GTC Chair Judy Moorhouse urges teachers to stand for Council.
Another school year is beginning – and whether you are newly qualified and starting your first post, or well established in your career, for many of us this is a time when we’re thinking about the new challenges that lie ahead.
If you are keen to expand your horizons, the GTC offers several options, not least standing for election to Council. When asked about their motivation for standing,one of my colleagues succinctly replied: 'I realised that instead of complaining about education policy, I should do something constructive to influence it.' If those words strike a chord, why not put your name forward? Nominations open soon, with elections held next February and March. You’ll find more details at www.gtce.org.uk/elections
Another avenue that’s worth exploring is boosting your professional development. After a successful three-year pilot scheme, the GTC’s Teacher Learning Academy (TLA) is planning a major expansion. This will enable thousands more teachers to achieve recognition for the learning that takes place every day in our working lives. Read some first-hand accounts of what teachers have achieved so far in Chapter 5.
Meanwhile the GTC launched a new award this summer that recognises and celebrates teachers’ excellence in professional development. Meet the first winners in Chapter 8.
While new departments to replace the DfES mean that the future of a long-awaited MPs’ enquiry into assessment is unclear, the GTC continues to press for change – see page 14. Interestingly, the first Children’s Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, shares many of our concerns about the pressure pupils face under the current testing regime – see Chapter 9.
And finally, this is the last edition of your magazine that will look like this, as next term sees a radical redesign. Let us know what you think.
Judy Moorhouse
Chair
General Teaching Council for England
Readers write
Two very different examples of teacher-led developments, one primary and one secondary, are the subject of this term’s Readers write.
Sue Russell from the East Riding of Yorkshire has contacted us about the power of drama within the Key Stage 2 classroom. She has written a series of plays available from:
www.plays-r-ussell.com
'I feel passionately about the power of plays within the school syllabus,” Sue writes. 'My plays may be used as supplementary material, but I prefer to think of them as an integral part of children’s learning.” Children seem to enjoy the occasionally confrontational tone of her plays, says Sue, who finds this expression of different viewpoints particularly effective in group reading.
Mark Greenwood from Our Lady’s Catholic high school, Preston, writes to tell how his school has created a fully functioning virtual learning environment in six months, using open source Moodle software.
'Every subject is represented and pupils of all years engage regularly,' writes Mark. “It is becoming an integral part of our community, extending to our 11 feeder primary schools. Our ‘Moodle’ is also about our pastoral development, contributing to a positive vibe in school.We are now training our pupils and staff from neighbouring schools.'
Mark would welcome the opportunity to share his school’s achievement with others. He can be contacted at:
mgr@olchs.lancs.sch.uk
Thank you for your views about climate change over the last few issues. Given the increasing likelihood of extreme weather events occurring worldwide over the next few years, we may well re-visit the topic in the future, but for now it’s time to move on.
