Developing Subject knowledgeMentor Training

For Teach First primary mentors-

September 2014

23 June Participants meet Professional Mentors

Objectives

• To support Participants in achieving good or outstanding outcomes against the Teachers’ Standards.

• To enable mentors to identify opportunities for enhancing mentor practice within the specific context of their school.

• Provide an opportunity to meet with colleagues within the wide mentoring and coaching network of Teach First schools in the West Midlands.

• To develop a greater knowledge of the year-long journey.

What is working well one year on

• Partnership working• Rapid progress in a short time frame• Development of Moodle and Sharepoint, Partnership Website• Mentoring• Additional support for participants and schools• Summer Institute and the high quality sessions• Excellent sessions run by schools - homophobic bullying,

teaching experience, subject days• Good practice identified by the National Team• Review and Analysis forms and the four E’s

National Agenda for ITE

•Behaviour Management

•Meeting Individual needs

•Must observe good/ outstanding teaching

•Homophobic bullying

•Second school experience

•Subject mentoring

•Developing knowledge of early reading and mathematics

BCU/ Teach First Priorities

•Enhanced subject mentor practice

•All Mentors to be in training during the academic year of 2014-15

•All Participants achieve a minimum of good, the expected outcome is outstanding

•Improving retention rates

•Supporting ‘at risk’ participants

Subject Specific Mentor Training

Observing learning

“114. When inspectors observe teaching, they observe pupils’ learning. Good teaching, which

includes high levels of expertise and subject knowledge, with the expectation that pupils will

achieve well, enables pupils to acquire knowledge, deepen their understanding, and

develop and consolidate skills.”

Ofsted: January 2013

Subject Specific Mentor Training

Outstanding= Teachers’ subject knowledge and expertise ensures that the needs of all students are met precisely and, as a result, all groups of students

achieve highly.

Inadequate= The quality of teaching is inadequate overall or in a number of subjects and/or teachers

do not have adequate specialist/subject knowledge.

School inspection handbook July 2014, No. 120101

Subject Specific Mentor Training

Teaching StandardsIn part one of the Teachers’ Standards, standards for teaching are presented as separate headings, numbered from one to eight. They state that:‘A teacher must:1. set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils2. promote good progress and outcomes by pupils3. demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge4. plan and teach well-structured lessons5. adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils6.make accurate and productive use of assessment7. manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment8. fulfil wider professional responsibilities.’Initial teacher education inspection handbook May 2014, No. 140094

Subject Specific Mentor Training

Quality of training across the partnershipHow well does the ITE partnership prepare trainees to teach

pupils/learners in schools/colleges or other settings in different circumstances, and for the age range, and/or subject(s)/specialisms for

which they are being trained?• Overall consistency, coherence and quality of all aspects of the

training • High-quality training and support that prepares trainees with the

skills they need• The quality and range of placements• Subject and phase-specific mentoring• The accuracy of assessment

Initial teacher education inspection handbook – for use from June 2014 May 2014, No. 140094

Subject Specific Mentor Training

Inspectors must evaluate the extent to which trainees benefit from:Subject- and phase-specific mentoring that:• is provided by experienced and expert mentors• responds to trainees’ specific training needs, including

enhancing their subject and curriculum knowledge and phase expertise

• improves trainees’ teaching skills• models good practice in teaching• provides high-quality coaching and mentoring, and access

to relevant subject association guidance to enhance trainees’ professional development.

Initial teacher education inspection handbookMay 2014, No. 140094

Targets for this year

2013/14 primary cohort – 90% retention

59% grade 1, 37% grade 2, 4% grade 3

2014/15 cohort – target is to achieve 98% retention and all primary participants to be grade 1 or 2

This is a challenging target which will require a strong and effective partnership between the

school mentor, the university tutor and Teach First

.

Role of the primary mentor

Participants need to see and experience excellent primary teaching across the school

Role of the primary mentor

Task 1:

Using a post-it, write down ONE feature that you would see in an excellent/outstanding primary

teacher

What Ofsted say about excellent primary teachers…….

Have high expectations

Make connections to past and

new learning challenge

Develop curiosity Stimulate

curiosity and open-

mindedness

Address misconceptions

Pupils help set success

criteria

Focus on progress

Have great relationships and rapport

Target specific groups

appropriately

Motivate with elements of choice

for pupils

Do collaborative work to deepen

learning

Stimulate thinking through great

questions

Offer new learning through their input

Have dedicated improvement and

reflection time (DIRT)

Expertise should enthuse pupils in

new learning

Accurate measurement and

response to progress

Role of the primary mentor

Participants need opportunities to develop their subject knowledge (even in subjects they are

not currently teaching)

How are your participants developing their subject knowledge?

What they have covered so far……….

• The primary and early years curricular• Safeguarding and wider professional responsibilities• Child development• Learning about learning (theories of learning)• Assessment and planning • Observation and evaluation• Behaviour for learning including routines, classroom cultures and

environments, teacher persona, teacher identity• Mathematics, Early reading, guided reading, writing, science, P.E, history,

R.E• Talk for learning• Learning for All• Working with parents, carers and the community• Reflective teaching – responding to feedback and accessing support

The Journey this year……..

