South Bromsgrove
A case study of accelerated learning in science
South Bromsgrove Community High School, Technology College is a 13-18 high school within the county of Worcestershire. Following the retirement of our former headteacher, in 1999, Phil McTague took up the reins and in his inaugural address introduced us to Alistair's work. Three years on, the school has moved dramatically forward. It has changed towards an achievement culture which has been accompanied by astonishing improvements in exam performance, and the positive attitudes of students towards their educational experience. The school has consistently performed higher than any other in the county in terms of value added since 1999.
Will Thomas, Head of Science, took up post in 1999 and quickly became fascinated in the psychology and physiology of learning. The midway results of a five-year plan to raise the standards of teaching and learning in the faculty have been that science has contributed significantly to the success of the school as a whole. As an illustration, the science SATs at KS3 have moved from 60% level-five-and-above in 1999 to 78% in 2001; this has been a consistent upward trend.
Will has described developing an accelerated learning faculty as being an inspirational experience. He says "From the days when we taught in an isolated and largely unmapped territory, we now understand what we should do and why we should do it". The consistent application of esteem-building approaches has unlocked student potential. Students whom teachers might have excluded from science lessons in days gone by, achieve C's in science GCSE, unlocking sought-after career opportunities.
The science faculty have focussed on a model of effective learning which is based on Alistair's Accelerated Learning Cycle and has been adapted and enhanced to maximise student on-task time in a science context. Over time leaders have worked to build on the strengths and motivations of the individual staff within the faculty, and have relentlessly sought, revisited, and shared good practice.
Rooted in The Accelerated Learning Cycle the model of practice in science has successfully enabled the faculty to:
- Develop an effective student-centred target-setting process
- Incorporate performance coaching techniques into teaching to help students overcome barriers and promote a supportive learning environment
- Build a cohesive and highly motivated staff team
- Develop staff competence in accelerated learning techniques to an advanced level
- Use a language of learning that all understand (including the students and their parents)
- Make beginnings and ends of lessons interactive and memorable every time
- Develop The Pareto Principle in an education setting to maximise teacher effectiveness through "The Learning Circles - 80/20 Vision" model
- Reduce admin demands on teachers and maximise classroom contact time
- Develop thinking skills "tool boxes" for students, through an innovative "Science Enrichment" programme
- Make science fun, creative, useful and relevant AND achieve results
The five year accelerated learning plan which the head of science devised, seemed an ambitious undertaking, but with perseverance, adaptation and enhancement along the way, it has already proved both possible and effective.
Will says that "we would never have guessed just how much we could have achieved in the last three years. With an understanding of the learning process and a common language for discussing it, the expectations of staff and consequently students has risen markedly. What makes us most proud is the improved life chances of all of our students; the choices they now have."
He goes on to say "we know that we still have a long way to go, and we don't pretend that we have all the answers or know all of the questions, but we do know that what we have been doing, really is working. Staff have rekindled a spirit for teaching in many cases and now enjoy a professional satisfaction which had dwindled over many years. We are not perfect, but we are moving forward, and at pace".