Are partnerships with local schools and the community beneficial? Who do they benefit?

Jenny Cox, Director of Co-curricular and Partnerships at WHS looks at Wimbledon’s partnership work and whether it is a positive programme for the school and its community to be part of.

Partnerships work takes on many different forms at WHS. We are very proud of the work the Year 11, 12, 13 students take part in during partnerships afternoon, in addition to the wonderful SHINE programme, initiatives such as Merton against Trafficking and of course our charity work.

As a charity, building meaningful and positive relationships with the local, national and international community is central to the aims of the school. Whether it be leading, teaching, mentoring students at local state primary and secondary schools or entertaining, befriending, gardening as part of ‘WHS in the Community’ programme, they are all are wonderful examples of the work that takes place on a weekly basis.

Partnerships are central to WHS values

Currently there twenty-one separate programmes taking place on a Thursday afternoon alone; nine in the community, six at secondary schools and five at primary schools and all of which are supported so wholeheartedly by the Wimbledon staff. The range of programmes is diverse; from our Year 3 girls going to local residential homes with WHS Year 11 & 12’s to read to the elderly, to helping with the gardening as part of our ‘Helping Hands’ project at Wimbledon Guild and of course our Entertainment in the Community group going ‘on tour’ around Merton to perform at residential, care homes and hospitals.

These programmes have bought delight to the elderly who look forward to the Wimbledon High School visits and well as our own girls:

“Week 2 into the programme – Lucy (106!) never takes part in activities organised by the care home but today she got out of her flat to spend time with the girls because she enjoyed last Thursday. It’s the most exciting time of her week”

*Photos above: Befriending and Year 3 Paired reading at Blackham House & Kew House*

Our partnerships with state schools has seen the launch this year of the ‘Clever Clogs’ programme for West Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park, Green Wrythe and St Andrews and St Marks school, for high achieving boys and girls in Year 5. These students are academically stretched by WHS staff and mentored for 16 weeks by WHS students. In their working books, the weekly question, “what have I learnt today” we have seen responses such as……

“I learnt how to code a magic 8 bit and how to write a chart”

“I have learnt what an algorithm is”

*Above: Year 5 ‘Clever Clogs’ with primary pupils working at WHS*

The ‘Teach Together’ programmes continue to be an important component of the Thursday afternoon activities. These are bespoke programmes for a variety of ages which involve WHS students facilitating the delivery of subjects such as Maths, Physics, Music, Latin, French, Netball and mentoring sessions to a range of partner primary and secondary schools. There is a high degree of collaboration between school staff and students, which brings me back to the initial question: ‘Are Partnerships with local schools and the community beneficial? If so, for who?’

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that all of our partnership work is mutually beneficial. Current funding in state schools has triggered the decline of subjects such as Music, and very few state schools have subjects such as Latin on their curriculum or the facilities to deliver really creative and inspiring science lessons. Many independent schools are fortunate to be in a position to work alongside these schools to provide staff and students to help ensure subjects like these are still taught. I say fortunate as the benefits of working with others on our own mental health and well-being really does exist.

The more you do for others, the more you do for yourself

This may surprise you, however, putting people’s needs before our own can reduce stress, improve mood, self-esteem and happiness. It probably doesn’t feel like that when deadlines are looming, but voluntary work promotes positive changes in the brain associated with happiness which in turn gives us a period of calm and eventually well-being. Talking to someone on a regular basis can bring with it a sense of belonging and talking to someone like Lucy (in the picture above) may give a different perspective – she must have some extremely wise words for us all! It’s that sense of perspective particularly when working with those who may not have the same level of resource which is grounding, and can help us all achieve a more positive outlook. Kindness is contagious. Just one smile, high five or piece of positive feedback to anyone at any age can lift a mood and spark optimism and hope.

How should we really feel about the arrival of artificial intelligence in the classroom?

Claire Boyd, Head of Junior School, reflects upon the emotional response pupils, teachers and parents may experience as artificial intelligence, big data and augmented reality looks sets to change the educational landscape.

It seems to me that we can be in no doubt that the educational zeitgeist of the moment is the potential that artificial intelligence, big data and augmented reality holds for education. As Ben Turner, Assistant Head Pastoral, explored on the pages of this blog last month, the take-home message from the keynote speakers at September’s Grow 2.0 conference, was the unprecedented scope of new technologies to create a bespoke, tailored learning experience for individual learners.

The same sentiments were echoed by Priya Lakhani, CEO and founder of Century Tech, on stage at the annual conference of the Independent Association of Prep Schools in central London a fortnight ago. Patel evangelised on the capacity AI holds to democratise education and remove silos of learning from classrooms around the world.

Much closer to home, my path across the playground from the Junior School to Senior School each day serves as a compelling reminder of the exciting and progressive space Wimbledon High School is giving to pursue a new, non-binary approach to teaching the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, art and maths; creating space for new approaches of innovation and collaboration to flourish through Project Ex Humilibus. The cumulative effect of these realities cast a different landscape of education with which many parents and teachers in our school community will identify. Whilst recognition that the traditional ‘factory’ model of education, in which knowledge and skills are played off against one another as learners are spoon-fed a linear curriculum of discrete subject teaching, is outmoded and anachronistic, there is little clarity on the reality of what an AI, data-led education system will offer is not yet certain.

