Session 1 - 8th September 2025

 Lesson 1

Intro & 'High Expectations'

 Objectives

• Intro to the module
• Overview of the Assessment
• Start to consider identity as a teacher
• Think about effective teaching and learning 
• Consider role of expectation in Teaching and Learning
• Understand theories of reflection

 Full session links to the ITTECF Section 1 - 'Set High Expectations'

What is the module about?  

• Covers core concepts of teaching, learning, and assessment
• Focuses on the core pedagogical skills and knowledge that trainee / student teachers need
• focuses on application of theory to practice and to professional settings
• Focuses on development of a range of practical skills

Learning outcomes

• Demonstrate understanding of approaches to reflection and apply to own practice to support enhancement of teaching and learning
• engage with and apply innovative, creative, and evidence based approaches to Teaching and Learning
• Make appropriate use of a range of spoken, written, and online communication methods
• Identify, analyses, and develop critical responses to core strands of learning, teaching, and assessment 
• Autonomously adopt own practice based on a detailed understanding of professional standards in familiar and unfamiliar contexts

What is the Assignment? 

•  A critical reflection that demonstrates how I have progressed in relation to three aspects of learning, teaching, and assessment
• Select three areas for development and incorporate reference to the key literature on core concepts and theories underpinning these areas
• Areas of practice may include, but are not limited to the following:
• Subject and Curriculum Knowledge
• Planning and Pedagogy
• Use of Assessment Strategies
• Behavior Management
• Reflective Practice
• Etc. 
• Format of Assessment may include one of the following, equivalent to 3500 words, and will demonstrate all learning outcomes
• Essay or Article
• VLOG or Podcast
• Written or Filmed Interview

 What is the assessment criteria? 

• Clear evidence of critical reflection on practice including:
• The Use of reflective approaches
• Depth of reflection
• Linking theory to practice
• linking reflection to development
• impact of reflection 
• Evidence of development in three selected aspects of learning, teaching and assessment including:
• Linking explicit examples of practice to theory
• linking reflection to target setting
• links to the quality of teaching
• a variety and range of well chosen evidence
• depth of quality of evidence addressed 
• The selection of appropriate format of assessment and effective presentation of that assessment

Who do I want to be as a teacher? 

• Male role model for children
• give young people a steady, reliable role model in education setting
• Give children the best start in life that they can to achieve their aspirations 

 What is an effective teacher? 

• Good subject knowledge
• mutual respect for children
• adaptable
• calm under pressure
• look and dress the part 

Self-Fulfilling Behaviours - Jussin and Harber (2005)

(a) Self-fulfilling prophecies in the classroom do occur, but these effects are typically small. They do not accumulate greatly across percievers or overtime and they may be more likely to dissipate than accumulate
(b) Powerful self-fulfilling prophecies may selectively occur among students from stigmatized social groups
(c) whether self-fulfilling prophecies affect intelligence, and whether they, in general, do more harm than good remains unclear
(d) teacher expectations may predict student outcomes. these expectations are taken up by the pupil and become self fulfilling. 

  

"Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them"

- Lady Bird Johnson (1912-2007)

 What are High Expectations? 

ITTECF: Teacher Standards 1 -"Set High Expectations which inspire, motivate, and challenge pupils"

• Establish A safe and Stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect
• Set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all beckgrounds, abilities, and dispositions
• Demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values, and behaviour which are expected of pupils 

 Harris and Rosenthal's Theory (1985)says that:

There are four aspects involved in expectations:

1.  The positive or negative classroom climate generated by the teacher (e.g. through eye contact or other means)
2. The feedback or lack of feedback provided to students
3. The time and curriculum quality afforded to each student
4. The performance and response opportunities afforded to each student (e.g. opportunities to answer questions and the teacher's patience while waiting for the student to answer) "

 What are Professional Behaviours? 

 

ITTECF: Teacher Standards 8: Fulfil your wider professional responsibilities

 

Learn how to...

Develop as a professional by: 

(a) Engaging in professional development focused on developing an area of practice with clear intentions for impact on pupil outcomes sustained over time with built in opportunities for practice
(b) Strengthening pedagogical and subject knowledge by participating in wider networks and as apart of the lesson preparation process
(c) Seeking challenge, feedback, and critique from mentors and and other colleagues in the open and trusting working environment

(d) Engaging with research evidence by accessing reliable sources, seeking support for how findings can inform practice, and monitoring the impact of applications

(e) Reflecting on progress made, recognising strength and weaknesses and identifying next steps for further improvement

 

Build effective working relationships by...

