Recently I had the privilege to be interviewed on all aspects of school improvement following a Key note I gave at the International Teachers Development Conference in Baku. Below is the English translation of the publication which I thought I would share and welcome feedback from colleagues.

What role does AFL play in education?

AfL plays a major role on how students learn in the classroom and how teachers teach in order to promote a more personalised learning agenda for students. More importantly it shifts the power of responsibility of learning to students so they know where they are in their learning and what learning they need to access next to make progress.

Below are some of the advantages of AfL

  • It helps develop evaluative thinking skills
  • It helps focus on criteria which improve learning outcomes
  • It helps motivate in that students ‘own the process’ of assessment as a result of
    • negotiating and agreeing the criteria
    • understanding the system
    • having some share in the marking
  • It provides students with greater personal ability to judge their work and improve their performance therefore improving self-esteem
  • It enhances concentration and increases the learning potential of a situation because students are intimately involved in the process
  • It creates more independent learners which prepares them better in their next steps in learning / work-based environment

What factors need to be considered for AFL to be successful?

AfL is nothing new. When I worked in the UK for a local authority back in 2008 AfL was launched as a government initiative to support teaching and learning in the classroom. Some of the key characteristics are highlighted below;

Assessment for learning:

  • is embedded in a view of teaching and learning of which it is an essential part;
  • involves sharing learning goals with students;
  • aims to help students to know and recognise the standards they are aiming for;
  • involves students in [peer and] self-assessment;
  • provides feedback which leads to students recognising their next steps and how to take them;
  • involves both teacher and students reviewing and reflecting on assessment data [information].

Having led many schools through AfL programmes I have come across the following issues that affect its impact on learning.

Some issues are:

  • It changes the culture. It shifts the power of balance from teacher to students
  • It causes personal anxiety. Students feel that they do not have the appropriate skills to undertake assessment and this increases anxiety
  • It raises problems of exposure with regards to giving and taking critical feedback
  • It makes more visible the inherent difficulties in all marking schemes

I have learnt that in order for AfL to be successful we need to create the right conditions for learning for both teachers and students. In order to do that we need to ask three simple questions;

  • Where is the learner going?
  • Where is the learner right now?
  • How does the learner get there?

For learners this means;

  • Developing an education system which adapts itself to the students in it
  • Every student/ young person receives co-ordinated support to succeed to the full, whatever their talent or background
  • The student’s voice is heard
  • The needs of the individual students are addressed, extending beyond the classroom into the family and community

How can teachers plan effectively for success? What do they need to take into consideration?

As Stephen Covey said ‘Begin with the end in Mind’. One of the best way’s teachers can plan effectively is by ‘backwards planning’ (Stephen Barkley). Very often in education we always plan forwards beginning with leadership and ending with student achievement. This doesn’t really help teachers needs planning for effective learning in the classroom. In elections we know when the election date is and all activities, campaigns etc are planned backwards from this. Much the same if we backwards plan in schools and begin with a focus on students’ needs it informs teachers planning in the classroom. Ask the following questions;

  • What behaviours do you want students to be displaying in the classroom?
  • What teaching and learning strategies do teachers need to be doing more of to enable these behaviours?
  • What Professional development do teachers need to develop these strategies?
  • How can leadership support the Professional development needs of the school?

By asking these questions and backwards planning, teachers are able to be more effective in supporting the development of personalised learning for students.

Teachers also need to develop a growth mindset for continued success and improvement. This means;

  • Keep searching for new ideas about what might and might not work
  • Focus on making sure that what you already know will help students learn more is being done in your classrooms
  • Develop a risk-taking culture and growth mindset
  • Practice with your peers – set up coaching and professional learning communities 

How can technology be effectively implemented in the classroom? Any factors to consider?

When implementing technology in a school I have always used an approach endorsed by Apple which is a 5 steps to excellence model. This is based around the following areas and questions;

1. Visionary Leadership

  • Do you have a long term (3-5 year) strategic plan for your technology investments?
    • Do you have key people on board?Are you developing the future?

2. Innovative Learning and Teaching

  • Have you recently audited your staff’s ICT capabilities?
    •  Do you have a staff innovation training plan?

3. Ongoing Professional Learning

  • Are you developing an e-confident workforce?
    • Are you prepared for change? Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?

4. Compelling Evidence of Success

  • When did your school last complete an audit of student use of ICT during a typical week?
    • What quantitative and qualitative evaluation are you using to measure the impact of ICT?

5. Flexible Learning Environment

  • What types of blended learning environments are you putting in place?
    • Does your infrastructure support your needs?

In my experience schools that are able to work on the above areas develop a long-term change culture that embeds technology in the classroom.

What is coaching? What is the importance of coaching in the classroom

I have been fortunate to lead on my coaching initiatives both in the UK and internationally. There are many definitions of what coaching is and many interpretations of the word. The starting point for any school wishing to develop a coaching culture is to first define coaching for their school. By having a common agreed school definition of Coaching it enables schools to move to the next steps of training and  select a group of ‘learning coaches ‘then provide them with the skills of coaching in order for them to work with other teachers in the school. A definition I particularly like is the following;

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance.

It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them”.

Timothy Gallwey – The Inner Game of work

Coaching has many benefits for teachers and leaders outlined below;

  • It offers a personalised learning approach
  • Coaching as a leadership style improves relationships
  • It allows time to practise in the workplace (e.g. classroom) 
  • Constructive feedback and reflection promotes self confidence and behaviours
  • It raises aspirations and promotes a ‘can do’ mind set
  • It promotes innovation through ‘taking a risk’

How can leaders practice coaching to enhance lasting improvement at their schools

One of the models I teach coaches which I recommend they take with them throughout their life’s is the GROW model. The GROW model is a process used in conversations which enables leaders to be more effective when having conversations related to coaching for improvement, dealing with conflict or general performance appraisal. 

GROW stands for the 

Goal

Reality

Options

Will and Way forward

By adopting a GROW model, leaders are able to have a more structured conversation which leads better outcomes and improved culture in schools.

Any other thoughts or suggestions

In order for teachers to improve, it has to come from within. Coaching is a powerful developmental process, that if done correctly, allows a teacher to figure out for themselves the areas they need and want to improve on. It provides the right support, guidance and confidence teachers need to take a risk in their classrooms and develop professionally.