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4
Identifying Training and Development Needs
Individual or school needs Personal development Taking account of workload and wellbeing Finding out what CPD staff want and need Catering for a range of people Performance management Choosing objectives

The first two stages of the staff development cycle are concerned with the identification of staff needs and their analysis. The measurable discrepancy between the present state of affairs and the desired state of affairs is the first and pivotal issue of CPD or staff development management. No CPD should be undertaken without taking into account what teachers and other staff already know and can do. It is therefore important to identify individuals needs (rather than wants) along with those of the school and the education system. Needs identification is about discovering individuals needs for training and in which particular areas it might be most effective.

INDIVIDUAL OR SCHOOL NEEDS

Continuing professional development co-ordinators and other educational leaders have to ensure that training and development programmes meet the needs of both individual staff and their schools, minimizing any tensions that may exist between system needs and priorities (the school development or improvement plan) and those of individuals (the individual development plan). Continuing professional development has to meet several, sometimes competing, needs: the schools agenda in the form of its development or improvement plan; school teams (e.g. department or year group); government initiatives; local authority initiatives; individuals needs which can be broken down into the professional, personal and propersonal.

To make best use of time and money, there needs to be joined up thinking across all these areas. This is not easy: Her Majestys Inspectorate (HMI) (Ofsted, 2002b) found,

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for instance, that the link between performance management and the schools other planning cycles and procedures was weak in around three-fifths of the schools they visited. One of the key issues that CPD co-ordinators have to consider is managing the tension between the demands of the school (as reflected in school improvement plans), the latest government or local initiatives and the needs of individuals. In the past, professional development has been more focused on addressing school needs than individuals needs. Schools are better at identifying their own needs than those of their staff. As HMI note:
Although senior managers identified their schools needs systematically and accurately, the identification of individual teachers needs was not always so rigorous. As a result, planning for the professional development of individuals was often weak. (Ofsted, 2006: 2)

However, CPD can only be effective if it is rooted in a commitment to evaluate and move forward individuals basic teaching competence. Without this, school development is unlikely to occur and certainly not at the speed required to ensure continuing improvement. Individual and school needs have to be brought together. This has to be managed within a finite budget. The different approaches to the management of people (or HRM) that schools take will make a difference here. Is the human resource approach one of hard economic utilitarianism or more of a soft developmental humanism where staff are valued, morale is high and they are likely to be well motivated? Interestingly, the Ofsted handbook (of 2003) told inspectors that professional development should reflect the professional and career needs of the individual, as well as the needs of the school (2003a: 48). It is important to remember that professional development can serve both individual and system needs it is not always a case of serving one or the other. Fortunately, to make matters easier, the two often go together individuals needs very often overlap with those of the school. Also, it is important to remember that development cannot be forced it is the person who develops (active) and not the person who is developed (passive). People who are excited and motivated by the experience of their own learning are likely to communicate that excitement to pupils. One of the issues to consider is the degree to which training provision, particularly off-site courses, can effectively meet individual professional development needs. Balancing the needs of individuals with those of the school, especially with limited CPD budgets, has already been alluded to. School development and other plans will clearly show priorities but Connor argues that without a clear analysis of individual need, strategies for corporate development can fall on barren ground (1997: 49). He gives the example of a department in a secondary school:
Let us assume the English department has identified the need to strengthen its teaching of media. The second in department is sent on a course run by an external provider. An adviser is brought to a team meeting and does a splendid job of outlining a creative, activity based approach to the teaching of the subject centred on the concept of pupils doing things: making newspapers, editing TV news bulletins, writing comment columns and the like. So far, so good. But what of the two newly qualified members of the department who struggle to achieve purposeful order with group work? What of the teacher of 30 years experience who does not perceive the need at his time of life to master the skills of desktop publishing and what has that got to do with English teaching anyway, thank you very much? (ibid.: 49)

Each individual is different and a one size fits all approach to meeting development needs is unlikely to be successful. A more personalized approach is needed for CPD to be effective but this is not without its own challenges.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
But what about personal development? Managers and leaders of CPD need to ensure that personal development is not marginalized as it is crucial to teacher effectiveness and

