Well, I know this is out of context, but I need to jot my thoughts down someplace. I might even find an icon for these peskies:
- multi-tasking: NOT a good idea to mix up teacher-shit1 with real stuff
- single-handling: NOT a practical approach for the busy teacher
- prioritisation: a bit of a joke with so many priority stakeholders
Notes:
1. I use the seeemingly derogative phrase 'teacher shit' deliberately, and I expect it to cause consternation to a reader. It is used to help you realise that it is ingrained in a teacher that the professional practices of pedagogy must be dealt with conscientiously, and given precedence over less elevated aspects (ie the rest of your life). This blog expressly advocates an opposite approach. You should periodically refocus and prioritise 'real stuff' over 'teacher shit'
Saturday, 23 June 2012
The Script is Not the Play
Indeed. Time for some deep stuff. Metaphors n shit. The script is not the play. It is really important to realise that a plan represents a possible scenario of what might happen. The reality will be entirely different.
The efficient teacher will NOT do every task on the allotted date, or meet all of her self-imposed deadlines. Sometimes she will be behind plan, sometimes she will be ahead of plan, but at all times she will have a helicopter view of what is happening and what is about to happen (mostly) and is pretty much in control of her life.
The efficient teacher will NOT do every task on the allotted date, or meet all of her self-imposed deadlines. Sometimes she will be behind plan, sometimes she will be ahead of plan, but at all times she will have a helicopter view of what is happening and what is about to happen (mostly) and is pretty much in control of her life.
What do you mean 'I'm an asshole?'
Oh, I see. It's because in all my examples, I'm making the teacher do marking during vacations and prepare lessons at weekends and stuff like that.
Well, I'm sorry. I really, really hope that your teacher's workload requires you to do no work outside of your regular school day. I also hope that if it does, you can approach the leadership team and ask for some time off. And I wish you good luck with that.
The fact is that many teacher's end up pulling all-nighters or losing significant 'me-time' because of school commitments. All I am recommending is that the efficient teacher needs to be in control of this situation.
Well, I'm sorry. I really, really hope that your teacher's workload requires you to do no work outside of your regular school day. I also hope that if it does, you can approach the leadership team and ask for some time off. And I wish you good luck with that.
The fact is that many teacher's end up pulling all-nighters or losing significant 'me-time' because of school commitments. All I am recommending is that the efficient teacher needs to be in control of this situation.
You CANNOT be serious?
Well, yes, I am. You've clearly guessed that I recommend that the efficient teacher does the same business that I described in the last post for EVERY event in the Department Calendar.
That might sound like a lot of work, but if you think about it, it takes less than a minute to assess each event. Year 11 Assessment 1? Don't have any assessment material? Then add 'Prepare assessment material' four weeks before the school deadline, add 'Do Year 11 Assessment' three weeks before the deadline and add 'Mark Year 11 Assessment' two weeks before the deadline. Of course, these dates and tasks might not be appropriate - they will vary from teacher to teacher. And hopefully, there are some school deadlines which just won't apply to you.
When the efficient teacher has done this (whew....) they can do two things:
- firstly, they can see when their REALLY busy weeks are. For example, they may find that they need to prepare assessment material for Year 8 in the same week as they are marking Year 10 tests and getting ready for Open Evening and giving oral exams to Year 11. Better not invite guests round that week, and maybe start looking for some Year 8 assessment material right now.
- secondly, they are NOT going to be caught by surprise. In the example below, some generous soul has put two assessment deadlines immediately after the Christmas vacation. How many teachers will cruise back to school, look at the notice board and think 'Holy Shit and Happy New Year to You Too'. The efficient teacher, though, has given her student the assessments before Christmas, and marked 'em already.
That might sound like a lot of work, but if you think about it, it takes less than a minute to assess each event. Year 11 Assessment 1? Don't have any assessment material? Then add 'Prepare assessment material' four weeks before the school deadline, add 'Do Year 11 Assessment' three weeks before the deadline and add 'Mark Year 11 Assessment' two weeks before the deadline. Of course, these dates and tasks might not be appropriate - they will vary from teacher to teacher. And hopefully, there are some school deadlines which just won't apply to you.