Subject DaysDAY 1 (Thurs 11/9)

A broad and balanced curriculum. R.E, history and enquiry based approaches to learning. Behaviour

for learningDAY 2 (Thurs 2/10)

Developing subject knowledge. Phonics and mathematics. Preparing for RJ1

DAY 3 (Thurs13/11)SEND and EAL, art and design (group 1)

DAY 4 (Thurs 4/12)SEND and EAL. Preparing for WA2/ teaching art and

design (group 2)DAY 5 (Thurs 15/1)

Developing the teaching of writing and the understanding of dialogic practices. Preparing for

RJ2 and portfolio planningDAY 6 (Thurs 12/2)

Teaching languages and computing. Teaching science. Preparing for WA3

DAY 7 (Thurs 19/3)Teaching Physical education and music. Preparing

for RJ3Day 8 (Wed 29/4)

Creativity across the curriculumDAY 9 (Thurs 21/5)

Learning outside the classroom. Preparing for WA4

Assignments

Written Assignments (WA) – WA1 completed at summer institute.

1. WA2 – hand in date: 12/1/15

2. WA3 - hand in date: 20/4/15

3. WA4 – due at Summer Institute 2015

Reflective Journal Assignments (RJA)

1. RJA1 – hand in date: 3/11/14

2. RJA2 – hand in date: 23/2/15

3. RJA 3 – hand in date: 18/5/15

Role of primary mentor – how you can support Subject

knowledge development

Subject Knowledge Action Plan (should be in teaching file after 2.10.14)

Lesson Planning‘Buddying up’ with specialist teachers

CPD supportObservations of other staff

Making use of 60% to develop key areas of knowledge

What else?

Teaching files

You need to keep a teaching file available for anyone visiting from the university. It should contain:

•At the front – your PROGRESS REVIEW

•Schemes of work

•Lesson plans with evaluations

•Resources

•Class data and records of pupil progress

•Written feedback from lesson observations

•Your subject knowledge audits and action plans

Early reading

How are participants developing their knowledge and understanding of phonics and early reading?

Explicit teaching during S.I and teaching experience

Phonics conference at S.I

Audits and target setting

Phonic specific observations

How strong is school based practice?

What opportunities are the participants getting to see excellent practice?

Role of primary mentor

Task 2:

Look at the examples of the review and analysis forms provided. Using post-its, write down what

you consider to be key strengths of the form.

Role of primary mentor

Participants need to be observed regularly using the BCU review and analysis form (9 over year).

Judgements are formative using the terms: Emerging, Establishing, Embedding and Enhancing

Teaching standards not Ofsted criteria please (see BCU Tracker)We encourage ‘joint’ observations wherever possible

Review and Analysis form Non Judgemental Observations?

Activity 2

Discuss with a different partner how lessons observations are normally conducted in your

school. Are they assessed and if so how are the findings used?

Study the Standards Tracker and the blank Review and Analysis form. To what extent do they differ

from the system used in your school?

Standards Tracker

A set of descriptors to help participants, tutors and mentors to track their progress against each sub-heading of the

standards;Used across the PGCE programmes at BCU;

Used to offer formative feedback using a consistent language of expectation to determine where additional development might be needed, or to identify areas where a participants is

already demonstrating strong practice;All participants recommended for QTS must meet all of the

standards at least at the ‘Establishing’ level;The language we use is very important!

The Language of Lesson Observation

Standards trackerEmerging–‘beginning to…’, ‘with support…’, ‘recognise the need to…’,

‘developing knowledge…’, ‘initial recognition’, basic awareness...’Establishing–‘routinely…’, ‘take some responsibility for…’, ‘sufficient

knowledge…’, ‘lessons usually motivate, inspire and enthuse…’, ‘sound understanding…’

Embedding –‘reliably…’, consistently for most…’, ‘regularly‘…’, ‘well-targeted interventions’ ‘well-developed knowledge’, ‘secure

knowledge’, ‘systematically…’Enhancing –‘constantly’, ‘very effective…’, ‘actively promote…’,

‘detailed, in-depth knowledge…’, ‘proactive…’, ‘very strong understanding…’, ‘imaginative, creative…’, ‘accurate’, ‘astute’,

‘challenging…’, ‘confident’.

Mentor Meetings

What makes an effective mentor meeting?

What should we avoid?

(5 mins to discuss)

Scenarios

How might you support the participants in the following situations?

Role of the primary mentor

FEEDBACK

Do not focus JUST on

Behaviour management!

Try to set subject specific

targets

Set tasks for participant to

achieve

Link lesson feedback to

subject days at BCU

Discuss subject knowledge action plan

Link to teaching

standards

Try to avoid Ofsted

grading and use BCU tracker

Use teaching file and journal for consistency of

feedback

Feedback:

goo.gl/LXzloU