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school success. Research makes a compelling case for personal development as a key component of teacher development. In the introductory chapter professional development was defined as the knowledge and skills relating to occupational role development and personal development as the development of the person, often the whole person (Waters, 1998: 30), and that personal development was often necessary to complement and complete professional development (ibid.: 35). Also personal development can have wider benefits. As Davey suggests: An individuals personal development may not be used immediately within an institution but often constitutes a resource which can be drawn upon in the future to the benefit of the wider education service (2000: 34). The more common approach to personal development adopted by schools is best described by Waters term propersonal development. This is development that is not genuinely personal in its focus but is personal development for professional development purposes (Waters, 1998: 35). Teachers and educational leaders are increasingly being asked to acquire and develop their emotional intelligence as well as their knowledge and skills. Research, especially into highly effective leaders, is pointing to the importance of this and it reinforces Waters exhortation for teacher development which links improved personal management with increased professional efficacy. The importance of resilience has also been noted as crucial to teacher effectiveness (Day et al., 2006). Do most schools CPD policies and practices recognize fully that professional and personal spheres are mutually supportive and beneficial? As we have seen, the stance of individual schools to developing and supporting their people resource is crucially important but it needs to include elements of personal development. This has been recognized by another government initiative, the Staff Health and Wellbeing project, which states its preferred school HRM policy as one that clarifies the personal developmental needs of teachers in the same way as in other professions:
The business world is recognizing that there is a link between health and wellbeing of employees and the productivity of an organization. There is a compelling business case to be made for investing in the wellbeing of employees. Similarly it could be argued that the health of a school community and its capacity to be effective is, in part, a product of the health of the staff who work there. (DfES, 2002a: 7)

However, meeting the needs of individuals makes the CPD co-ordinators role yet harder. There are many different people taking many different roles in schools. Each person will have different needs, different learning styles and will be at a different stage of development. Table 4.1 illustrates five stages that new teachers typically go through. Clearly there is no point in planning professional development requiring someone to think deeply about assessment for instance, when they are in the Survival stage battling for control. Equally, teachers at the Moving On stage will want more than quick tips. Hustler et al. have drawn pen portraits of types of teacher saying, It is clear that the person a teacher is, makes a difference, revealed from the somewhat differing learning styles, personality characteristics, and social situations reflected (2003: 220).

TAKING ACCOUNT OF WORKLOAD AND WELLBEING

We have explored the issues of workload and wellbeing in detail elsewhere (Bubb and Earley, 2004) but both are important to consider in relation to professional development. We all remember how a course became a beacon to look forward to and how we returned from it with a spring in our step. To a degree, CPD co-ordinators need to look at the potential of CPD to motivate, refresh and reward. There may be teachers for whom some inspiring CPD will really help keep them in the job and being effective.

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TABLE 4.1 FIVE STAGES THAT TEACHERS GO THROUGH Stage Early idealism Survival Characteristics Feeling that everything is possible and having a strong picture of how you want to teach ('I'll never shout'). This is a fantasy stage where you imagine pupils hanging on your every word. Reality strikes. You live from day to day, needing quick fixes and tips. You find it hard to solve problems because there are so many of them. Behaviour management is of particular concern you have nightmares about losing control. You are too stressed and busy to reflect. Colds and sore throats seem permanent. You can see problems more clearly. You can identify difficulties and think of solutions because there is some space in your life. You move forward. Key problems, such as behaviour management and organization, have been solved so you feel things are going well. You feel you are mastering teaching. You begin to enjoy it and do not find it too hard, but you do not want to tackle anything different or take on any radical new initiatives. If forced you will pay lip service to new developments. Some teachers spend the rest of their career at this stage. You are ready for further challenges. You want to try out different styles of teaching, new age groups, take more responsibilities.

