St Edward's Chronicle October 2016

20 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Remember when you used to get told off for speaking in class? There has been a quiet but determined revolution taking place in the classrooms of St Edward’s. Gone are the days when pupils sat quietly in rows, listening to a teacher, raising their hand to contribute. In a deliberate and systematic programme, the Warden and Deputy Head Academic, Matthew Albrighton, have swept aside outdated notions of classroom practice and embraced a new order; conversations are central to the classrooms of today. We catch up with Matthew and English Teacher, Dr Lucinda Gallagher, to find out more.

Clearly, there’s more to this new approach than chatting.Tell us more. Matthew: When I arrived, it was evident that classrooms at Teddies required a big injection of diversity and energy. At that time, some four years ago, we were relying on a teacher-centred approach; I firmly believe in a pupil-centred approach. I quickly came to the conclusion that Shells required a specific curriculum to help them bridge the gap between the rote learning of prep school days, and the skills required for university- level study and the workplace beyond. Pupils need to be able to work collaboratively, explore new ideas, and express themselves clearly and confidently. Sitting quietly in rows seemed wholly inadequate as preparation for life in the 21st century. Lucinda: By the time I applied for my post here, the new approach was already underway and it was a big part of my decision to come and work at St Edward’s. Dialogue is central to life at Teddies, and not just in cross over into all aspects of life at School. In a boarding school, you see your pupils in so many different contexts – in the classroom, in House, on the sports field, in Tutor periods, and so on. Give us some examples of the new approach. Lucinda: Imagine an English class in which we’re discussing whether or not we feel pity for Eddie in A View from a Bridge . I could ask for contributions, and the keen, confident the classroom. As teachers, we also have roles within Houses, so dialogues begun in the classroom continue in the evening in House and therefore

few would raise their hand, leaving others to disengage or doodle. My preferred approach is to ask all the children to stand up, immediately raising energy and engagement levels. I then ask those who feel Eddie has been hard done by to stand at one end of

other enormous benefit is that lessons are driven by the particular interests of the pupils in that class on that day; they are far more likely to engage if they’re interested in the conversations going on around them. Modern thinking about education – and development in its broadest sense –

the room, and those who don’t to stand at the other. There is no escape; they have to form a view. And then, because they’re up and about and feeling lively, they’re more willing to share their view – and so they learn as much from each other as from me. Matthew: In a Geography class, I might ask them in small

acknowledges that taking risks and experiencing failure is a sure-fire way to improve. How do these conversations feed into wider school culture?

Matthew: We are an exceptionally close-knit

community. At 680, we are a manageable size; pupils know

groups to annotate a graph. There will be, say, six different groups standing at white boards, coming up with thoughts and ideas; towards the end of the lesson, groups will present to each other, giving pupils a far wider set of notes and insights than they might

each other well. Classroom dialogue further binds our pupils together and fosters a deep and lasting understanding that not everyone looks at the world in the same way. We are proud of our broad entry level and wide range of academic abilities; everyone has different ideas to bring to the table. We also have an eye on social trends – young people can become fixated on digital communication, but this will never get them through an interview. To make their way in the workplace, they will need to be able to look people in the eye to debate and discuss – we must keep direct human interaction at the forefront of what - and how - we teach. Lucinda: Children come to school to learn how to be adults and if we don’t show them how, we are doing them a huge disservice. You can’t teach ‘being an adult’, you have to model it, and we believe that this collaborative approach to their development inside and outside the classroom creates a hugely positive and supportive culture of growth.

have developed on their own. It is hugely collaborative; they will never feel alone in their endeavours. Pupils and teachers are working together with a shared sense of purpose which is enormously beneficial and motivating. Why do you prefer this approach? Lucinda: It’s more fluid. Children have been trained

over the years to write their ‘best’ work in their books. We find that they are less willing to experiment in their thinking when they write it down – they can imagine only too easily the teacher’s red pen! They are much more willing to ‘have a go’ verbally. The