Adaptability, Resilience, and Togetherness
A Blog from a new Progress Leader in the ‘New Normal.’
BY MATT GILLESPIE
Year 10 Progress Leader
It’s been asked of me a few times by colleagues during this opening half term if the job of a Progress Leader (PL) is what I expected it to be. Honestly, it’s a difficult question to answer. Yes, things are being done differently. Virtual assemblies, year group zones, and the inability to have parents/guardians on site for meetings are just three of the many challenges that PL’s and, indeed, all school staff up and down the nation will be battling with at the moment.
As a new Progress Leader starting in the role this year, it’s difficult for me to comment on how different the role actually is compared to what the role was like pre-COVID. Before I was fortunate enough to be appointed, I spent a lot of time shadowing Mike McLoughlin who was then the Progress Leader for Year 10. We would often speak about the role and discuss its key components. From this, I’m quite certain that the role has not changed in its initial makeup: the job is still to support and encourage young people so they can progress. The main elements to achieve this are still there, however, it’s our adaptability and resilience that is being challenged by the ‘new normal.’ In this blog, I will be discussing two of the central aspects of being a Progress Leader and how I’ve still been able to support our young people, despite these challenging circumstances.
First impressions, staying present and generating a culture.
When I acquired the role of Progress Leader, I knew that first impressions were going to be important; although, I also knew that creating a meaningful first impression would present its challenges as my appointment started during the school closure. Nevertheless, I knew that “what you communicate to them right at the start is a powerful signal to them” (Bennett, 2020) and the first impression was not something I was going to let pass me by. By means of phone calls home, virtual assemblies, and posting on the, then year 9, Google Classroom page, I found that students were accepting of their change in Progress Leader by the time they came into school for some tutor group sessions in July.
By September came, I certainly wasn’t going to rely on the hard yards that I put in during lockdown: for me, being present is absolutely paramount. In some aspects of the role, I’ve found that the Year Group zones have really helped me maintain a presence throughout the first half term. During any non-teaching time on my timetable, I try to visit a number of Year 10 classes to maintain the high expectations that I have of them. With students, it’s important to realise that not all of them will do as you expect initially. This is something that the students had to learn, which we achieved through routine, rewards, sanctions and other avenues. It’s important to remember that “people don’t do what you expect, but what you inspect” (Gerstner Jnr, 2002). Gerstner Jnr may be a little strong with his wording there, in relation to inspecting, but the sentiment still remains that students are having to adapt to this ‘new normal’, too. They are going to struggle and forget the changes to the way we are now working just like we do as adults. It’s our job, as practitioners and their role models, to help them through this in the most effective manner possible.
Generating and creating a culture of responsibility and ownership from the outset is something that is taking time and careful planning. That’s been the focus for me. It’s massively important to remember that “It is a pool. Ripples from one affect all the others, radiating out in complex waves and back again” (Bennett, 2020). With that in mind, the introduction of ‘Study Zone’ for Year 10 was very high on my ‘wish list’ of things to implement quickly. This, on its own however, would not generate a culture change. It takes a massive effort from staff and parents/guardians to push students into the right direction. A reworking of the tutor programme to include metacognitive strategies for the students, as well as allowing students to have time to self-reflect, all help to generate this culture change within the year group. With all this said, we’re only one-half term in at the moment: I’m not naïve enough to make a sweeping statement like ‘it’s working, and all is well’. This is something that is going to take time. However, the introduction of study zone and the new tutor programme have influenced a few students to take part in ‘Study Zone’. These are the students that cause the “ripple”. Students have already begun to attend ‘Study Zone’ and take some ownership of their learning because they’ve seen their friends do it by attending ‘Study Zone’, making use of the tutor programme and employing those strategies to aid their metacognitive development. This is only the beginning, but the early signs are positive.
Creating a year group togetherness
It feels odd referring to a year group as a team. Although, if you break down the purpose of a team, which would be to all work together to achieve a common goal, it’s easy to see why it would be a benefit to create a sense of togetherness within Year 10. I’ve done this in a number of ways, however, one that I’ve been quite fond of is the use of the Virtual Assembly, which I record every Monday morning to go out to the students during tutor at the end of that day. I have found that it gives me an opportunity to provide public praise across the entire year group, as well as making announcements and intervening in their tutor programme. Moreover, it allows me the time to share how they are performing compared to other year groups in the school. Year 10, for the first 4 weeks of the year, accumulated the most ‘Outstanding Lessons’ of any year group (not that I’m bragging there!). Consequently, students began to really feel a sense of achievement when that was celebrated in virtual assemblies and tutor sessions and, as a result, it’s now used a common feature of my virtual assemblies.
What’s more, I’ve found that a togetherness has formed within tutor groups as well and that’s a massive testament to the Year 10 tutor team. I wouldn’t want to compose this blog post without mentioning my gratitude for all the work they’re doing to support our young people! They’re playing a tremendous role in what we’re trying to achieve with Year 10, and I can’t thank them enough for their continued support.
Furthermore, I’ve had some great conversations with students. It’s clear that “if we want people to identify with the right group values, we need to make sure that they perceive a benefit of some form in them being a member of that group” (Bennett, 2020). With Year 10, I have found that the public praise in assemblies, on Twitter and during tutor time, as well as implementing a focus on ‘beating’ other year groups, have resulted in them seeing a benefit of being a part of this group. It is clear that the students want to succeed and want to do well because of the values that we instill into them. Despite all the challenges facing students at the minute, the resilience they’ve shown and their determination to succeed has blown me away. In order to be motivated, students need to feel a sense of togetherness and I am glad to say that we can still have that togetherness and unity despite our socially distant way of working.
Just to finish
I mentioned at the start of the post that it’s difficult for me to comment on the altered nature of the job given the current way that we’re working, and I stand by that statement. It’s all I’ve ever known. I don’t know what it’s like to be a Progress Leader Pre-COVID. What I do suggest, though, is that the fundamentals of the role are the same; It’s our adaptability and resilience that are being challenged in these times. Success is possible, and our students can feel that success – it’s up to us to make them believe it’s achievable.
Potential Further Reading:
Bennett, T (2020). Running the Room: The Teacher's Guide To Behaviour.
Gerstner Jnr, L. (2002) Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?
Mccrea, P (2020) Motivated Teaching: leveraging the science of learning to boost attention and effort in the classroom
Rees, T (2018) Wholesome Leadership