In this article, we will explore what the problem-solving method of teaching is, cover some of its benefits for learning, and provide steps, tips, and examples of how to implement problem-solving in your classroom.

What is the Problem-Solving Method?

The problem-solving method in teaching is a learner-centred approach that encourages students to apply critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity to solve challenges. It focuses on developing students’ ability to identify problems, explore potential solutions, and apply their knowledge in a range of scenarios. This method aims to encourage independent thinking and deepen understanding of topics to make it more achievable to apply them to a real-world situation.

Unlike traditional teaching methods, which often emphasise memorisation and repetition via direct instruction, problem-solving is more interactive and collaborative. Teachers provide problems that allow students to actively engage with the content, work with other pupils, and use critical thinking to find solutions. This process helps students connect their knowledge to practical situations, creating a deeper and more applicable learning experience.

The teacher’s role is to act as a facilitator, offering support without giving away the steps to solve the problem. This encourages students to play an active role in their own learning, build confidence, and learn how to overcome challenges.

Overall, problem solving is a highly effective method of teaching. To learn how to ensure your teaching is at its best, read our article on What is Effective Teaching?

How Does Problem Solving Differ From Other Teaching Methods?

The problem-solving method of teaching differs from other educational strategies in a few important ways:

• Student-centred vs teacher-led: Firstly, problem solving is a student-centred form of learning and therefore differs from more traditional teacher-led strategies such as direct instruction and assessment as it places the learning process on the students, who are only guided by the teacher when needed. 
• Learning by discovery vs rote learning: Problem solving allows students to make inquiries and delve deeper into topics, encouraging them to connect concepts and analyse their findings, rather than simply learning by memorisation and repetition as in rote learning.
• Emphasis on process vs outcome: Problem solving encourages learning through the process of critical thinking rather than simply arriving at a correct answer and reaching the right result.
• Collaborative vs individual: Students often work as a team when problem solving which allows them to learn from one another, rather than other teaching methods which focus on independent work and individual achievement. 
• Real-world vs abstract application: In problem solving, tasks are often based on real-life challenges which makes learning practical and applicable, whereas traditional teaching methods focus more on theoretical understanding. 

You can find examples of other educational strategies to implement in the classroom in our guide on 8 Teaching Methods to Use in the Classroom.

Problem-Solving Method Advantages

Problem solving in the classroom has a myriad of benefits for students, helping to vastly increase valuable skills for education and their life beyond school. But what’s more, problem solving is a fun way for students to learn as they can enjoy the challenge of tackling an issue and feel a sense of accomplishment when they succeed in solving it.

Here are a few of the many advantages of problem solving for your pupils:

Promotes Thinking

Problem solving is a highly effective method of improving students’ thinking processes as it exposes them to a variety of different thinking strategies, including critical, creative and logical thinking, that are valuable for solving problems both within school and in the real world. These methods of thinking will help them to solve issues more effectively as well as encouraging them to consider and improve their working processes depending on their success or failure at certain challenges. 

Builds Confidence 

Introducing problem solving into your teaching will naturally allow students to frequently overcome challenges, which can strengthen their confidence as they experience success. The more a pupil masters problems they’re faced with, the more they’ll feel able to share their ideas without fear of failure or embarrassment. Ultimately, this builds self-esteem and allows students to express themselves more freely. 

Encourages Collaboration

Problem solving can easily be made into a group activity but even when engaging in problem solving independently, students are more likely to ask their peers for help or share ideas. As a result, problem solving promotes communication in the classroom and increases the sharing of varied opinions and approaches. In turn, this introduces pupils to a wider array of viewpoints and thus broadens their perspective. 

Forms Creativity

Not only does problem solving foster critical and logical thinking, it also promotes creativity. Students have to use their imagination to ideate on an array of possible solutions to one problem using brainstorming, writing, and other activities that use the creative areas of the brain. Learning to form new ideas by seeing a problem from all different perspectives is, at its root, a creative challenge and one that is extremely useful for pupils. 

Creates Resilience

The nature of trying to solve a problem will inevitably involve some failure and the need to try multiple methods before eventually succeeding in finding an effective solution. Therefore, problem solving helps to build perseverance and results in students becoming stronger and more adaptable individuals – core skills that will be highly beneficial in the real-world. 

Promotes Active Learning

Active learning encourages students to fully engage in their education rather than passively intaking information. Problem solving is a highly effective method of promoting active learning as it is highly student-centred and thus requires learners to think hard about information to build their understanding of it, thus improving retention and their ability to apply the knowledge. 

To learn more about engaging students in their own learning, read our article on What is Active Learning? 

Problem-Solving Method Steps

There are a few different stages to problem solving in teaching, and each one is important to ensure your students get the most out of this educational strategy and reap its benefits. We’ve broken problem solving down into 5 easy-to-follow steps to help you implement this method in your classroom effectively:

Problem-Solving Method Examples

Whilst the benefits of using problem solving in teaching may be clear, it can understandably be hard to think of inspiration for potential challenges to provide your students with. To help, here are four examples of how the problem-solving method can be applied in different subjects:

Science: Designing a Water Filtration System

In this example, teachers can pose the problem of cleaning water using household materials. Students will have to learn and discuss the science of filtration and the properties of different materials before deciding which materials to use and brainstorming filtration designs. Pupils will have the opportunity to build their own filtration systems then test them to see which works best before evaluating their strengths and weaknesses to find potential improvements. 

Geography: Planning a Sustainable City

A problem solving case in geography could revolve around designing a city that addresses issues such as waste management, public transport, and energy use. Students will have to learn about the environmental issues cities face and sustainable alternatives before coming up with their own solutions and modelling their city using drawings, diagrams, or computer software. Afterwards, the class can discuss what would work in practice or if there would be any implementation challenges.

History: Reversing the Decline of an Ancient Civilisation 

For this challenge, students can explore the causes behind the decline of an ancient civilisation, such as the Roman Empire, examining various sources to determine possible causes of their decline (e.g. political instability, economic trouble) and what could have been done to prevent these issues and maintain strength in the civilisation. Pupils could also discuss how these problems relate to other historical events and what we can learn from them in the modern day.

Maths: Solving Real-World Budgeting Issues

There are unlimited issues that could be used for this task, but one example would be to determine the cost of building a fence around a park. Students must determine the length of fence needed and how much it will cost based on the price per metre of fencing material. They can brainstorm various methods of finding these calculations, trying to find the quickest and most effective one, before presenting their calculations to the class and discussing how their methods could be applied to other real-world situations. 

Tips for Implementing the Problem-Solving Method in Your Classroom

Using the problem-solving method in the classroom can be extremely rewarding given all the benefits it provides students. However, like most teaching strategies, it has a few challenges that you may come up against. By addressing these common obstacles and using our expert tips below, you can implement problem solving in your teaching smoothly and effectively. 

• Clearly Define the Problem: Ensure students fully understand the problem they need to solve before they begin working on it, and use real-world examples to help them connect its relevance to their own lives.
• Scaffold Learning: Provide the most guidance at the start, then gradually reduce your support to encourage independent thinking as students gain confidence. You can learn more about this technique in our Teacher’s Guide to Scaffolding in Education.
• Encourage Collaboration: Foster teamwork by setting clear roles and providing opportunities for group discussion, thus helping students build up their problem-solving skills through collaborative work.
• Incorporate Varied Resources: Offer access to books, videos, lectures, and practical experiences amongst other resource types to help students gather a wide range of information and become adept at seeking out knowledge in a variety of places.
• Balance Structure and Flexibility: Maintain clear goals and timelines to offer a guide for pupils to follow, but be wary not to make the process too rigid, allowing creativity in their approaches to problem solving.
• Promote Critical Thinking: Ask open-ended questions that challenge students to think beyond surface-level answers and explore different perspectives.
• Encourage Reflection: Lead regular discussions on what worked and what didn’t to help students learn from the process, apply their skills to the real-world and improve.

Overcoming Common Challenges in the Problem-Solving Method

• Student Frustration: Problem solving tasks can seem daunting to pupils at first so it’s important to give regular encouragement and break problems into smaller, more manageable tasks to prevent students from getting overwhelmed.
• Limited Resources: Although problem solving often requires gathering information from a wide array of sources, it is possible to use low-cost or virtual solutions and encourage resourcefulness to overcome material constraints.
• Dominance in Group Work: Some students are naturally more vocal than others. To prevent quieter students from getting less out of the task, assign rotating roles to ensure every student contributes and benefits from collaboration.
• Lack of Time: A common misconception is that problem solving tasks take up too much of the academic day, but this can be prevented. Focus on quality over quantity by selecting fewer, more impactful problem solving tasks to implement in your lesson plans.
• Assessment Difficulties: Develop clear measures of success that assess not only the final solution but also the process involved to get there, including teamwork, creativity, and innovation.

Problem solving can be a highly effective and beneficial method of teaching that enables students who learn in different ways to all get something out of the task and apply their knowledge to situations that are relevant to their world outside of the classroom. Incorporating problem solving into your curriculum will help to produce students who are more confident, creative, resilient, and collaborative individuals. Thus, it’s well worth using the problem-solving method in your teaching. 

Further Resources:

• CPD Courses for Teaching and Education
• 8 Teaching Methods to Use in the Classroom
• Scaffolding in Education: A Guide for Teachers
• What is Effective Teaching?
• What is Active Learning?

The post What is the Problem-Solving Method of Teaching? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

To achieve this, it’s important to use a variety of teaching methods. Increasing your knowledge of various teaching strategies will help you to cater to every learner’s strengths, enabling them to learn more actively and be involved in their own education. 

In this article, we will specify what exactly active learning is, delve into its benefits, and provide some examples of active learning in the classroom along with our tips on how to engage students in active learning. 

What is Active Learning in the Classroom?

Active learning refers to any teaching strategy which encourages students to fully engage in their education and play an active role in their own learning process. It has the student rather than the teacher at its centre, and focuses on how students learn rather than what they’re learning. 

Rather than passively receiving information from a teacher, active learning requires students to participate in the learning process and think hard about information to build their understanding of it. 

The idea of active learning is built upon constructivist theories, which state that people learn by connecting new ideas and information to knowledge they already have and past experiences. Skilled teachers will make this process more possible by providing the right environment, activities, and opportunities to foster active learning. 

Active Learning Versus Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning is a student-centred teaching technique in which learners often work in groups to discuss and attempt to solve a complex real-world problem related to the topic they’re currently studying. 

Active learning is often mistaken for being the same as Problem-Based Learning (PBL), however they are not the same thing. PBL is actually a form of active learning. It invites students to begin using critical reasoning skills to deepen their understanding of a topic, which is certainly one example of an active learning technique. There are, however, many other ways to promote active learning in the classroom and problem-based learning is just one method by which you can do this.

To learn more about the differences between various teaching techniques and how using a range of methods can help to enrich your lessons, read our article on 8 Teaching Methods to Use in the Classroom.

Benefits of Active Learning

Ultimately, active learning has been shown to increase student outcome and thus it has become one of the most preferred classroom development strategies. Encouraging participation, engagement, and collaboration in learning has a range of highly beneficial impacts on students.

Increases Knowledge Retention

Active learning is scientifically proven to increase the retention of information. In one study, active learners were found to retain 93.5% of previously learned information compared to only 79% for passive learners after one month. This is because the process of active learning helps to reinforce material, creating memorable learning experiences and encouraging retrieval practice with quizzes and recall exercises. 

