Girls do try and that might be where the problem lies

I really, really, really enjoyed ‘Boys Don’t Try’ by Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts. For me, it’s a strength, is its unpicking of gender stereotypes and how our own prejudices can be part of the problem surrounding boys in education. Anyway, I was thinking about this book as my own daughters finished primary school this week and they also received their SATs results.

It is sad to say this, but my daughters’ experience of primary school has not been the positive experience I had hoped it to be. Married to a dedicated, hard-working and committed, primary school teacher, I know what a fantastic job primary schools do. In fact, I work with a lot of superb primary schools and primary school teachers. I know how great primary schools can and should be. They are fun, enjoyable and great places, but for us, as a family, we have been counting the days for when my daughters left their school. And, the saddest thing of all was that my daughters were doing the counting down themselves.  

So, where did it go wrong? It wasn’t really the systems. It wasn’t really the teachers. It wasn’t really the headteacher. However, I could possibly write a book on our experiences and dealings with the school. I think the problem stems with how they dealt with girls and different kinds of girls.  

As a dad of two daughters, I am starting to realise things about my daughters. Each one has two personas. A school persona and a home persona. They are both very different people, but really they are alike in so many ways. The school persona is polite, friendly, chatty and helpful. The home persona is well the opposite – there will be a day, when they read these blogs and I will be in trouble! The home persona will say something and challenge things when the school persona will not, because they are worried they’ll get told off. Life for them is the battle between these two versions of themselves. They’ll tell me about how unfair I am as a dad at home, but they would shudder doing the same to a teacher. There’s this constant friction.

My daughters are perfect ‘Blue Peter’ girls. They’d love to enter a competition. They’d love to save a hedgehog. They’d love to know about compost making. They just want to get involved. And, this is the other problem: ‘ the kind good girl type’. They get lumbered with everything. Here’s a new student. Meet the ‘Blue Peter’ girls. It became a joke in our house about how every new student, and I mean every new student, was paired up with my daughters when they arrived at school. Good girls were seen, and are often seen, as the problem solvers. We’ll just use Jenny because she’s kind and friendly. My daughters were that girl and they got fed up of it.    

I hate ‘Star of the Week’ with a passion. From my experience, it is rarely fair and it is often used to pander to the boys. Tom kicked a ball. Star. Peter ran a race. Star. The girls have to wait for their ‘annual turn’. Yes, it often felt like a tick box exercise. Everybody would get a go once a year, because that is fair. It seemed to my daughters that the naughty boys got the award more often than them. The girls who wouldn’t swear within fifty miles of a school would be overshadowed by the boys who have been known to swear openly. The girls could see what was going on. They worked hard and it was the naughty boys who got praised for something that was expected from girls. That made the one mention a year all that more important.

Popularity is an interesting thing. Most people want to be seen as being popular. However, I have seen how the ‘popularity factor’ has a damaging effect on girls. My daughters put themselves up for school council most years. They occasionally got it, because nobody else volunteered and the teachers selected the successful candidate. In the final year, the school made the decision a democratic decision and the school voted for school president. My daughters didn’t get the role, because the school voted for the popular student in a fair and democratic process. The whole process was transparently about popularity and that was made public. The whole process became about highlighting how my daughters were not as popular as the other students. A fair and democratic process? 

The popular kids are usually the extroverts and the outspoken and confident students. I have sat through numerous school plays and assemblies listening to the popular kids and seen the other children hide in the sides, because they haven’t got the confidence to say a line or two. School plays tend to draw attention to this. At times, I think we should rename school plays to ‘The Popular Extrovert Show’. Not really a microcosm of schools, in my opinion. My daughters would love to have a bigger part, but they are not going to shout out for one. They are good.  

My daughters left the school. They didn’t feel sad. They just wanted to have a better experience. As girls, I don’t think they had that opportunity. Not because someone intentionally went out of their way to do something, but because the wrong focus here or there can have long-lasting damage on a girl. Schools will not see the impact they have on girls, because of the two personas. The school persona smiles, while the home persona cries. There’s so much more to girls’ behaviour and I think we neglect them heavily.

We have growing issues in secondary schools and I think we need to explore the girls' behaviour, just as much as the boys. Nationally, we have a problem with boys, but that doesn’t mean we need to have the spotlight solely on the boy.

