Welcome to our seventh edition of Innovate
This October we are excited to be holding our second Teaching and Learning conference, this year focusing on Educating for Meaning and Purpose. This theme is one of the strands of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard, which has informed research we have undertaken over the past few years in connection with Research Schools International. Our aim is to find out more about the ways human flourishing can be nurtured, and more fulfilling lives led within and beyond the school community.
We are delighted to include guest articles in this edition of Innovate by two of our keynote conference speakers, Bradley Busch and Dr Claire Badger from InnerDrive. In a rapidly changing learning environment, Bradley provides practical advice on how AI can be used beneficially in the classroom, with specific reference to the way it can improve feedback and provide students with individual support. Dr Claire Badger explores the link between knowledge and creativity and argues against the popular notion that schools are places in which creativity is negated.
Articles by our own teaching staff highlight a wide range of research interests in many areas of school life, from practical classroom teaching techniques to co-curricular provision and professional development. In response to our research into an additional element of human flourishing – the way we connect with the natural world, Karen Mylod shares exciting plans for the new Year 7 Biology curriculum, which is to be taught completely outdoors in a custom-built classroom. Elen Steadman considers why diagrams are such an important teaching tool and suggests the most powerful way to use them in the classroom; in an additional article she discusses the potential for using AI in Geography lessons. Sharing research and his own observations of 30 years of teaching drama, Paul Harvey argues that the subject can play an essential and meaningful role in the curriculum. Rod Rands-Webb explores the powerful use of memory aids – known as mnemonics in the classroom, providing examples of how teachers at Sevenoaks are using these successfully. And with an increasing number of students using computers to take notes, Selina Harvey explores the pros and cons of handwriting versus typing, providing suggestions for good practice in the classroom.
The importance of the co-curricular is explored in articles by Sally Walmsley and Laurence Goodwin. Sally focuses on the role these activities have on enabling student flourishing, whilst Laurence shares the findings of her MSc research project, exploring the value that both teachers running the activities and students attending them gain.
Giulliana Brooks argues in her article the case for a Middle School Futures Program, which would encourage students to develop a greater sense of engagement in school though reflection on its actual purpose. Dr James Beck shares his thoughts on how teachers can effectively lead critical discussions on controversial political and social issues. Mark Beverley focuses on the challenges in measuring and interpreting current published research on the impact of smartphone usage among young people and introduces the Lower School smartphone free initiative. In our final article, Paul Thompson shares the findings of his HMC Leadership Program course, in which he examines teacher appraisal processes, focusing on the balance between accountability and professional development.
We thank our authors for their insightful articles and for their commitment to professional enquiry and development. We hope that you will enjoy reading them.
Mark Beverley( Director)
Hannah Barritt( Research and Development Coordinator)
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