L began by describing her classroom… which she is using really creatively as a tool/learning resource.  That is an important insight… the classroom itself is precisely that – a learning resource.  We can sometimes become locked into an orthodoxy… about how a classroom is set up, etc.  This can in itself become a limiting factor.  L, C and F have been engaging in what is known as pattern-breaking. 

Pattern breaking means making yourself do things that you wouldn’t normally do, or perhaps don’t even like doing.  At a simple level, it brings freshness… a new stimulus.  At a deeper level, it brings dynamism, an alternative way of experiencing the classroom for the children, new networks and learning relationships, different connections with the teacher/adults, a deliberate challenge to the ‘standard’ assumptions.  For me, it’s great that the team, more than not being afraid to experiment, are actively testing assumptions and are, in effect, in the middle of an Action Research project. 

There are some really interesting things happening with table arrangements/covering tables with lining paper, etc.  We are seeing new learning opportunities emerging, alongside opportunities to deepen learning and enhance pupil action/interaction within sessions.  The L topic, during which children and staff dressed up all week was and is a truly immersive learning experience.  This is what we should be aspiring to in our curriculum throughout school.  Levels of pupil engagement with the topic are incredibly high because they are so very motivated by it.

F talked about the impact that insistence from the teacher has on attainment.  We are using a ‘full contact’ marking method throughout school.  That, allied to high quality feedback, is having a clear impact upon writing.  If we pick up on all of it…children will improve.  We have talked about the fact that where the teacher has a focus on something ….it improves.  F talked about something as simple as sharpened pencils having an impact upon children’s feelings about writing… having a nice sharp pencil makes you feel better about writing.  Your writing looks better when you have nice resources to use.  Take care of the small things and the big things take care of themselves.

C and B both spoke about the power of expectations and the rapid pace of improvement that this can bring about.  Within three days, the output that their children were able to achieve and sustain went up by at least 50%... wholly based on their expectations.  It’s incredible, when you think about how high a bar both C and B set all of the time anyway, just what can be achieved.  This too is pattern-breaking.

The human brain is hard-wired to use an automatic and subconscious classification system based on past experiences… it seeks and sees patterns.  This is highly effective and allows us to process huge amounts of information very quickly.  But it also keeps us locked into current and past realities.  Indeed… we create the reality, don’t we – we get what we expect – don’t we (?)  We get that pattern, because we expect that pattern, so we sub-consciously impose that pattern.  Breaking out of this pattern, this limiting mode of thinking, taking new information as our default, our expectation, changes the game.  It allows us to break through and see a new enhanced pattern as our norm.

B provided compelling evidence of this.  Many of her children are achieving now what last year’s children (a group who made great progress during their R year) were achieving in the Summer term last year.  This is not ‘the children’.  This is all down to teachers ambition.  B talked about the impetus coming from the teacher… the teacher is the driver of the ambition in the room. 

E made very similar points, backed up with the compelling evidence that she is successfully recording.  E reiterated the message that the expectations that we have and the ambitions that we have for our children are key.

I reflected on the absolute power that the teacher has over the customs, the mores, the expectations in the classroom, on the prevailing orthodoxy that says that progress is a matter of tiny, small, incremental development steps.  This is, if you think about it, a pattern that has been accepted as the norm.  We have spoken tonight about how quickly can we change things, how fast we can go… if we break the pattern.

And finally, a few quick reflections on the things that have got us to where we are in terms of the consistency and consistent quality of teaching at R.  These are the principles that guide us all of the time and the elements in our teaching that we should consistently expect to see.

High challenge

High participation

High engagement

… use of talk partners, envoys, whiteboards, chatterboxes, table groups, hot seating, etc – no ‘hands up’, ever…

… children comfortable to be spending time in ‘The Pit’… They should be in The Pit at times.  They shouldn’t always be able to do it, any of them.  If they can – you’re not challenging them enough…

… Teachers build the hype.  Lessons are fantastic because the pupils live and love the experience…

… excellent use of the excellent resources.  We have the resources.  The children should be using them powerfully…

… We do not use the excuses of previous teacher or impoverished home life or lack of enthusiasm to hide from our responsibilities to each and every child in our class.  We commit to narrowing the gap between our highest and lowest attainers…