Leads to Higher Engagement

The core of active learning is involving students in their own education. This requires students to directly engage with learning material, rather than merely observing it, and therefore they often form a deeper connection to material and are actively interested in developing their knowledge. 

You can find more tips on how to involve students in their own learning in our article on 5 Ways to Maximise Pupil Voice.

Improves Collaboration Skills

Instead of relying on teacher-led training, active learning embraces the power of collaboration and social interaction to develop student knowledge. A key part of active learning is encouraging students to work together in groups to discuss and share ideas. This creates a learning community where students can help motivate each other and learn from their peer’s perspectives. 

Builds Self-Confidence

Active learning involves using a variety of teaching activities which pulls students out of their comfort zone and encourages them to try new ways of learning. Rather than just passively intaking information, they are expected to share and discuss their ideas and opinions. This process will help learners become more comfortable with speaking up and thus help them reduce self-doubt and build confidence. 

Sparks Creativity and Innovation

Stemming from its promotion of student contribution and collaboration, active learning encourages learners to use their imagination and expand their creativity. By being able to bounce ideas off of each other during group work, a class will naturally come up with more innovative solutions to problems as they learn from their fellow classmates and observe new possibilities.

Aids Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

Active learning activities such as debates or Q&A sessions encourage learners to think critically and consider how they would solve real-world problems. These forms of activities develop learners’ abilities to make decisions and construct stronger arguments to defend their opinions, as well as seeking solutions. All of these skills are highly valuable beyond the classroom and will help to enrich a child’s future. 

Looking to Learn More?

Our expert range of CPD Courses for Teaching and Education are designed by industry experts to help you build on your existing knowledge or learn new skills to help you in the classroom. Take a look at our Challenging Behaviour Course or Child Mental Health Training to continue improving the support you provide your learners. 

Active Learning Examples

At the heart of active learning, there are three main principles:

• Engagement
• Reflection 
• Application

Learners should actively engage with your material, reflect on its content and relevance, and then apply what they’ve learnt in a practical and often collaborative situation. 

There are many active learning activities that can help promote these three principles, but we’ve listed a few of our recommended activities below.

How to Engage Students in Active Learning

When incorporating active learning strategies into the classroom, it’s important to keep in mind your desired learning outcomes, the learner’s needs and characteristics, and the resources you have available.

To ensure you’re implementing methods that will truly benefit your students, consider asking questions such as:

• What would each student like to get out of the class?
• What proficiency and understanding level are your students at? 
• Is the activity suitable for your SEND students? If not, how can you alter it to suit every learner?
• Will shy students engage in the activity or will it add pressure to their day?
• What is the practical outcome of the activity?
• Do you have all the resources you need for the activity? 
• Is your plan financially viable?

For active learning strategies to really have an impact, it’s important that students are fully engaged in the activities. But how can you make this happen? We’ve compiled our top 5 tips for engaging students in active learning, below. 

Connect Learning to the Real World

A common question for students to ask is “when am I ever actually going to use this?” Luckily, active learning methods provide a great opportunity to link information back to its real-life applications. If a student knows that what they’re learning will benefit them outside of the classroom, they’re far more likely to engage with the content.  

Engage With Your Student’s Interests

Students tend to disengage if they’re finding a subject boring, however you can prevent this by linking the information you’re teaching to some of your learner’s personal interests. Learn what it is that excites each of your students and then consider ways you can input these interests into your active learning activities. For example, you could use football to demonstrate probability in maths, or use their favourite celebrities as a subject for an art project. 

Scaffold Tasks 

If you ask too much too soon of your students, giving them an activity to do before they have enough knowledge and understanding to complete it, your class will quickly become confused and disengaged. Thus, it’s beneficial to provide support at the beginning of every active learning activity, then gradually remove this as your students gain confidence and proficiency. This technique is called scaffolding, and helps to maintain engagement by keeping tasks achievable for all.

To learn more about this method of engaging and supporting students, explore our full article on Scaffolding in Education: A Guide for Teachers.

Encourage Students to Present and Share Work Regularly

Giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their thoughts and work to their peers can help drive engagement in a couple of ways. Firstly, students are likely to be held accountable to complete assigned work and will finish it to the best of their abilities due to the desire to impress their classmates. Additionally, it’s likely that students will respond well to hearing from someone other than their teacher, introducing variety into their lessons. 

Be Adaptable

Sometimes you may have planned an active learning activity that, when it comes to doing it, receives an unengaged response from students. This is natural and will happen to every teacher at some point. To combat this, it’s a good idea to have some alternate options of activities so that you’re able to switch up your lesson if it’s proving to be ineffective. By doing this, you’re ultimately giving your students more of a say in the way they are taught which will help improve engagement over time as you learn which style of learning your students respond well to or not. 

Active learning is a fantastic way to involve students in their own education and therefore increase their understanding and engagement of important subjects. Students want to know that what they are learning is relevant to their lives outside of school, and active learning methods are a great way to show students ways in which they can apply the information they gain in the classroom to their personal interests. Ultimately, the benefits of active learning are numerous, so it’s worth increasing your use of this teaching method in your classroom and seeing how your students respond. 

Further Resources:

• 8 Teaching Methods to Use in the Classroom
• What is Effective Teaching?
• How to Create a Positive Learning Environment
• What is Adaptive Teaching?
• What is the Problem-Solving Method of Teaching?

The post What is Active Learning? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article, we’ll go into further detail about what scaffolding in education is, and why it’s an important teaching method. We’ll also discuss a range of examples of scaffolding and provide guidance on how to effectively use this strategy in your classroom.

What is Scaffolding in Education?

As in any context, scaffolding provides required support which can then be removed when it’s no longer needed. The term originated from construction where a temporary structure is built for builders to stand on whilst putting up new walls and grounds.

In education, scaffolding relates to providing temporary and tailored assistance to an inexperienced or less confident learner to help them complete a task or acquire a skill, and then slowly withdrawing that support as they gain proficiency.

The overall aim of scaffolding in education is to gradually build on a child’s ability to achieve positive learning outcomes until they can do this independently. 

Psychologist Jerome Bruner first coined the theory of educational scaffolding during the 1970’s, when he and other psychologists began using the term to describe how early years teachers used extensive explanations to help children learn before gradually withdrawing so students could work independently. Bruner’s philosophy is very similar to the Zone of Proximal Development Theory, which states that new skills are often more easily developed with the guidance and encouragement of a teacher as they can be difficult to learn on their own. 

These theories also encapsulate the popular “I Do – We Do – You Do” model where instruction slowly switches from teacher demonstration, to student and teacher practice, and finally to independent application by the students. 

One common example of scaffolding is the way in which children are taught to read. Rather than presenting young students with books and expecting them to make sense of their contents immediately, we build a variety of skills that enable reading over time, such as learning the alphabet, sounding out letters, understanding phonics, recognising words by sight, and more. Eventually, we can remove the scaffolding and students are able to read independently and confidently.

Scaffolding Versus Differentiation

Scaffolding and differentiation are both examples of adaptive teaching methods and are used to address the diverse needs of learners in a classroom. But, whilst the two often overlap, they are not the same and cater to a range of needs in distinct ways. 

Differentiation involves modifying lesson plans to cater to individual learning needs, so that every student can access the information provided. You can learn more about this strategy in our guide to What is Adaptive Teaching?

In contrast, scaffolding focuses on how much information is provided and when it’s delivered, offering a gradual release of support to promote independent working and skill acquisition. 

As they are two different teaching methods that contribute to the same goal, scaffolding and differentiation should be used in conjunction with one another within a classroom in order to provide the most beneficial results for your students. 

Whilst scaffolding and differentiation are two vital strategies in effective teaching, they are just two of many teaching methods that can enhance student experience in your classroom. Discover more teaching methods and learn why they’re so important in our article on 8 Teaching Methods to Use in the Classroom.

Importance of Scaffolding in Education

Scaffolding has many benefits in a classroom. Mainly, it helps students to take a more active role in their own learning as a teacher slowly phases out their original support. When you incorporate scaffolding into your lessons, you become more of a facilitator and mentor as your students now share the responsibility of teaching and have more ownership over their own education. As students begin working more independently, they become more engaged in their own learning and can reinforce skills in a self-directed manner, helping to prepare them for their future in the ‘real world’ outside of academics.

In addition to this core advantage, there are many other benefits provided by scaffolding in education too:

• Improves the likelihood that students will retain new information.
• Reduces student’s negative self-perceptions, frustrations or confusion. 
• Improves communication between students and teachers, helping to strengthen their relationship.
• Encourages asking for help. 
• Builds confidence.
• Enhances problem-solving.
• Keeps classes organised.
• Provides opportunities for peer-teaching. 

Furthermore, scaffolding is a valuable tool in aiding progression. Once a student has become able to complete a task without the teacher’s support, they can move onto more challenging learning for which a scaffold can once more be provided. Using this method, a teacher is able to maintain high expectations of all their learners rather than having to simplify tasks in order to have them completed. Similarly, for students, scaffolding provides greater confidence in advancing their learning as they always have the ‘safety net’ of the scaffold to fall back on whilst they progress through harder content. 

Want to Learn More?

Our range of Courses for Teaching and Education are designed by industry experts to help you learn new teaching methods, such as scaffolding, and extend the knowledge you already have. A couple of our most valued courses include Challenging Behaviour Training and SEND in the Classroom.

Examples of Scaffolding in Education

Scaffolding is a highly valuable teaching method for all ages and all subjects, however it is perhaps most beneficial for early learning stages. 

There are numerous activities you can incorporate into the classroom which lend themself to the scaffolding method of teaching, but here are 5 examples of scaffolding strategies that are proven to be effective.

Pre-Teach Vocabulary

Pre-teaching vocabulary can have a great impact on children’s comprehension. By teaching critical vocabulary prior to a lesson, you can ensure all students have the correct foundational knowledge needed to understand and engage with the topic being discussed. 

This can be done in many interactive and memorable ways, rather than just providing dictionary definitions of the relevant terms. For example, using new vocabulary within a sentence, discovering the origins of the words, or drawing a representation of the term’s meaning, can all be more engaging ways to pre-teach vocabulary and provide that scaffold for your next lesson. 

Utilise Prior Knowledge

Scaffolding is all about gradually increasing knowledge, so linking to what students already know is important. It can be useful to ask students about their past experiences, inklings, and ideas about the topic you’ll be discussing, to help them connect the subject to their own lives and bridge the gap between their existing knowledge and this new material. After all, a student’s personal experiences are the foundation on which understanding is built, so activating prior knowledge can strengthen new learning and increase engagement. 

Show and Tell

Many of us are visual learners and absorb knowledge best by seeing something demonstrated rather than just hearing it explained. Thus, modelling is a crucial scaffolding technique. Teachers should frequently demonstrate how to do tasks with their learners actively watching. Additionally, presenting modelled examples of complete pieces of work helps students to see what they’re aiming to achieve. 

Use Knowledge Organisers

Utilising common ways of organising information, such as Venn diagrams, flow charts, timelines, or quotations (to name just a few) help students to grasp concepts by arranging information in a logical way and breaking down big concepts into manageable portions. In this way, organisers act as scaffolds by offering a simpler introduction to information that can then be removed once a student has understood the topic. They help to shape and guide a child’s thinking to make the overall subject easier to grasp.

Pause, Ask Questions, Review

This strategy helps to check for understanding during your teaching so that you can be sure your students have grasped everything that’s been said so far before progressing to harder content. The idea is that at various points during teaching, you’d pause to let students reflect on what they’ve heard up to now, then ask some strategic questions to test their understanding, before quickly reviewing any areas that haven’t yet been fully comprehended. The questions you ask should be planned prior to the lesson and should be specific, guiding, and open-ended. 

One benefit of using this strategy is that it helps to keep students engaged and listening actively as they know they may be called upon to answer one of your questions regarding the material. 

How to Use Scaffolding in the Classroom

Although the strategies above give an insight into the kinds of activities you might include in the classroom to scaffold student learning, how you implement these strategies is equally important. 

Thus, keep the following tips in mind when carrying out scaffolding activities during your lessons.

Use Assessment for Learning (AFL)

Assessment for Learning (AFL) helps teachers to identify where students are in their learning so that they can bridge the gap between where a child currently is and where they want to get to. This can be helpful in the context of scaffolding as the results of AFL will help to improve your scaffolding strategy, which can be amended according to a student’s current knowledge. 

To learn more about AFL and the different types of assessment you can use to inform your scaffolding, read our article on How to Use Assessment for Learning in Schools.

Consider How and When you Remove Your Scaffolds

The purpose of scaffolding is to help progress students towards being able to work on a topic independently by gradually building on their knowledge and confidence. To do this effectively, it’s vital to strike the right balance between giving too much and too little support throughout the process. The aim is to very gradually remove the support so that the journey to independent learning is smooth and untroubled. 

Keep Track of Any Progress

To keep your scaffolding as effective as possible, it’s important that you keep track of everything you do to support the scaffolding process, such as the activities you’ve led in the classroom, when these were done, and any feedback given or received. It’s also a good idea to keep a record of student progress so that you remain aware of how well they’re advancing towards independent learning and how long the process is taking. This will all help you to identify which strategies your students respond best to so you can adapt and improve your scaffolding as time goes on. 

You can find more information about the importance of tracking and contemplating your activity in the classroom in our article on What’s the Importance of Reflective Practice in Teaching?

Use Multiple Methods of Scaffolding

As evidenced earlier, there are many examples of scaffolding strategies that you can implement in the classroom. It’s wise to use a wide range of these methods rather than relying on one or two. This is because each student you teach will learn in different ways, and will therefore respond to some scaffolding methods better than others. Using a mixture of various strategies in every lesson will help ensure you’re catering to different learning styles and giving every child the best chance at progressing towards independent learning. 

Review Confidence Before Moving Onto Another Topic

It’s no good going through the steps of scaffolding then moving on to your next topic if your students haven’t achieved the objective of becoming proficient and independent in this area. As such, you should always check each child’s level of understanding and confidence on a topic before leaving it behind. If a student is not yet able to comprehend the learning material and complete related tasks on their own, you may need to reinstate some scaffolding to support them until they can achieve this. Thus, it’s essential that you review each student’s confidence in a topic before moving on to the next one.

Scaffolding is a highly valuable tool in education for supporting students to become more independent and self-sufficient learners in a gradual way that is barely noticeable to the children themselves. The benefits of scaffolding are numerous as it helps to make information more memorable, keeps students engaged, and encourages skills – such as problem solving – that will extend beyond the classroom. There are many various strategies for implementing scaffolding in your classroom so remember to utilise various methods as well as monitoring and reviewing student progress throughout the process. 

Further Resources:

• What is Adaptive Teaching?
• 8 Teaching Methods to Use in the Classroom
• Courses for Teaching and Education
• What is the Problem-Solving Method of Teaching?

The post Scaffolding in Education: A Guide for Teachers appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Unfortunately, it’s common for whistleblowing in a school workplace to be dismissed and ignored, or even to result in victimisation or dismissal for the individual raising the issue. This inevitably causes school staff to be wary about raising their concerns. Thus, it’s essential that schools have a thorough whistleblowing policy and procedure in place to ensure that no misdemeanours go unreported and unhandled.

In this article, we will detail what exactly whistleblowing is, why it’s so important in a school environment, answer common questions about whistleblowing and the legality surrounding it, as well as giving expert advice on how to create effective policies and procedures surrounding whistleblowing in your school.

What is Whistleblowing in Schools?

Whistleblowing is a term used to describe any circumstances by which someone reports wrongdoing at work to the relevant authorities in order to protect other colleagues, the general public, or students if it’s within a school environment. The concern can relate to something that has happened, is happening, or that the individual fears may happen in the future. In general, it involves a worker seeking to expose malpractice or unethical activities within their organisation. 

It’s important to specify, however, that not all complaints are regarded as whistleblowing. To be categorised as whistleblowing, an issue must be of public interest, not just a personal grievance. Whistleblowing is about ‘putting something right’ which will benefit others, rather than a concern regarding your individual interest. 

Below, you can find some instances of wrongdoing which it would be appropriate and advised to blow the whistle about. 

Many of these instances of wrongdoing pose a serious threat to the safety of children within a school environment and thus neglect school safeguarding obligations. To learn more about what your safeguarding duties are as an educator, read our article on Safeguarding Responsibilities of School Staff.

Examples of Whistleblowing in Schools

Breaking the Law

Any form of criminal offence, such as fraud or corruption for example, conducted within a school environment should be reported to the relevant authorities. Any activity that breaks the law is likely to threaten the safety of pupils or staff, or at the very least damage the reputation of the establishment. Thus, it’s in the public interest that criminal activity does not go unreported.  

Covering Up an Unlawful Act

Similarly to reporting any activity which breaks the law, it is also appropriate to inform authorities of any accomplices or accessories to a crime. Having knowledge of an illegal activity and not reporting it is an offence in itself, so it’s advised to blow the whistle on anyone who fits this description. 

Neglecting Duties

Neglecting your duties in a school environment can have serious consequences and thus this is considered to be a wrongdoing severe enough to warrant whistleblowing. The neglect of duties may include poor supervision, the use of dangerous equipment, inadequate or damaging SEND support, or failing to provide a suitable education. 

Maladministration

This form of wrongdoing involves any activity that results in a school not complying with the requirements for assessment and delivery of qualifications. It generally centres around examination and learner records, for example submitting incorrect test data, allowing students to use devices or textbooks during exams, tampering with student work, or changing assessment judgements. 

Breaching Confidentiality

In an education environment, the rules around storing personal data are very strict. Thus, tampering with or sharing this data is a serious offence. Examples of wrongdoing in this category may include sending personal data to the wrong person, sharing sensitive medical records, unauthorised access to information and altering or deleting data files. The misuse of private data can cause major safeguarding issues as well as legal repercussions.

You can learn more about how to prevent any breaches of confidentiality within the education sector in our guide to Data Protection in Schools.

Why is Whistleblowing Important?

Whistleblowing is essential in schools because it helps to protect everyone – students, staff, parents, the board, and the wider community – from wrongdoings that could have wider consequences or cause public scandal.

Blowing the whistle helps to find mistakes and frauds so that they can be corrected as quickly as possible and the people involved in the wrongdoing can be apprehended. Furthermore, the knock-on effect of this is that colleagues and other people within the educational environment are less likely to conduct any form of malpractice as they are aware of the consequences. 

In addition to the wider umbrella of preventing wrongdoing, there are several other benefits of whistleblowing in schools:

Minimises Costs and Risks

When misconducts are left unreported, they can not be resolved and thus pose various risks to the school such as:

• Legal prosecution.
• Reputational damage.
• Public scandal.
• Financial penalties.

These consequences can be extremely costly in terms of finances and the school’s image. Whistleblowing helps to minimise these costs and allows schools to manage their risks more quickly and effectively. 

Allows Detailed Insight Into Issues

Whistleblowers usually have an insider’s perspective on the issues they’re reporting, and can therefore provide details and insights that an external source may not have access to. Whistleblowers may be the only ones with enough access to information to accurately report wrongdoings with evidence that allow the case to stand and eventually be resolved. 

Creates an Open Working Culture

By encouraging whistleblowing, a school gains more trust from its employees as they know that any concerns will be taken seriously and that they are working in an ethical and safe environment. It is widely known that an open and honest working culture usually forms better working relationships and dedication, which in turn increases productivity. 

Prevents Issues Escalating

One of the greatest benefits of whistleblowing in school is that it provides the opportunity to identify and deal with issues quickly, whilst they’re still in an early manageable stage. When information is shared directly to the relevant school team they can help resolve the issue immediately before it escalates, thus potentially preventing severe damage. 

Want to Learn More?

Whistleblowing helps to support safeguarding in schools by protecting students from wrongdoing that may cause them harm. Our Safeguarding Children in Education course helps to support this by teaching learners to identify when abuse and neglect may be happening to a student and how to respond appropriately to concerns.

Whistleblowing Policy and Procedures

A school should establish a whistleblowing procedure to ensure that all members of staff are aware of the appropriate channels to raise a concern, provide reassurance that they can raise concerns without fear of reprisal, and, wherever possible, to ensure that the procedure is con?dential unless specified otherwise. 

There are two types of whistleblowing:

• Internal – When an employee reports errors, corruption or malpractice within the organisation, using the company’s own whistleblowing solution to highlight the problem.
• External – When a person blows the whistle via external sources, such as the press, authorities or on social media. This is usually because they have little faith in their own organisation, or because they have previously tried to blow the whistle internally without seeing any changes.

Having a thorough whistleblowing policy and procedure helps to encourage internal, rather than external, whistleblowing, which is preferred as it means problems can be solved easily and smoothly within the organisation without involving external parties who may create a public spectacle. 

School Whistleblowing Policy

A written school whistleblowing policy aims to provide avenues for individuals to raise concerns and receive feedback on any action taken, ensures that whistleblowers receive a response to their concerns and that they are aware of how to pursue them if they are not satisfied, and reassures whistleblowers that they will be protected from possible reprisals or

victimisation for raising an issue. 

A comprehensive school whistleblowing policy should include the following sections:

How to Raise a Concern

This section should detail a list of potential whistleblowing scenarios and outline who the whistleblower should report to if they identify one of these issues. This should include names and contact details of all relevant school authority figures. 

Furthermore, this section of the policy should describe the school’s preferred method of raising a concern, for example a verbal or written complaint, and what should be included in the whistleblower’s report. Often, this will include the background and history of the concern along with names, dates, relevant places and the reasons for the concern. 

Investigating a Disclosure

It is important to outline in a whistleblowing policy how the school will respond to concerns raised. This may include a deadline for when the school promises to acknowledge the complaint by, for example within 3 days. 

Understandably, the action taken may vary depending on the complaint and this should be stated within the policy along with a list of responses that may be taken under various circumstances. 

Confidentiality Agreement

Confidentiality can be complicated in the case of whistleblowing, but a good policy should contain a section explaining that all concerns will be treated with confidence and that where possible the identity of the whistleblower will not be revealed if that is their wish. It should also state, however, that in some scenarios it may not be possible to keep the whistleblower’s identity disclosed in order to resolve the situation. 

Learn more about what confidentiality in childcare is, why it’s important and confidentiality policy in childcare in our article: Confidentiality in Childcare.

