Global Shadow a Student Challenge

Today I completed the Global Shadow a Student Challenge. I first shadowed a student for the day as professional development eight years ago. Then in 2010 when I worked in teacher education for a year, shadowing a student was my interns’ first assignment. I know how useful the shadowing can be for a teacher.

I was working with a group of staff in period 1, so I commenced shadowing in period 2. I wandered into the Year 11 English class and sat at the back, although the lesson was so active that I had to shift location twice as the students reformed themselves into various set-ups during the lesson. When I walked in, Ben was with another three students, presenting to the class about a poem. Then he worked with a partner and I observed them swapping ideas and working collaboratively. I was impressed with the level of student independence and motivation. The teacher was moving between groups in a coaching capacity, but many students were just getting on with their learning in pairs or independently. The most telling aspect for me in this first observation was the heat in the room. I was sweating and it made me wonder how the students managed to concentrate.

I then followed Ben to Assembly, where I stood at the back of the hall. The Deputy Headmaster read through some administrative announcements, the Headmaster read the sports reports and then delivered a message about gratitude and humility. Again, I found the heat, with 1200 students in the hall, quite oppressive and it was hard for me to prevent my attention wandering. To be honest, the most interesting part was when the three student “cheer” captains came on stage and sang “The Summer of 69” with lyrics about Year 12 students. It was light-hearted and everyone was laughing and enjoying their antics.

As I was wondering whether I should shadow Ben for Recess, I found him speaking to his Tutor outside the Common Room. He informed me that as he had an assessment task for Maths next he would be heading there early. The pressure of the assessment task was clearly weighing on many students and it formed much of the discussion I heard between the students throughout the day.

In period 3, during the Maths assessment task, Ben worked flat out, silently, individually for the whole period.

In period 4 he had Geography. When I arrived the teacher was explaining the format of an upcoming assessment task. Then the teacher launched into an entertaining patter and story about how surf develops, culminating with a chair being thrown onto the floor to simulate the surf breaking. The class was engaged and the point was well made. I noticed in this class that some students chose to use laptops while others were content with pen and paper. I wondered about the difference. Some students were attempting to write everything down, others were sitting listening. Again I noticed the stifling heat and also how small the classroom space was.

I took a break from shadowing at lunch but towards the end of the lunch break I went out and saw Ben sitting with his mates on a bench on the oval. I didn’t have a hat on and it was burningly hot, so I didn’t stay outdoors.

Period 5 was Studies of Religion. The teacher commenced with a check-in with students and spoke about the heat and mentioned his family holiday in winter. The personal touch was noticeable. For this lesson the desks formed one large table and the lesson proceeded through question and answer, a Connect-Extend-Challenge thinking routine, and a discussion about reading and writing and the impact of laptops.

I taught Ben in the final lesson of the day and I have to admit that my focus and attention was not really with him for the lesson as we moved to the library for some one on one feedback to students in preparation for tomorrow’s History assessment essay.

After school Ben had basketball training and his first question on volunteering to be shadowed had been whether I would be coming to his training. I did wander down to the gym and spent a while observing, before the pile of emails and phone messages waiting dragged me back to my desk.

Key takeaways:

  1. It was really hot in some areas of the school and the students’ learning must have been affected.
  2. When students have a high-stakes assessment task during the school day, it clearly has a significant impact on them in the lead-up and aftermath. It isn’t just a one period snapshot out of the day.
  3. When I shadowed a Year 9 student eight years ago I recalled much of the teaching being teacher-centred and, to be honest, I found myself bored sometimes. In contrast, today there was a constant energy. The English lesson was largely student run and the Studies of Religion lesson was based on the input from the students. Even the most teacher-directed lesson involved far more interaction than I recalled from eight years ago. Has the school teaching culture really changed that much?
  4. I was particularly proud that no students or teachers seemed to mind at all that I was present in the classes.
  5. I was exhausted following a student all day and I am left wondering how he will have the energy to do any homework when he finishes basketball training. When do they get down time?

badge

 

 

4 thoughts on “Global Shadow a Student Challenge

  1. Cameron I have been thinking of doing this and you have just confirmed why I should. I do hope to catch up with you soon. Kate

  2. Very interesting summary and observations of your ethnographic research of shadowing a a student. More schools and educators should do this to inform and drive change.

    I could not help but wonder about your closing question of the possible shift from teacher to student centred learning. I wonder if it is a true shift or just different practices between how year 11 vs year 9 kids are taught at you school or a bit of both.

    Very interesting and worthy of more research.

  3. Cameron you have inspired me. I am going to eagerly embrace this ‘Global Shadow a Student Challenge.’ Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights.

  4. Cam, thanks for sharing your insights as well as the information on the Shadow a Student Challenge.

    We had one of our PLCs last year focus on shadowing a student for a day, sharing their reflections with each other and the wider staff. Such a worthwhile experience for everyone involved.

    The biggest take away was empathy for what our students are asked to do day in and day out. Valuable for any teacher to do.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *