Slow Teaching by Jamie Thom is an excellent book to give you a brief overview of lots of different areas of teaching and learning. The premise of the book is Thom trying to convince us that we should slow down in all the things we do, both in and out of school. And he has me convinced!​

Tackling topics such as classrooms, relationships, questioning, wellbeing and teacher improvements, each chapter is succinct and to the point. They also all end with a series of Slow Questions, to help the reader reflect on their own practice in light of the slow ideals (given below as an overview of the ideas shared).

Thom's main point is that the fast lifestyle of many (mainly new) teachers is unsustainable, and there are many ways to slow down, and actually become a better and more efficient teacher. Taking the slow, thoughtful approach can help us better balance our lives, be better teachers, have better relationships with students, and improve our wellbeing.

I have summarised the 21 chapters briefly in this sketchnote.

T&L Newsletter
The 12th issue of the T&L Newsletter I put together for our staff was released this week. It can be found here (along with all previous issues).

Weekly T&L Summary
This term I have started to put together a one sided weekly summary of the T&L bits. This includes the weekly meeting, the discussion group title, the upcoming reading club with a link to the article,  and the date and time of the learning walk for the week. It also includes links to 6 blogs (shamelessly taken from the ones shared by TeacherTapp) and what I am currently reading. The previous ones are also available on our T&L Website on the same page as the T&L Newsletter. The PDF Version is hyperlinked to the articles.

​I decided to do this to streamline all information into one sheet. My end goal is that all information will be distributed through there, but for now I still need to send a few email about the most important things (as not everyone is reading the summary yet).

Checking for Understanding
This week I ran an INSET on Checking for Understanding, which is one of our Principles of Great Teaching. I asked twitter for some advice, and it didn't fail to give some ideas. 

​The original tweet is below, but make sure to check out the responses.

​My presentation is here.

Frayer Diagrams
I was very excited to see this tweet on Sunday evening, and am looking forward to making use of them and creating some of my own.

​As I started planning my next unit on discrete probability distributions, I have already started to attempt to put some together.

Coaching
This week I started my second coaching cycle after a fairly successful first go last term. The teacher I worked with last term wanted to develop the students ability to use higher-level discussions. He worked on that by making use of a strategy he called pass the sentence. This worked by having the first student say something they know about a problem, and then each successive student had to repeat what had already been said, before adding their own idea. His was a small class so he did this with the whole class. By the end of the term, the teacher felt he had met his goal, and has been enthusiastically talking about the process to others.

​But there were a couple of things I learned from that first cycle. Firstly, we didn't set any clear way to measure the progress against the goal. We judged it based on 'feeling', and this means we do not know for certain that the strategy helped. We also did not make as much use of recording his classes as we should have, and this time round I am going to suggest we record many more classes (or bits of classes). 

​I am also considering whether it makes sense to actually go to multiple classes that the teacher teaches. I guess this will depend on the goal to an extent, but with something like raising levels of discussion (which is actually pretty similar to what the teacher has chosen this bimester too), that can be incorporated across all classes. That might make it easier to develop the habits, as opposed to only doing it with one class. When I decided to use example problem pairs, I did across all my teaching, so I was doing many times a day, and I think that helped embed the skill.

​In this second cycle we have recorded a lesson and watched it, and had a meeting after to go through the Identify Questions. It was a a really good meeting where we discussed ideas for over an hour, and at the end of it we both came away with a clear plan going forward. I also learned from last time to send a summary of the decisions (what the goal is, what strategy, next observation/meeting) to the teacher to confirm we are on the same page. We are recording again today, this time focusing on the students discussions, to get a baseline to judge progress against.

​I am really looking forward to pushing ahead with this cycle. The coaching process has been great for me, and I think it has huge potential to make a difference to what teachers do. 

Blogging
I have been quite active in my blogging over the last few weeks, with these posts:

• Quiet: Understanding Introversion in the Classroom
• High Impact Instruction
• The Components of Direct Instruction
• My Classroom
• The Debate

This is a story about two teachers: Adam and Zack.

Adam believes that students learn best by exploring ideas they are interested in. By linking his lessons to authentic experiences, Adam believes that students will construct their own learning, which will be powerful for them as they are interested in it. Adam motivates his students with challenging real world problems that they want to find solutions to. In Adam's class, students are provided with real choices over their learning, both the content and the skills. 

Adam wants his students to leave school with the skills to succeed in the future, and is not concerned with the knowledge they have at the end, as content is just a delivery system for the skills. Critical thinking and creativity are the goals of education in the eyes of Adam, and to develop these he gives his students lots of authentic problems to solve.

Adam would describe himself as a "guide on the side", facilitating the learning of the students. He sees his job as helping students to develop into their own people, and to be there as a guiding force when students get stuck.

Adam's edu-heroes are Rousseau, Piaget, Vygotsky and Sir Ken Robinson.

