|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Past Themes - Supporting Non-Specialists
Gary Dawson, Rob Lodge and David Roberts provide tips on how to work with non-specialists, while Roger Carter offers advice on making best use of the circumstances and the strengths and ability of supply teachers.
|
There are a number of ways you can make non-specialists feel immediately that they are part of the geography team: approaches which will benefit the department and the non-specialist.
- Make sure your department has straightforward schemes or units of work.
- Have a good bank of resources available. Let non-specialists know what work you are doing and share materials. Do this frequently rather than just at the beginning of each term.
- Monitor their lesson planning. Providing support where they need to be more thorough.
- Observe non-specialists as part of your department observation schedule.
- As part of their continuing professional development, make time for them to observe geography specialists.
- Where non-specialists have difficulty with a particular class arrange for them to watch that class in another subject area and talk through their observations. Come up with a plan of action for enabling them to work with the class in future.
- Help them manage difficult students by offering support. Where possible, have the more challenging students in your lessons.
- Monitor their marking, assessment and setting of homework.
- Suggest homework activities as part of a departmental programme.
- Demonstrate how to use databases for assessment, as appropriate.
- Include them in your school/departmental training, especially using current initiatives such as the development of Thinking Skills.
- Give them a balanced timetable – do not give them all bottom sets or groups.
- Make them feel valued. Listen to and act upon their ideas for delivering particular parts of the curriculum.
In general you cannot and should not leave non-specialists to get on with the job. Although it is the head of department's role to support non-specialists, other members of the team should also contribute to their development as a teacher.
|
| Working with supply teachers |
Support:
Like non-specialists, supply teachers work best when they are clear about what is expected both of them and of the pupils/students they teach. Along with details of the classes they are to cover, supply teachers will need information about:- the school (e.g. contact names, addresses, posting arrangements, school times, practices and procedures)
- geography in the school (a side of A4 paper that sets out expectations of when and what geography is to be taught would be helpful).
Contacts:
It helps to have one person who is responsible for briefing supply teachers when they arrive. In primary schools this should be the geography co-ordinator; whereas in secondary schools a junior member of the department can be given this responsibility. Your main aim should be that geography lessons are actively taught, not just supervised. So make sure you’ve at least considered the following:- The units - Wherever possible, provide your supply teacher with the units of work and associated resources (including lesson plans).
- Lessons - Ensure that lessons go beyond unrelieved writing tasks – build in scope for changes of activity and for whole-class or group discussion. The least disruptive approach may be to continue with work on the current unit.
- Emergency cover - For short-term emergency cover it is useful to have a bank of one-off lessons and resources. These might aim to address a particular skill, idea or concept or, ideally, be related to work covered each term.
- Swap classes - The presence of a supply teacher offers you the opportunity to see other pupils/students working, and to monitor their progress. Get the supply teacher to cover your class while you teach theirs.
- Parallel groups - Look for opportunities to team teach, teach in tandem, use the supply teacher to work alongside a colleague or provide additional adult support for work outside the classroom.
But don't take our word for it, read how supply teaching really is here.
A framework for considering your school/department’s preparedness in terms of supply teachers can be downloaded here.
|
If you’re looking for practical and emotional support (whether for yourself or for your supply teachers) visit the Teacher support network.
Looking to recruit supply staff in your school? Working as a supply teacher? Spend your time matching schools with teachers in an agency or LEA? The DfES Teacher Supply Teaching offers helpful guidance, and includes directions to other useful sites.
Research into aspects of supply teaching are available online at: |
|
|
|
|
