What?
Closing the gap between boys' and girls' attainment in English Language at GCSE, possibly even narrowing the focus to disadvantaged boys.
My idea is to do a pilot scheme, evaluate what is effective then disseminate this information to other staff.
Why?
This complements the School's priorities for improving student provision, and my responsibilities as temporary Second in Department.
How?
I plan on first consulting our departmental SEF and SISRA Analytics to properly understand the extent of the gap.
I then plan on studying the research of consultants such as Abigail Norfleet James, whose accolades include being in the Gender and Education Association, the International Boys’ Schools Coalition, and the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education.
Her book: 'Teaching the Male Brain: How Boys Think, Feel, and Learn in School' is the most contemporary detailed study I have managed to find; it was published in March 2015.
And also to consult the work of Gary Wilson, who was asked to write "Using the National Healthy School Standard to Raise Boys' Achievement" for the DFES. I will begin by consulting his most recent work on the subject:
I hope that these texts will provide some practical strategies for closing the gap, which I can then implement and evaluate in terms of their effectiveness.
We were asked to complete 'The Kolb Learning Style Inventory' today to gauge our leadership learning styles.
The results of the inventory were that I learn mostly through what Kolb calls 'Active Experimentation' (doing) and 'Abstract Conceptualization' (thinking).
According to his theory, I learn in what is called a 'Converging Style'.
Reflection on Results and What This Means for Me as a Developing Leader:
Whilst I'd certainly agree that finding practical uses for ideas and theories and solving problems is something I prioritise, I disagree that I would rather deal with technical issues than social and interpersonal ones. Collaborating with students and colleagues in a socially and emotionally intelligent way is something I feel is a strength. Perhaps what the high test scores in these areas indicates is that I often work on projects independently, and that in order to grow as a developing leader I need to collaborate to a greater degree.
The idea behind this blog is that it will log my learning journey.
Expectations
My expectations for the course are:
- That it will provide me time to reflect on how I might contribute to School priorities and provide guidance on how my actions might have the most impact.
- That I will be able to learn from the good practice of colleagues, some of whom work at other institutions.
- That it will potentially form the basis for further study, leading to a Masters degree in Education.
Reflection on What a Good Leader Does:
A useful starting point is to consider where I have seen effective leadership. The table below is designed to be a concise summary of my reflections on the National College for Teaching and Leadership's definition of good leadership, which was given to us today.