When the efficient teacher has done this (whew....) they can do two things:
- firstly, they can see when their REALLY busy weeks are. For example, they may find that they need to prepare assessment material for Year 8 in the same week as they are marking Year 10 tests and getting ready for Open Evening and giving oral exams to Year 11. Better not invite guests round that week, and maybe start looking for some Year 8 assessment material right now.
- secondly, they are NOT going to be caught by surprise. In the example below, some generous soul has put two assessment deadlines immediately after the Christmas vacation. How many teachers will cruise back to school, look at the notice board and think 'Holy Shit and Happy New Year to You Too'. The efficient teacher, though, has given her student the assessments before Christmas, and marked 'em already.
Friday, 22 June 2012
Oh NO - We've Planned Something !!
In the example we've just looked at, a deadline saying 'Year 11 Assessments Complete' is likely to be a school-wide deadline which will be used by the administration staff to produce reports for the school leadership. THIS IS NOT A TEACHER'S DEADLINE. The efficient teacher needs to ask what the department policy is for these assessments, and assuming the answer is 'We would like all teachers to give a written assessment to their Year 11 classes and translate the results into an approximate GCSE Grade', the efficient teacher needs to ADD THE REAL DEADLINES to the calendar. The revised calendar shows an example, with the key dates tastefully highlighted in puce.
The efficient teacher plans to start this work FOUR WEEKS before the published date (11 October) and identifies how long she needs to design the assessment activity, allows a week for the students to take the test, and gives herself a week (and two weekends) to mark it. This planning, I emphasize, should be done in September, ideally before the kids even arrive back at school.
The efficient teacher plans to start this work FOUR WEEKS before the published date (11 October) and identifies how long she needs to design the assessment activity, allows a week for the students to take the test, and gives herself a week (and two weekends) to mark it. This planning, I emphasize, should be done in September, ideally before the kids even arrive back at school.
Back to the Gardening Calendar
Now let's start some longer-term planning: something that teacher's are often reluctant to do. We'll use the Department Calendar for this - a COPY of the calendar that our cunning efficient teacher has snaffled for their own purposes. Let's focus on one inscrutable entry against Thursday 11 October - see it? It says 'Year 11 Assessment 1 Complete'. In order to plan effectively, it is really important that a teacher understands what deadlines like this MEAN. Not 'what it means for the student' or 'what it means to the department' but 'what it means for the individual teacher concerned'. This question should be asked right at the beginning of the school year, and the efficient teacher should know roughly how much discretion they have, and be able to figure out how much commitment is involved, for every event on the calendar.
Course Content
In order to plan lessons efficiently, a teacher really needs to have LOTS of resources stockpiled in advance. One helpful - though time-consuming - technique is the MegaPrez. This ugly word describes a long sequence of presentation slides which represents an entire unit, or in some cases an entire course. These mighty beasts may contain over a hundred slides of text and graphics.
The focus here is on content. Obviously if other aspects are available (assessment, exercises, extension work) they can be included, but the focus is on the raw material of the course - the need-to-know factual stuff.
At the risk of stating the obvious: this material is NOT suitable for feeding to students. However it IS suitable to raid in order to prepare your student presentations. When you are doing your REAL lesson planning, you really shouldn't have to worry about presenting the basic factual material. This should be pre-prepared in a legible, intelligible, well-layed-out form.
The focus here is on content. Obviously if other aspects are available (assessment, exercises, extension work) they can be included, but the focus is on the raw material of the course - the need-to-know factual stuff.
At the risk of stating the obvious: this material is NOT suitable for feeding to students. However it IS suitable to raid in order to prepare your student presentations. When you are doing your REAL lesson planning, you really shouldn't have to worry about presenting the basic factual material. This should be pre-prepared in a legible, intelligible, well-layed-out form.
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