Hollie
Hello and welcome back to the English and Maths Booth podcasts. My name is Holly Barnes and tonight I am joined by wonderful English practitioner Pamela Dale.
Hollie
Hi holly. Hello, how are you? I'm
Pam
Good thank you. Yeah really good good.
Hollie
But how's your week? Been? I know you've been back into the college this week, so how's your your big return then?
Pam
Half I have, um, I was so excited to go back an and it hasn't disappointed. I've had the most amazing week an it's been really uplifting.
Hollie
Oh, that sounds good.
Hollie
Hollie
And yeah, so before we jump into talking about some of the amazing things that we've all seen on Twitter this week that you've been doing.
Hollie
And we've been talking about and would you like to just introduce yourself to everyone and gives a bit of background information about what you do and maybe where you work.
Pam
Yeah, so yeah I my name is holiday. I work at Calderdale College in Halifax, West Yorkshire and I am a GCSE in English lecturer and one of the advanced.
Pam
Practitioners at college.
Hollie
Fabulous so this week you can doing some fantastic work in the English department and I know that it's not necessarily related to what we've been talking about in some of the ideas. Rooms enjoy free this week about teaching to the test. It's been quite the opposite, hasn't it?
Pam
Yeah, I just had.
Pam
A seed of an idea if you like on Sunday night and it was linked to a course that I'm doing. AP Connect constellation be.
Pam
So, and because of that course I've made some fantastic um.
Pam
Friends and I've been part of some amazing communities and spaces to think and spaces to talk. And so I just had an idea that.
Pam
I would like to explore this idea of constellations with my learners.
Pam
She welcomed that College in a different way and.
Hollie
What is populous idea?
Speaker 3
Yeah, yeah.
Hollie
And how have you?
Hollie
Have you been doing that? Have you managed that?
Pam
Okay, So what what I did, so I kind of structured the lesson an around the thinking environment you know. And so the first thing that I asked him when they came in.
Pam
Was how are you, um? So we had a little round where he body shared how they were.
Pam
And then I asked them how they felt about, um.
Pam
As teachers having to do their teachers S grade for the exams and then we had.
Pam
At least I gave my post it note and I just asked them to think about something positive or something they wanted to work on our just how they were feeling or just something positive to start the lesson off Anne. And then they wrote on a post it note.
Pam
And it wasn't for anybody else. It was for them just having their own thoughts, folded it up and put it in a little jar of positivity, circled a penny for your thoughts so it that was the first thing that we did, and we decided that it would be really nice to wait till the end of the academic year last week and then to get them out and to have a read through and to maybe get a little bit of feedback from some of those and see.
Pam
You know what they wished falls come true or how they felt his changed, or hopefully because I wanted to.
Pam
Because it has such a long time away from college and it's been such a strange year, I just wanted this week to be really positive for the man.
Pam
For them to think about how moving forwards over the next eight or nine weeks, we could make it a really positive experience for them.
Hollie
And that's really important, isn't it? Where we are at the moment in the current climate, moving, moving forward, not looking back. And I mean we have to look back in terms of assess grades when if we want to look at it from that.
Speaker 3
Hollie
Kind of prescriptive for, but actually we need to move forward because we were at very different place now to where we were looking at.
Hollie
Maybe this time last year, but this this idea of checking in with them is also so important now, isn't it?
Hollie
You know the pastoral care that we've had to had to give? Maybe not as a primary tutor, but the pastoral care that we had to give us English and maths tutors as definitely excelled. And I love the idea of reflection because I don't think we reflect enough doing in the classroom.
Pam
No, no, I don't think so. Not all the land.
Pam
Anne.
Pam
It was just.
Pam
So the next activity that we did, um.
Pam
So I played the mum.
Pam
A little video which described constant explain constellations and then we looked at how the world was made up. This idea of curl together still a stars and then ask them something about you. What are going crazy?
Pam
With this, an and the you know a lot of them came up with this idea of how.
Pam
You know they were individuals in this class, but they were actually a constellation in themselves, but it's really. It was really inspiring to to listen to them, and then, um, So what we did then?
Pam
I just gave him a piece of paper with no but like Doctor Dot and I asked them to think about their constellation.
Pam
So you know as individuals, what would that was there constellation? Who were there linked to who was around them? You know how did their particular shape or pattern?
Pam
Emerge and then we discussed, you know, the idea of our constellation in our classroom.
Pam
And how over the next few weeks if we worked together, um?
Pam
Then hopefully it will be a really enjoyable and productive few weeks for them.
Hollie
And I think that is it sounds brilliant. I mean I saw some of the images on Twitter you had like a almost like a weighing scale.
Hollie
Some of the learners have on their worksheets, didn't they? And they were kind of balancing out some of those thoughts were putting down.
Pam
Yeah yeah, I'm what we discussed we.
Pam
Discussed star signs as well so that was where that came from. So the the idea of Libra with the scales.
Pam
And you know, and I found out, find out some amazing summer students this week as well. That didn't add, just haven't known before an.
Pam
But that the depth of.
Pam
Reflection analysis. I'm not really sure you know what what it was, but you know we had construction students in there. We had um plumbers engineers and.
Pam
They were just coming out with the most amazing things you.
Pam
Know peace, joy love.
Pam
You know happiness, passion, community, say well words that they were coming out with with absolutely no prompting from me whatsoever.
Pam
So it wow alright, so moving thermal.
Hollie
I know all the stuff that you know with a lot of a lot of us are talking about the moment, the importance of community, the importance of spaces, the importance of joy, the practise of joy, Ann that is so important, and it's fantastic to hear that the construction lads were were on board with it as well because sometimes maybe if you were going in with that task as it is a teacher you maybe want pitch it towards them. Would you maybe think we're not gonna be so engaged with it but?
Speaker 3
Oh
Pam
Absolutely yeah, I.
Pam
I did because I did question if I'm honest on Monday you know, do I do this? Do it, do it, do it and I just thought you know what?
Pam
Just give it a try and Monday afternoon so I had two lessons on Monday afternoon and Monday afternoon.
Pam
I can't tell you how.
Pam
Just house elated. It was just so moving and you know boys coming out about what you know he'd love to you.
Pam
He'll he'll still be loved and he loves the fact that his family love them and things like that. And it was just really beautiful.
Speaker 3
Obvious beautiful.
Speaker 3
Obvious.
Hollie
Yeah, definitely. I think as well. We we were talking about this little bit before work. We about the fact that we've got such limited time to deliver so much content and what we have to remember is our learners may not understand the content on a small scale.
Hollie
And then it's about kind of refreshing that content an and honing in on those skills. But we sometimes feel that we don't have enough time within the within the Post 16 an English curriculum to maybe veer off and look at some of those things.
Hollie
And at the minute some some people might say, you know, we need to put the importance on exam skills.
Hollie
Like you know, analysis and evaluating, but actually that can be bought into those carnage that can be bought into these types of lessons where we're looking at, you know empathy, and hone in on other types of texts that have those types of context within them.
Pam
Absolutely yeah, because this is, you know, the discussions that we had because you know, each of each student presented as well.
Pam
So you know we're building up that those skills of communication.
Pam
Anne and expressing themselves so and also coz that's the thing I think if we if we can have discussions about empathy, then hopefully when they're coming to look at text, you know that will be something that because we've considered it in a different way. And maybe that's the way in because, you know.
Pam
It's really difficult to get students to empathise.
Pam
With a character from a novel because.
Hollie
You mustn't pay.
Pam
This place is.
Pam
Not you, it's not real person, and even though I do say to them, think of them as real people. But I just think and an absolutely understand what you saying about exam practise at this moment in time.
Pam
So perhaps you know some would view that my lesson was wasting time, but I I think it had a massive impact and I think.
Pam
Every single student that left my room this week went away happy and I don't think that happens very often.
Pam
Ann and the other tasks that we did.
Pam
Where is M? We had just a one minute talk from each student, so we had a wheel spin the wheel and came up with some topics to talk about and one of them was their bucket list.
Pam
So they presented, they had to talk for a minute and they found it difficult. They found it really difficult, which made me think that.
Pam
So moving forward in September, this is something I really want to work on. I'm really passionate about it because.
Pam
They did it and they tried and I said to them again back to thinking environment. You know, don't be afraid of the silence. You know how I think.
Speaker 3
Wedding.
Pam
Anne and blessing. They did it and in again it was just like.
Pam
Something that we just haven't done before.