Safeguards

This section of a whistleblowing policy serves the purpose of acknowledging that the decision to speak up about an issue can be a difficult one. It should include written reassurance that there will be no reprisals for speaking up against malpractice or wrongdoing within the school, and that any harassment or victimisation will not be tolerated. Furthermore, it is advisable to detail methods of support that will be available in the case of any difficulties experienced as a result of raising a concern. 

In addition to a whistleblowing policy, it’s advised that all schools have a comprehensive safeguarding policy too. You can find an example template of one of these created by our education experts in our article on Creating a Safeguarding Policy.

How to Whistleblow to Ofsted

Although internal whistleblowing is often preferred, it is also possible for an individual to inform Ofsted of any concerns they have regarding activity within their school. Ofsted can act on any relevant information provided to them and are able to advise on what actions they may take, providing the issue relates to a child that may be at risk of harm, a failure in safeguarding practice, concerns that children aren’t receiving the right quality of care, or that regulatory requirements aren’t being met. 

Although a school should have a whistleblowing policy to help protect their employees, an individual may choose to blow the whistle to Ofsted if they feel their organisation is likely to ignore the issue or fail to take action. 

When whistleblowing to Ofsted, you will be asked the following questions:

• Do you believe that a child is at immediate risk of harm?
• Does the matter fall within the services that Ofsted inspects and regulates?
• Have you raised the issue with your employer or any other organisation?
• Can you provide further information?
• If you believe your employer has failed to act appropriately, what do you think should be done?

Following this, a concern will be reviewed by Ofsted, who may choose to refer the issue to a child protection team, bring forward their next inspection, or undertake a compliance visit. 

You can whistleblow to Ofsted by:

• Telephone: Whistleblowing Hotline (0300 1233155)
• Email: whistleblowing@ofsted.gov.uk
• Post: WBHL, Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD.

If you would like further support in identifying whether a scenario is likely to place a child at risk of harm, you can learn more about safeguarding issues along with examples of these in our Safeguarding Scenarios and Answers for Education article.

Are Whistleblowers Protected by Law?

Whistleblowing can be a scary thing to do so it helps to be certain on where you stand legally to provide confidence that your actions won’t face unjust repercussions. 

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA), an amendment to the Employment Rights Act 1996, protects whistleblowers by law, preventing unfair dismissal or any detriment from their employer that arises from the worker making a protected disclosure. 

To receive this legal protection, a whistleblower must:

• Be a ‘worker’ for the organisation about which they are whistleblowing. 
• Reasonably believe they are acting in the public interest.
• Whistleblow to either the appropriate people within their organisation or to a relevant third party, such as one that inspects or regulates the activity of that organisation.

Although most workers are protected under this law, it is important to note that this does not include self-employed individuals or volunteers. 

Whistleblowing is an essential and effective way for schools to identify any wrongdoing within their organisation. Despite its benefits, however, it can be daunting for an individual to blow the whistle due to fear of facing harassment or even dismissal for doing so. This is why it’s so important for a school to have a thorough whistleblowing policy and procedure to show encouragement of speaking up against wrongdoing and to protect those who have the confidence to do so. 

Further Resources:

• Safeguarding Responsibilities of School Staff
• Creating a Safeguarding Policy – Example Template for Schools
• Safeguarding Scenarios and Answers for Education
• Data Protection in Schools – Guidance for the Education Sector

The post Whistleblowing in Schools: Policy and Procedure appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

But with no two students being the same, how can teachers ensure that they’re providing every child with an equal opportunity to learn? The answer lies in utilising a number of different teaching methods to maximise the learning experience for everyone. 

In this article, will will delve into what teaching methods are and why they’re so important for teachers of any level of experience, as well as providing a range of potential teaching methods for you to experiment with in your classroom. 

What are Teaching Methods?

The term teaching method refers to the techniques, principles, and strategies that educators use to enable and expedite the learning process for their students in the most engaging and memorable way. They help to ensure that learning material is delivered clearly and concisely, is interesting to students, and can be retained well into the future. 

Your choice of teaching methods as a teacher will usually depend on what best suits you and your students needs, for example:

• Your personal preferences and background as a teacher.
• What environment you’re teaching in.
• Your school mission statement.
• The requirements of your individual students.
• The overall learning outcome.

Used correctly, teaching methods can help to facilitate the social and emotional development of children as well as their academic ability. They help to prepare students for real-life situations beyond the classroom, and can instil core values that carry through to all aspects of a child’s future life and career. 

Furthermore, teaching methods help to ensure your classroom remains inclusive, providing all students with the opportunity to meet classroom expectations. 

You can learn more about how to cater to each of your pupil’s individual needs in our article on What is Adaptive Teaching?

Types of Teaching Methods

There are many specific examples of teaching methods available, but these can generally always be placed into one of two categories: Teacher-centred and student-centred approaches. A good educator will use a combination of both of these.

Teacher-centred

Teacher-centred methods are more traditional and focus on positioning the teacher as the main authority figure and expert whose job is to pass on their knowledge to their novice students in a passive way. In a teacher-centred classroom, the focus is primarily on the educator, who always chooses the topics of learning and is solely responsible for answering student questions and evaluating their performance. Often, students work independently in a teacher-focused classroom and the emphasis is on them listening whilst the educator talks. Frequent methods used in a teacher-led approach may include:

• Lectures.
• Direct instruction, in which a teacher explicitly explains a concept.
• Modelling, in which a teacher demonstrates what a student’s work should look like.
• Questioning, to monitor student’s understanding and correct misconceptions. 
• Assessments and quizzes.
• Drilling, in which a teacher will use call and response or repeated practice to support memorisation of material. 

Child-centred

Conversely to teacher-led approaches, child-centred teaching emphasises the student’s role in the learning process. Whilst the teacher is still the authority figure, they act as more of a facilitator whilst children are encouraged to take a collaborative position in their own learning. This involves the students being given more agency over what they learn, how they learn it, and where this learning occurs. 

Often, there will be more discussion between a teacher and their students, children may work in pairs or groups more frequently, have the opportunity to review their own or their peer’s work, and can attempt to answer each other’s queries. Ultimately, children are left to discover and fathom learning material themself or between each other with a teacher only stepping in to correct or feed back when questions arise. Frequent methods used in a child-centred approach may include:

• Enquiry-based learning, where students are provided with the tools needed to discover information for themself.
• Questioning focused on critical thinking, in which students are asked to analyse or evaluate, rather than merely recall, information.
• Role play.
• Outdoor-based learning.
• Pair and group work.
• Project-based learning.

The methods you choose to use play a large part in how effective your teaching is. Using a combination of these two categories of teaching methods is the most guaranteed way to cover all bases in your classroom, and therefore lead to the best student outcome. 

To learn more about effective teaching and what other factors play a part in this crucial area of professional development, read our article on What is Effective Teaching?

Benefits of Teaching Methods

As previously mentioned, using a variety of methods helps to make your teaching more effective, engaging, and inclusive. Whilst these are some of the broad benefits of switching up your approaches to teaching, there are a number of proven specific advantages to experimenting with various teaching methods too:

Provides Differentiated Instruction

Each and every student you teach will learn in slightly different ways and at their own pace. The most commonly known example of this is the difference between visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. As a result, a one-size fits all approach to teaching won’t work for many of your students. Using a mixture of teaching strategies helps to accommodate everyone’s unique learning styles and ensures that every child has an equal opportunity to engage with and understand the learning material.

Increases Motivation

Varying your style of teaching at periodic intervals will help to capture and maintain student’s interest in your lessons. No matter how fascinating the material is, if it is always delivered in the same way students will eventually disengage. Trying a new form of delivering your educational content is a great way to motivate your students to focus on what’s being taught and want to delve deeper into the topic. 

Promotes Flexibility and Adaptability

Sometimes delivering a lesson doesn’t go as seamlessly as planned or intended. Your students may not comprehend what you’re teaching as easily as you’d hoped, they may appear disinterested, or perhaps the class size and dynamic is different to usual. In these situations, being able to switch strategy to deliver the content in a more successful manner is a vital tool to have up your sleeve. 

Ensures Thorough Assessment and Feedback

As well as using various methods of teaching to deliver your lessons, it can also be beneficial to incorporate a diverse range of assessment styles too. By assessing students in various ways, teachers can gain a more in-depth insight into their level of understanding and progress by viewing this from different angles. This will help you to identify where further learning is required and feed this back to pupils. 

Furthermore, using a variety of assessment styles helps to ensure every child’s strengths are being met. Not every student will thrive under traditional assessment formats, so giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways produces a more fair and inclusive evaluation of abilities. 

Builds Class Relationships and Trust

Utilising different teaching methods can go a long way to building a strong relationship between you and your students. Demonstrating that you know your pupils as individuals, understand their strengths and cater to these, is one of the best ways to gain their respect – the foundation of a good student-teacher bond. 

Additionally, delivering your educational content in multiple ways will usually increase student voice, allowing children to contribute and have more of a say over their education. This is also a key way to strengthen your relationship with your students. 

You can discover more benefits of promoting student contribution in our article on 5 Ways to Maximise Pupil Voice.

Want to Dive Deeper?

Our comprehensive range of CPD Courses for Teaching and Education are designed by industry experts to help you stay compliant and develop your skills. Extend your knowledge of teaching methods with our Challenging Behaviour Training or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in the Classroom.

Examples of Teaching Methods

Whilst there are many different methods a teacher can use in the classroom, the majority of these are similar in purpose and aim to enhance the learning experience for students. It’s important to remember that a combination of various methods is the best way to guarantee your teaching is effective. Here are 8 popular approaches to consider implementing in your classroom. 

Technology-based Learning

Category of teaching method: Teacher and student led.

Also known as e-learning, technology-based learning is any form of learning process that incorporates technology. This could be through online classes, multimedia presentations, or using educational software on computers or tablets. This method can either be teacher-led, where an educator utilises technology to present information to their students, or student-led if a class is encouraged to use technology to seek information for themselves.  

Project-based Learning

Category of teaching method: Student-led.

Project-based learning involves students working on a task over an extended period of time to achieve a learning outcome. Often, these projects span multiple different subjects so draw on their knowledge of multiple disciplines in order to be completed. Thus, they usually require a student-led approach where children use critical thinking skills to arrive at conclusions themself and work collaboratively in order to do so.  

Kinaesthetic Learning

Category of teaching method: Teacher and student led.

This form of teaching method involves including any form of physical activity and movement into the learning process. This can take many forms, from using props such as building blocks to demonstrate a concept to role-playing or acting out scenarios. Whilst this can be a teacher-led method in which a class is encouraged to copy activity that a teacher is demonstrating, it also has many opportunities for a student-led approach too.

As role-play is a key form of kinaesthetic learning, you may want to discover more on this topic in our article on Benefits of Role Play in Early Years: Advice for Teachers.

Game-based Learning

Category of teaching method: Student-led.

Game-based learning, as suggested by its name, is a form of teaching method which involves the use of games, either digital or non-digital, to complement and enforce learning material. This teaching strategy is highly effective in increasing engagement and motivation and can apply to a wide range of subjects. As it is naturally a highly interactive style of teaching, game-based learning is usually student-centred.

Expeditionary Learning

Category of teaching method: Student-led.

