266: Why we need to stop trying to fix everything in education with Damian Mitchelmore from OLEVI
Damian Mitchelmore, was a history teacher and deputy head for 12 years. Damian believes that swooping in and solving problems for staff isn’t the answer to help schools tackle both current and future challenges.
Educators are predisposed to want to help people achieve their best. It goes with the territory. But school leaders that try to give colleagues all the answers are not providing their team with the tools to succeed.
In the same way that we understand that tying the shoelaces of a year 2 pupil before break will get them out to play faster but will not help them in the long term, we need to adopt a similar approach to overcoming other issues in a school. If we can empower people to solve more issues themselves, staff – and the pupils they teach – are happier, more motivated and ready to face even the most complex challenges.
Damian believes that developing a coaching culture helps school leaders put aside their natural ‘I want to fix everything’ tendencies so both staff and pupils develop their own problem-solving skills.
OLEVI has been at the forefront on innovation in Teaching and Learning for over 20 years, leading the development of Leadership in Teaching and Learning to become a driving force for change.
Late 1990s: A vision for the Future
During the late 1990s, Professor Sir George Berwick and Richard Lockyer explored how school leaders could create a learning community which retained and valued excellent practitioners and facilitated them being able to share their skills and knowledge; with the aim of raising teaching standards and improving learning outcomes for all. This “Teaching School” concept encouraged Richard to design and develop various Teaching and Learning programmes to raise standards and create partnerships with other schools.
This formed the foundation of the Thinking & Learning Schools’ Alliance – later to become known as OLEVI.
“Raising teaching standards through innovation and challenge and improving the learning outcomes of all children, is at the heart of all we do.
Central to the success of students is the quality of teaching and learning provided by the school.”
The 2004-2006 London and City Challenges: “Turning Schools Around”
OLEVI’s Improving Teacher Programme (ITP) and Outstanding Teacher Programme (OTP) became the driving power behind the London Challenge and City Challenge project, which helped raise previously struggling schools to levels of outstanding achievement. The OLEVI Teaching and Learning Syllabus became part of the strategy of the government’s drive to transform under-performing schools in some of the most challenging catchment areas in the country.
2007-2019: Sustainable Whole School Improvement
Building on the success of the ITP and OTP, Richard Lockyer, designed the Outstanding Facilitator Programme (OFP) and various (TTT) programmes. The programmes provided schools with how they themselves could drive forward improvements as part of the OLEVI Alliance. The rigour and challenge of the OFP has been recognised by the DfE and National College as being key to the success of sustainable whole school improvement.
Over recent years, OLEVI has grown dramatically:
• 1,500 schools and trusts are facilitating OLEVI programmes as part of the OLEVI alliance.
• Over 20,000 coaches and facilitators have been accredited by the OLEVI Institute, including over 300 Professional Facilitators and Coaches.
• OLEVI Bespoke continues to design high quality programmes, delivered by our team of OLEVI Professional Facilitators, to thousands of educational professionals every year.
OLEVI Connect has been established.
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@OLEVItalk
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The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal
Are you looking for a FUN activity to do with your children this summer?
Would you love to make your own delicious ice cream?
Now you can learn exactly how by taking part in an exciting and engaging ice cream experience during the summer holiday.
Full details at: www.educationonfire.com/icecream
265: THINK Global School with Russell Cailey
THINK Global School’s rigorous Changemaker Curriculum combines travel with project-based learning, making for a one-of-a-kind education that nurtures all areas of teenage development.
Russell is one of the principals of THINK Global School (TGS) and was voted one of the top 100 Global Visionaries in Education (GFEL, 2021). TGS is the world’s first travelling high school, and beyond the travel, TGS offers a distinctly unique environment for students to guide their learning through the Changemaker Curriculum. Designed with agency in mind, the Changemaker Curriculum empowers students to create and implement projects relevant to the countries they call home during the course of their TGS education.