Zack believes that students learn best when they are given clear instruction. Zack uses lots of examples to explain concepts, and he aims to give all his students access to the powerful knowledge that has been developed by generations of humankind. Zack motivates his students by making them successful in the early stages, giving them lots of practice of simple skills which build upon one another. In Zack's classroom, students learn what he has chosen, and he creates lessons to make this as successful as possible.

Zack wants his students to leave school with a good understanding of the knowledge that has benefited previous generations: the knowledge he believes to be powerful due to its longevity. After lots of practice on the basic skills, Zack will push students to solve complex problems, believing that critical thinking and creativity are based on the knowledge you already have, and are domain specific.

Zack would describe himself as a "sage on the stage", directing students to the content and skills they need to learn. He sees his job as imparting what he knows to his students and ensuring they understand it.

Zack's edu-heroes are Engelmann, Willingham, Rosenhine, Bjork and Wiliam.

Adam and Zack are about as far from each other as they can be in terms of their beliefs and practices within education. But what's truly important is that they both do everything they do because they believe it is what is best for their students.

There is a debate in education as to what the best approach is. And this debate gets very heated. The reason it gets so heated is that we all care deeply about the outcomes of our students. We all want nothing more than to give our students the best start in life, and provide them with an education that will serve them well for the remainder of their lives. 

But we disagree on how to do that.

And, perhaps more importantly, we disagree on what the purpose of education is in the first place. 

But that's fine. The debate that rages on is what holds us all to account. It is what makes us think about what we do, rather than just ploughing on doing the same as we always have.

I was first made aware of this debate when I joined twitter. Before that I was oblivious to the fact that there were large chunks of the education community who thought differently to me. In fact, I wasn't really aware of what I thought. It was only when I started to engage in the debate (mostly from the sidelines) that I began to think deeply about my own beliefs. I went away and read lots of articles and books. Over time my own views shifted because of the debate.

But most teachers are not on twitter, and are possibly completely unaware that this debate rages on. They do what they do because that is what they have been told is best. Or that is what they have always done. Or that is how they were taught. But we would never accept an argument from a student that blindly follows one source, without contrasting it to others. So why should we expect teachers to follow one path? Engaging in the debate is the only way to come to terms with who you are as a teacher.

Most teachers are not Adams or Zacks, but more like Daves, Tommys or even Michaels. They lie somewhere along the spectrum of the debate. Perhaps they are on one side, but have certain views that align to the other. And this is always shifting. Some people become more extreme in their beliefs. Some sway to the centre. Some completely switch sides. All these changes happen because of interactions within the debate. They happen because teachers are thinking about teaching and education.

When I started teaching I was probably a Dave. After discovering cognitive science, I swung to becoming a William. Now I am more like a Rory. Where will I be in two years time? Probably still on Zack's side of the spectrum, but who knows. I didn't expect to be here when I was a Dave!

My two takeaways from the story of Adam and Zack are these:

1. The debate is important to help us all develop and provide the best education for our students;
2. We all do what we do because we believe it is the best thing for our students.

Those who try to shut down the debate, or even win the debate, have probably strayed quite close to Adam or Zack. But their voices are important too. They are the ones who, usually by being provocative in their language, make teachers like me think about my position on certain issues.

If you are interested in an excellent post about the different modes of teaching, and how to mix up the worlds of Adam and Zach, check out this post: https://thinkingaboutteaching.blog/2019/08/03/traditional-or-progressive-how-to-get-the-best-of-both-worlds/

I have just finished reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Just Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I read it as an introvert myself, trying to gain a greater understanding of some of my own limitations and find some of my strengths. But what I came away with most, was how being aware of the introverts in my class is so vitally important. Ironically, as an introverted child myself, I had never really considered this before.

Starting with an exploration of how extroversion became the ideal and the norm in the Western world, Cain looks to remind the world that both those on the extroverted side and the introverted side have strengths to offer. There are several reviews online that summarise the main points, and indeed Cain has a TED talk on the book too.

Before diving into the actual implications on teaching, a very important point must be made. Being an introvert is not something that needs to be "fixed". There is nothing wrong with introverted kids (or indeed adults). It is simply that they process information in a different way to extroverts. Much of society has developed to praise extroversion, but, as Cain goes to great lengths to explain, introverts have their own strengths. 

It is estimated that between a third and half of all people lie on the introverted side of the spectrum. That means that in a class of 30 kids, we would expect between 10 and 15 of them to be introverted. This may surprise you, as many introverted people have developed ways to appear to be more extroverted. But in doing this, they are not being themselves, but rather living up to what they think is expected of them by society.

And now to the impact on education…

First, introverts tend to be more sensitive to stimuli. That includes loud noises, lots of displays, and even caffeine. Their brain processes these stimuli in a different way to extroverts. Where extroverts are naturally "under-stimulated", introverts are naturally "over-stimulated". Let's consider classroom talk as one example. For an extrovert, the noise and buzz around the room is exactly what they need. This stimulates them to actually be thinking more. But for an introvert, this noise is a severe distraction. It over stimulates them, leaving them both exhausted and unable to think clearly. 

