Too Much?

After recent personal bad news and the
recent inquest hearing for Helen Mann in England, I am pushed more and more into thinking if the job is worth the pressure and sometimes very public humiliation that is put upon Management in schools.

It is hard to think of any other position where public decisions are made about your performance; where your efforts to be the best you can be are put on public record for all to see and comment on. I can’t think that anyone in a leadership role in school wants to do the job badly, lower standards and make life difficult for pupils and staff. It isn’t the sort of job that demands it.

At the end of the day, the main job of a Principal or Senior Leader in school is ‘to lead teaching and learning’ but all too often this primary role is becoming secondary as more and more pressure is put on leaders to be administrators, social workers, carers and, moreso, managers. The ability to develop a vision for a school, to focus on raising attainment of all pupils (not just those in standardised tests), to inspire children, to create a love of learning and lifelong learners is being constantly worn away in governmental bureaucracy, red-tape and target driven approaches to education.

Fewer and fewer teachers are putting themselves forward for principals’ positions because more and more teachers see that it is a no-win position. It is astonishing now that there are still people willing to ‘take on the challenge’ instead of being willing to ‘accept the joy’ of being a Principal.

The Deartment of Education, through the Education and Training Inspectorate must look at how to develop a more shared, collaborative and supportive partnership for schools and school leaders. The ‘surprise’ inspection that lasts 3 days, from a team that has very little contact with the school and then writing a report based on this short window of observation places an unnecessary burden on school leaders and whole school communities.

Why not develop a collaborative relationship with the school over a period of time? Look at the progress a school is making year on year; give guidance and pointers to examples of good practice from other schools and professionals while at the same time ensure the school is being monitored in its obligation to raising standards and meeting expectations. Surely this type of cooperation, collaboration and sharing is exactly what the DE is asking us to teach to our pupils and practise amongst schools? It hardly makes sense to see that the same branch of government doesn’t practise the same.

I can’t imagine that any head teacher takes the position in a school to have an easy life – it isn’t feasible. That’s not to say there are no bad head teachers, of course there are. It would be disingenuous to suggest otherwise – just like there are underperforming individuals in every job. However, I have to assume that people take these positions because they feel that they can make a difference to the fragile lives around them, be the spark and the enthusiasm in a school. All to often we worry that the job isn’t worth it when it should be. Teaching is a brilliant job and being a principal should be the pinnacle for any teacher; the aim or goal for teachers – who want it. What could be more rewarding than having the opportunity to help children lead more fulfilling lives or enable teachers to become better professionals so that, one day, they would also want to lead a school if they felt it was for them.

All to frequently it is teachers’ and principals’ families who are the more fragile as their committed, enthusiastic, loyal family member feels that they can’t cope with the pressures that modern school leadership brings.

#Imagine TEDxStormont

TED comes to town

Today, I had the privilege to be one of a surprisingly select few that attended TEDxStormont in Parliament Buildings. Given the range of speakers and wealth of talent on show I was surprised to hear that only around 100 tickets were actually released and more thankful then that I got in early and got a ticket.

The TED talks are designed around ‘ideas worth spreading’ and a more indepth description can be found at TED.com. The TEDx moniker indicated that it was independently organised by the TEDxStormont team but carried the ‘blessing’ of the TED organisation.

And, boy, were there some ideas worth spreading.

Breaking New Ground

Having lived through some of the darkest periods of ‘The Troubles’ I never would have imagined sitting at an event that was introduced by Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness on an equal footing. But they opened it well – especially with Martin McGuiness’ anecdotes regarding the importance of learning to fish. While I have had no love for Sinn Fein (or DUP, for that matter) in the past I do know that one of Mr McGuiness’ first decisions whilst Education Minister was to grant permission for the establishment of the school that I now currently work in. Mr Robinson surprised a lot of people with the strength of his opening remarks regarding the ‘Educational Apartheid’ that exists in Northern Ireland – something I would like to come back to at a later date.

I wonder, sometimes, does Mr McGuinness ever think of the impact of decisions that he has made as this is one decision that changed my life forever and the lives of hundreds of children and their families. I never picked up the courage today to lean over and thank him (we were sitting in the second row directly behind him and Peter Robinson) and, in retrospect, regret this missed opportunity. I hope it comes again.

To see the Great Hall bathed in the red glow of the Ted logo was breath-taking to say the least and the staircase leading up to Lord Craigavon’s statue glowed in the red hue. It was a stunning back drop and very obviously managed to be as slick and as professional as the setting deserved.

