If I receive any more stuff on how to deliver an outstanding lesson I am going to scream

[orangeandlemons]

...and scream!

I can only do so much in one lesson. I am so sick of OFSTED being rammed down our throats.

I used to enjoy my job

WTF is activation? My lessons need no more parts. I like

1. Write something down
2. Listen to me
3. Discuss it in pairs
4. Work independently and silently
5. Show your work to someone else (not me!)
6. Go away!

Hello. Sorry to hijack a bit but we thought you might like to know that we've got a live webchat with Lord Adonis at lunchtime tomorrow - all about education and academies and the like.

We're aware that many of you will be busy teaching but if you have any questions you'd like him to answer, you're most welcome to post them on the thread in advance.

Oh, and while we're on the subject, I don't 'deliver lessons', I teach. Yes, I am feeling grumpy.

A member of the SMT walked into my numeracy lesson today as i was tidying up, she was carrying a clipboard- catching my eye she said- 'You are doing a plenary today arn't you Miss Mapp' 'of course', said I, and managed to pull one out of the bag that was apparantly 'well planned and provided excellent assessment! Weh hey- didnt get the tidying up done though!!

Oh, and apparantly we need a success criteria AND must, should, could- are they not the same thing!!! and how are the children meant to succeed when I spend the whole lesson telling them the steps to *** success!!!

Has it been proved that these things make any difference? I think kids get information ovrload tbh. I couldn't absorball the stuff they have to take in and the speed of it.

Shhh orange, what is this proof? We don't research or prove.... This is education after all...

Completely agree with WofflingOn. I am newish to teaching, but fortunately old enough and ugly enough to not feel personally buffeted by the barrage of un-evidenced, whim-based demands that get chucked at us almost daily. I can see that SMT just do to us what the government do to them, but it makes me beyond words that hard-working young teachers are stressed out trying to juggle the impossible and often contradictory demands placed on them, and even angrier when what we are asked to do (eg substantial amounts of writing EVERY day in Literacy books) flies in the face of all research into good practice.

I hate all this crap, it ruins my subject. I teach drama, I want to do a warm up with them then get on with the practical work. Stopping to do learning intentions and success criteria eats up too much of the lesson, bloody hate it. If they are sleepy they need a lively warm up, if they are wired to the moon we do a focus exercise. One period is such a short time to do creative work as it is.

I hate working in a school though so maybe I am not the best person to ask.

Icepole, I teach a creative subject too. 3 part lesson does not work for these subjects. First of all we have to get all the stuff out.

Then they have to do the stuff which is practical and therefore needs practice. This means they are doing, so if you have lots of chunking you don't get anything done (not in upper school anyway). The point is they are supposed to be doing independent stuff.

Then we have to clear up which takes ages. But they don't have to absorb lots of facts, they have to do stuff. Tis a joke

We no longer do success criteria.

Not enough to do with progress apparently.

We have an SLT, rather than a SLG. They are not a team though. They have no respect for each other and are jockeying for position in anticipation of the Head retiring...

Oh bloody ofsted, and all the arbitrary bizarre demands. And all the contradictions, and different demands from different people. And all the patronising, demoralising, demotivating shit that comes with it. I'm amazed that there is a single teacher at my school who hasn't walked out.

But I like teaching....and I like the kids, they're great. And I get good results, but not always in rigid ofsted way.

I hate all this shit!

Last time I was observed by OFSTED, out of my class of 8 Y9s, only one turned up. I spent the entire lesson persuading him that it probably wasn't a good idea to go and kill Naveed in 9C, even if he might have implied that he had had sex with his mother.

I got a 'good' with outstanding features

I think I had 9C.

I timed Naveed out after he claimed to have had sex with my mother.

Knowing Naveed, he may well have had sex with all our mothers.

Can I just, in a non-drunk, but still slightly I-bloody-love-you-I-do sort of a way, just add that this place is already, newly created as it is, soooo much more fun, honest and less sanctimonious than the god-awful TES forums. I feel we do a much naicer brand of cynical-but-supportive over here

I had 9C on the day Naveed got back from his suspension for having sex with one of the SMTs mothers on school property. Couldn't get him to talk about anything except the new COD level he achieved on his day off.

What I find ludicrous is that the one hour lesson observation for performance management picks out something you forgot to do although might do it in every single other lesson and then that becomes your target for the next year. It's madness that the assumption is you can't do it because you didnt get to fit it in the one hour despite fitting in all the other stuff. It feels like a seal performing.

I teach a practical subject. I have to factor in getting stuff out and clearing up.

This leaves about 1/2 an hour to cram the rest of the OFSTED shit in

I've never really known any different. I hear about the old days and it sounds so liberating.

We are all going to have ofsted style observations when teaching pshe soon and we are also going to be observed during registration. I have actually been observed by ofsted during registration. They don't give feedback. Pointless, pointless, pointless!

Handbag, come over to the dark side independent if you want to experience teaching as it was in the good old days. There is still bullshit, but there's less bullshit.

Mini-Plenaries

I hate how you have to show that every child has made significant and sustained and rapid progress in whatever random 20 mins someone comes in to your lesson. I teach secondary maths - one topic usually takes say three lessons - judge me on what they know before and after not on the random 20 mins within that. Aaaaaaarrrrrfggghhhhh. What I don't understand is why schools put up with it - Surely no-one who teaches thinks it is any good?!?

Ha felicity you're not the first person who has suggested that! It doesn't really fit in my philosophy of teaching though unless do you get independent schools that cater for low income families and are run by charities?

I can break learning down into 20 min chunks but it's superficial and gives no time to put the learning into practical application. I feel it's probably a way of deprofessionalising us by making it teaching-by-numbers and then anyone can do it!