Day 344 - Well'ard

Friday March 26th

Really enjoyed University day. We did lots of algebra and graphs. We are an eclectic bunch and have got on well with each other since we started, albeit limited to the days we are together. I'm not sure anyone has enough time for socialising outside of organised days.

Tonight was St Faith's Quiz Night and the mighty Jordan's Eyelashes swept the board. We had a very strong team but my personal triumph was naming Robbie's dog from Eastenders. No idea where it came from but it made up for my mistake on the World Cup question.

Day 321 - Acronym City

Wednesday March 3rd

Another day at University, cunningly planned to miss 3 lessons. Today was what they called a secondary conference - we rotated around 4 different seminars to learn as much as we could. I chose the following:

1. VLE/MLE - acronym for Virtual or Managed Learning Environment. The former is basically a web based extranet that gives staff, pupils and parents access to information as well as ability to set and submit homework. The latter is a database school management system. Some schools combine the two quite effectively. I had two epiphanies during this session. Firstly, that Kings' is light years behind the ball in this area and secondly, I'm changing my GTP assignment to "What role can an integrated VLE/MLE play in extending pupil learning and differentiation in schools ?". I could write this in my sleep. I will need to.

2. NLP - Some neuro psychologist pontificating on how he deals with his patients. It was quite thought provoking but he was so arrogant he wound everyone up. Humourous.

3. Behaviour management in the classroom - silence is a powerful tool...unless they are throwing chairs at you.

4. SEAL - more acronyms than you can shake a stick at. This one was the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning. He was basically saying that a successful learner has emotional dimensions that we rarely cater for.

Day 316 - Maths Dunce

Friday February 26th

Maths day at University so instead of slugging it out with 9.2.2 , I was relaxing with my fellow trainees looking at some algebra.

I really enjoy these sessions as it is a chance to relax and do some learning of my own. I feel like I am becoming more confident in the subject until I sit next to someone with a Maths degree and then I feel very stupid.

Headed straight off to Essex for Catherine's 40th birthday celebrations. Ellen looked after the girls while we partied til 2.30am. Ouch

Day 303 - You Can Take The Boy Out Of Essex

Saturday February 13th

What do do this weekend? Kicked it off with a weezy run and tentative linesman's duties at Ted's football match. The first half was uneventful but it kicked off with a couple of parents in the 2nd half. I was in the clubhouse drinking tea at the time.

Headed off to see the Boardmans in their cottage in West Sussex. Not too bad a drive  and very good to see them all, as well as Carolyn and Mike. Hadn't seen Carolyn for 8 years. Everyone is so grown up and it's a marvel to watch Mark in his waxed jacket, battered Land Rover in a quaint Sussex village. He's from Wickford in Essex. Whenever I see anyone from Uni, we all revert to being 19 again. Except I had to drive.

Day 285 - Bump In The Road

Tuesday January 26th

Assembly and mentor meeting this morning. My assignment is looming large and I still haven't done anything meaningful about it. That's probably why the university encourages us to start on it early and not leave it to the last minute.

It's odd as I'm shying away a little from planning lessons and putting myself out there. I don't know whether that's because I'm tired, I just haven't got in the groove yet, or it's a natural part of the cycle as I realise that performing at a high level day in day out in front of a class is very very difficult. I did OK today but that was because I only had 2 lessons and the 2nd one I asked to observe rather than teach. I need to get over this bump in the road.

Day 281 - Tarzan Roar

Friday January 22nd

Tired today and lacking in inspiration. This is not good on a very full Friday so I need to find another gear from somewhere this term if I'm going to keep improving. I'm doing enough to get by right now and that's about it.

I just completed a pretty horrendous assignment for university. I handed it in but wasn't at all happy with it. It seemed like a good idea at the time but it got lost in translation and I ran out of time to change it. My own fault as we were given the assignment before Christmas but as usual I left it to the last minute. I am not looking forward to getting my grade back.

I got through the day and then rushed off to Ted's football practice. I felt much better after a good run - maybe I'm playing things too safe and controlled, I need to find my Tarzan roar and get the blood pumping, take a few risks.