Recognizing difficulties Hitting the plateau

Moving on

Source: Bubb, 2003a: 63

For instance, some schools, mainly in the independent sector, give a terms sabbatical for teachers with more than 20 years service. Teachers have to plan what they are going to do with the time, but they are encouraged to follow personal interests not things to do with their job. So they spend a term not working but travelling or reading all the works of William Shakespeare or walking the length of the Thames in chunks of a day or two. The school expects nothing from this other than a refreshed teacher a reward for those rare people who stay in the same school for 20 years. Many teachers work over 60 hours per week in term time and simply do not feel that they have the time for professional development, that it will be another thing to do a burden. Training during the day causes extra work in preparing lessons for others to teach, having to deal with problems afterwards and not getting the curriculum taught and course work done to a good standard. We have seen the growth of non-disruptive forms of CPD partly as a response to this (see Chapter 5). Continuing professional development in twilight sessions is hard because people are tired. The venue for professional development is important to consider. Courses are held in a range of rooms and buildings, not all of which are conducive to professional development. They can be judged in terms of the quality of the food rather than the learning, which is not to dismiss the importance of feel-good factors. Training in hotels tends to offer a pampering touch, which might be worth the extra expense but may not. Some courses are held in places that are hard to get to, especially on public transport. All these things need to be considered so that the professional development meets individual needs and circumstances. Some schools offer teachers flexibility in how they spend their CPD time. Many CPD opportunities are arranged for after school either within the school or nearby at the professional development centre. Teachers agree to attend at least 15 hours of CPD outside of the school day, and they log this. In recompense the school allows those teachers to do what they like on three of the five statutory training days. Staff like this flexibility in meeting their specific needs when they want. It is seen as preferable to a one size fits all approach to school INSET days. Other schools pay staff for professional development activities that take place at weekends or holidays. This is explained in School Teachers Pay and Conditions (DfES, 2006).

FINDING OUT WHAT CPD STAFF WANT AND NEED

So how are the training and development needs of individuals gleaned? How does one know what one doesnt know? Connor describes what is a common school pattern around placing CPD within the context of team and school development or improvement plans:

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Much of this is based around the most important management set piece in the school, a series of formal review meetings between team leaders, the headteacher and a linked deputy. At these meetings development priorities are discussed and agreed within the structure of the whole school needs and action is formulated. This then provides the context for team leaders and the school to plan their professional development activities for the year. (1997: 48)

The most used methods for assessing the training and development needs of individuals are interviews and questionnaires. A good example in relation to ICT need identification is given by Adams (2005). Performance management reviews can be extremely useful to elicit participants views of their needs, but are not always helpful because it is often difficult for staff to think about those areas of their own practice where they feel least knowledgeable, skilled and competent. Teachers and other staff are likely to be better at identifying wants rather than needs! Effective needs assessment is an important factor in contributing to the success of training programmes. This cannot always be derived from interviews and questionnaires some people do not know what they need. Monitoring of teaching, such as observation, is useful in such cases. The time and effort put into identifying needs accurately is well worthwhile but according to HMI:
Arrangements for identifying staffs individual needs were too subjective in about a third of the survey schools. These schools relied too heavily on staffs own perception of their needs and on the effectiveness of individual subject leaders to identify needs accurately. (Ofsted, 2006: 4)

The role of individuals in the identification of their needs has often been a minor one. Indeed, there is evidence that where they do choose the professional development they undertake, it can be in a random and ad hoc way:
It involved them glancing through a list or booklet of advertised professional development courses prepared by their employing schools or professional association. They selected a course to attend based on criteria such as their interest in the topic, when and where it was to be held, and/or its cost, and whether or not the school or employer will meet these costs. The linking of the course to their actual professional development needs appeared to be of minor significance. (Harris, 2000: 26)

Professional development portfolios are useful in chronicling where one has been and planning where one wants to go (see Chapter 2) and helping individuals to be greater advocates for their own learning needs. Some people draw up individual professional development plans.