I am just a dad trying to understand things and I happy to be corrected if I have misunderstood or misinterpreted something. 

Thanks for reading,

Xris 


Update: 18/12/19 

Dear Reader, 

Last night I attended an Advent service at my daughters' school. During the performance, one of my daughters sung a solo. A solo she never had the opportunity before.  A solo that she was incredibly worried about. A solo she never thought she'd have the chance to do because of other students. 

A solo she smashed. She was brilliant. In fact, she was praised by many for doing it.  

When I wrote my original blog in July, I had people tell me stories of how their lovely, quiet daughters had difficulties in primary schools, but flourished and thrived in secondary schools. They were right for my daughters, but it does raise some interesting ideas. Are we neglecting a silent majority of children in primary schools? Boys can be vocal. Attention seeking girls are certainly vocal. Introvert girls aren't. 

When do the quiet, good girls get noticed? Is it when they don't have friends? Is it when they do a poor piece of work? They don't scream for attention the rest of the time. They are relied on. They are dependable and loyal, but they are largely forgotten. 

I cannot tell you how my daughters have transformed since primary school. They have become confident, friendly and outgoing. They didn't have a major personality change, but they feel valued. They feel noticed. They have a voice. They feel they can do anything. They are motivated. They are driven. But, they do that will a smile on their face. Quietly. 

So, what am I trying to say? Well, simply: primary schools need to look at how their quiet girls and boys fit into the school life. Children need to feel part of a community. What if we are simply supporting an alienating experience for young people in our care? We aren't doing it on purpose, but it is the by-product of caring for some children more than others. Maybe care is the wrong word. Maybe focus is the right word. 

I have seen, first-hand, the difference it can have on quiet students when they have a sense of place and community. When the feel part of something. When they connect. 

Thanks for reading, 

Xris 

How to teach English

They say within every person is a book.

Over the past few years, I have been secretly writing that one book.

Finally, the book was published in its yellow and pink glory this week. 

The book is a bit like the blog as it contains ideas, thoughts, resources and questions about the teaching of English in schools.

So, if you like the blog and would like to read more, then you can purchase the book here.

  

Written by Chris Curtis, How to Teach: English: Novels, non-fiction and their artful navigation is jam-packed with enlivening ideas to help teachers make the subject of English more intellectually challenging for students – and to make it fun too!

Never underestimate your duty and power as a teacher of English. English teachers help students to think and feel. They prompt them to reflect on their actions. They hold a mirror to society and inspire students to see how they can make it better.

What other subject does that?

This insightful interpretation of what makes excellent secondary school English teaching is the work of a man whose humility fails to hide his brilliance and provides educators with a sophisticated yet simple framework upon which to hook their lessons. Covering poetry, grammar, Shakespeare and how to teach writing, Chris Curtis has furnished every page of this book with exciting ideas that can be put into practice immediately.

Each chapter presents a store of practical strategies to help students in key areas – providing apposite examples, teaching sequences and the rationale behind them – and has been accessibly laid out so that teachers can pinpoint the solutions they need without having to spend an age wading through academic theory and pontification.

The book explores the wealth of learning opportunities that can be derived from both classic and more contemporary literature and offers expert guidance on how teachers can exploit their own chosen texts to best effect with their students. Furthermore, it is replete with ready-to-use approaches that will help teachers upgrade their lesson planning, enhance their classroom practice and ensure that the content they cover sticks in their students’ heads for months and years afterwards.

Suitable for all English teachers of students aged 11–18.

Sarah Barker, English teacher and Assistant Head Teacher, Orchard School Bristol, and blogger 14th June 2019

How to Teach: English is packed full of practical ideas for the English classroom. Chris’ knowledge and experience shine through in his writing, as he shares what he demonstrably knows will work in practice and provides really sound advice for trickier areas of the curriculum.

This is a timely book – schools wanting a renewed focus on the application of the curriculum would do well to start here for their English faculties.

Mary Myatt, author of Hopeful Schools, High Challenge, Low Threat and The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence 14th June 2019

This is a magnificent book that really gets to the bones of teaching English. It manages the remarkable feat of scoping the panorama of the subject: its magic, its power and its potential to take students to other worlds. And set against the big picture are commentaries on, and brilliant examples of, how to bring English lessons to life in the classroom.