Growing Up

TedxStormont marked the 15th Anniversary of the singing of The Good Friday Agreement -  and was remarked on by Dame Jocelyn Bell Brunell with the quip ‘Celebrating any agreement in Northern Ireland is a good thing.’

Like any 15 year old teenager, ‘New’ Northern Ireland is in the ‘inbetween’ stage – growing up, finding its feet, working out what its principles are and what path it will take in the future. In the intervening time since the signing of The Agreement, Northern Ireland has gone through significant change and, despite the best efforts of some, continues on its journey to maturity on the global stage.

I think TEDxStormont was a fantastic coming of age event where we were able to see, first-hand, the current impact that Northern Ireland is having on the global stage through the pioneering work and creativity of some of its most gifted and talented people. As well as this, we were given the opportunity to hear the ideas of thinkers, artisans and innovators and how their ideas might help the new Northern Ireland find that identity. What also struck me about the day was that you felt that you were a participant as opposed to an observer – watching the talks being delivered. The positive energy in The Great Hall was tangible and I felt charged up as speaker after speaker asked us to #imagine. To take a risk and see what can be done. In a tweet that I sent out, I said that I felt that we were being asked to ‘face our past, accept our present and change our future’ and I feel this even more today as I put these thoughts down on the screen.

Political Correctness Gone Mad!

Getting the opportunity to listen to some of our politicians speak about issues that were not partisan rabble-rousing nonsense was another experience that I have to thank TEDxStormont for. Far too often, we are subjected to the usual Northern Ireland tribalism when we hear politicians speak on the airwaves but this was an opportunity to see where interests and motivations actually lay in being in the public eye. Whether it was Martin McGuinness’ reminiscence on the importance of fly-fishing in his life; Peter Robinson’s call to end the Apartheid of our Education System; Simon Hamilton looking at the expectation gap between government and people; Jo-Anne Dobson’s call to improve organ donation or Dolores Kelly speaking about child poverty it was refreshing to hear about things that made a difference to their lives and, in turn, impact on ours. If we had more of a chance to see this ‘coalition of positive thinking’ on a more regular basis I wonder of the public’s perception and respect for politician’s would change – I think it would.

Inside Out

Northern Ireland does punch above its weight on the global stage. Our historical contribution was referenced many times but it was enlightening to hear about the current contributions we are making. Dame Jocelyn Bell Brunell’s hard hitting talk on the lack of women in science was highly thought-provoking and made me think of my own Mother-in-Law who regularly laments missing out on the opportunity to study science in post-primary. If her family had reacted in the same way as Dame Jocelyn Bell Brunell’s who knows what path her life might have taken? But it was the reference, twice, by Dame Jocelyn to failing her Entrance / Selection / 11+ test at eleven that really stood out for me. Getting the chance to question her on this issue, I was slightly disappointed by the lack of detail in her thoughts on the current system and felt that it stood in stark contrast to the intensity with which she spoke about the lack of opportunities for women. Surely there had to be something to be said for those children who had never recovered from the ‘failure’ of the tests in the way that she had. However, this is not to take away from the intensity of her talk and the resonance that rang out from her words.

John D’Arcy showed us the great work that the Open University is doing but really came to life when speaking about ‘Oh Yeah Music Centre’ and the forthcoming film ‘Good Vibrations.’ What a joy to have the strains of Teenage Kicks ringing out through Stormont as the trailer for the film was played for us! And, in an unusual turn of events, in conversation with his wife a little later, her pride in what John was involved in and his motivation really shone through. This chance meeting was a small highlight for me.

And facing our past, accepting our present and changing our future was put into sharp focus for the hall as Kate Carroll spoke so openly and emotionally about the legacy that she is trying to establish in the name of her husband Constable Steve Carroll who was killed by the Continuity IRA in 2009.

The musical contributions really shone through and each session ended spectacularly with contributions from Gráinne Holland, Belfast Community Gospel Choir and Gary Lightbody & The Assembly. Each, in their own way, showcasing the standard of creative arts that Northern Ireland contributes to the world stage. Of course, for many (myself included) the opportunity to hear Gary Lightbody speak and perform was what hooked us in but in no way should this take away from the contribution that the young talent that he surrounded himself with gave to the performance. His enthusiasm for the TED concept was evident and admitting that he often sat late a night looking for inspiration from the talks meant that I didn’t feel so strange or nerdy for my own fascination with and enthusiasm for them! But it was also fascinating to watch someone who has performed in front of millions of people look so nervous as he spoke to us about his passion for the local music scene. He neglected the TED Spot and paced up and down along the stage waiting to get to the point where he could let his music do the talking for him.