One of the most student-led forms of teaching methods is expeditionary learning, which focuses on learning through experience and exploration. Often, this involves taking children out of a classroom and out into the real world where they can learn in a hands-on manner that’s relevant to their lives beyond school. One of the benefits of this teaching style is that it encourages character development and maturation in addition to academic progress. 

Individual Learning

Category of teaching method: Teacher-led.

Individual learning is the process of catering educational material to specific student’s learning pace and style. In this method, a teacher may provide children with their own personalised action plans or learning objectives. Thus, it involves a teacher having a clear understanding of the needs of each of their students. 

Group Learning

Category of teaching method: Student-led.

Also known as collaborative learning, group learning is a type of teaching method that hones in on social interaction and cooperation between students. In this strategy, children work together in pairs or small groups to complete projects and solve problems. The idea behind this method is that students are able to learn from each other and can take an active role in their own education. In addition, it also helps to foster a strong sense of community and teamwork within the classroom. 

Problem-based Learning

Category of teaching method: Student-led.

Often abbreviated to PBL, problem-based learning is a teaching strategy which focuses on real-world problems. Often in groups, students will be given the opportunity to identify and analyse complex yet practical issues relating to the real world and be asked to develop solutions to these using problem-solving and critical thinking skills. PBL can cover multiple academic subjects and, as it relates to real life, can provide a deeper and more applicable understanding of the subject matter than ordinary teaching styles. 

Teaching is a dynamic process and therefore requires a multitude of methods in order to meet the diverse needs of students and keep them engaged. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or just beginning your career, knowing and utilising a variety of approaches when teaching can be of great benefit to both you and your pupils. Drawing from elements of both teacher-led and student-centred methods will help to ensure your teaching remains effective, inclusive, and memorable for all students.

Further Resources:

• What is Effective Teaching?
• How to Create a Positive Learning Environment
• What is Adaptive Teaching?
• 5 Ways to Maximise Pupil Voice
• Benefits of Role Play in Early Years: Advice for Teachers
• What is Active Learning?
• What is Ability Grouping in Education?
• What is the Problem-Solving Method of Teaching?

The post 8 Teaching Methods to Use in the Classroom appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article, we will outline what classroom management is, explore why it is so important, and equip you with a number of classroom management strategies and tips to help you feel inspired and improve your practice. 

What is Classroom Management?

Classroom management encompasses a range of techniques and skills that are used to create an effective learning environment where classes run smoothly, disruptive behaviour is kept to a minimum, and the academic material is conducive to learning. At its core, effective classroom management is when a teacher creates a clear set of expectations for their learning environment that students must adhere to. 

The specific strategies you use for classroom management may look different depending on factors such as the age of your students, their behavioural tendencies, and class size. No matter which techniques you choose however, good classroom management should always aim to:

• Establish an organised and functional learning environment.
• Create opportunities for progressive learning and academic success.
• Reduce bad or disruptive behaviour.
• Be efficient with teaching time.
• Form motivated, focused, and productive students.
• Promote an inclusive learning environment which caters to all abilities. 

Classroom management is not something you learn and implement once. Rather, it’s an ongoing process that will need to be improved and adapted over time to suit individual classes and students. 

Why is Classroom Management Important?

Classroom management is so crucial because it lies at the centre of your ability to teach and your student’s ability to learn. Having a good classroom management plan will not only make you a more effective teacher, but it will also help to make your role more enjoyable too. 

Below are some of the top benefits of mastering effective classroom management that will have a positive impact on both you and your students:

Reduces Behavioural Disturbances

Classroom management is largely about setting expectations for your pupils so that they know what is or isn’t deemed acceptable. Having strong behavioural boundaries in place can help to avoid major disturbances in your classroom, and also address low-level behavioural issues before they escalate. Poor behaviour and disturbances can have a large impact on all student’s ability to learn, so it’s important that you’re able to keep these distractions at bay.

You can explore our recommended strategies to help reduce behavioural disturbances in our ABC Chart for Challenging Behaviour: Free Template resource. 

Creates a Positive Learning Environment

A positive learning environment is one where children feel physically, socially, and emotionally safe, encouraged, valued, and supported. Effective classroom management helps to create a positive learning environment by ensuring consistency and structure in your classroom so that students always know what to expect, and what is expected in return, which will provide comfort and motivation.

To learn more about this subject, read our full article on How to Create a Positive Learning Environment. 

Establishes a Learning Culture

Effective classroom management helps students stay focused in your lessons so that they’re able to fully engage in the academic content. Also, if you’re spending less time trying to handle disruptions and keep students on task, this frees up more of your time to provide individualised attention to those that require more guidance, helping them to take more from the learning material. 

Reduces Work-Related Stress and Anxiety

Just as having a well managed classroom helps students to know what to expect, thus creating a more positive experience for them, the same is true of teachers too. Being able to create a well organised and stable classroom environment through your management of it ensures that there are minimal, if any, unwanted surprises which could cause stress or anxiety. 

Invites Diversity and Inclusion

Every student is different, and good classroom management will be considerate of this and use it to enhance the learning environment. Being able to understand and cater to student’s differences will create a more well balanced and inclusive classroom where each pupil feels equally supported and able to express their individuality rather than trying to adhere to the norm. 

Looking to Learn More?

Our comprehensive range of CPD Courses for Teaching and Education cover all key areas of development and compliance in education to help you build on your existing knowledge or learn new skills to aid you in the classroom. For example, our Challenging Behaviour and Leadership and Management courses could help progress your classroom management.

Classroom Management Strategies

Although classroom management may differ depending on class size, student age, their behavioural tendencies, or the subject you teach, for example, there are certain techniques that apply to almost all cases and thus should be implemented in any classroom. 

Here are our tips for teachers that should help you to build a strong core to your classroom management:

Have a Solid Lesson Plan

Creating strong lesson plans is the foundation of effective classroom management. Although these may occasionally need to be adapted due to unforeseen circumstances, being prepared for your lessons well in advance helps to ensure you and your students know what to expect from the upcoming curriculum which avoids any stress, anxiety, or confusion.

Furthermore, planning your lessons in detail allows you to consider the characteristics of your class and its individual students when preparing learning material to ensure your content caters to everyone’s needs and strengths. 

Build Strong Student/Teacher Relationships

Without really knowing and understanding each of your students, you can’t cater your lessons to their strengths, weaknesses, interests, or ambitions. Thus, it’s essential you take the time to build a relationship with each pupil. In doing this, you will also gain your student’s trust and respect which will create a more positive learning environment overall and help make behavioural management easier. 

Encouraging pupil voice is essential to building these strong relationships, as your students should feel confident enough to express their personality traits and opinions and feel that these are actively noted and listened to by you. 

To learn more about this, read our article on 5 Ways to Maximise Pupil Voice.

Show Consistency in Your Teaching

Whilst adaptability and flexibility in the classroom are important, you should generally try to stick to one clear way of doing things and handling situations so that your students know where they stand. In being consistent with your approach, your pupils will know what to expect and be aware of boundaries, making behaviour management much easier and minimising disruptions. 

Be Reflective About Your Practice

As mentioned, classroom management is an ongoing process which you should aim to refine over time. Reflective practice, the process of continually improving your teaching by repeatedly reflecting on your methods, is key to this. Read our guide to What’s the Importance of Reflective Practice in Teaching to discover more. 

As part of your reflective practice, schedule time to consider your current classroom management, identify what works well and what could be improved, and try new strategies to try to build on your present skills. You could include classroom management as part of your Personal Development Plan to ensure you’re taking actionable steps to improve it. 

Consider using our Professional Development Plan for Teachers Free Template to get started.

Model the Behaviour You Wish to See

One of the best ways to manage your class is to demonstrate the behaviour you wish to see from them. Children learn most effectively by example, so it’s vital to always ensure you’re exhibiting the same standards that you expect from your students, such as speaking politely, not interrupting, and being respectful. 

Additionally, modelling a calm and focused attitude will help to discourage unruly and frenzied behaviour from your students as they will naturally match your level of composure. Furthermore, disruptive students often thrive on getting a rise from teachers so demonstrating that you can’t be easily rattled will help to deter any challenging behaviour. 

Classroom management is the core of building and maintaining a positive, effective learning environment, and thus it should be prioritised by all teachers. As each class and student you teach will be different, your classroom management will need refining and adapting over time, so you should continually be reflecting on your methods and aiming to improve them. In doing all this, both you and your students will soon reap the extensive benefits of effective classroom management. 

Further Resources:

• What’s the Importance of Reflective Practice in Teaching?
• Effective Communication in the Classroom: Skills for Teachers
• Professional Development Plan for Teachers Free Template
• 5 Ways to Maximise Pupil Voice
• ABC Chart for Challenging Behaviour: Free Template

The post Effective Classroom Management: Tips for Teachers appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

As a result, it’s more important than ever that we thoroughly educate ourselves on mental health so that we can better understand why mental illnesses occur and how we can support someone, particularly a child, who is suffering with poor mental health and/or self-harm. 

In this article, we will explain what self-harm is and how it is characterised, explore a few reasons why a child may begin to self-harm, underline ways in which you can spot signs of self-harm in a child, and suggest tactics with which you may be able to support a child who is suffering. 

Self-Harm in Children and Young Adults

Self-harm, also sometimes known as self-injury, self-mutilation, or self-abuse, is the act of an individual deliberately damaging or hurting themselves/their body without the intention of suicide. 

There are many different ways to self-injury, but any way that someone intentionally hurts themselves, physically or emotionally, can be categorised as self-harm. Because of this, it is possible for someone, particularly children, to be self-harming without realising that that’s what they’re doing and without understanding the magnitude of their actions. Furthermore, self-harm is usually inflicted in secret due to fear of interference or judgement from other people.

Some of the most common forms of self-harm include:

• Cutting yourself, commonly on the arms, legs or stomach. 
• Burning.
• Scratching of the skin, usually to the point of drawing blood.
• Biting.
• Hair pulling.
• Head-banging.
• Drinking harmful substances, such as bleach or detergent.
• Deliberately putting yourself in dangerous situations.
• Punching yourself.
• Sticking things into the body.
• Scalding yourself with hot water.

The most common form of self-harm is cutting. Children will usually either inflict deep lacerations or form a series of smaller, shallower cuts in one area. This form of self-harm often causes visible scars or wounds, however these can be easily hid via clothing or jewellery, for example.

Want to test your current knowledge of child mental health? Take our Child Mental Health Quiz to help identify areas where you may benefit from more insight.

Why Do Children and Teens Self-Harm?

Young people self-harm for many different reasons, and the motive or rationale may not even be clear to the individual who is inflicting the self-harm. One uniting factor, however, is that people who self-harm are usually experiencing overwhelming levels of emotional pain, loneliness, or worthlessness. Self-harm can provide a short-lived sense of release from these difficult emotions. 

Below are a few common reasons for a child to inflict self-injury, although it’s important to be aware that these motives can encompass many smaller and more intricate components that lead to self-harm. 

To Cope With Difficult Feelings and Situations

Often, self-injury is used as a way to deal with something difficult that is happening or has happened in the past in the individual’s life. It can be a coping strategy for:

• Living with health problems, such as a disability or illness.
• Stressful or upsetting experiences, such as abuse, bereavement, a parent’s divorce or separation, relationship problems, or bullying.
• Attempting to relieve feelings of anger or aggression. 
• Changing emotional pain into physical pain.