Speaker 3
The.
Pam
I think I'm.
Hollie
Yeah, I think this this two things there that that really stand out for me Pam which is 1 about students not being able to kind of envisage themselves in that situation and that's something we do see a lot of, isn't it? In in the English classroom which is there? Given a situation you know, especially the non fiction situ.
Hollie
Nation, the very typical one being you know a question 5 on school uniforms for example. And then like why don't wear school uniforms?
Hollie
How can I get on board with that? Or you know, if we're looking at functional skills, some of the topics are not, not topics which are learners would look at, you know, not. They're not looking at whether they want to run a charity day or whether they want to talk to the Council about their local bins not being collected. Although you know somewhat functional.
Hollie
It is something that they can't see themselves in, and there's a lot of work that has to be done within the English classroom.
Hollie
Andover and the college community. Now we were just the start of it. I think where we have to try and get them to take themselves out as their covering little bubble and put themselves in another person. Shoes and look at things from a lot of different perspectives and different angles.
Hollie
I think everything that you are saying.
Hollie
About encouraging young lads to speak up and speak out about their emotions is so key at the minute in SoC, isn't it?
Hollie
You know we are and that just shows, I think out to the the college community that when we're not just getting them in and talking about poetry or were not just getting him interact stories and have a laugh, you know it was easy as that and we could get the war through, you know, exams would be would be great, but visit, there's some real work that we do on character building and skills building with.
Speaker 3
What time is it?
Hollie
Who they are themselves within the English classroom.
Hollie
And that's also important.
Hollie
And I think it's really part of that developing the poor with love.
Hollie
It is that we have to. We have to build that relationship and if we can get to a point where they feel comfortable with sharing those types of things with force and getting down to the their core beliefs in their core values and being able to bring that out into lessons were fantastic thing to be able to do and take away.
Pam
Absolutely yeah, because I.
Pam
Was thinking, you know it really struck me about the types because I always considered myself to be the type of teacher who had good relationships with her students. But this week has taught me that.
Pam
You know the relationship that we did have was maybe not the most conducive to this. You know these kind of thoughts and these kind of empathy is and you know trying to understand people.
Pam
So it's really taught me a lot this week about what I want to do, moving forwards. And, you know, I think as well by having conversations.
Pam
About things that don't appear to be English related, but the thinking clearly is, um.
Pam
And building those kind relationships, and I think.
Pam
The trust it was, you know I was thinking bout trust a lot today because they did allow themselves to be vulnerable.
Pam
If you like in that one minute speech, one minute speech, or to share some of their ideas to to their classmates, which is, you know it's not something that they do on a regular basis, so.
Pam
So I thought, you know, maybe.
Pam
This is the trust and this is where the different relationships will help with the engagement and.
Pam
Just looking at it from a different angle, think.
Hollie
Yeah, definitely so I would. I would say that this would be a really memorable lesson in your eyes that you that you probably don't remember for awhile.
Hollie
I mean, I'm definitely going to be taking some of this forward, whether that's next week when I return. However, it's going to be in a in a few weeks time or at the start of the year.
Hollie
But what would you say is your outside of this lesson? What would you say is your other most memorable lesson, whether it be a positive or maybe are a distant memory?
Speaker 3
Pam
OK, yes I have one an it was um I was discussing my practise with some David the other week.
Pam
Anne and it's a lesson that I did along time ago. Um, anyway, it's a different college, and this conversation brought up ohh, I used to try that and it was really effective and I don't know why I stop doing it, but it was one and it was back when we did controlled assessments in English an and so.
Pam
We think that it had to be a story that started with, um, we had.
Pam
Had everything we needed and we set up on our travels.
Pam
And it was a lesson that we just used a big piece of foot chart and we brought the opening sentence on there, and each student had.
Pam
I think it's one minute. It's a long time ago I can't remember, but they had a minute and then the rota sentence folded it over, passed it to the next person.
Pam
They wrote a sentence folded over, and so we continued round the class. And then, you know, at the end of it there was a story.
Pam
Have some socks you know, be strange in the middle, but um.
Speaker 3
Pam
I loved when that when I when I remembered that I've done it. I love the interaction of the whole group and again, that made me think about my practise and to move into next year and not be so bogged down with this. There's an exam at the end of this qualification because I think I lost a lot of.