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-john-cailey-11148240/
Resource Mentioned
Weapons of Mass Instruction – John Taylor Gatto
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The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal
264: How to use symbols to improve learning with Sue White from Widgit
Sue White is a senior educational specialist at Widgit. A qualified primary teacher, Sue’s passion for building children’s vocabulary came after teaching a child with specific learning difficulties. Sue could see that the child’s behaviour in class was borne from a frustration of not being able to fully participate in lessons. Determined to help, Sue started a long journey of learning how to help children who process learning differently. She first became a SENCo and later specialised in a range of developmental disorders where lack of vocabulary development impacted on attainment.
Sue discovered that symbols – visual representations of words – can help all children comprehend spoken and written text, communicate better, as well as build confidence, independence and vocabulary. She has been with Widgit since 2018 where she has advised hundreds of schools on how to use symbols to improve learning and support delayed language development.
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Twitter: @Widgit_Software
Facebook: @widgitsoftware26
Instragram: widgitsoftware
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The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal
263: Protect Our Future from the 1851 Trust with Lyndsey-Lee Dunwoody
The climate crisis is the big agenda for young people
Many feel anxious and are unclear how they can contribute to solutions. They’re turning to their teachers to help them navigate this.
Protect Our Future provides science-based learning resources to equip 11–16-year-olds with knowledge and understanding that goes beyond the headlines. By sharing engaging activities, we’re enabling them to develop tools to take the lead in climate conversations, changing their attitudes and behaviours, and shaping minds for the future.
Equipping educators
They are creating bite-sized and curriculum-linked content to support educators to explore these issues in the classroom. Their free digital platform will provide a trusted source of science-based knowledge, inspiration and practical actions to drive positive impact in schools and within communities. And we aren’t doing this in isolation – we’re collaborating with forward-thinking young people, schools, universities, brands and leading charities to Protect our Future together.
Increasing science capital
Their approach aims to empower young people from all backgrounds with science-based skills that will allow them to Protect Our Future and take control of the climate crisis. Inspired by Prof Louise Archer’s Science Capital approach whereby growing awareness of where science is in our lives and understanding will enable everyone to access science.
Through expert resources, materials and short films we make it clear that science is behind every action we take and is intrinsic to solving challenges like climate change.
Protect Our Future are building on their tried and tested STEM Crew education model, developed by the 1851 Trust and used in over 50% of UK secondary schools and 40 countries worldwide.
Lyndsey-Lee Dunwoody is the Director of Education Strategy at the 1851 Trust. Her first-hand experience of witnessing the life-changing benefits that quality education content can have for young people drives her passion for, and shapes her creative approach in, designing cutting-edge education that is accessible by all demonstrating what is possible beyond business-as-usual.
After achieving a master’s degree in education policy at Kings College London, she joined the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to deliver a national education plan that spanned primary, secondary and adult visitor education courses and live sessions. This experience drew on her ability to weave past collections, present science and future challenges into educational garden experiences that launched with the opening of the RHS’ flagship offering, Hilltop: The home of gardening science.
Lyndsey-Lee believes that education is a powerful vehicle for change, which must be made accessible, relevant and purposeful to achieve maximum impact across society. Encapsulated in all her work is a passion for creating access to expertise and amplifying the voice of young people so that every child has an opportunity to fulfil their full potential and not be disadvantaged by life’s challenges. Her focus is on the young person (in school and out) so that they are prepared for life and not just a profession.
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The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal
262: At Home Author with Vicky Weber
Vicky Weber is a former elementary school music teacher and current bestselling author.
During COVID, when her students couldn’t learn to play the recorder in the classroom, Vicky published an interactive musical book, Lazlo Learns Recorder, to help kids virtually learn the recorder. Music teachers all over the country used this book to supplement their teaching. It was then that Vicky caught the writing bug.
After 6 years in the classroom, Vicky became a full-time author. She also serves as a coach to aspiring authors. To date, she has released 10 picture books that draw upon her teaching experience and Puerto Rican heritage . Her interactive musical books teach kids everything from music vocabulary and how to play the recorder. Vicky has become so successful in such a short time, Disney and Random House recently tapped into her to write the Encanto Step Into Reading book.
Website
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@athomeauthor (IG and Facebook)
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The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal