*I originally created these posts for the micro-blogging education site Staffrm, which shut down mid-2017. I wanted to re-share these early forays into the blogging world but have not edited any of these posts from their original form. *
If an animal could represent your teaching style, what would it be? As my NQT year, my second in the classroom and my final year as a Teach First participant, draws to a close, I am proud to say that last weekend I organised my first TeachMeet which was attended by just over 100 teachers. I have been lucky enough to attend a range of professional development opportunities over the last couple of years including ResearchEd’s national conference, the Festival of Education and a few TeachMeets along the way (plus many other great opportunities). I am a voracious reader of blogs (helped out by Feedly and Pocket along the way) and have benefited from a number of books, especially during my NQT year. I have taken what I can and learnt more than I can put into words from the educational community - something I intend to continue doing for many years to come. I have been inspired by events I have attended and the things that I have read, which is why I began to put the wheels in motion which led to our TeachMeet. We can learn a great deal from our colleagues and, whilst opportunities to watch one another in the classroom seem increasingly difficult to organise amongst the pressures of the day to day job, the chance to discuss our pedagogy and andragogy, sharing the best parts of our practise, seem invaluable to me. The inaugural East Midlands Teach First Action Network Team Meet (#EMTM) was a great success led and delivered by teachers in the first few years of their careers. An event dominated by NQTs and those coming to the end of their PGCE year. An event where those who are still learning share that they know with others who are still learning. An event we can all learn from. Ok, so we didn’t trend on Twitter, there was no raffle or prizes to be won. But it was great to hear the conversations started as a result of the presentations and the appetite for future events. So here’s to many more to come. Many thanks to all the speakers and attendees who made it a special night:
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*I originally created these posts for the micro-blogging education site Staffrm, which shut down mid-2017. I wanted to re-share these early forays into the blogging world but have not edited any of these posts from their original form. *
Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the second Debating Michaela event. Hosted in City Hall, with the breathtaking backdrop of Tower Bridge and the London skyline, a few hundred teachers gathered to debate some of education's most divisive issues (trending on Twitter in the process). Recently, I’ve found myself reading lots of blog posts from Michaela staff and the debates were a brilliant extension of this. It seems that Michaela divides opinion in the education world; unfortunately I haven’t the opportunity to visit myself yet. But one thing is obvious without having to see the school for myself - I can’t help but be impressed by the conviction of the staff. The whole team seem to sing from the same hymn sheet and are willing to engage in debate about the ideals which are most important to their school. I find myself agreeing with much of what Michaela espouse, but also appreciate that they welcomed having their views challenged in such a public forum. The team at Michaela are almost evangelical about about what their ideals (the term cult was mentioned on Twitter, and not just when Teach First was brought up), but are open to debate and discussion, even if this means more people disagree with them at the end of the day than did at the start - although I’m pretty certain this wasn’t the case! I for one enjoyed having my own preconceptions, views and values challenged. I’m certainly not evangelical about what I believe at the moment and am still shaping my own opinions. I think it is important that in an educated society we are able and willing to change our minds and admit when our views change - something I was pleased Jonathan Simons did in the last debate! Unfortunately, Staffrm's word limit doesn't allow me to go into any in further reflections in individual debates, but maybe they can be the inspiration behind future posts? For those who couldn't attend, the debates were:
I look forward to future Debating Michaela events and more opportunities to discuss these ideas, which are so important to shaping the future of the educational landscape. For those of you who want to read some more about the Debating Michaela event, here are a few links you might find interesting. Please feel free to post other links to blogs about the event in the comments.
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