I can relate to that. When having a conversation with somebody, I enjoy getting into the details of whatever we are talking about. But when our conversation is in a loud space (such as the staffroom), I find it really difficult to focus on the conversation I am having. I often find myself flipping between the various conversations going on around me, and so I usually sit back, unable to actively participate in any of them properly. Now I understand this is because I am simply being over-stimulated by all that is going on around me.

What is the implication for teaching? Most teaching spaces are populated with lots of displays. These, especially if bright and large, can over stimulate the introverted students in our classes. And when students are working, if they are allowed to talk to each other, the introverted kids may be more likely to be unable to focus on the task on hand. Most introverts are able to deal with these in small doses, but being consistently bombarded by stimuli is a very draining experience for introverts. So when thinking about our classrooms and the activities we plan, try to use a range of activities that will suit both the extroverted kids and the introverted ones. And think about what time of day it is. If an introverted student has been made to work in high stimulus environments all day by the time they get to you, they may be utterly exhausted. And they may be in no fit state to do homework or anything else after school.

Secondly, Cain argues the importance of quiet sustained work, referencing the idea of flow from the work of Csikszentmihalyi and Deliberate Practice from Ericsson, and this is useful for both introverts and extroverts. Both these ideas require sustained time of silent work to think deeply about the current work, and they suggest that this individual deep work is where the most profound advances are made.

This is the natural state for most introverts. They are most comfortable working individually and in silence, and enjoy the challenge of the deep thought that this type of work enables. Introverts tend to be more engaged by parts of lessons which require them to think deeply and "be inside their own heads". This includes lectures and individual work.

Extroverts, on the other hand, tend to be less naturally adapted to this way of working, preferring to work in groups and discuss ideas. But, just as we need to help all students develop their ability to work in groups, we also need to help all students develop their ability to do deep independent work. What is more natural for extroverts is less so for introverts, and vice versa. 

What is the implication for teaching? Think about the types of group activities you use. Whilst introverts are not against working in a group (many actually enjoy this in small doses, as long as it is productive and roles are clearly defined), they need some time to themselves to think deeply too. We should also be providing support for extroverts to develop the ability to work individually, allowing them to access the strengths of deep work. Again, ensuring we use a mixture of group based and individual activities is vital to address the needs of all students in the class.

Thirdly, introverts tend to think very carefully about what they are going to say before actually saying something. They are more hesitant to say something that might be perceived as foolish. This can mean that in class discussions, whilst they are thinking of lots of great things, they may not choose to share them with the class. In fact, many introverted students might get fed up with their extroverted peers who will often shout out the first thing that springs to mind without thinking it through. They will probably see this as a waste of time, and will almost certainly get frustrated if this kind of behaviour is praised (e.g. when a teacher says something like "Good effort" or "Nice try" when it was completely irrelevant or plain wrong).

Whilst we do want students to develop into adults who are able to say what they are thinking when it truly matters, forcing them to do this is probably not the best way to approach this situation, and may just cause more anxiety. Similarly, we want to help our more extroverted students develop the skill of thinking before speaking at times, so they do not just say what is on their mind.

We must remain constantly aware that asking introverted students to participate in class more is asking them to act more like an extrovert, which is just not who they are. Instead we should celebrate the amazing qualities they bring to the class, such as deep thought. 

What is the implication for teaching? Giving students time to think before requiring answers is a great strategy, but even more so for introverted students. They will probably benefit from an extended period of time, where they can jot down a few of their ideas, and focus them a little, before being asked to share anything with the class. Whilst you should expect introverted students to participate in class, ensure they have time to be prepared before sharing. And don't force them if they really do not want to. The other side of this is when reporting to parents. The most dreaded line in a school report for an introverted student is "xxx needs to participate more in class". If they have something they feel is worth sharing, they will. If they are not sharing, then it is probably because they do not feel their ideas are fully formed and ready to be judged (by you or their peers). Telling them to participate more is telling them to be more extroverted. Rather than telling them to be something they are not, help them achieve their potential as an introvert by saying something like "xxx thinks deeply about content before sharing their well-formed ideas with the class" or "xxx has some really good insights in class based on their deep thought about the content".

​There are so many more insights throughout the book, and I strongly recommend reading it. If you are an introvert, it might help you identify with some of the parts of your character you have tried to change or hide to fit in with the extroverted ideal (as it did for me). If you are an extrovert, it might give you an idea of what life is like for an introvert.

But I can summarise my main takeaways with regards to teaching in three points:

• Be aware of over stimulating introverts (or indeed under stimulating extroverts) and use a mixture of activities to address the needs of both types of student;
• Introverts tend to prefer working individually (whereas extroverts tend to prefer working in groups), so, again, make use of both independent and group work in class in equal measures;
• Introverts like to think deeply about content (especially before sharing in public), so provide time to think and do not impose extrovert ideals on introverted students (by telling them to participate more).