Day 273 - The Literacy of Numbers

Thursday January 14th

The snow melted as quickly as it had come this time, which was a shame because Winchester looked beautiful with its trees and roofs laden with virgin white snow. Still no teaching for me today as I hopped on the Number 1 bus for a day at University. even that wasn't straightforward as St Cross Rd is closed to traffic and I had to slog up Battery Hill to intercept it on its detour.

Today we learn about literacy in learning. If I might translate into simple words. We learnt that children have to be able to read in order to progress at school, not only in English but in all subjects, including Maths. This took a whole day.

Joking aside, it does seem that doing well in a Maths exam in 2010 depends significantly more on your ability to read than it did in the 1980s. In their efforts to make Maths more relevant and functional, simple maths problems of yesteryear now come with a whole story attached to them before you get to the Maths bit. This means there is a bigger chance of misunderstanding or incomprehension through (lack of) literacy. Losing interest before you get to the end of the question is also highly probable. Bring back the purity of solving problems with numbers and symbols, that's what I say.

Day 245 - The 4th Emergency Service

Thursday December 17th

An unexpected half day as our day of Maths at university finished at 1pm. This was perfect as we were all flagging after a long term. Unfortunately my plan to meet up with Mrs N was ruined by a puncture on the M3 and spent the afternoon waiting for the AA. Got back in time for a pint with Year 10 tutors and then Alice's carol service at St Cross. M&D came along and it was well worth it. A stunning church and our youngest reading a lesson with an impeccable English accent.

Headed off to the Maths department Christmas party at the Golden House chinese restaurant. Light years away from similar occasions at Diageo but enjoyed it, possibly more because of the absence of excess. Early finish, early bed...good for the soul.

Day 236 - 101 Things To Do With An Interactive Whiteboard

Tuesday December 8th

Interesting day at university today - everyone was very tired and the energy levels were pretty depleted. I went to four sessions. The first was about different learning styles - really good session and a big theme for me as I try to understand how to spot and then cater for different learning styles. The second was about teaching able, gifted and talented kids. Another thought provoking hour or so, only slightly distracted by the fact that Ted and Ellen are both considered able....proud Dad but are they being stretched enough?

The afternoon was very very long. The first session was ICT and was very good as we worked with the interactive whiteboard and multimedia. There is so much I can do with the interactive white board and haven't got round to yet. The last hour on data was less useful and I was happy to depart for home.

It's funny that everyone was grumbling about a day of meetings that lasted from 9.30 to 4.15pm. Then I remember the average 8am to 6pm Diageo meeting with a working lunch.....

Day 207 - BIG Government

Monday November 9th

A second day at University in under a week and we learnt all about assessment in the morning and more maths in the afternoon. There is certainly a lot of data around in schools, not least government targets, standards, tools and processes. The level of jargon and acronym use would put Diageo to shame. All of it is eminently logical and sensible but the issue with BIG government, as it is with BIG business, is that someone has to apply it all. I do not know for sure but that someone is almost certainly the poor classroom teacher. I am also sure that there are senior management teams put in place to oversee the classroom teachers and make sure they fill in all forms and follow the directives. I must dig out that brilliant powerpoint presentation about the team of rowers.

It was an interesting morning and I managed not to embarrass myself in the maths session. I still haven't sorted out my second school placement but it looks like it could be at a small private school for special needs boys with behavioural and learning difficulties. Should be interesting.

Day 202 - Sam Loyd's Dissection

Wednesday November 4th

Alice walked down to the bus stop with me and I headed off to Soton for a day of Maths. It was a very enjoyable day and I got a B for my assignment. Yeah! Spent all day on geometry and Ruth gave us loads of great ideas including measuring dolphin fins using triangles...who would have thought?

I still haven;t organised my second placement so agreed with Andy to link up with him and his school in Basingstoke. I had to leave early and almost missed Alice but got there just in time and delivered her to ballet and football on time AND managed a run in between. Ted cooked burritos which were a BIG hit.

Exhausted tonight but feeling good. First night sleeping on my own in the new house without Mrs N. Boo Hoo.

