Transcript The Implications of the new Equality Act

Better time management
NQT Day 11/10/11
Andy Fitt – Assistant Principal, Itchen 6th Form College
(with thanks to Liz Petheram for ideas)
When I was young my mother used
to say to me,
“To pay for your education, your father
and I had to make a lot of sacrifices.”
And it was true, because they were
both druids.
Milton Jones

Face facts – there will ALWAYS be more
demands on your time than you can cope
with:
Lesson
preparation
Marking and
feedback
College deadlines
College events (parents
evenings/open evenings etc)
Report writing
Changes of syllabus
Etc etc etc
But – some things you
can’t change......
College
deadlines
Number of
sets
Size of sets
Immovable
challenges
Nature of
subject
Parental
expectation
Student
commitment
Demands
of
syllabus
So – let’s look at the areas that
we can do something about:
Lesson preparation
Marking and feedback
Planning ahead
Managing your time (and stress
levels)
Lesson
preparation
Rarely is the question asked:
“Is our children learning?”
George W. Bush
Lesson Preparation - 1
Are you using a clear structure for all your
lessons?
 Keep to these ideas
and you’ll find
planning gets
quicker

Lesson Preparation - 2

Talk to colleagues – get ideas from them and
share resources – don’t reinvent the wheel
each lesson! Keep your resources for the
future.
Lesson Preparation - 3

Ask for help – from your head of
department/staff in your area/other
NQTs/support staff/your NQT manager......
Lesson Preparation - 4
Make sure that the basics are working:




Start on time
Include a starter activity to allow latecomers
to enter without disruption and also to allow
you to do the register without being
distracted
Structure your lesson so you leave enough
time for a plenary
Finish promptly (so you can start the next
lesson on time!)
Marking
and
feedback
“To those of you who received
honours, awards and distinctions,
I say, well done. And to the “C”
students, I say, you too can be
President of the United States”
George W. Bush, commencement address to
graduates of Yale University, 2001
Marking & Feedback - 1

This is the most important part of your job
BUT it doesn’t have to take all night!
Ask yourself:
• What do you need to assess?
• Why are you assessing?
• What do you need to feed back?
• Is your feedback appropriate?
• What will students act on?
• Do you have to do the marking?
(use peer marking/Moodle etc)
Marking & Feedback - 2
Some strategies:
 Assess content or skills
 Monitor not mark
 Using mini-whiteboards
 Timed essays
 Self or peer assessment
with mark scheme
 Student pre marking
prior to submission
 Mini tests
 Essay plans
 Shorter pieces of work
 Cover sheets for targeted
feedback
 File checks
“Their homework is so hard these
days .......
It’s totally done differently to what
I was teached when I was at
school.”
David Beckham, on why he gave up trying to
help his 6 year old son with his maths
homework
Planning
ahead
College is breaking my spirit.
Every single day, they’re telling me
things I don’t know. It’s making
me feel stupid.
Marty, The Gilmore Girls
Planning Ahead - 1
Some strategies:
Use a diary – all the time! (Outlook works well!)
Put in all the college dates for the year TOMORROW
Prioritise all your tasks – decide what HAS to be done by when (tip
– prioritise initially by who asks for it – if the Principal asks for it,
do it before everything else!)
In your diary, backtrack and add an entry showing when you will do
important tasks
For example......................
Planning Ahead - 2

Example:
1.
2.
Student reviews
due on 22nd Nov
My student reviews
need to be finished
by 20th Nov
3.
15th Nov – start
my student
reviews
Put ALL these three dates in your diary!
Planning Ahead - 3
Keep looking at your scheme of work – this will help you plan
sequences of lessons
Check you know NOW when the exams for your subject will be
Find out the dates for whole-college events that might stop you
from teaching a class – add this into your planning
Managing your
time (and
stress levels)
“This boy is every inch a fool but
luckily for him he’s not very tall.”
School report comment
Managing your time - 1



Keep LISTS of things to do, otherwise you’ll
forget. (I keep a folder on my computer marked
“To Do” and then add dated lists i.e. “October
2011”)
DON’T check your emails every time you sit down
at the computer – set yourself a time in the
morning and a time in the evening to check these
and stick to it
When you’ve got a lot to do focus on one task at
a time and get it done. Set yourself a time limit.
Managing your time - 2



Keep prioritising – your key task is to make
sure the students can succeed – everything
else should take a back seat!
Be logical – don’t spend 2 hours preparing a
test that will be done in 10 mins and won’t
really help you or the students that much.
And above all.............................................
Managing your time - 3

Remember that YOU are your students’
greatest asset -
Look after yourself:
eat well
get enough sleep
don’t work all the time
spend time with your family
It’s a great job – and it does get easier!
Parent – Teacher Night:
Let’s Share the Blame
Banner hung above the entrance of
Springfield Elementary School, The Simpsons