Outside In

Many of the speakers that came from outside Northern Ireland challenged us to imagine how we could change Northern Ireland and, in doing so, the world. Time and time again: Innovation; Imagination; Creativity; Challenge; Education were cited as the pathways for the future of a prosperous and forward-thinking Northern Ireland. These are themes that I agree with as well as my favourite one – Think Differently. If we don’t change our mindse

Happy Birthday To Us!

It’s Saturday 2nd March.
One year ago,today, TeachMeet Belfast took place. We were wide-eyed and raring to go in our ambition to take CPD in Northern Ireland Education to a new place – self-led and self-sourced.
Of course, the TeachMeet model wasn’t new and our colleagues around the world, especially England, had been organised for years. However, Northern Ireland is conservative (with that small ‘c’) and we didn’t know what was going to happen! Our one big worry was ‘What if nobody shows up except for us?’

Thankfully, some others did show up – had a ball, asked for us to do it again (which we duly did) and brought or sent their friends! TeachMeet NorthWest came out of this as well and plans for TeachMeet Belfast3 are underway.

However, like all birthdays this is a time for reflection. To look back over the past year to see where we have been and what we have achieve, if anything. I think the team has been fantastic. There has been a network of enthusiastic, willing, visionary, tireless teachers established who want to change things and, more importantly, help facilitate that change in schools. Northern Ireland isn’t conservative for no reason – the fear of change is palpable in our schools and classrooms – but we need to change; to be open to the realisation that what had been acceptable twenty years ago is no longer so.

I like using the example of my friend Tom Jackson who puts it terms of a visit to the doctor. How would you feel if you were treated by a doctor who hadn’t looked into new practice for twenty years? You wouldn’t feel confident that you were getting the latest and best treatment – and surely the same can be said for teachers who are afraid to bring the changing, technological world into their classrooms. Are we confident that the children are getting the latest and best education?

So, this network has to grow beyond our core group. We are going to be a virus in the coming days, weeks, months and (dare I say it) years. We will be a highly infectious virus and we are going to spread. We are going to spread into all schools and, hopefully, change things. However, the best virus is always adaptable – it changes to suit its environment – to be as invasive as it can. We need to do this and, with the vision of some fantastic people we can, we should, we will – and yes, Conor, we’re looking at you for your drive and ambition starting with your fantastic idea!

So, as we mature and grow it is refreshing to know that we are becoming experienced instead of stale; more ambitious instead of standing still; being thirsty for more instead of being satisfied with what we have.

It hasn’t been easy and we know that we are still a minority (albeit a quirky minority) amongst our colleagues. But, don’t we owe it to the children in our care to give them the best we can by embracing the ideas of others who are willing to share their best practice?

So, come along for the ride! You never know, you might enjoy yourself!

Desktop Fun?

Interactive?

The debate on Interactive Whiteboards continues to dominate the pages of many blogs and my Twitter feed on a regular basis – and what an interesting and divisive one it is! The extremes of views cannot be more diametrically apart from the best thing to land in the classroom through to an abomination in the classroom. From the off, I fall into the camp that favours the use of the board – when used correctly in the classroom.

Yes, at times, there is nothing that couldn’t be done with a big screen and a projector – nothing to be spent on a large scale interactive board. However, as a teaching tool in the Primary School, I have found it invaluable for illustrating points, bringing videos through to support teaching and being interactive with games / and set lesson plans. But, hey ho, each to their own.

Table Top Activities

One of the biggest criticism levelled at an IWB is that there is not much interactivity from the children. This can be true on many levels but, again, it comes down to the skill of the teacher using the resources at his/her disposal. It can be a very expensive flip chart or a very engaging tool in the hands of the right teacher. But, what if you could take what was on the wall and put it into the collaborative hands of the children as well as the teacher?

