At first glance this may appear to be only attributable to teaching professionals, but teaching is something we all do all the time, when you counsel friends, talk to your children, or discuss with family among many other instances. Being a good teacher comes down to effective communication, being an outstanding teacher requires responsive communication and the right state of mind.
Firstly, it is important to say that striving to be outstanding all the time is both highly unrealistic and by definition, not possible. It is a grade within a system that is designed to put your usual effort at a mid-range reading of satisfactory or good, therefore, you will be raising the level of your ‘good’ teaching by striving for this, but you will never be outstanding all the time.
So, considering this, why would we bother with striving for outstanding? There are many good reasons, career progression, recognition, the best provision for students and high standards for your organisation are all good reasons for pushing for this grade. But in all of these areas there is still a focus on the education system at the heart of everything you would be doing. I would ask you this question; is it outstanding if it doesn’t focus on whole people? There are many excellent classroom teachers, maybe even outstanding classroom teachers who rule their classroom sized universe, maybe their department sized universe with the utmost skill and precision, but it is at the end of the day still a classroom and/or a department. What happens to the outstanding when the students leave and go into the wider world? Is this still outstanding when the students get home?
Whilst it is obviously much harder to quantify in any cohesive manner, it is surely more important to change a student’s state of mind. They are more outstanding who can reach a student who goes home and tells their parents what they have been doing at school, who engages a student to the point where they go and research the topic independently, who can create a mindset for learning and self-improvement that goes beyond the 9-3 of normal schooling. The million-dollar question then, is how on earth to do this? I cannot provide a road map to these outcomes, if I could I would have been shouting from the rooftops a long time ago, and I cannot offer a sure fire set of techniques to achieve this either. After all, teachers vary in their delivery, and their subject matter to the point where general practise becomes all but irrelevant. What I can offer is a few insights into the breakthroughs I have had with students in an attempt to give you a starting point to your own worthy journey, a journey in which your destination is the improvement of learning for the future generations we hold this planet in trust for.
The very first thing I have found in my teaching is that you have to listen to your students. This sounds simple, I know, grandmothers and eggs come to mind, but by listening you are able to do several things;
Differentiate learning effectively
Tailor learning outcomes to individuals
Set targets and judge achievement against an individual and their improvement rather than an individual against a cohort
It is only through listening to students that you will gain an insight into the things they value, and incorporating this is what will ensure that the learning they do will continue beyond the classroom
The second thing I have learned is that in order to engage students in your world of work and learning, you have to be willing to engage them in their world. Ask them how their day is going, what they did at the weekend, what their interests are. When you do this, really listen, and refer back to it throughout the session as a means of embedding learning. If they can see that the learning they are doing will impact on their lives outside of school or college then they will both learn more willingly and retain the information learned better.
Thirdly, be consistent and fair in your discipline. Allow yourself the time to explain to students why you have taken the action you have, and always be aware that the student and their behaviour should be judged as much as possible against themselves as a benchmark. If a student has not met the attendance target for the school or college, but has nevertheless improved their attendance, this is a success. There is still work to do but it is a success, nonetheless. You will not achieve anything through playing hard ball and scare tactics with discipline, the key is to get students to understand their part in the process and take responsibility for their actions.
Fourth, be open to diversions. It is very easy to stick rigidly to your syllabus, and let’s face it there is little time in teaching to do much else, but it is important to remember the fact that the learning students do in school or college is not restricted to subject matter in class. Students learn a wealth of other soft skills and social skills as well. Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and if there is an opportunity for a discussion on a social aspect in school or college life that you feel is stopping them engaging, then have that discussion. Don’t see it as a waste of time, see it as addressing a barrier to learning that will ultimately improve their motivation and ability long term.
Finally, and well documented as part of differentiation and equality and diversity, but easily overlooked or not implemented is the idea of total class engagement. Make sure everyone is involved and everyone is learning. There are many ways of doing this, student whiteboards, no hands up policies, seating plans etc, but this point goes beyond these strategies. It is not as simple as this. You cannot implement these policies and then sit back and watch the learning take place. Over the course of a term or a year there are ample opportunities to ensure that all students engage meaningfully in leadership roles, organisation and that you consult the students on their learning. The most important key to this is twofold; first, students have to be aware that answering in class or speaking out in discussions is always a valued contribution. No one is made to feel foolish, and no contribution is stupid, all ideas have merit. Secondly the concept of failure is not linked to getting answers to questions wrong. Failure is very specific and not at all linked to not being right, and this distinction has to be made. If a student answers incorrectly in a session, but by the end of the session understands why the answer was incorrect then they have not failed, they have learned, even if they do not yet know the right answer.
I believe that by using these starting points as building blocks, and by adding your own expertise, experience and personality to them, you will begin to generate a state of outstanding learning in the mindset of your students. The critical factors for any teacher in any establishment are both teaching and learning, it is not as clear cut, however, as learning following teaching. As educators you have to ensure the mindset for learning is in place and the lessons learned are extending beyond the walls of the classroom. If you can do that, then you have truly educated the next generation in a way that will help towards a lifelong learning approach in which their personal and professional development will be capable of driving forward and innovating for the future.
Shevek Pring 