Day 195 - Seven Bridges of Konigsberg

Wednesday October 28th

Spent all day on my University homework. As is my wont, I left it to the last minute and received a chastening email from my tutor reminding me of the deadline. It's not my fault, it's in my blood. That's why I was always good at exams. Managed to get it all done, including a quick timeline of key mathematical discoveries and a starter based on Konigsberg's Bridges.

Cooked fajitas for dinner and they were fabulous

Day 181 - Assignment Day

Wednesday October 14th

Day at Uni - bliss. Took the bus, did some marking, envied some students and then completely changed my assignment title. I loved the tutor who basically told us to do what we needed to do to pass and no more. I'm all for that

I haven't really shared experiences with my fellow GTP students yet so maybe that is still to come but it looks like I will be spending my second placement at a school that has lower academic achievements and you know what that means - some outstanding behaviour to deal with. Great

Day 180 - Treasure Hunt

Tuesday October 13th

Busy day today but prospect of a day at University to look forward to tomorrow so can enjoy it.

Had a good session with BYS and discussed my GTP assignment. This requires a 3,000 word paper on exploring an issue or opportunity in education. She rejected my first few ideas as being too philosophical and impossible to test or apply simply in the classroom. I think I have a good title with some excellent buzz words incorporated.

Had 10.2.2 in the computer room today and set them a task to plot Olympic medals on an Excel scatter graph. It ended up working very well and while very warm in the room, we almost finished on time. I followed that with a 7.2.1 Treasure Hunt around the corridors of Kings. I briefed them and sent them on their way only to find out that the Head and her team were walking the corridors. Fortunately they were all well behaved.

Ted had a Cup game for the school and won. What a contrast with his club team. He is now a regular starter so very proud of him for that. I went off for some hill work and mile repeats with WADAC. Hills felt good, miles less so

Day 169 - Hangman

Friday October 2nd

All relaxed today as no school just half a day at University with my Maths tutor. We got our GCSE papers back and I managed 92% (hooray) and 76% (boo). We raced through loads of material which was great. I now have enough starters to get through the next few months including hangman, word search, and a website called armoredpenguin.com. Odd.

Our assignment this month is to research famous Mathematicians and create a starter based on one of them. Euler will do for me as I have all that stuff from York.

Had a really good time and the time flew by. Students are back on campus now so it was very busy with Fresher's Week. That brings back memories from a long long time ago.

Day 153 - Tutor Visit

Wednesday September 16th

Our darling daughter's 15th birthday today and no school for them. Just me trudging up the long steep hill to school. Today was all about annual reviews...done a few of them before! It was very nice not to have to do one for a change. Instead I had a meeting with Keith, the head of the GTP course at University of Southampton. The meeting went well, especially as I had everything handy to show him.

Brought back bad memories of the final leadership course I had to do at Diageo when every sinew within me screamed in protest at having to fill in forms, do tests and go to week long courses, all the while knowing I was moving on. I enjoyed it much more this time - how could you not when it's all new and interesting and stretching me in different directions rather than bullsh*t of the highest order that gets cancelled as soon as the money runs dry in a recession?

Day 146 - Keep Smiling Til Christmas

Wednesday September 9th

Full day at University today so caught the bus there and back. It was a good day as I was familiar with most of the presentations in the morning and the lack of teaching jargon was refreshing. The guy who presented dismissed the thought of "don't smile til Christmas" with exactly the opposite. I like that.

My Head of Dept is leading the Maths specific content and I embarrassed myself with one of the questions she asked. Oops. Bless her though, she moved swiftly on to spare my blushes. She may be questioning her decision to hire me though.

Day 83 - Fresher

Wednesday July 8th

Headed off to the University of Southampton today to register formally on my GTP course. I tried to drop Alice off at school but followed the wrong car into Bar End. Whoops.

It was a good morning. We spent it with Keith Smith, the lead tutor. I did not say a word as tempted as I was. It truly felt like being back at school, or at best University. I need to get used to it because this is what it feels like to be back at the start of something. I'm smart but know nothing about teaching so need to be OK with making mistakes, looking foolish in front of others. Not today though

Got the all important handbook and learnt about the infamous portfolio of evidence I have to accumulate. Basically, I have to put together 2 box files of documents that show I have mastered the 33 standards expected of a qualified teacher.