👨🏫 Teaching:
As I come to the end of my brief spell in charge of my department while my head of department has been off ill, I want to reflect on the role he plays in our department and some of the jobs I have had to do in his absence.
1. Centre of the school
I didn't realise how much extra there was to be done as a Head of Department compared to a Second in Department. You are that end point to your team so when they have questions you need to have those answers or at least be able to find the answers quickly to support your team. At the same time when other departments or leaders come to your team, you are that point of contact. It's made me realise how important the middle leaders in a school actually are. They are the driving force of what goes on at a school. Everything flows through them. I can see how the pressure from Senior Leaders and pressure from the teachers below can cause a lot of stress on middle leaders.
2. Teaching and learning conversations
My second reflection was about the conversations that I have had with Senior Leaders and other Heads of Department. It's been great to be involved in those meetings discussing ways improving teaching and learning across the school. One of the highlights of my past few weeks has been a regular meeting with the leaders of the English, Maths, Science, Humanities and MFL subjects where we have specifically looked at the work that students are producing across subjects. We've focussed on what needs to be improved but also what is working really well that can be transferred across to other departments to do. Fortunately for us in Maths it seems like with we are much further ahead on our journey than other subjects.
It's definitely made me realise that I'm ready for this next step in my career and that being involved in those conversations is where I want to be as a middle leader or potentially even senior leader in the future. Fingers crossed the rest of the department still like me after this past month!
🔊 Listen:
Jemma Sherwood on Bags to learn podcast discussing curriculum and ways of supporting teachers. She discusses the use of booklets, sequencing the curriculum and more. Have a listen here.
🔊 Listen:
Craig Barton speaking to Dan Draper about overlearning. Really interesting listen, every Craig Barton podcast episode make me think critically about my own practice and this is no different. Listen here.
🔊 Listen:
Barry Smith discussing the use of a common language in schools. Has me thinking of the ideas of Tribes by Seth Godin. Get students to feel that sense of being part of something and they'll have a greater buy in to what you want to do. If they are heading and using the same language across the school then the expectations are clear. They understand "this is what we do here". Have a listen here.
📚 Read:
5 ways to remove the blur from lessons. This blog post talks about practical ways of directing students attention so that they are thinking about three things we want them to think about in lesson. Read the post here.
📚 Read:
After hearing lots of great things I purchased Radical Candor by Kim Scott. I'm only a quarter of the way through but have already made loads of notes. One thing I've already taken away is the idea of Superstars and Rockstars in your team. Superstars are highly ambitious and growth oriented, whereas Rockstars are those who are steady in their job and are happy to stay where they are and do the hard work. Leaders need to know their team. People may be Superstars or Rockstars at different times in their career based on a multitude of factors. We need to let Superstars thrive and keep Rockstars motivated. Made me think about where I currently sit and what things have my leaders put in place for me at different times in my career to ensure I am still progressing in my role. I know there's lots more to come from this book and will probably do a whole post summarising my thoughts.