CATERING FOR A RANGE OF PEOPLE

Any school or college will have a range of people working within it who will have varying preferred learning styles (see Chapter 2). An audit of learning styles may help to explain peoples perceptions and expectations of the training they receive, and to support schools in recognizing and facilitating different ways to support individuals learning. If one looks just at teachers, there will be people with a range of experience and needs, and who vary in how effective their teaching is. Our colleague Kathryn Riley (2003) distinguishes two broad groups of teachers, which she calls the glow-worms and skylarks. Many of the glow-worms find it difficult to think beyond the confines of their classroom. Locked into a dependency culture by prescriptive reforms, they are cautious and lack spontaneity, caught up in a painting by numbers approach to teaching. They find it difficult to see how they can take responsibility for their own professionalism. Nevertheless, the glow of teaching is still there, however dimly lit and however intermittent. They occasionally get excited about new things such as interactive whiteboards that they see having a direct impact on pupils. To glow again, this group will need to be fanned and nurtured.

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The skylarks recognize some of the difficulties created by the centralized reform process. However, they seem less constrained and less likely to see themselves as prisoners of the governments agenda than the glow-worms. Skylarks talk about the need to put the sparkle back into teaching. They are keen on sharing good practice with colleagues in other schools, having sabbaticals and secondments; participating in international and professional exchange programmes. They want professional learning that is distinctively different from the professional development through courses model typically available to teachers. The skylarks want time and space to develop. The challenge for CPD co-ordinators is to ensure that all groups and types of people get the professional development that will move them on. In any size of school this is difficult, but in a large one there will be more people to liaise with. Do you ask people what they want or wait for them to ask? You will find yourself torn between government and local initiatives, where the school wants to go and team and individual needs. One way to look at what staff need, and whom to invest in, is to use the performance and attitude to improvement grid (Figure 4.1). Use the horizontal and vertical axis to look at how well someone is doing their job and how keen they are to improve. You may see four broad categories of staff: (A) Someone who is doing their job well but doesnt want to improve needs motivation. (B) Someone who is doing their job well and wants to improve probably doesnt need training so much as resources, such as time, to enable them to develop. (C) Someone who is not doing their job well and doesnt want to improve probably needs a new job, either in the same school or somewhere else. (D) Someone who is not doing their job well and wants to improve is an ideal person to invest in training that is likely to help them do their job better. Spending most time and money on people in Group D, who are not doing their job very effectively but who want to improve, is likely to have the most impact on whole-school improvement. This is one of the reasons why new teachers are worth investing in.
High A. Motivation B. Resources

Effectiveness

C. New job

D. Training

Enthusiasm to improve Low High

FIGURE 4.1: THE PERFORMANCE AND ATTITUDE TO IMPROVEMENT GRID (BASED ON GLASERS PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS GRID, 2002: 4)

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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Schools and colleges which integrate performance management, school self-evaluation and CPD into a coherent cycle of planning improve the quality of teaching and raise standards (Ofsted, 2006: 4). Participation in CPD is an essential part of any performance management (PM) cycle with teachers seeing performance management as their right and continuing professional development as their duty (MiIiband, 2003: 6). Effective performance management arrangements provide schools with a route to better reconciliation between the individuals and the schools priorities for development. They allow individual, departmental or section and whole-school developmental priorities to be identified and enable individuals to see how their own development fits into and contributes to the wider agenda. The notion of managing performance is controversial, however. In unsound hands, performance management can be used to control, to ensure uniformity and to de-professionalize; in sound hands it can be used to support, coach and validate good practice, whilst respecting and promoting proper autonomy, creativity and variety. Used with flair the process can be used to support the schools vision and help develop pupils and staff alike; it is an effective instrument but it is only as effective as the person who uses it. Individuals whose team leader does not get round to holding individual meetings or does not carry them out well will suffer. One secondary deputy, in charge of performance management and CPD, gets frustrated: You have to chase, chase, chase and dont take no for an answer. Its worse than getting the kids to get their course work in. He now sets a training day aside for the interviews to make sure that they happen. Performance management is an ideal forum for discussing individuals needs but schools vary in how well it works. Clearly it should be a forum to discuss professional development, but some schools and teachers do not take it very seriously, as illustrated in this posting from a teacher on the TES website: Ninety per cent of the time it is toothless ticky-box bollocks. I was appraised a year ago and got a good report, which highlighted some training needs about which I have asked about at three monthly intervals since but without result. What nonsense it all is! (Bubb, 2003c). Her Majestys Inspectorates report into PM found that there was scope for improvement in objectives related to teachers professional development in at least half of the schools they visited (Ofsted, 2002b). There was a tendency for objectives to be activities or tasks, such as produce a report, attend a training course. They often did not detail the strategies or the support needed, including resources and training, to help progress. Training plans are one of the weakest features of performance management practice. Performance management is the statutory procedure (DfES, 2006a) for making sure that all teachers (except NQTs on induction) discuss their teaching, career plans and how to be more effective. Done well, it should make people feel valued, give them a clear picture about their work and help them develop but it takes time, skills and commitment: on the part of the reviewer and reviewee. Coaching can also help (see Chapter 5). Worth Primary School in Cheshire (see Case study 4.1) has made great efforts to give professional development the high priority it deserves and to link it closely with performance management and other planning processes. It has also endeavoured to ensure that value for money linked to effective CPD and pupil outcomes is paramount.