How to: Teach English should be essential reading for all engaged in teaching, not just of English but of other subjects too – everyone will take something from the precision, the wit and the humanity of this terrific book.

Mark Roberts, English teacher, blogger and writer 14th June 2019

How to Teach: English is clever, wise and highly practical. Awash with creative prompts and pragmatic advice, it is an accessible and entertaining read which deserves its place on the creaking bookshelves of any English teacher.

Dipping in, you’ll find the kinds of ideas that make you think, ‘I wish I’d thought of that.’ At the same time, Chris’ obsession with self-improvement shines through. Full of humility, honesty and mischievous humour, this is a book about getting better by – to paraphrase the title of Chris’ hugely influential blog – learning from mistakes.

It includes an ambitious and comprehensive list of chapters – focusing on key areas such as writing, grammar, Shakespeare and poetry – and illustrates the necessity of building knowledge and questioning our assumptions about our students’ prior learning. With his approach, Chris places a relentless focus on the writer’s craft and the power of words, advocating a sensible balance of high challenge, accessibility and creativity.

Quite simply, How to Teach: English is a guide to what excellent English teaching looks like – so whether you’re a trainee teacher or a battle-hardened veteran, this is an indispensable resource.

David Didau, author of Making Kids Cleverer 14th June 2019

Why, you might wonder, should I invest in yet another book on the teaching of English? This is a relatively crowded marketplace – and although there are many excellent books aimed at English teachers, none are so rooted in the subject as this one. Chris Curtis communicates not only his years of experience but also his infectious enthusiasm for a subject and an occupation he so clearly loves.

How to Teach: English is studded with an astonishing array of practical ways into the study, and the teaching, of all forms of literature as well as the nuts and bolts of language. Every page is illuminated by the gentle, guiding hand of someone who has been there, made all the mistakes you have made and survived to pass on the distilled wisdom and warmth of a true aficionado.

This is my new favourite book on English teaching – it will enhance the practice of any teacher of English, no matter what stage they are at in their career.

Andy Tharby, author of Making Every English Lesson Count 14th June 2019

Curtis’ smart and shrewd guide to English teaching is a welcome reminder of the potent, and too often untapped, wisdom and expertise of those at the chalkface who have learned through many years of careful and thoughtful trial and error.

For me, the greatest strength of this book lies in its central message: that English teaching is about the communication, sharing and generation of ideas, and that what matters most is the quality of thinking that happens within an English classroom. To top it off, Curtis gifts us a dazzling array of simple approaches that will guide all English teachers – from the fresh-faced newcomer to the grizzled staffroom-cynic – towards nurturing and getting the very best out of their students.

How to Teach: English really is a fabulous read. I cannot remember the last time I took so many notes when reading an education book. Needless to say, I recommend it to all teachers of English.

Amy Forrester, English teacher and Head of Year, Cockermouth School 14th June 2019

Chris’ book is an excellent manual for new and experienced teachers alike. His mixture of wisdom and experience blends together to provide teachers of English with a number of ideas that they can use in the classroom. It is a timely text, one which encourages practitioners to love what they teach – and is ideal for dipping in and out of, allowing readers to turn their attention to the chapters which cover their teaching focus at the time of reading. It is also packed full of signposts to interesting works of literature, which are perfect for the busy English teacher looking for some inspiration with the texts and topics they’re using in a lesson or during a unit of learning.

Alex Quigley, Senior Associate, Education Endowment Foundation and author of Closing the Vocabulary Gap 14th June 2019

Chris Curtis is the ideal teacher-writer, and in How to Teach: English he effortlessly manages the artful balance of packing in sage insights alongside a range of very practical approaches.

Funny, wise and imminently useful, this is a book from which every teacher of English – from nervous newbies to seasoned veterans – can plunder a wealth of ideas. So, no matter if you are perennially busy: put down your pile of marking and gift yourself this readable gem.

The Law of Averages and Data Sponges

Recently, my school has joined a MAT and it has been brilliant for sharing ideas, resources and systems. One of those great things has been the use of data. In particular, the use of averages.

English teachers, on average, shy away from data. We’d rather focus on the words in a data report than comment on the strange things called numbers. Yes, I know there has been a drop in PP students, but ‘on target’ is an interesting phrase and has so many connotations. Let’s discuss each connotation in depth.

