What is Inspirational Teaching? (WIT)

1. What is Inspirational Teaching? (WIT) Trevor Wright and Sandra Newell

2. How did it start? “Inspirational teaching” was identified within the Institute of Education by: • Student feedback • Ofsted reports (Autumn 2006) The essential idea of the project was to disseminate this strong teaching practice by a series of demonstrations and discussions.

3. Who was involved? • The team leader, Trevor Wright, assembled a team of four session leaders. • These were successful teachers from the Institute - Trevor, Sandra Newell, Alan Brown and Stephen Pickering. • A series of initial planning meetings set out the intentions, shape and methodology of the sessions.

4. At the heart of good teaching In discussing our own teaching we discovered common themes which seemed to contribute to its success. These included • challenging preconceptions and stereotypes • introducing creativity • providing experiential rather than passive learning • placing speaking and listening at the heart of our practice • inclusion and learning styles • the use of modelling and exemplification • the primacy of strong relationships between teachers and students.

5. Format of the sessions • A piece of teaching was delivered to the participants as though to its normally targeted students. (one hour) • After the teaching, participants discussed the session in small groups . These were pedagogical discussions, not discussions of content. • The discussion was formalised by the use of key questions and handbooks. • Participants were invited to reflect on their teaching since the previous session, whether it had been modified by one conscious innovation based on the experience of a session. . • Such comment was fed into the discussions, which finished always with a plenary.

6. Feedback • We gathered feedback throughout the project. • Participants looked forward to the sessions • The sessions were greatly valued by the participants, which was reflected in the final written comments. • Many commented on the value of calm, non-judgmental and creative discussion of teaching.

7. Examples of feedback • A growth in teaching confidence and experimentation • One participant (an experienced education lecturer) said that she was “profoundly affected by all four sessions”. • Another experienced lecturer wrote at length about the successful modification of her own teaching as a direct and conscious result of the project.

8. Examples of feedback • [The project] pushes the understanding to a deeper level through discussion and challenge • I feel more confident to take risks • I have used the concepts in my teaching and in facilitating others… • Open, honest discussions in a secure, trusting climate • The discussions gave me the confidence to give the students more freedom and more opportunity to collaborate and inspire each other • I attended three sessions and found them all fascinating in different ways • I will continue to evaluate my own practice to provide more engaging sessions than before. But more than this, I hope to share this with the students so that they can see the value in doing the same • I feel more confident, enthusiastic and creative…a fantastic opportunity to reflect; I have renewed my own practice.

9. Problems • Inconsistency in attendance • Dividing content from pedagogy.

10. The way forward • More sessions • Connections with CPD • Working with partnership schools • Extension beyond Education to the University • Connection with Learning and Teaching structures • Wider participation • Including mentors • Relationship with SEDA • Inclusion of new technologies

11. And finally…. “If changes made by participants are real, and stick, even in small ways, we may be beginning to change how we think, to consider that inspirational teaching isn’t available only to the lucky few, but can be aspired to by all of us, with support, stimulus and reflection” (WIT Report, Trevor Wright)