HOW PM WORKS
Someone who knows a persons work will be nominated to be the reviewer. They will have one formal meeting each year, which has two parts: reviewing the past year then planning the next. These may be useful prompts:

(A) REVIEW THE PAST YEAR Whats gone well? Look at the main elements of the job description, previous objectives and professional development to consider not only what the person has done but their impact. Use evidence from as broad a base as possible, such as: 47

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CASE STUDY 4.1: WORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL

The senior leadership team, governors and all staff of Worth Primary School are highly committed to, and greatly value, training, development and coaching and fund it appropriately. The school believes that receiving and providing high-quality, effective training, development and coaching enables the organization and individuals continuously to improve and develop. Well-trained, well-motivated and effective staff, governors and trainees are a valuable resource that can be used to provide a first-class education for all pupils. We aim to recruit good quality people with the right 'skill set and mind set' coach them well, then create space for them to shine! The school unashamedly puts performance management (and performance coaching) at the heart of professional development, it sees performance management as a structured, professional dialogue that reviews and enhances organizational effectiveness, staff motivation and professional development. Team leaders at Worth see PM as a key tool in moving an organization from being a series of processes, structures and separate groups of individuals to an effective, flexible and focused learning organization. There is a direct linkage between pupil progress targets, professional development targets, action plans and the school development plan; one informs the other in a cycle of growth and development. The Performance Management process has evolved into Performance Coaching. The process still follows nationally recognized guidelines and statutes but the feel of the process is professional, agreed and applies coaching skills. The appraisal interview in particular is very much a coaching dialogue as our staff are very positive. The leadership team reserve the legal right to disagree with team members and press a point but this has never happened to date. Training is consciously reduced in quantity but enhanced in terms of quality, impact and monitoring. For professional development to be regarded as effective it must impact on the individual member of staff, change a behaviour or process and be seen to impact on pupils and colleagues. Virtually all professional development is organized within set training days or a few twilight sessions; ad hoc training and meetings are unpopular and are strongly discouraged. This ruthless focus on that which is needed saves precious time, goodwill and funds that are so often wasted in so many organizations. Every event and development has an 'opportunity cost'; these must be reviewed and all resources placed where and when they are most effective.
Source: Taylor, 2004

feedback from pupils, parents and colleagues; analysis of test results; self-evaluation; observations; planning and evaluations; work samples showing progress and the impact of assessment for learning.

Use benchmarking data to compare the impact with others in a similar context nationally and locally. For instance, in London the Family of Schools data (DfES, 2006b) can be used to compare impact on pupils with other schools with a similar pupil profile.

(B) PLANNING THE NEXT YEAR

What would the person like to improve? Why? Whats the current picture? (Whats the evidence?) How does this fit in with the school improvement plan? How does this fit in with career plans and any standards that are being worked towards? How will you know that things have improved, in about a year?

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What does the person need to do to meet this objective? What support from the school, including professional development, will help? How should progress and impact be monitored?