Nights before a meeting, I’d have sleepless nights and panic over not picking up something in the data soup. My biggest fear has always Ofsted or any other person asking me data questions. How many students in Year 8 are not on target? Panic sets in. I am impressed with the data sponges: people who can regurgitate figures off the top of their head. I look terrible in comparison. Umm…err…I think…let me just check this sheet… ummm…errr. I have it here. In fact, let me tell you about this book I have recently read.

I admit I will never be a data sponge, but over the last few years I am starting to ‘love’ data and help students to appreciate data surrounding English. And no, I don’t mean the number of nouns in a sentence or the number of compound sentences in a chapter of ‘Holes’ (a billion by the way).

We do lots of tests in English.

We test spellings, weekly.

We test vocabulary every term.

We test core knowledge at Christmas, Easter and in the summer.

We count the books students have read each term.

They are all low stakes tests, but we test them regularly. We have used this system for years and it all feeds into our system. Before this year, we tended to just fuel our data system with them. Here you go data monster. It is feeding time. Yummy data for you. An assessment point is just dinner time for the data monster.   

This year, I have started to use average scores and year averages.

At parents’ evening, we provided parents with the year average and the student’s average. I was able to tell a parent if their child was average in spelling, below average in reading and above average in knowledge and vocabulary. It was a really useful way for me to explain where a child was and for the parents where the child in relation to the year group.  

We live in the age of random numbers. Parents are confused with the SATs score. Is 104 good? Parents are confused with GCSE scores. Is 5 good? The national collective haven’t picked up on what these things in education mean. What, fundamentally, parents want is to know that their child is happy and performing well and that depends on the context? Using averages, I was able to tell a parent how their child did in our particular context.

Before people panic that I had reduced a child to a numbers, I did also speak to the parents of child number 2432 about their child’s natural flair for adjectives, explaining how he often uses an average of 7.8 in each paragraph, which is high for a student of his age.  Nah, only joking. I will talk about a child’s personality. How the child has personality trait 12386 and 4453!

An average score puts the data in context. We throw tests out like confetti.  However, there is a natural assumption that students have to get full marks all the time. Students think they need full marks. Parents think they need full marks. And this thought process is damaging. Success, in this case, is unrealistic. For the weak student who finds spelling difficult, he/she knows that he never will be successful. Especially, when success is 100%.  When you change the bar to averages, you change the success criteria for the weakest and for the majority of students.

Let’s say the average in spelling in Year 8 is 8 out of 10. A student who gets 7/10 knows that success is within his /her reach. Students with a score less than 8 are closer to success than they were before, when full marks is seen as the epitome of success.

When you factor in averages, you are ensuring more students feel successful or, importantly, feel like success is achievable. We’d all like 100%, but when you look at the GCSE exams you’ll see how rare it is that students get full marks. An emphasis on greatness and perfection is ideal, but we deal with young emotional people. The bar should be high, but within reach.

The GCSEs factor in averages. I couldn’t look at piece of work and tell you if it is a Grade 4, 5 or 6. I could do some marking and grade conversions, but could I tell you if it was average, above average or below average. And, with the grade boundaries fluctuating and varying, we need to think in averages. If you scored above average, then you are likely to get a Grade 4 or more. The exam boards work on national averages, so we should looking at averages.

I am now looking at the whole data for the year and I have a yearly average for each group. I have data from this year, which we can use with teachers next year. None of this getting to know you period. We can tell teachers what each students’ average for spelling, vocabulary, knowledge and reading is. Teachers can have that in mind when teaching the students in September. It is also the starting point for next year. For the teacher. For the student. For the parents. From year to year, we lose the impetus because students have different teachers. It takes teachers a good bit of time to understand a student fully. This way the teacher can know things about the student and work on building that relationship with them from the word go. Plus, if a student isn’t reading in Year 8, then I want that to be a priority in Year 9 and I want it to be a priority from the start.

I am still not a data sponge, but I have found the use of averages as head of department to be quite transformational. Averages have helped me make sense of the data and helped me to communicate it to staff and students. We are often led down the path of on target and not on target, but that doesn’t help to dig down into things. We need specifics. Now, I know that a certain year needs a stronger focus on spelling and some year groups need to work on reading. I can address the wider issues with clarity and precision.

An average helps us to understand the context.

Thanks for reading,

Xris