Today, we had the opportunity to play with Promethean’s latest offering – The ActivTable. I had seen the table in BETT2013 and was eager to give the teachers and children in the school the opportunity to see it in action and measure up their opinion. Personally, I liked it a lot. I had gone to BETT with the intention of looking at how to support our SEN teachers and develop early Digital Literacy Skills in my Foundation pupils. The table offered a level of ‘easy to get to grips with’ collaboration and highly engaging visual stimulus for the small groups withdrawn for SEN support. As well as this, it isn’t too daunting for those teachers amongst us resistant to change and learning new skills. I won’t do the selling job – that’s Promethean’s job, however, I must commend the rep. who spent the day with us, Peter Jackson, for his patience and work that he did with the staff and the pupils in what was an extended session!

It is highly engaging, easy to use and certainly had the ‘WOW’ factor for those pupils that got the chance to play about with it. I gave 6 of my P7 children to chance to put it through it’s paces in a number of ways and, although it did struggle at times with the volume of play they were giving it, the table did an admirable job with what they threw at it!

Does What It Says On The Tin?

 It certainly is ‘Activ’ and gave a good feeling of collaboration in the children guided sessions. It runs Window 7 as the OS under the skin of the ‘ActivTable’ software so is easily accessible and, should(?), work within the proposed scheme of the new C2K provision (though I await further clarification). The apps that were on show would support basic numeracy and literacy groups but there needs to be more than what was on show. We didn’t have access to the App Store proposed by Promethean but I have seen a broad range of Apps that can be used within the software and these raise the table above a ‘Games Arcade.’ What I also liked was that the teachers could bring in any previously prepared ActivPrimary Pages and use these on the table – something that gives more of an interactive nature to the lesson. It is easier to see this being used in the means of withdrawal support with the small group. However, our Foundation teachers did make the point that it could certainly support the main teaching group after a lesson has been delivered – take what was done on the board and bring it to the fingertips if the children needing support.

I would also hope that it would support the plethora of interactive sites and software that is available online, e.g. Primary Games or ALTA Maths - something that is used widely in school.

Costly Enterprise

It isn’t a cheap option – Promethean can do their own pricing adverts - and I have had a bit of ‘advice’ from my Twitter PLN advising the purchase of 20 iPads and a 42″ TV screen to do the same job! (Point taken!). However, to me, there is something inherently different about a teacher working at this level with the children and guiding them through the medium – encouraging and demonstrating collaboration, cooperation, etc. right there at her finger tips with the children joining in. I am all for my Tablet Solutions (more on that in the future) but I feel that this may be an opportunity to move away from the individual screen to the group work screen – having up to six children working at once is an inviting prospect.

Granted, the large set of tablets would look well but would it do the same job for my children in this context? I’m not sure….

Decisions?

None taken, yet. There are still a few questions I would like answered – for example, would it be possible to upgrade the processor from i3 to i5 / i7? Something that I think would make a massive difference to the longevity of the table as time and technology move on at a apace. As well as this, will there be the option to create our own apps that are suited to the teaching that is going on in the group as opposed to being pushed into the Promethean idea of what is suitable (some of our teachers were already asking how to change some of the Phonics sets to reflect the teaching of the Linguistic Phonics scheme in school). As well as this, there are a couple of other things to ask – however, I was genuinely impressed, I think the staff were and so were the children.

To date, there is only one other table being used in Northern Ireland.

Decisions…

TeachMeet BETT2013 – I am amazing; You are amazing; We are amazing…YEAH!

Having been involved with the launch of TeachMeet Belfast and its forthcoming partner TeachMeet Northwest, I relished the opportunity to go to the Granddaddy of them all – TeachMeet BETT – and what a joy it was!

What struck me first was the hum of excitement that permeated the arena. It was good to be a participant this time – sitting back and letting others do the hard work – and to be witness to some of the innovative and excellent practice that is going on in schools around the world. What was fantastic about Friday evening was that there were speakers from around Europe chosen by the Random Name Generator, not just from within the UK. This added a fantastic dimension to the evening.

The layout of the round tables produced a great sharing environment and gave everyone the chance to talk to each other, put faces to Twitter names and, generally, have a good time with the free bar that was provided.

It is difficult to pick out any one speaker in particular as they were all great, charming, funny, enthusiastic and passionate about education in their own way, however, I am already enthused about designing ClipArt in MSPublisher / PowerPoint thanks to Bev Evans and can’t wait to ‘Bring A Teacher To Twitter Week’ that is coming soon!

There was also the Visual Minutes board that was generated during the evening’s proceedings that was a truly remarkable piece of art! If anyone has watched Sir Ken Robinson’s RSA talk about Education Paradigms, then you will get the idea. These guys were a truly talented bunch!