An outcome of this meeting is the draft performance review statement, which should be given for agreement within five days. The completed review statement is passed to the headteacher within ten days. During the year, the reviewer should keep an eye on your progress towards the objectives and take any supportive action needed. At the end of the year, there is a formal review of progress and then some more objectives are set for the next year (based on Bubb, 2007).

CHOOSING OBJECTIVES
Under the 2007 PM arrangements in England people can have as many or as few objectives as they like and they dont have to relate to any particular area. One objective is enough but people may want to use a model of choosing one to do with teaching, another relating to other roles in the school and perhaps another about them as a person. This last point is important. Performance management, and the professional development that goes with it, need to support and increase wellbeing, physical and emotional resilience, job satisfaction, sense of achievement and commitment. This is particularly relevant when teaching in challenging conditions. How many times have we been told that objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound? This is of course also true of learning objectives in lesson plans or targets on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) but its easier said than done. A frequent problem with objectives is that they are not made specific enough, which can lead to failure. Research on NQTs (Bubb, 2003b) found that many objectives were too large so that they had to be repeated. Improve control may be too general and benefit from being more specific about what needs most urgent attention, such as To improve control, particularly during transitions, after breaktimes, in independent activities and at tidying-up time. It makes sense for individuals objectives to link in with other developments in the school, where possible. But be sure that the intended impact is focused on the impact of development. For instance, in a school where the priority was Improve the quality of teaching in mathematics an individuals objective was: Participate in training in the teaching of mathematics through school-based courses, self study and observation of others. This objective is confused with the activity: will participation mean that learning takes place and will there be an impact in the classroom? Not necessarily! Its useful to think of how much better things will be in a years time: aim high but be realistic. These points then become the success criteria around which an action plan is drawn up of what needs to be done when. When the professional development co-ordinator has the big picture of everyones needs, INSET days or training can be organized around common areas. Table 4.2 illustrates the process of setting an objective, success criteria and how progress is to be monitored. The benefit of objective-setting as a way to manage steady improvement by children and adults is well recognized. Objectives provide a framework for staff doing a complex job at a very fast pace. They encourage people to prioritize tasks and make best use of time and other resources, and feel a sense of achievement when objectives are met. However, if the processes of reflection, setting an objective, drawing up an action plan and evaluating the impact of the learning do not take place, professional development may be reduced to the level of ad hoc activities. The very act of writing things down causes people to consider whether they are the real priorities and gives them something to focus on.

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TABLE 4.2 THE PROCESS OF SETTING AN OBJECTIVE AND SUCCESS CRITERIA Questions What would you like to be better at? Why? Whats the current picture? (Whats the evidence?) Examples of answers Challenging more able pupils. Test results, work samples and my gut feeling show that average pupils and those with special needs are making better progress in comparison with other classes at this school and others. My more able pupils results were disappointing: they could have done better. Their parents are not as pleased as others. Some of the very able pupils mess around and avoid working. Perfectly! The school is trying to raise the achievement of all pupils. It will help me be a better teacher, and help me meet the upper pay scale standards. Higher attainers will be engaged in lessons, will produce good work and will make more than two NC sublevels progress in a year. Maybe, they will pull up the achievement of the rest of the class.

How does this fit in with the school development plan? How does this fit in with your career plan and any standards youre working towards? How will you know that things have improved?

What do you need to do to meet this objective? Identify pupils with potential for high achievement I may have missed some. Plan more challenging work. Where possible, set pupils purposeful problems to solve. Raise expectations of what they can achieve. Develop my questioning skills so that I can really get them thinking. Consider organizing mentoring by older successful pupils. Look for opportunities for pupils to extend themselves outside school. Get involved in any competitions or projects. What support from the school, including professional development, will help you? Time to discuss strategies and resources with G&T co-ordinator, including how to use Blooms taxonomy of questioning. Find ideas from websites such as www.londongt.org. Observe two teachers (one in this school, one in a higher achieving school) with a reputation for challenging more able pupils, and discuss strategies. Keep track that activities happen by the dates agreed. In 3rd week of March, the reviewer should observe a lesson and look at the work of three pupils to see impact.

How should your progress and its impact be monitored?