Pam
Smart teaching ideas by being bogged down in that there's an exam at the end of this.
Hollie
Yeah, it's true, isn't it? And I think we we try and carry many hats, don't we? As as English teachers and an any teacher within Fe, you know we're always being reminded that we need to embed equality and diversity in British values and make sure our classrooms are supporting all of those things as well as incorporating RT, an English and maths.
Hollie
And you know, I think it's it's so important that we look at the bigger picture. You know we have a job.
Hollie
Qi mean I see it is almost we have a job to introduce difficult topics and you know not to shy away from those ideas that we have that are maybe build your own skills outside the classroom. Because if we're all thinking one track minded and we're all thinking that way, then when where are they going to learn these skills? When are they going to get those?
Pam
But yeah, I think that.
Pam
Again, you know it moving forwards. I think that.
Pam
Probably that's all the most important part of our job is to prepare them for life, to allow them to go out into the world and to be able to communicate with people to be able to consider other peoples opinions to take on board of the People peoples opinions.
Pam
And you know, to be able to process things and to think about things. And to verbalise, you know, and another thing that.
Speaker 3
Speaker 3
Pam
Its best always. So this lesson of constellations you know. Yes, you know we are a constellation in our class and you know their very own family, constellations and everything else.
Pam
But you know, every single one of them is an individual, and every every single one of them has a story and.
Pam
I think I feel the mileson this week.
Pam
Help them in some ways to think about their story and to you know. Maybe see the joy in their story that perhaps sometimes.
Pam
They don't see other. Forget about in in day to day.
Pam
Life because of.
Pam
You know they're on their phone or the computer, and I think he was just I don't know. I think they just were able to think about themselves. If you like for a few minutes.
Hollie
Yeah, and I think that we we definitely have to encourage.
Hollie
That because right now in in again in this current climate we matter, you know, we all matter in our mental health matters and our health matters and it is a real big time to do some reflection and we we have to encourage our learners to to reflect.
Hollie
You know, we concentrate. I think sometimes as well. Just go back to that idea that we feel like we're always teaching to the test.
Hollie
You know we're always saying, you know. Reflect on your writing. How could you do better in your writing? But we're not saying those questions like you know, how could you progress forward with?
Hollie
With these ideas that you have or progress forward with that feeling that you have, or that you know that motivation, how can we?
Hollie
How can we help you to move forward and there are such important questions actually that we we need to bring back into the classroom when we're returning.
Hollie
Whether you know your return in face to face or online, or going back to full time, whatever it is so.
Hollie
Have you got any? Any final thoughts about how you gonna maybe use your positivity jar?
Hollie
That you collected.
Pam
Well, we're going to.
Pam
Have a look at them at the end of the term and I thought it might be quite nice to ask them then because you know they're anonymous.
Pam
You know I wasn't about to ask them to share that that bit because I wanted it to be.
Pam
Just I don't know. I could promise to themselves or even just this is good in my life right now or I'm going to do this to make things better. So I wanted it to just be.
Pam
To not have the fear of having to share it, I wanted it to be an honest reflection.
Pam
But I just thought at the end of the term it would be quite nice to just have a look at them and to either have a group discussion.
Pam
And to, you know, think again about this lesson that we had this.
Pam
Wake up and to do something similar, actually so to the repeat the lesson maybe at the end of the end of the academic year, and then I thought it would be nice if some of them do want to discuss what they wrote an and get their feelings about what they wrote then and how they would feel at the end of the year. So I think that's kind of where I'm heading with it.
Speaker 3
Hollie
Well, I'm looking forward so much to hearing how it all pans out and I'm looking forward to myself to to running this idea.
Hollie
So thank you so much for coming on. The English must be spam and talking to us about all the amazing work that you do in.
Hollie
Would you like to just give listeners your Twitter handle so they can find out more about the fantastic things that you?
Hollie
Doing well just find it.
Speaker 3
Pam
It's a bit late, so it's at Pamela Di.
Pam
92133569 It's east, remember?
Hollie
Thank you so much Pamela and respect.
Speaker 3
You left him there.
Speaker 3
Left him there.
Pam
Thank you so much. Bye bye bye.
Hollie
You soon, I'm sure.
Hollie
Soon I'm sure.
Speaker 3