Following our Friday Teaching & Learning Session on exploring how we use questioning in our classrooms, two things became clear:

1. Questioning is a teacher's bread and butter and we all use a wide range of questioning types and strategies to develop understanding and enhance learning.

2. A perennial problem is how to engage ALL students in the question and response process.

More so now than ever, with the rigour of the new 9-1 GCSE specifications, I feel it is particularly important for students to reflect on their summative assessments holistically rather than just receiving a grade and moving on.

A summative assessment can provide much more useful information than just a score or a grade.

Inspired by a similar document a fellow professional had shared on Twitter, the exam analysis feedback document allows students time to reflect strategically on what they have achieved and provides them with the next steps to improvement.

There is a lot happening in College over the next two weeks, which will support the College’s values. There is also lot of positive news to share with you and, of course, a lot of hard work in lessons over the next three weeks before the Easter break. 

Last week, as you all know, was disrupted by poor weather. I know you were set work to complete on Insight, but this is not the same as being taught in school. It is very important that we all work to catch up. 

Whether you are studying for a further qualification or made that New Year's resolution to get up to speed on recent pedagogical thinking, the MRC CPD library for staff will have something relevant for you.

Our theme for assemblies this week is happiness, which Mrs Dickens will lead. I would ask all of you to reflect on what you do and also can do to make others happy. I see students every day with friends every day and it is great to see you supporting and helping one another. I spoke to a very polite student this week in one of my lessons this week and thanked him for being so polite and having good manners. He replied that ‘manners cost nothing’ – very true and something we all can work to improve. Holding doors open, smiling at people, tidying away litter and being polite – very important to make MRC a better place, but also important for life.

Welcome all to the new College Teaching & Learning blog.

We are hoping, through a regular series of blogs on a range of topics, to share and promote interesting and effective strategies to continue to embed great practice across the college.

I hope everyone had a good half-term. This next half-term is also very short, as Easter is early this year. That means that we have a lot to cram in over the next five and a half weeks. Most important, of course, is that you continue to do your best in every lesson, every day, as well as at break and lunch. We do what it takes for as long as it takes is a good value to live by and as we start back after the holiday, you have the opportunity to make sure that you do this. A reminder to you all: Work hard to be a better person today than you were yesterday – we must all do this. It isn’t an option if you want to achieve your goals now and in the future. 

Safer internet day is Tuesday 6^th February. Our assemblies this week will be led by Mr Thompson and will focus on this important topic, as will PSCHE lessons and tutor time.  The internet is a fantastic tool and without question it has improved and changed the way we live. Communication, learning and sharing information have seen incredible advances in recent years. We are all also aware of the way the internet has changed the way shop and conduct business.

These values are really important to us, both inside and outside of College. They were chosen by you – our students – in December 2016. It is great to see the vast majority of you working hard to embed these values in the way you work, help and support each other. Through doing this, we will make MRC a better school for all of us.