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Shadow Study - Day 1

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Richard Ledingham

Wednesday 07 December 2005

Walking into school this morning I was really looking forward to the shadow study. Following the students from lesson to lesson was a brilliant opportunity for seeing: A) how gender can effect attainment, the topic of my study, and B) exactly how the pupils behave in different situations.

First lesson was Home Economics. I am normally hesitant about handing out scissors to this second year class and yet here they were wielding knives and cooking in microwaves and on gas stoves. But to their credit and to the credit of their teacher they all behaved exceptionally well and created what can only be described as an all-too-tempting Chocolate Tiffin. Second lesson was PSD. Unfortunately the teacher was away so I was not able to gauge their opinion on my study topic. However the experience did give me the chance to see how the children reacted to a cover teacher.

First break saw a quick bolt upstairs to rejoin my adult brethren. I was amazed at just how tired I already was. 3rd period meant journeying down into the depths of the school to find the English department. Again a completely different reaction from the pupils to a different subject...Macbeth. Fourth lesson, RME, saw a fun exercise of writing a personal ad for finding a girlfriend or boyfriend. A somewhat ingenious way of approaching the subject of arranged marriages. What do we seek in a partner compared to what our parents would like!

After lunch I was to visit the History department....this I could find easily as it is on the other side of the corridor to Ollie's classroom. Angela Hepburn was away visiting the Scottish Parliament so again a cover teacher oversaw the work. I will have a chance to chat to Angela tomorrow about her feelings with regards to gender and attainment. Final lesson of the day, Mathematics and the children astonished me once more by behaving absolutely impeccably.

With today finished I returned to Ollie's classroom to unwind and as it turns out help him move some of the furniture around. As has been the case with all the geography staff on this placement he was only to happy to have a chat about any of my thoughts from the day. Both he and I agree that teaching is not a competition and that any good ideas should be shared as widely as possible. Another reason why these weblogs are so important to all teachers as they continue through their careers.

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