If you think past or current abuse may be behind a child’s tendency to self-harm, you can learn more about this subject and get further advice on how to help in our articles on Signs of Abuse in Children and Understanding Why Children May Stay Quiet About Abuse.

To Punish Oneself

Another common reason for children to self-harm is due to a sense of self-loathing or to punish themselves for feelings or behaviour that they think needs retribution. This negative self image could be as a result of:

• Aspects of their identity that they’ve been led to believe are wrong or inferior, such as their race and ethnicity, religion or sexuality. Thus, self-harm can be directly linked to experiencing racism, homophobia or other forms of prejudice.
• Body-image concerns.
• Abuse or bullying, leading them to believe they’re not worthy of love or respect.
• Absent or preoccupied caregivers. 

Recent research suggests that 27% of young people with experience of bullying had self-harmed as a result. To get advice on how to support a child through bullying before it gets to this point, read our articles on Why is Cyberbullying Harmful and What Actions Can You Take and How to Deal With Bullying at School.

To Communicate Pain

Self-harm can be a way of expressing pain for children who don’t know how to verbalise it. Because of this, it’s often mistaken as attention-seeking behaviour, however this is a false myth, particularly as most people try to hide or disguise their self-harm from loved ones. 

For a child, it can be difficult to understand or describe difficult emotions they’re experiencing. Sometimes, they will turn to self-harm as an alternative way to communicate how they’re feeling.

To Gain a Sense of Control

Self-harm can often begin as a result of a child feeling a lack of control over their own life, their body, or their environment. Self-harm can be used as a way for a young person to counter this and take agency over their body, as the damage they’re inflicting on themself is something they feel control over. 

Self Harm and Mental Illness

Self-harming is not classed as a mental illness in itself, but is often linked with mental health disorders as some mental illnesses increase people’s susceptibility to self-harm. In fact, in one study 90% of participants who frequently self-harmed were found to have had history with a mental or behavioural disorder. 

Often, the symptoms of a mental health disorder include an over-intensity of emotion that is uncontrollable. This can be so unbearable for a sufferer that it feels intolerable, pushing them to seek some temporary release via self-harm. This is a vicious cycle, however, as self-injury often worsens a person’s mental condition by feeding into their insecurities, worries, pain, and fears.  

Some mental health disorders that can be commonly linked with self-harm, include:

• Bipolar Disorder.
• Borderline Personality Disorder.
• Depression.
• Anxiety.
• Substance Use.

Some children might try self-harm once, but not continue it as a coping strategy, whereas others may try it several times and then become reliant on it as they believe it makes them feel better, even if the relief is just momentary. 

Signs of Self Harm

As self-harm is usually a secretive act, it can be difficult to identify when a child is participating in this behaviour. Often self-harm will be accompanied by some form of physical or emotional change in a child, however, so there are certain signs to look out for which may indicate a young person is injuring themselves. 

The physical signs of self-harm can include any evidence of unexplained bodily injury, but most often cuts, bruises, burns, bite marks, or bald patches on their body. Some of the most common areas of the body that children choose to self-harm and where you may see physical evidence of this, are:

• Arms.
• Wrists.
• Thighs.
• Chest or stomach.
• Head.

Whilst these physical signs may not always be visible or can be well hidden, they will usually be accompanied by some kind of emotional change in the child. It’s important to note that these emotional signs can also be indicative of a range of other issues, but if you suspect a child may be self-harming then look out for the following behaviours:

• Always keeping themselves covered, for example wearing long sleeves or trousers even when it’s hot and refusing to participate in activities such as swimming which require more bodily visibility. 
• Finding bloodstained items or garments in amongst their belongings, for example clothing or tissues.
• Becoming withdrawn from friends or family and isolating themself more than usual. 
• Feeling depressed, angry, guilty, or anxious more than usual. These emotions may display themselves in intense and unprovoked outbursts. 
• Engaging in increasingly risky behaviour or putting themselves into dangerous situations. 
• Having low self-esteem, thinking they’re not good enough, or blaming themself for things that are beyond their control.

Signs of Self Harm for Teachers

Whilst any of the signs listed above can also be observed by school staff, there are also further signs that are more applicable to a school environment which you should be aware of and look out for in pupils you suspect may be self-harming. 

• Asking excessively to use items from the school/classroom first aid kit, such as plasters or bandages. This may indicate they’re wounding themself and don’t want to use medical equipment from home in case their parents notice and question it. 
• Using school stationary with sharp edges, such as a protractor or paper clip, to scratch at themselves. You may notice that such items are going missing from the classroom. 
• Asking questions about self-harm, trying to find information about it from the school library, or using school computers to make self-harm related searches. 
• Isolating themself from their school friends more than usual or refusing to participate in group activities/learning exercises. 
• An unexplained drop in grades and quality of work, or not turning in homework assignments. 
• Refusing to get changed for Physical Education class, as this would require exposing areas of their body that may be scarred or wounded. 

Teachers are well placed to monitor their students and, as they spend so much time with them, are likely to notice subtle changes in behaviour. Once you’ve identified any of the above warning signs in a pupil, you’re in a good position to intervene and offer support.

Want to Learn More?

Our Child Mental Health Training offers thorough insight into a number of common emotional, behavioural and hyperkinesis disorders to help you be confident and as prepared as possible to identify and support a child who may be struggling.

How to Help a Child Who Self Harms

Whilst caring for a child who is self-harming is an incredibly difficult experience and can feel helpless at times, it’s important that you don’t shy away from the situation or hope it will resolve itself with time. There are a number of things you can do to support a child experiencing self-harming tendencies, which will help aid their healing process.

Offer Emotional Support

It can be difficult to accept that your child, or a child you care for, is deliberately hurting themselves. It’s natural that you may feel upset or anxious by this, or even blame yourself for the situation. It’s vital that you don’t let your own feelings cloud your support, however. At this time, you need to be more open and caring than ever. To show that you’re there for the child, you could try:

• Letting them know you’re willing to listen whenever and however they choose to discuss their troubles, whether this is through a direct conversation, or perhaps written in some format such as a message. 
• Be open to whatever they’re willing to tell you without asking too many questions. Pushing a child to reveal why they have chosen to self-harm may make them feel judged or cause them to retreat further. 
• Ensure that they are aware of how much you love and care for them, and that you want to help them.
• Letting them know that experiencing difficult and turbulent emotions is natural and that it’s okay for them to be honest with you about what they’re going through. 

Focus On The Underlying Cause

Remember, a child doesn’t begin self-harming for no reason. Whilst it can be easy to focus wholly on the action of the self-harm, and try to prevent this, it’s more important to consider the underlying issues that are causing the self-harm. 

Hiding or removing items that a child is using to self-harm will not fix the issue, and can lead to them finding other ways to injure themself which could be more severe. Instead, you need to support the child to heal emotionally and mentally in order to really fix the issue. Once you know what’s causing them so much pain, you can consider ways to help them feel better. 

It may be wise to get professional guidance from a GP, NSPCC helpline staff, or the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) if you’re struggling to know how to best support a child with their emotions. 

Encourage Healthy Coping Mechanisms

A child may turn to self-harm as they don’t know of any other way to deal with or materialise their difficult feelings. Guiding them towards some more healthy coping strategies may help them to find another, more safe, way to provide comfort or release rather than self-injury. 

Some examples of healthy ways to cope with and release uncomfortable emotions, include:

• Painting, drawing, or scribbling to express how they feel and release pent up emotions.
• Holding an ice cube until it melts.
• Writing down their feelings, then destroying the paper by tearing it up or burning it.
• Listening to music, perhaps loudly. 
• Punching or screaming into a pillow. 
• Exercising.
• Taking a bath or shower. 
• Pushing against a sturdy wall or door frame as hard as they can. 
• Counting down from 500.
• Writing a pro and con list for self-harming. 

There are many more alternatives for self-harm like those above available on the childline website. 

Build Up Self-Confidence 

A common factor contributing towards a child self-harming is low self-esteem or confidence. This is something that you and others around the child can really help to counteract with positive affirmations and praise, such as:

• Frequently reminding them about all the things they do well.
• Learning something new together.
• Letting your child know that you’re proud of them and why. This could be communicated verbally or via a written list. Try to focus on things that are innate to them, such as their personality, rather than external achievements such as academics or sport. 
• Ensure that you’re being a good role-model by only speaking kindly about yourself and modelling self-love. 

Self-harm in children is a complicated and understandably distressing subject, but as with other mental health issues it’s essential to increase our knowledge and understanding of it so that we can best support those who are suffering. Although the reasons for self-harming can be nuanced, it is often related to intense negative emotions that a child is struggling to cope with. There are many ways to support a child who is self-harming and help them to deal with their feelings in a healthier and more long-lasting way. 

Further Resources:

• Child Mental Health Quiz
• Signs of Abuse in Children
• Understanding Why Children May Stay Quiet About Abuse
• Why is Cyberbullying Harmful and What Actions Can You Take?
• How to Deal With Bullying at School
• How to Help a Child with Depression

The post Understanding Self-Harm in Childhood appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article, we will highlight some of the potential risks of school trips, underline key legal requirements that you should be aware of, and explain how to conduct a thorough risk assessment, including a free downloadable template, to ensure the right safety measures have been taken before embarking on a school trip.

What are the Legal Requirements for School Trips?

When organising a school trip, it’s important to keep in mind that there are two types which each have different legal requirements involved. The two forms of school trip are:

• Routine visits.
• Trips that need a risk assessment and extra planning.

The second form of school trip are those that are not covered by a school’s current policies, for example due to distance from the school, the type of activity, location, or need for staff with specialist skills. 

Whilst in some cases it may be adequate to simply adjust a previous school trip arrangement, other trips will need a new risk assessment completed, more detailed planning, and the approval of the school’s headteacher or governing body. 

Ultimately, the legal requirements surrounding school trips all revolve around ensuring the health and safety of the children is protected as much as possible. To ensure you’ve considered all aspects of student safety, why not consult our article on Health and Safety in Schools: Free Checklist.

Obtaining Parental Consent

Whether you need to obtain parental consent to take pupils out on a school trip depends on the children’s age. 

For nursery aged children, you must always get written consent from a parent or legal guardian in order to take the child on a school trip. 

For most children, however, those over nursery age, written consent is not legally needed for the majority of school trips as they’re part of the curriculum. In fact, written consent is only required for trips that:

• Need a higher level of risk assessment.
• Are outside of usual school hours. 

Despite this, it’s strongly advised that you always make parents and guardians aware of any school trips prior to their commencement to give them the opportunity to withdraw their child if preferred. 

It’s also good practice to ask parents or carers to sign a consent form for school trips when their child first joins the school, which is designed to provide permission for their entire enrolment. 

Using External Organisations

Often, a school will hire another organisation to lead a school trip, particularly if it involves visiting a location run by another company or partaking in an activity needing professional guidance. This can help to enrich a child’s experience as it offers the chance to visit places and do things that are outside of the limits of what a school and education staff can provide. 

Using external organisations can be risky if not researched properly, however. It’s essential that they are able to provide satisfactory safety standards and public liability insurance. 

One way to check whether an external organisation is safe to hire for a school trip is to check whether they have a Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, awarded by The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC).

