools, another has taken on the role of Learning Manager for Year 7) It is important to support any application that colleagues want to try. In time I will, like Doug, attempt an Ed.D. (probably when my school closes in 3 years!). Education is a lifelong process – we should all go forward together.
From this and thinking about what Steve has said for “being ready for exams” – we now have the process by which youngsters can opt into GCSE when they are motivated so to do. What does this mean to our department?
Year 8 youngsters have opted into sitting the AQA GCSE Statistics exam this summer; Year 9 pupils have opted to start their AQA Maths modules as a prepartion for SAT exams shortly; Year 10 students will finish their AQA Maths exams in either July or November of this year with A*, A or B grades and then opt for Higher Statistics or AS Maths C1, C2 and S1 modules.Year 11 students will complete an As certificate this summer.
The education process is a partnership – between the student, the school and the parents (parent or carer). If one leg of the partnership tripod is flawed then the education process topples and underachievement with accompanying frustrations for all is the usual outcome. As a teacher I have never undervalued my contribution to a young person’s life chances. I am only too aware from personal experience what damage a throw-away remark can make to a vunerable child. Equally the value of praise given for the correct reasons in the correct way (most teenagers don’t appreciate being put in the glare of the spotlight – but the postcard home, the appreciative comment on their work or in their ear) gives them a sense of value they have achieved in my subject. I ramble!
Doug is correct – improving pedagogy and classroom management by communicating and using new ideas; using the latest appropriate ICT hardware and software packages to make the job easier; enthusiasm and a motivation to do the best job you can for the most deprived child in your school will give an enormous boost for any community – the school results will show this.
Well, back for a new important term on Monday – hold on though – I’ll be in as usual at 0700 but I’m going to Seaham Hall Hotel to hear about “The thinking school” – strategies to help pupils to think for themselves, rather than be spoon fed. Must be the way forward in the 21st century! -
There’s a strange anti-intellectual attitude in England. It’s stranger that we should find it in staffrooms and heads’ offices, but your post shows that we do. I’ve been called a bod (local speak for spod, geek, teacher’s pet) in my staffroom, all in jest and accepted as such, but it’s sad that enthusiasm sometimes marks you out.
The thing is Doug, that we’ve got to become the educational leaders of tomorrow, so that at least one HOD, or headteacher, or AST or whatever, is content to imagine that they don’t know everything, that they’re willing to be persuaded by someone else, that they can improve what they’re doing (and not just by inching from this percentage a-c to that percentage a-c) and that _trying_ to be clever is the aim of teacher and student.
One of the most inspiring things I ever read was an article by Lee and Shemilt in teaching history, in which they said that pupils seem to progress by swapping weak misconceptions for more and more powerful misconceptions, each time getting closer to somekind of insight. Two things flow from this:
1. keep on truckin – you’re swapping weaker for higher and stronger misconceptions all the time, just like the rest of us who are really into learning; and
2. that head’s misconception was _really_ weak.
Ed.
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Thanks for your comments – it seems I’ve struck a bit of a nerve! :D
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Paul H said on May 2nd, 2006 at 2:25 pm
Doug,
if it’s any consolation, this recent policy statement, drafted by national experts and validated by a conference of stakeholders in teacher education from across the EU, refers explicitly to the need for the teaching profession to be based upon life-long learning.B.t.w., I agree about teachers as role models. In the ‘knowledge society’ we want students to leave school equipped with skills – but also the attitudes – that enable them to carry on self-directed learning throughout the rest of their lives. So they need teachers who can model these skills and qualities. A teacher who sends out the message ‘I know it all already’ is undermining this process.
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