The Friyay Mindset - Issue #21

The buses have pulled away in a cloud of diesel and dust, the sports hall echoes and the only sign of life is a big-boned security guard vaping by the kitchens. It can mean just one thing - it's Friday afternoon... time for the newsletter! This will be our last until September, when we'll be back with new vigour and a ton of ideas but for now, enjoy our final foray for this term.

Here’s something to try…

Our final session focused on transition isn't a VESPA activity but the starting point for a staff discussion. Recently we've been dwelling upon precisely which habits and behaviours we'd most like to promote in our students if they are starting year 11 or year 12. As part of our work, we developed a simple activity in which staff (and maybe students?) are given a list of 30 habits/behaviours, and have to choose 10 that they think represent the tactics that we most want from our new students.

The list is below. It's been a really good one for raising awareness of non-cognitive factors and their impact on student performance and opening up discussions about the purpose of tutoring. Once you or your staff have chosen your top ten, a number of follow-up questions help:

• Do we already do all we can to develop these habits?

• Who's responsibility is it to develop these habits?

• How might we do it?

It's a good one for framing a discussion about the role of the tutor as the architect of their students' thinking.

High Performance Criteria for Borderline Students.docx - Google Drive — drive.google.com

Here’s something we’ve been reading…

Not that we've 'been reading', more that 'we've been listening to'. BBC Sounds have produced a five-part series fronted by Amol Rajan called Re-Think; a series examining how the pandemic has caused paradigm shifts in public life. The focus of this series is education. If the first episode is anything to go by, it should be a thought-provoking listen...

BBC Sounds - Rethink, Rethink Education, What is education for? — www.bbc.co.uk

What is education for? Amol Rajan and guests discuss rethinking education post-pandemic.

Here’s our latest offer…

Last week we ran a free twilight exploring how to implement VESPA at scale. It was great to see so many of you there, but there were inevitably a few who couldn't make it. So we're going to be putting on a mop-up session - our last of the year - before the summer holidays are upon us. The free session will be on Thursday 8th July at 3.20ish (we’re likely to start properly at 3:45pm.) Looking forward to seeing you there!

If you’d like to attend, drop us an email at [email protected] and we will email you a Zoom link.

Cheers all. Have a well-deserved rest over summer and see you again in the Autumn!

Steve and Martin