Finally, though, it was knowing that Northern Ireland had now joined this sharing forum in its own way that is fresh and exciting for the teachers, that made the evening for me. With the work of the TeachMeet team in Northern Ireland, I think we can continue to spread the message that there is excellent, innovative and inspiring practice happening in our schools and that we are breaking down the barriers to progress.

Thanks to all involved in the TeachMeet BETT experience – Mind-blowing!

If you haven’t signed up for TeachMeet NorthWest yet – you really should!

Tim Rylands – Back to Their Future

I had the absolute joy of seeing another presentation and being entertained by the wonderfully talented and mercurial Tim Rylands this morning at BETT.

I have written about Tim before on this blog and his visionary approach to education through the use of technology. What I love about his work is that he puts the learning at the heart of everything he speaks about. Yes, it might be flashy and immersive but it is always educational – in his own unique and twisted way!

Tim held the BETT Arena in the palm of his hand this morning as he enthralled us, entertained us, surprised us and shared the joy of watching two dancing robots with us (don’t ask!).

Watching Tim Rylands speak is the best therapy any teacher could hope for. Knowing that there are people with that energy, insight, drive, motivation and passion wrapped up that humble, self-deprecating package is truly inspiring. It gives those of us who are exhausted fighting the system the shot in the arm we need from time to time. Who needs Red Bull?

It was the message that was threaded through his presentation today that was the most joyous to hear! By not embracing this technology and using it to benefit the LEARNING of the children, then we are doing them an injustice. However, it has to be beneficial! It has to be worthwhile and it has to make a difference – otherwise it is a shiny distraction! He was all about the teacher being the visionary and taking the kids with on a journey of discovery and challenge. Discovering their (and our) hidden talents and challenging our expectations of what children can do.

Tim used one comment in the show that resonated with me and was probably the single most important thing I heard in my time in BETT this year. It was almost a throw away and it seemed to get lost in the maelstrom of activity and joy on the stage. It was a simple quote but I’m still thinking about it:

‘If an answer can be Googled, then the question wasn’t good enough’

Find out more about Tim at www.timrylands.com and if you are not following him on Twitter @timrylands, ask yourself why not? People like him are few and far between.

BETT2013

A very quick update post regarding my current visit to the BETT show, here in London at the moment.

I am very lucky to have a principal and Board of Governors who saw the benefit to the school to send me to the BETT show this year with the aim of seeing where we were now placed as a school in terms of our technology provision to pupils and where we could be heading. For a school our size, it is a financial luxury to give this opportunity.

So, is it worth it? Absolutely! As well as getting ideas it is also a fantastic networking opportunity and having the chance to meet old friends who have been stretching their wings is fantastic – more on that soon. It is an investment to send a teacher to BETT, especially the ICT coordinator. This is my chance to get my CPD when I spend so much time helping others with theirs. I couldn’t recommend attendance highly enough.

It was great to see that, as a school, we seem to still be at least up to date with current thinking and striving in front of current thinking in many areas. What was fantastic was that there were no surprises! Yes, some of the tech is up to date and could make a difference but I wasn’t ‘blown away’ as some schools might be when surrounded by the level of technology on display. To me, that is a great recommendation of the work the school is doing – so a big thank you to all my colleagues for their support.

I will take a couple of things away – especially the collaboration tables from Promethean and SMART – again, photos and comment in the near future.

But the main thing I will take away is how disadvantaged we are in NI when it comes to seeking solutions to ICT issues. It was remarkable the number of sales people whose faces fell when they realised that I was from Northern Ireland and was operating under the ‘constraints’ of C2K. I feel that it is important for our schools that there is the element of freedom promised in the new (delayed) provision if we are not to fall behind the rest of the UK. The are some wonderful people working very hard in C2K and they know I appreciate them for it but the level of frustration vented from those who have been dealing with the NI setup was astonishing, simply astonishing!

We need to give our kids the best opportunities and shouldn’t be hamstrung by the politics (with a small ‘p’) that seems to be permeating the system. For example, the new ACER Windows8 solution Is beautiful and inexpensive – YET, we possibly would have to roll back to Windows 7 to use it on our system! Madness! The same goes for the Collaboration Tables from Prometean and SMART. I worry about the inability of our provision to enable us to exploit their full potential, so may not invest in what I feel Is a fantastic, though expensive, SEN resource.

We are at the cutting edge in Northern Ireland and have the potential to grow even further. Let’s hope we can.