Outstanding Lessons
Excellent vs Outstanding
When I started teaching in the 1980s, I remember being a probationer (NQT in today’s parlance) and being observed for the first time by the head of English. She was happy with what she saw, describing the sense of focus and purpose, the range and creativity of activity, the harmonious mood and the lesson’s outcomes as excellent. Everyone was happy; nothing was written down; I was never again formally observed in the remaining three years I spent at the school. It was a system that had its faults, though it seemed to serve well at the time. It certainly wouldn’t pass muster in today’s world where ‘Outstanding’ is the watch word. Something to do with Ofsted, I think?
Hoops, Targets and Ubiquity
Utter the words ‘outstanding lessons’ in the hearing of teachers today (at least in parts of the UK) and their ears prick up – their careers could stand or fall depending on their grasp of the concept. Listen to teachers, heads and trainers, read the current literature, visit teacher websites and the phrase ‘from good to outstanding’ is not just familiar, it’s endemic; Google ‘outstanding lessons’ and you get 54 million hits (!!!); a glance at the National College for School Leadership forums shows how central ‘nailing’ the outstanding lesson is – what is the ‘extra ingredient’ that marks out some lessons as ‘outstanding’ when others, which seem to jump through all the hoops, just miss hitting that all-important target?
I’m not keen on jumping through hoops and I’d resist to the death the notion that by following a formula, anyone could become outstanding – it’s simply not the case. It may be no bad thing to be preoccupied with the concept of what constitutes ‘outstanding’ but it’s a concept that might be defined differently by different groups, according to their own agenda.
Great Book!
Whatever my personal view, there’s no denying that publishing a book with the title Outstanding Lessons has been a good move. The three-week-old Outstanding Lessons Pocketbook is proving to be one of the fastest-selling Teachers’ Pocketbooks ever (the Differentiation Pocketbook nipping closely at its heels).
£7.99 plus postage from Teachers' Pocketbooks
Author Caroline Bentley-Davies is acutely aware of her audience and of the weight of responsibility for meeting different needs with this book. Caroline began teaching in the mid-90s. She has been a middle leader in three schools, a LA Education Adviser and a school inspector. She now runs training sessions for teachers and over a five-year period has taught demonstration lessons in over 80 schools. Caroline says:
“Being a great teacher isn’t about pulling the occasional ‘perfect’ lesson out of the bag for an observation or inspection; it is about developing excellent relationships with pupils and honing our skills and judgements about them on a daily basis… The tips in this Pocketbook will enable you to develop the skills to teach a stunning lesson, one that will knock the socks off your observer, but the book has a much broader remit. In looking at developing outstanding lessons, it considers crucial factors drawn from current classroom practice, recent educational research and pupil feedback.”
Covering relationships, lesson planning, how to develop pupil independence, techniques, motivation, resources and – yes – that elusive X factor (which for Caroline is about praise and aspects of A4L) there’s a wealth of material to learn from in this visually engaging book. The last words go to an Assistant Head and a trainee Maths teacher who have read it.
A wonderfully refreshing read! Makes delivering outstanding learning for students of all ages accessible and possible for every teacher.
V. Lea. (Assistant Head, The Elizabeth Woodville School)Simply put, this is a fantastic book. Bentley-Davies encourages the reader constantly to ask questions and reflect on their practice throughout the book. As a trainee teacher on the GTP, I cannot recommend Outstanding Lessons highly enough.
P. Collins (Royal Alexandra & Albert School)
Let us know what you think – about the issue and/or about the book – by posting a comment on the blog.
Pocketbook Linda
