Georgia James-Olmer is an ICT teacher at Guilsborough school, Northampton.
'I’m in my second year of teaching and had never considered experimenting in the classroom before, but the Behaviour for Learning project has given me the confidence to try new things. To begin with I was cynical. I didn’t think I would come up with anything fresh or interesting, but then suddenly the children’s work started improving, their behaviour started improving, and I realised I had to stop being cynical! Now I’m very excited about it.
'My project investigates types of assessment to see which brings the greatest improvement in children’s learning. I split a Year 8 class into three mixed ability groups and used different types of assessment in each – peer and self, teacher and self, peer and teacher. The work of the groups using peer assessment is improving dramatically. They even want to stay in at lunchtime to continue working. There’s an element of competition and self-pride. They are trying to outdo their peers, which is producing better and better work.
'The first lesson was chaos, but now the children do it automatically. Five minutes before the end of the lesson they look at the work of their neighbour and give suggestions for improvements. Now I’ve got evidence both of progression and how they got there.'
Ian Henry is a PE teacher at Filton high school in Bristol.
As part of the Behaviour for Learning project I’ve been looking at how competition can improve the behaviour of high ability groups in PE. Some of the best athletes, rugby players, footballers and so on, can be challenging. They may be disaffected and perhaps struggle in other areas in the school. This project work has given me the opportunity to try different learning strategies, like peer assessment, and it’s very successful. I’ve seen some good results already. Ultimately, I’m hoping to help them to become better learners.
'I would definitely recommend NQTs look into what the Engage network offers. It’s a good source of support. The interaction with teachers who may be in a different situation from you is really helpful.'
Lillian Kulaya is an ICT teacher at Bemrose community school in Derby.
The Behaviour for Learning project is so relevant, as you’re working on research with your own pupils, in your own school, and looking at your own practices. I’m studying how group work can enhance learning for Key Stage 4 pupils. I’m keen to understand what skills are passed between the children, and how they benefit from each other. I’m involving teaching assistants, as they often have a valuable insight into what’s happening during group work. “Now the deputy head wants me to pass on what I’m learning to other departments. That’s nervewracking but I like a challenge and, most of all, I want to share what I’ve learnt.
Chloe Wardle is a Key Stage 2 teacher at Coleridge primary school in Crouch End, North London.
My project is about thinking skills. I give the children one session a week, to talk about some thought-provoking images by a Canadian photographer, Jeff Wall. I work on open-ended and meta-cognitive questions with the children. I have also made a display on which the children can write their own comments and respond to each other’s.
'I’m now planning to get the children to create the questions themselves to see if they will enter a dialogue that way. Managing open-ended discussion in class is difficult sometimes, and this has given me the opportunity to practise. It’s been really good for me.'
Pinaki Chakrabarti is an English and media studies teacher at Astor of Hever community school in Maidstone, Kent.
'As a new teacher in this country I find the Engage network very useful. It has helped me to settle in to teaching here. I’ve been able to keep up with issues in education and see how colleagues in other parts of the country are working. I’m interested in how self-assessment can create ownership of learning among students – that’s the core of my Behaviour for Learning project. I’m hoping that enhancing pupils’ ownership of learning will help them to understand more about how their individual knowledge and skills develop.'
Colin Hill is a Key Stage 1 teacherat Birkdale primary school in Southport, Merseyside.
I found out about Engage in my NQT year and it gave me useful pointers about completing the GTC’s Teacher Learning Academy – I was working on my Stage One submission at the time. Now I’m approaching my fourth year of teaching, I’ve recommended Engage to the NQT we have at our school as a tool that can help you develop your practice.
'My project is about engaging children to collaborate with each other during group work to improve their behaviour. This project has given me the tools to help the not so confident children to challenge the more confident in a nonconfrontational way, getting them more involved in group discussions. It’s had a positive effect on the classroom ethos and I’m keen to share what I’ve discovered with colleagues. We can all get embedded in our own classroom and it’s great to see the bigger picture.'
