First written in 2016, this post refers to the time before I was a senior leader. The post refers to two main sources that deserve to be credited at the top and are the only two items in the bibliography. The school I work at is still the same and I hope that I, as far as possible, have carried on some of the values that I discussed here.
Cribb, A. and Gewirtz, S. (2011) Values in Schooling. In: Dillon, J and Maguire, M. (Ed.) Becoming A Teacher: Issues In Secondary Education: Issues in Secondary Teaching, pp.55-57 [online]. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Available at: http://www.myilibrary.com?ID=326918 [ Accessed 22 January 2017].
Bottery, M., (1990) The morality of the school: the theory and practice of values in education. London: Cassell.
My current international school is not ‘values sceptical’ (Cribb and Gewirtz, 2011). We emphasise respect for authority, English speaking, hard-work and involvement in wider school life. Both teachers and students are expected to adhere to those values. Cribb and Gewirtz (2011) emphasise that even supposedly neutral aspirations can be a way of imposing alternative values and our school works hard to eliminate the challenges that the background of even supposedly neutral ideas may pose.
Our senior leadership is effective in challenging alternative values amongst pupils and staff. First, they are conscious that challenges to the prevailing values of the school take many forms. Second, they respond to those challenges with actions that reaffirm their own values. Third, they reward those that follow their values. Finally, they, as far as possible, attempt to be role-models for those values.
As a for-profit school, my school is set up to compete in the world of ‘choice and marketisation’ that Cribb and Gewirtz (2011) identify as a feature that is being reinforced in the UK. However, we are potentially dealing with a less-informed consumer base than schools in the UK. There is no plausible (never mind effective) way, currently, of accurately comparing international schools.
I value academic excellence and score highly on child-centred teaching when completing the Bottery scale (Bottery, 1990, p.8-9). My practice attempts to ensure that I follow both the values driven approach of my school and the market forces at work combined with my own preference for child-centred learning. For example, this might mean that when children are given a project that there are clear and high-expectations set of that project that are rigorously enforced. The results of that project would then be publicised, shared and commented on and used to inform behaviour management and academic tracking.
My most successful class last year had two clear examples of this. Firstly, there was a project to design a robot teacher. While the pupils worked on the robots I learnt a lot about how pupils saw the robot as supporting school values and norms while still creating interesting work and delivering effective feedback. The project became a display which I referred to throughout the year. Secondly, while studying vocabulary and grammar related to food, we cooked as a class. We challenged ourselves to come up with dishes, menus and instructions that maximised our use of English as well as working together. The results were then shared with other pupils and the activity was promoted on school social media.
I often find it difficult to support values other than my own, but greater awareness of the direction of travel behind those values has supported me greatly.
Bibliography:
Cribb, A. and Gewirtz, S. (2011) Values in Schooling. In: Dillon, J and Maguire, M. (Ed.) Becoming A Teacher: Issues In Secondary Education: Issues in Secondary Teaching, pp.55-57 [online]. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Available at: http://www.myilibrary.com?ID=326918 [ Accessed 22 January 2017].
Bottery, M., (1990) The morality of the school: the theory and practice of values in education. London: Cassell.