(f) Contributing positively to the wider school culture and developing a feeling of shared responsibility for improving the lives of all pupils in the school

(g) seeking ways to support individual colleagues and working as part of a team

(h) Communicating with parents and carers proactively and making effective use of parents' evenings to engage parents and carers in their children's schooling

(i) Working closely with the SENCO and other professionals supporting pupils with additional needs, making explicit links between interventions delivered outside of lessons with classroom teaching

(j) Drawing on guidance from expert colleagues, sharing the intended lesson outcomes with teaching assistants ahead of lessons

(k) Ensuring that support provided by teaching assistants in lessons is additional to, rather than replacement for, support from the teacher

(l) Knowing who to contact with any safeguarding or any pupil health concerns

 

Manage workload and wellbeing by...

(m) Using and personalising systems and routines to support efficient time and task management

(n) Understanding the right to support (e.g. to deal with misbehaviour, or to support pupils with SEND)

(o) Collaborating with colleagues to share the load of planning and preparation and making use of shared resources (e.g. textbooks)

(p) Protecting time for rest and recovery and being aware of support available to support good mental wellbeing 

 

Behaviour expected in a school from a teacher

• Punctuality
• Time Management / Organisation
• Professional
• Willing to learn and adapt
• Maintain professional boundaries
• Following School Policies
• Using school approved communication rather than personal social media
• Be proactive and a team player
• Be responsive
• Be respectful to ALL staff and students
• Use appropriate language
• Maintain confidentiality and conform to GDPR / Data Protection

 

 Erving Goffman 'The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life'

- 1959 (Click here)

 

 He theorises that our identities and our presentation of self is a 'performance' that we put on every day. 

 

He calls it a dramaturgical model of social life 

 

The performance we put on in our daily life in public is our 'front stage'  

Our actions once we are out of public view (at home) is our natural state and is our 'back stage'  

 

He also theorizes that we as 'actors' understand the audiences expectations in our social interactions, and as such we shape our 'performance' towards fitting into this by using the following three things:

 

1.  Setting - The fixed elements of the physical environment (scenery, props, location etc. 
2. Appearance - Dress and props that have social ascribed meaning (dress, stance, facial expressions)
3. Manner - How an individual plays the role (calm, aggressive, supportive, academic, etc.)

 How does this link to being a teacher? 

In lots of ways. It's one of our 'performances'. Personally, I think of it like 'putting on a costume' and 'becoming Mr. Wilkins' instead of just being Zach.

 

1. Setting - Classroom, school - Physical space arrangements, table setups, displays, books, how we have things set up
2. Appearance - Professional dress, stance, and interaction
3. Manner - Being 'teacherly' in the ways we interact and our tone used with the children 

 This in turn links to observational learning...

 

Albert Bandura's social learning theory states that four conditions were needed for effective modelling for learning to take place:

 

• Attention - Individual notices something 
• Retention - Individual remembers what they have observed
• Reproduction - Individual replicates the behavior shown
• Motivation - Individual seeks to demonstrate the behavior they have ovserved

 What is Albert Bandura's Social Learning theory? 

 The theory that people learn through observing, imitating, and modeling other peoples behaviour -- in short, 'monkey see, monkey do'.  

 

This process is called 'vicarious learning'. 

 

 The research was proven in the 70's when Bandura placed a child and adult in a room with various toys and a 'bobo' doll -- an inflatable doll. The adult proceeds to beat the doll for ten minutes. 

The adult is removed

Then the child replicates the actions of the adult

 

Similarly, when the adult plays gently with the other toys, or plays gently with 'bobo', the child replicates this too. 

 

This theory is still under debate (video games and violence for example) and was repeated later using Television as the catalyst for children's behavior only for the same result to occur.

 

 Potential theories to look into for self reflection:

• Schon's ladder of reflection
• Gibbs reflective cycle
• Kolb Reflective cycle
• Bout Triangle of reflection
• John's model of reflection
• Brookfield's Reflective method
• Moon's Reflective Model