Source: Bubb, 2007: 5

DIAGNOSING A PROBLEM AREA

Some teachers and other staff have suffered from not having areas for development accurately diagnosed. It is very hard to decide what to work on when things are not going right because each problem has a huge knock-on effect. Always remember that objectives should be able to be met, while containing a degree of challenge, but setting ones which will be useful and that contain the right amount of challenge is not easy. Particularly when someone has a problem, it needs to be reflected upon and diagnosed accurately in order to draw up the most useful objectives and plan of action. Brainstorm its features and results. For instance, Rachels control problems include the following: Her voice is thin and becomes screechy when raised. Sometimes she comes down hard on the pupils and at other times she lets them get away with things. She takes a long time to get attention. She runs out of time so plenaries are missed, the class is late to assembly, and so on. Pupils call out. Pupils are too noisy. A small group of pupils is behaving badly. Even the usually well-behaved pupils are being naughty.

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Look at your list. Does it seem a fair picture? It is easy to be too hard or too generous. Then list some positive features, relating to the problem area. For instance, Rachel: really likes and cares for the pupils; speaks to them with respect; plans interesting work for them; is very effective when working with individuals or small groups; has better control in the early part of the day, and works hard.

Think about why things go well. Reflection on successes is very powerful. The process of analysing strengths is very helpful and this positive thinking can now be used to reflect on problems. Try to tease out the reasons for the problem. Think of actions to remedy situations they can be surprisingly easy. It is often the small things that make a difference. Rachel completed a very detailed action plan (see Figure 4.2) because she had such problems. Such detail is not always necessary, although it illustrates how breaking a problem into manageable chunks helps.

Name: Rachel Objective:

Date: 1 Nov

Date objective to be met: 16 Dec

To improve control, particularly after playtimes, in independent literacy activities, at tidying-up time, and home-time

Success criteria Gets attention more quickly

Actions Brainstorm attention-getting devices with other teachers Use triangle, etc. to get attention Voice management course Project the voice Dont talk over children Glean ideas from other teachers through discussion and observation Watch videos on behaviour management strategies Write notes for behaviour management on plans Glean ideas from other teachers Ask playground supervisors to note serious incidents Children to post messages in incident box Discuss what other teachers do Start tidying earlier and time it with reward for beating record. Sanctions for the lazy Discuss ideas with other teachers Monitors to organize things to take home Start home-time procedures earlier and time them (with rewards?)

When 4.11

Progress 7.11 Triangle made children more noisy try cymbal

Rarely shouts

19.11

23.11 Using more range in voice working!

Plans for behaviour management

4.11

12.11 Improvement through lots of tips, staying calm and being more positive. Not perfect and exhausting but better.

Successful procedures for sorting out disputes after playtimes

11.11

18.11 Incident box really working for those who can write and I can now tell when theres a serious problem.

Successful procedures for tidying

18.11

25.11 Sandtimer for tidying working well though still a few children not helping. Might try minutes off playtime.

Successful procedures for home-time

25.11

2.12 Changed routine so tidy earlier. Some Y6 children helping give out things to take home.

Children succeed in Ideas from literacy co-ordinator independent literacy activities Change seating for groups Differentiate work Discuss with additional adults

2.12

9.12 All class doing same independent activity working better. Mrs H helping.

FIGURE 4.2 AN ACTION PLAN TO MEET AN OBJECTIVE (BUBB ET AL., 2002: 111)

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CONCLUSION
Identifying and analysing needs can be time-consuming but, like any indepth look at pupils learning needs, the effort is worthwhile. The next challenge is to find the best way to meet needs the topic of the next chapter.

POINTS FOR REFLECTION

Reflect on your current classroom experience. Are there aspects to do with work schemes or the work and progress of the children that you teach that are an issue for you? Consider what new information about this issue might be useful in order to tackle it, and how you would go about seeking this information?

POINTS FOR REFLECTION

Think of an example in your wider school community where there needs to be better liaison between professionals from different backgrounds (e.g. education, health, social services). What could be done to increase understanding of each others work? What kind of professional development activity would be useful to jointly undertake?

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