"The work that the kids do that is the best is always based on spontaneous ideas, not the ones that are slowly shaped over time, edited and revised.

It seems as though sudden light bulb moments create an energy within them that carries through to the end."

Ain’t it soooo true!

Paul is on the verge of creating an experiment around this observation in his classroom and this got me thinking…

As an activist (and low natural reflector) I tend not to leave much downtime either for myself or those I encourage to learn. However, I too have been experimenting recently and the results have been impressive.

• Allowing natural pauses during coaching conversations => my learner taking a more leading role in the conversation
• Allowing time for a room full of learners to play with a new software tool at their own pace => great questions and more learning than if I hand-held them step by step
• Going for a run after a break of 5 months => 3 quality implementable ideas
• Cycling to the shops in middle of working day => renewed enthusiasm to engage with task in hand
• Listening to same CD over and over again on long journeys => amazing creative insights
• Slowing the pace of my day to day existence => enjoying the time spent with loved ones even if doing no more than cuddled on the sofa watching CBeebies.

Add a comment below to share what have you done recently to create energy.

"Building resilience is an essential part of managing stress. If you want to build your resilience, work on developing these attitudes and behaviours:

• Think of change as a challenging and normal part of life.
• See setbacks and problems as temporary and solvable.
• Believe that you will succeed if you keep working toward your goals.
• Take action to solve problems that crop up.
• Build strong relationships and keep commitments to family and friends.
• Have a support system and ask for help.
• Participate regularly in activities for relaxation and fun."

Learn more about developing your resiliency and why it is important by reading "Bounce!: Failure, Resiliency, and Confidence to achieve your next great success" by Barry J. Moltz.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to develop a robust inner confidence. I read this engaging book cover to cover in under a week making many notes in the margins that I regularly return to for inspiration.

In West Berkshire some schools have action plans to address issues raised and some have formed working groups to implement changes after their school participated in a staff engagement survey.  Lisa Poole, HR co-ordinator for schools in West Berkshire Council, said "headteachers who had initially not understood the value of an employee survey became “a lot more interested” in the initiative after they had seen the responses from the first survey."

It is really easy to participate in some training because it is ‘in vogue’ or looks interesting, but when was the last time you planned your learning priorities in advance based on quantifiable evidence of ‘need’ rather than ‘want’.

I work with headteachers who are keen to develop their leadership style, but are not sure where to start. With this in mind, I have just created my first set of 360 degree feedback questions designed specifically for school leaders. The questions are based on Emotional Intelligence competencies. The answers will allow school leaders to reflect on the trends and get a deeper understanding of what their staff really think and feel about their leadership style.

Read my top tips for planning your learning here as published this week in GTC Teaching Scotland.

I have put together a mindmap of the options available to Early Heads in London and the South of England click on the extract below to download the full version in PowerPoint format:

I am currently working with several individuals in their first headship role. I would love to discuss your needs and how I may support you to develop your leadership skills too.

This week I have been working with a forward thinking school who have recently established a Staff Welfare Group (SWG) with an aim of increasing the wellbeing of staff. This school knows that with happy, healthy and valued staff everyone benefits.

The school recognised that it needed to bring the Staff Welfare Group and Senior Management Team together to tackle a challenging staff-wide issue and brought me in to facilitate the meeting. A key outcome of the meeting was an action plan which aimed to deliver a measurable improvement over the next six months. There were some great actions within the plan but one interested me most.

The Staff Welfare Group members are positioning themselves as leaders in their school. They will be offering teachers the opportunity for a member of the SWG to participate in, and potentially lead, team meetings monthly. These team meetings are attended by the staff who work with a specific cross section of the student population, typically one-two teachers and about six support staff.

This initiative has many positive benefits including the potential to:
• promote a cross pollination of positivity and increased understanding of the pressures and concerns in other teams
• open up a new face-to-face communication route between the Staff Welfare Group and staff
• increase the support available to new staff in leading their teams from more experienced staff and everyone’s leadership skills benefit

The Staff Welfare group was formed from volunteers and includes a cross section of support staff, administrators, teachers and governors. The majority of members are not managers but they all have the potential to be opinion leaders. I look forward to watching the progress of this initiative and observing how individuals flourish within the leadership roles they are shaping for themselves.

I wanted to settle on a short quote that linked to learning and not having time to trawl through all my books I decided to search the internet.

I chose

"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Let me do and I understand." Confucius

It is still not quite right, but now that I am on the lookout for my favourite quote, I am sure it will present itself to me sooner or later.

However I did Google "Let me do and I understand" and came across an interesting perspective on classroom based learning in a 3 minute video by John Abbott here. John says at the end that the approach he describes is an "absolute challenge to the pedagogy that is currently used in schools." but I do not agree. High quality teachers understand the importance of encouraging their students to learn on the job and although this practice is not universal, it is certainly far from being an absolute challenge for all.

I do know that the majority of adults I have trained learn more ‘on the job‘ than in a training room and that teachers who apply the same awareness to their own personal learning and self development benefit greatly.

Let us get away from accepting training that consists of information delivered by a voice at the front of the room and instead spend training budgets on learning that:

1. Aligns with the strategic goals of a school
2. Recognises and supports the personal goals of the individuals who work so hard within a school
3. Actively seeks to embed long-term learning throughout the school

This non-profit organization have a fast track leadership programme for addressing the shortfall in Secondary head teachers. Established 3 years ago this programme is running in London, Manchester, West Midlands and Merseyside from summer 2009 .

If you want to read more, then either visit the Future Leaders website or click here for an informative overview of this programme on page 13 of SecEd written by Emma Mills.

This phrase from the Future Leaders ‘mission and beliefs’ really resonated with me:

"LEAD LEARNING – Great schools are led by great leaders who have a focus on learning and attract, develop and coach great staff to reach every child"

Wouldn’t it be amazing if every school was staffed with great staff and were led by great leaders. Our children deserve nothing less!

Chose a…

Consultant - to work out which bike to ride

Therapist – to help you get over the fear and actually get on the thing

Mentor – to teach you how they have ridden the bike and model how you might like to do so yourself

Coach – to put you on the bike, help you pedal and then run along side as you get the job done

Thanks to Jairek Robbins for his words of wisdom in an interview with Dan Bradbury.

Best bits speed coaching

One of my secondary school clients put together a whole school staff meeting as an early step in to developing a coaching culture in her school. Positivity was encouraged as was focusing departmental teams on their strategic developmental needs.

For the last activity all staff were asked to write down three things they are best at. After verification and encouragement from their peers, staff were then arranged in two lines standing facing each other. They were given a minute each to describe to a ‘prospective learning partner’ their best bits before a bell rang and everyone moved on a place.

Afterwards several teachers commented that they felt great repeating over again their best bits and most left happier than when they had arrived. The school also benefitted from more staff knowing who was ‘expert’ at what.

How would you use ‘best bits speed coaching’ in your school?

What has gone down well at your staff meetings?