Each term the GTC organises a variety of events enabling teachers throughout England to meet, swap ideas and find out what’s happening nationally. Here are some of the highlights.
Do the impossible,urges professor The GTC has been keeping up the pressure for change on pupil assessment, with a national series of briefing meetings setting out policy.
At one of these, held in Guildford in July, teachers heard Professor Mary James of the Institute of Education at London University, set out the need for better alignment between assessment and learning.
'Do the impossible,” Professor James urged her audience. 'Forget National Curriculum testing. Think instead about the relationship between assessment and learning. Assessment is hugely powerful – it could distort the process of teaching and learning.'
Instead, she argued, teachers should start from the standpoint of achieving learning, and then look at how assessment can support it. She closed with a reminder of the power teachers have. 'We shouldn’t just wait for government to hand down methods of assessment,” she said. “Teachers have the power – particularly when they get together in groups – to shape policy.'
At Key Stages 1 to 3 the GTC is advocating:
- assessment for learning combined with timely use of a nationally devised bank of tests•accountability through communication
not league tables; and - national standards monitored through anonymised pupil cohort sampling.
A personal connection
In June, more than 50 continuing professional development (CPD) leaders from across England attended a GTC conference in London to examine what a personalised approach to teachers’ learning might look like in practice.
Building upon GTC advice submitted to government in January this year, the conference was hosted by the GTC’s Connect network, which supports those who lead CPD
During the day, participants were asked questions such as:
- what is their vision of personalised CPD?
- What is helping them to achieve it?
- And what else do they need?
Amongst conference highlights was the unveiling of initial results from eight projects, set up to explore various aspects of personalising teachers’ development. Participants also heard about new research on strategic CPD leadership, in a presentation given by Philippa Cordingly, Chief Executive of the Centre for the Use of Research in Education (Curee).
The day ended with a look at developments that are being launched by Connect this term. These include regional forums; developing web resources for CPD leaders who are both new and experienced; and encouraging the dissemination of practice, by inviting schools to become case studies or offering one CPD idea that works.
Teachers meet their MPs
In May, the GTC gave teachers and local authority advisers the opportunity to meet their MP at the House of Commons, at a special reception hosted by Eccles MP Ian Stewart. Teachers talked about their GTC Teacher Learning Academy projects, while MPs heard about the work of the GTC’s professional networks. All three major parties were represented by the 15 MPs and three peers who took part. Those attending included Schools Minister Jim Knight who paid tribute to teachers’ teaching skills, pledging to work more closely with the GTC in future.
All pupils benefit, says leading thinker
What does personalised learning mean in the classroom? To discuss this topical question, the GTC brought together 80 teachers, researchers and agencies at a national seminar in London in July.
There were two main themes:
- developing ‘pupil voice’ and increasing pupil participation in learning; and
- ensuring that personalised learning tackles inequality in pupil achievement, rather than enhancing it.
Lead speaker was Charles Leadbeater, a senior research associate with the policy think-tank Demos. He opened the debate on the purpose of education, advocating a personalised system in which pupils are participants, investors and contributors, rather than consumers.
Describing education as a mass, collective innovation, he argued that all learning is co-created between pupils, teachers and others, highlighting the power of peer learning and new attitudes to information and technology.
Personalising learning is not just about stretching the gifted and talented and helping those falling behind to catch up; rather it is for all pupils, said Charles. For personalisation to be successful, the system needs to tackle the scale of the National Curriculum, he continued, providing resources for innovation, pursuing assessment for learning, changing the way we assess pupils and reflecting on the way budgets are allocated.
Now the GTC plans to enrich its initial advice to government – given in April – on personalising learning in schools. To see the full advice, go to:
www.gtce.org.uk/policy/policypapers
For a full report of the seminar, go to:
www.gtce.org.uk/newsfeatures/features/personalised_learning_july07