Additionally, even when using an organisation that has a LOtC quality badge, it’s important that a school draws up an agreement with the organisation prior to a school trip that outlines exactly what everyone is responsible for, particularly if the organisation will be included in the supervision of children. 

Arranging Adventurous Activities

School trips that contain an element of adventure are often the most exciting for children as they frequently involve doing an activity that the child has not had the chance to experience before. This includes things like watersports, climbing, trekking, or caving. 

It’s essential that these activities are organised well in advance of the school trip taking place and are not added during the visit. This is because these activities potentially involve more safety hazards and should therefore be highly risk assessed beforehand to ensure that the abilities of every child taking part are considered. Furthermore, organisations offering adventure activities should hold the correct licences to do so. It’s vital to check this before choosing a provider for your trip.

Having an Emergency Response Plan

Before embarking on a school trip, you should ensure you have a suitable emergency response plan in place that outlines what to do if an accident or incident does occur during the visit. This should include a communication plan containing the relevant contact numbers and the organisation of regular check-ins.

Eager to Expand Your Knowledge?

We offer a wide range of expert Courses for Teaching and Education to help you stay compliant and safeguard your students, including Paediatric First Aid, Challenging Behaviour and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Training for Schools.

Are School Trips Safe?

It’s common for schools to shy away from organising school excursions or stick to safer trips due to misunderstandings around safety law and in order to avoid scrutiny if something were to go wrong. 

In reality, however, research shows that more accidents occur on school grounds than on trips. Furthermore, the safety requirements for school trips are very realistic and shouldn’t cause schools any anxiety. As long as you’ve identified any hazards that may arise and determined control measures to help mitigate these risks, the chance of an incident occurring will be significantly reduced and you’ll be sufficiently prepared to react if a situation does arise. Thus, schools should have the confidence to offer engaging and educational trips where everyone involved is aware of their responsibilities.

To help you to make the necessary safety preparations, you can find a few examples of possible school trip risks below. 

How to Do a Risk Assessment for a School Trip

A risk assessment is a document which helps to identify what risks currently exist or may occur in a particular environment or situation. A risk assessment of a school trip involves a thorough examination of any potential hazards that could occur during your excursion, helping to ensure you’ve done all that you can to keep the participating children safe. 

What Should be Included in a School Trip Risk Assessment?

Identify Any Possible Hazards

Start by considering the significant risks that could emerge at each stage of the trip, including travel to and from the location as well as the activity itself. This section should mainly focus on hazards over which you have some control, such as food safety, separation, slips and trips etc. Keep in mind that these hazards may vary depending on the nature of your excursion, as not all school trips carry the same level of risk, so it’s important to create an individual assessment for specific trips. 

Outline Who May be Affected by Each Hazard

The people potentially affected or harmed may be different for each hazard. For instance, some hazards may impact the whole group whereas others may only affect the children or even specific pupils. When considering this section, you should pay special thought to any children attending the trip with physical and/or learning disabilities, medical conditions, or food allergies. These individuals may require extra care as they’re more at risk of harm. 

Determine a System to Rank the Hazards

It’s a good idea to create a comprehensive ranking system for hazards that can be used across all risk assessments completed by the school. By ranking hazards based on how likely they are to occur and the severity of the risk, future risk assessments will become easier to complete and all school staff will be aware at a glance of how much precaution needs to be taken for each risk. One example of a ranking system for school trip hazards is:

1 – Low

2 – Moderate

3 – High

4 – Extremely high

Describe Suitable Control Measures and Precautions

Once each risk has been identified, you should consider and record any precautions you will take to help mitigate this risk. This can range from packing specific items, such as weather protection, to prohibiting certain foods that could trigger an allergy, or having an in-depth communication plan and emergency meeting location. 

Record Your Findings

It’s essential that you continue to review and update your risk assessment leading up to a school trip to account for any changes in circumstance and ensure that nothing has been missed. Also, keep a copy of the completed form as evidence of your diligence should an accident occur. 

School Trip Risk Assessment Template

To help set you on the right path to creating a fully comprehensive school trip risk assessment, we’ve created a blank template for you to download and fill out for free. Containing all the essential components listed above, simply follow the written prompts within the form to ensure you’ve included all necessary information to help keep children safe on your next school trip. 

School trips are some of the most enriching and memorable experiences for children and are therefore well worth incorporating into your curriculum. Whilst there are a number of legal requirements to consider whilst planning a school trip, these are all reasonable and manageable. The best way to ensure a school trip runs smoothly and safely is to conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify and mitigate any hazards prior to the school excursion.

Further Resources:

• How to Create an Effective Culture of Safeguarding in Schools
• Health and Safety in Schools: Free Checklist
• What Should be in a First Aid Kit?
• Courses for Teaching and Education

The post School Trip Risk Assessment: Free Template appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article, we will outline what reflective practice is exactly, and why it’s so important in teaching. Furthermore, we’ll provide concrete examples of reflective practice in teaching along with advice on how to incorporate this technique into your role. 

What is Reflective Practice?

Reflective practice is where you aim to continually improve your teaching by repeatedly reflecting on your methods, in order to ensure you’re providing the best learning experience for your students. 

Teaching is an extremely busy profession in which the work never really stops, and as such it can be easy to fall into the habit of reusing past lesson plans or resources time and time again to make life easier. Whilst this is completely understandable, it’s not the most effective way of teaching.

Reflective practice ensures you’re always evaluating past decisions in the classroom and making tweaks to improve your delivery and content, as well as tailoring your teaching to your current students as every cohort has different needs. It’s an essential aspect of ongoing professional development and part of being an effective teacher.  

Learn more about effective teaching and its importance in our article on What is Effective Teaching?

Importance of Reflective Practice in Teaching

As we’ve touched upon, reflective practice is a crucial part of being an effective teacher and ensuring you’re always developing professionally to benefit both yourself and your learners. This is just touching the surface of the importance of reflective practice, however. Below are a range of other benefits reflective practice could bring to your career and your student’s educational experience.

Benefits of Reflective Practice for Teachers

Increases Your Confidence as a Teacher

By reflecting on your teaching practices, you will gain a better understanding of how your students learn and what are the best ways to teach them. The more you hone your practices, the more skilled you will become at delivering lessons that suit your current cohort of learners, finding new solutions to previous problems, and becoming a more flexible teacher. Thus, you will naturally develop confidence and be assured that you’re providing your students with the best education they could receive from you. 

Encourages Innovation

Reflective practice enables you to experiment with new ideas and find the methods that work best for your class. By varying your approaches to teaching, students will get a richer learning experience and thus will likely become more imaginative and adaptable thinkers themselves. 

Boosts Classroom Relationships

In continuously reflecting on your teaching practices, you create an environment that centres on the learner and can thus provide better support for them. Focusing on your learners as individuals and identifying their various learning styles and needs will help them to feel better understood and cared for within the classroom, tightening the bond between teacher and student and increasing mutual respect. Furthermore, reflective practice helps to create more of a partnership between teachers and their colleagues and students as you work with them to hone your teaching methods. 

Enhances Problem Solving

Teaching always comes with its challenges, so knowing how to overcome these and solve problems effectively is of the utmost importance. Reflective practice can help you to improve your skills in problem solving by learning from previous experiences, or those of a colleague. By drawing on your knowledge from past situations, you will become more resourceful in knowing how to devise the right strategies to overcome any issues effectively. 

Interested in Learning More?

Build on your existing knowledge or learn new skills to help you in the classroom with our range of CPD Courses for Teaching and Education. Find everything from Challenging Behaviour to Leadership and Management.

Benefits of Reflective Teaching for Students

Improves Student Performance 

Reflecting on your teaching practices is bound to improve the quality of your lessons over time and this will in turn impact the performance of your learners. Better teaching from you will result in them achieving higher academic results, benefiting both parties. 

Increases Engagement in the Classroom

The range and variety of your teaching methods should increase with reflective practice as you experiment with which teaching methods are most effective and inspiring in your classroom. For students, this variation is likely to boost their engagement in your lessons as new ways of learning are often going to be considered more interesting and worthy of attention. 

Creates a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment 

Reflective teaching allows you to critically evaluate your classroom management and improve your handling of challenging behaviour. For example, you may assess your current rules and procedures to create a more positive and inclusive classroom environment overall with less disruptions. This will help to create a more productive and respectful learning experience for all students.

Fosters a Growth Mindset

As you reflect on your teaching practices and seek continual improvement, you’re modelling and promoting a growth mindset for your students which will encourage them to seek their own development. Children learn by example, and thus witnessing you demonstrating reflective practice will motivate them to embrace effort, resilience and perseverance too. 

Examples of Reflective Practice in Teaching

To break the idea of reflective practice down into more actionable compartments, there are four core forms of reflective practice that you can use in your teaching:

Individual Reflection

This is the most common type of reflective practice, involving thinking about your own practices and what has worked well or what could be improved. What are your strengths and weaknesses in teaching, and what can you do to better support your current students?

Students Reflections

Ultimately, it’s your learner’s opinions of your teaching that matters most as they’re the ones at whom your lessons are aimed and for whom their quality matters most. Thus, an important aspect of reflective practice is to ask your students questions about your teaching to see what they believe does or doesn’t work and what they’d like more or less of. 

Inviting, engaging with and acting upon the thoughts and opinions of your learners is known as encouraging pupil voice, and this can have a myriad of benefits for an educational establishment. Learn more about pupil voice and its benefits in our article on 5 Ways to Maximise Pupil Voice.

Colleague’s Reflections

One great thing about teaching is that you work as part of a team of educators, so you always have people to bounce ideas off of. You can use this to your advantage as part of reflective practice by asking your colleague’s professional opinions of your teaching methods, and to compare methods and come up with the best learning solutions together.

Perhaps create a feedback form that your colleagues can fill in to provide their opinions on your teaching and offer suggestions. This could be anonymous to promote complete honesty. You can find a free template to help gather such constructive criticism in our article on A Guide to 360 Degree Feedback.

Theoretical Reflections

There are always new ideas and schools of thought being developed within the education sector and many of these are based around improving teaching practices. Engaging critically in some of these new theories could provide some inspiration and give you a new outlook on how to approach future lessons. 

By using a mixture of these four methods over time, you’ll achieve a broad and insightful view of your current teaching practises to help you reflect on these and move forward with implementing improvements. 

How to Do Reflective Practice

Being a reflective practitioner should be an ongoing goal rather than a one-time event. Thus, it’s wise to incorporate reflection into your everyday teaching practice so that it eventually becomes second nature. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of reflective practice and ensure you’re continuously reaping its benefits. 

Choose the Right Time 

To effectively reflect on a lesson or classroom event, you need to ensure you can remember all the details of what’s occurred without your judgement being clouded by your initial feelings towards it. 

For example, immediately after you’ve finished teaching you may have a gut reaction of joy or deflation depending on how you think it went. It’s best to let these initial emotions pass before you reflect, so that you can think logically through the positives and negatives of the lesson and make an unbiased judgement. Having said that, you don’t want to wait too long as you may begin to forget the details of what has occurred. 

Hold Yourself Accountable

Having the intention to reflect on your practices is not enough. Rather, you must ensure you’re taking action to achieve an assessment of your methods. One way to hold yourself accountable is to incorporate reflective practice into your CPD hours and write down exactly how you intend to complete the activity. 

A Personal Development Plan (PDP) is a great way to break down your goals (e.g. reflective practice) into actionable steps with a deadline. You can find an example PDP plan for teachers, including an editable template in our article titled Professional Development Plan for Teachers.

Be Honest With Yourself

Sometimes it can be easy to make excuses for our decisions or behaviour in order to justify them to ourselves, however this will prevent you from effectively reflecting on your practice. Being honest with what your weaknesses are and what you should have done differently is a key aspect of reflective practice and this is what will allow you to identify and implement improvements that ultimately make you a better teacher. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them, which effective reflective practice will help you achieve. 

Having said this, make sure you acknowledge the positives in your teaching too and reflect on your strengths in addition to your weaknesses. 

Communicate Frequently and Effectively 

Reflective practice, although its title may sound solitary, is a group activity. As mentioned, two of the four principle methods of reflection involve gathering the opinions of your students and colleagues. To do this, you must be able to communicate often with them and ensure this communication is constructive and productive. Only by achieving this will you learn what you need to know to implement improvements in your teaching methods. 

Learn more about how to improve your communication as a teacher in our article on Effective Communication in the Classroom: Skills for Teachers.

Reflective practice is a vital part of the teaching profession, as it is key to developing your abilities and ensuring you’re educating learners to the best of your abilities. There are four main methods of reflecting on your practice, and these should be incorporated into your role habitually to ensure you’re able to make continuous progress rather than a one-time improvement. Becoming a reflective practitioner will bring numerous and significant benefits to both you and your students.  

Further Resources:

• What is Effective Teaching?
• 5 Ways to Maximise Pupil Voice
• Professional Development Plan for Teachers
• CPD Courses for Teaching and Education
• What is the Problem-Solving Method of Teaching?

The post What’s the Importance of Reflective Practice in Teaching? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Although young people have been instrumental in the recent rise in opening important conversations around mental health, helping to reduce the stigma surrounding it, it can still be confusing for a child to identify when they’re struggling with their own mental health and difficult for them to open up about this. Thus, it’s vital that adults have the knowledge and understanding to look out for young people’s wellbeing and offer the right support. 

In this article, we will explain what depression is in children, what can cause this mental health disorder, outline some of the signs of depression in children, and offer advice on how to help children who may be suffering from depression. 

What is Depression in Children?

Depression in children is a mental health and mood disorder that leads to feelings of sadness, irritability, or hopelessness that may be intense or prolonged, can interfere with everyday activities and reduce quality of life. 

Every child has emotional ups and downs, as we all do, but this is normal. There is usually a reason for these mood swings and they are only experienced temporarily before the child begins to feel better again. 

Depression in children is different to this. It creates an abnormal pattern of emotion whereby a young person may experience lingering feelings of sadness and hopelessness that prevents them from finding interest or pleasure in things they usually enjoy, can disrupt daily activities such as sleeping or eating, may hinder their relationships, and can even cause suicidal thoughts. 

It’s important to note that depression in children can differ to that in adults. Whereas adults typically associate depression with low mood and a loss of energy, children often display symptoms more in outbursts of anger or irritability. Furthermore, although adult depression frequently causes a withdrawal from all relationships, children experiencing depression have sometimes been known to isolate themselves from adults whilst maintaining contact with close friends. As a result, child depression can unfortunately often be dismissed as teenage ‘moodiness’ and therefore not identified or acted upon soon enough. 

To learn more about depression, along with various other common mental health disorders, read our article on What are the Different Types of Mental Health?

Causes of Childhood Depression

The cause of depression in a child can be very difficult to identify as, whilst the condition can be triggered by one particular source (such as a difficult event) it can also be developed as a result of a mixture of factors or simply due to a genetic disposition. Thus, unfortunately there is often no clear ‘cause’ of depression in children. 

Having said this, one or more of the following factors can increase the risk of childhood depression:

• Genetics and family history – Children with close relatives who have experienced depression or other mental health disorders are more likely to develop the condition themself.
• Physical illness or injury.
• Stressful or adverse life events – Such as a parent’s separation/divorce or a bereavement.
• Substance use.
• Bullying or exposure to other traumatic experiences or abuse. 
• Problems with friends.
• Struggling with identity – Such as sexuality or gender. 
• Puberty.

As mentioned, any combination of these factors can increase the risk of a child developing depression, but equally there may not be an identifiable source. Sometimes childhood depression can occur as a result of seemingly random chemical imbalances or disturbances, so searching for a clear cause isn’t always helpful. 

Most importantly, it’s critical that signs of depression in a child aren’t ignored or dismissed if there’s no identifiable origin of the issue. A child who appears to have an ideal life and upbringing can just as easily develop depression as someone with known childhood difficulties. 

What are the Signs of Depression in Children?

Childhood depression doesn’t always have one set of symptoms as it can present itself differently in each child. As a result, depression in children can frequently go undiagnosed and untreated as it’s hard to identify and is often passed off as standard emotional or psychological change that occurs during growth. 

There are a number of signs of childhood depression to look out for, however, as these symptoms are commonly displayed by a child experiencing this mental health condition: 

• Changes in appetite – This can include either an increase or decrease in appetite. 
• Changes in sleep – Childhood depression can cause sleeplessness or, conversely, excessive sleep.
• Continuous feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
• Increased irritability. 
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Experiencing feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem – You may hear a child speaking negatively of themself more frequently if they are struggling with depression. 
• Increased sensitivity, perhaps to rejection.
• Loss of interest in hobbies or passions. 
• Complaining of physical pain, such as headaches or stomach aches, that don’t respond to medication.
• Reduced sociability and withdrawal from relationships.
• Thought of self-harm or suicide.
• Crying or emotional outbursts. 
• A general change in their demeanour or mood that is intense and prolonged. 

As mentioned, every child will experience depression in varying ways. Thus, children may display differing symptoms at different times and in different settings. Whilst some children with depression are able to continue to function well in structured environments, others will display a more noticeable change. 

For teachers and safeguarders, there are a number of school specific signs of childhood depression in addition to those above that it is worth looking out for. These include:

• A reduced effort in school work and assignments.
• Having trouble concentrating in the classroom.
• Failure to turn in homework.
• Receiving lower grades than previously. 
• Withdrawing from school friends or classroom activities. 
• Missing school days or becoming frequently late.

Unfortunately, despite improvements in recent years, there still remains some stigma around mental health disorders which can result in myths surrounding mental health disorders being commonly mistaken as fact. To supplement the information above, and ensure you’re ideas surrounding depression are correct, read our article on Mental Health Myths vs Facts: What are the Realities?

Helping Children with Depression

Treatment of depression in children is similar to that of adults. It usually includes psychotherapy (most often counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and sometimes medication, such as antidepressants, if the symptoms are severe and don’t appear to improve with therapy alone. 

Whilst these are the medical treatments that a child experiencing depression may undertake, there are also many ways in which you as a parent, teacher or someone responsible for safeguarding can help to support a child who is struggling with depression. 

Want to Learn More?

Our Child Mental Health Training provides a more in depth and detailed understanding of child mental health. It explains some of the most common mental health disorders, how you can identify these, and ensures you are confident in your ability to support any child who may need it.

Supporting a child with depression can be difficult as often adults feel that a child’s struggles with mental health is their fault or they want to know exactly what’s brought it on. Whilst this is understandable, it’s most important to be there to support and reassure the child in an unconditional and non-judgemental way. 

Talk to Children About Mental Health

Suffering with mental health as a child can be extremely confusing as they may not fully understand what’s happening to them, why they feel the way they do, and what has brought about the change. Thus, having open conversations about mental health and various forms of mental health disorders can help to provide some clarity and reassurance to a child. 

Additionally, giving young people opportunities to open up is one of the most important things an adult can do to help support their wellbeing. Even if you can’t necessarily fix a child’s struggles with mental health, you can help them to feel heard and understood which is often valuable in itself in helping them to cope.  

How to explain mental health to a child and how to talk about depression

Although it’s extremely beneficial, talking to children about mental health isn’t always easy. You may not know how to bring up such a topic, when the best time to do so is, and may be afraid of making things worse or saying the wrong thing. 

It’s important to remember that children don’t always need you to get it perfectly right, it’s just important that they know that you’re there for them. 

It is often easier to talk while doing an activity, as this can give something else to focus on in addition to the conversation and thus takes some of the pressure off and can help it to feel more natural. 

Furthermore, it can be helpful to start the conversation indirectly by introducing the topic of feelings in a more subtle way than diving straight into mental health as a concept. Perhaps start by asking a child what the best and worst parts of their day were, what challenges they’ve faced recently, or how they’ve been feeling in general. 

Finally, if a child is struggling with their mental health, it can be useful for you to find out directly from them how they’d like to be supported rather than just assuming ways you can help. Try asking gentle questions such as those below:

• How can I support you through this?
• Do you want to talk about how you’ve been feeling?
• Is there anything you need or would like from me?
• What was the biggest problem you faced today and what would help you face it? 

Spend Quality Time with the Child

Depression can be an extremely lonely condition, so it’s more vital than ever that you remain fully present for the child. Despite one common symptom of childhood depression being withdrawal from relationships or increased isolation, it’s essential that a child with depression remains aware that they have a strong support system around them. Thus, ensure you’re taking an active interest in the child’s life, asking them questions and suggesting doing activities together that they may enjoy. 

Create a Positive and Safe Environment

Nurturing an environment of positivity, warmth and safety, whether that’s at home, school or elsewhere, can go a long way to helping a child suffering with depression to feel more relaxed and supported. To create this environment, ensure you’re vocalising your love and support frequently, have the child’s favourite things around them, and minimise any external disturbances or stressful surroundings that could disrupt the child’s emotions further. 

Encourage Healthy Habits

Many of the symptoms of depression include a disruption to everyday activities such as sleeping and eating. A child with depression is likely to experience an increase or decrease in appetite, restlessness, or insomnia. It is a well known fact, however, that maintaining healthy daily habits goes a long way to supporting good mental wellbeing as well as physical health. Thus, it’s in a child’s best interest to try and stick to regular eating and sleeping habits as well as staying active. 

As a parent, teacher or safeguarder, you can support a child with depression by monitoring any changes in their everyday activities and trying to keep them on course, for example by providing regular, nutritious and tasty meals for them or suggesting you participate in energising activities together. 

To learn more about the benefits of staying active on mental health, read our article on The Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health.

Look After Yourself

Being a witness to childhood depression, especially if it’s in a child you’re close to or responsible for, can be distressing and helping them can become an all-encompassing factor in your life. Whilst it’s important to support a child with depression in any way you can, it’s also vital to remember that if you’re sacrificing your mental or physical health, you won’t be able to provide the best support. As a result, it’s essential that you continue to prioritise your own wellbeing in addition to that of the child. This will also make it easier to maintain a positive and safe environment for the child, as mentioned above. 

Childhood depression is a complex mental health disorder that manifests differently for each individual, and can therefore be difficult to identify and treat. Because of its intricate nature, it can be extremely confusing and distressing for a child to experience depression, and the consequences of this illness can be severe. Thus, it’s vital that adults are aware of the signs and understand ways to support children suffering with this condition. 

Further Resources:

• How to Support Children with Attachment Disorder
• How to Teach Children About Healthy Relationships
• What are the Different Types of Mental Health?
• Mental Health Myths vs Facts: What are the Realities?
• Child Mental Health Training

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