NQT Professional Enquiries
Our school's NQTs presented their professional enquiries to staff at an in-service session this afternoon, with each one at a different table in the canteen. I was humbled and thrilled by the depth of their thinking, and by the tone and level of their discussions with staff. I picked up the following key insights from the three enquiries I heard about: female pupils still often appear to defer to male pupils in group discussions. Randomised groups aren't good enough. pupils prefer to work with friends, but the quality of their discussions might actually better when they are with peers they know less well. With the right support they can realise this themselves. we hold enormous power as teachers, and the language we use with pupils can make a huge difference to how they feel about learning and about themselves as learners. About the ensuing discussions at the canteen tables, I was particularly delighted that: many teachers hung around in conversation with the NQTs