Lesson Box: Observing your own teaching practice

Phil Nulty

Teacher of Maths.

So, as an RQT (Revolutionary Qualified Teacher!), I am now entering my third year out of nappies. Gone are the sippy cups and toasted soldiers and in are the beakers and a bowl. I am beginning to find my feet and, after two years of ‘suck it and see’, I am now reflecting more than ever on how to develop my practice.

I have tried to imagine how my fledgling years as a teacher would have gone at another school and I dread to think. I have been lucky to be surrounded by so many enthusiastic, knowledgeable and approachable colleagues.

There have been many times when I have thought, ‘that could have gone better’; however, there have been many times when I have thought to myself, ‘that went really well’. So, I must be doing something right half the time!

The question is: how do I improve my practice to ensure that more of the good things happen? Not just for myself but also for the students.

Well, in order to find an answer, I need to see myself through the eyes of my pupils.

Enter, Lesson Box!

I have used Lesson Box many times now with mixed reviews. However, I always try to take something positive from it: a few notes on ‘What Went Well’ and some ‘Even Better If’ targets for the future. At BCA, we have a bespoke CPD programme to support our RQT’s. The T&L coach who leads on this programme is Mark Hilton. As part of my RQT CPD with Mark, I was asked to record a lesson using Lesson Box - with the aim of demonstrating and developing one of my performance management targets - then discuss my observations with another member of the RQT group who was also focusing on the same Rosenshine Principle. From this purposeful reflection, I have seen so many little things that I could have done differently but also parts of the lesson that went really well. So, again, Lesson Box is an invaluable tool for an RQT or, indeed, any teacher that cares about improving their teaching practice.

If you have not yet used Lesson Box, I highly recommend it. Although, in my experience, it is a resource that becomes more beneficial the more you use it. Ideally, you want to capture the most candid and authentic footage possible which can only truly be achieved once the students have forgotten that the lesson is being filmed. I am a big fan of cameras in every class that are on 24/7; not so much to monitor behaviour, but more so that teachers have access to an endless supply of their teaching in the eyes of the pupils.

Personally, I like to try new ideas if old ideas aren’t working. This seems obvious to me. At the beginning of my teaching journey, I believed that the louder I shouted, the better my classroom management would be. I quickly learnt that this was definitely not the case. Not only did it have little effect, but I found myself exhausted by the end of the day. However, the use of Lesson Box has helped me to reflect on this and, by simply following the BFL policy (if needed), both myself and my students now understand that consistency is the best sort of classroom management. Furthermore, I also remembered a theory I learnt at university about how a child thinks and reacts to someone shouting at them, very rarely will this actually result in better behaviour. If a teacher understands their students, then they understand how to be a teacher. This is something that I believe I have developed in my practice.

Hopefully, my next three years as a teacher will enable me to continually develop and grow as a practitioner. For me, the use of Lesson Box is invaluable, and I find it an effective tool to promote self-reflection. As a teacher, self-reflection is a vital exercise that is imperative to help you move forward and progress. So, onwards and upwards as I continue to grow!