Pupils experiment with VR headsets at the recent WHS Grow 2.0 Conference

With wearable technologies and virtual home devices such as Google Home and Alexa becoming increasingly commonplace in households around the country as well as ‘customers who bought this also liked’ recommendations par for course of our online shopping experiences, the creeping pervasiveness of data driven AI devices is changing the face of many of our everyday transactional experiences beyond recognition. Heralded for the part these developments play in increasing convenience and expediting smart-living, the contribution these new products are making to modern life is widely celebrated across mainstream society. When the capacity and functionality of these data-driven technologies are applied to the educational realm, I wonder how closely the positive reception will be matched? How comfortable are we with the diagnostic skills of AI-driven learning technologies being applied to the classroom environment, taking up residence in the learning space traditionally driven by the expertise of the teacher as the professional?

Throughout history, schools, universities and other educational institutions have provided space for progressive ideas to germinate and new approaches to intellectual and emotional development to evolve. With this in mind, can it not be that the advantages afforded to us in our personal lives by big data and AI can be replicated in the spheres of learning and education? The potential for AI to collect, collate and analyse the data of individual learning profiles and build personalised learning pathways of attainment, progress and development is so large in scale that the possibilities for bespoke education is infinite.

The advent of AI in education should also not be feared because of what it represents for teachers and the teaching profession more widely. Instead of viewing this new frontier with apprehension or scepticism, we should, as school communities, feel excited and energised about what lies ahead. This is because, when most people are asked to consider the favourite teacher of their school days, their responses will most commonly focus upon the way that teacher made that individual feel; the way the believed in them and empowered them to achieve an ambition or succeed at something they would not otherwise have achieved. It is this capacity for relationship creation, based on the nuances of emotional intelligence and the domain of human-specific skills such as meta-cognition and social intelligence that human and the artificial hold the potential to equip the children of today with the springboard for the unfettered success in the future. In the words of UCL’s Prof Rose Luckin, the “holy grail for education in the future is accurately perceived self-efficacy”.

2nd October 2019

What makes a successful A Level student (with a little help from Disney and friends)?

Dr John Parsons, Director of Sixth at WHS, looks at the character traits needed to have success at A Level, using famous Disney moments to illustrate his argument.

Anybody who has ever watched a successful A Level student nervously open her results envelope, fingers crossed for A*s, recognises that wonderful moment of realisation when at last she sees what she has achieved. All that hard work, effort and struggle was worth it in the end. But success doesn’t happen by accident. Contrary to Jiminy Cricket’s philosophy, merely wishing on a star just isn’t enough. For those that doubt I have Disney magic (and there are a few), then, some Disney (and other) wisdom to explore what makes a successful A Level student.

Goal setting & going the distance

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs photo above by freepngimp.com

Without a goal, all the hard work counts for nothing. The Seven Dwarfs are happy to put in the hours: We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig in our mine the whole day through. Nobody doubts the Dwarfs’ capacity for hard work, but they themselves freely admit to missing the point entirely: we don’t know what we dig ‘em for, we dig dig digga dig dig. They have no intrinsic motivation. Without a goal in mind, it is hard to stay determined and to develop the self-belief to go the distance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI0x0KYChq4

Whistling while you work

Snow White whistles while she works and Mary Poppins (another great Disney woman we first meet cleaning) tells us that in every job that must be done there is an element of fun; modern-day positive mindsets from both.

For A Levels, the daily plod through tests, homework and revision is always most effective and productive when it is done with a smile. Top students tend to make a game of learning and are creative and varied in how they learn new things before they test themselves on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIwa9sPFT5I

Keep on swimming

Top A Level students don’t fear setbacks and mistakes. Rather, they know that therein lies the deepest sort of learning. Indeed, what we see from the most successful students is a wilful desire to actively seek out challenge and difficulty, embracing potential misunderstanding. We meet Dorothy in the 1939 film Wizard of Oz not wishing on a star but vividly imagining what life will be like somewhere beyond the rainbow, and crucially acknowledging that the journey will likely be a hopeless jumble. Her key (very Wimbledonian) character traits of braininess, compassion and courage (exemplified in the quests of her companions Tinman, Lion and Scarecrow) allow her to negotiate the unexpected deviations from her path. Dorothy decides that her mission is more important than the noise in her head when doubts creep in, instead choosing to walk on through those lions and tigers and bears. At every turn, Dorothy stands up and makes a choice and gets on with it despite the difficult bits – one ruby-slippered foot after the other.

"The Wizard of Oz (1939)" by twm1340 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 — “The Wizard of Oz (1939)” by twm1340 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Finding Nemo’s Dory makes the same point to demotivated Nemo; just keep swimming. In other words, only move forward. It’s the only way to respond.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hkn-LSh7es

Don’t just fly. Soar.

And of course, top students remain confidently ambitious in all of this. That advice to Dumbo, an elephant seemingly unlikely ever to fly, eventually becomes his reality – Don’t just fly. Soar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9qu3GCQFsA

In summary, successful A Level students always have a goal, they try to stay cheerful whilst putting in the hours, they find the fun in learning new things and embrace mistakes and learn from them, and they keep on going. They leave wishing on stars to Pinocchio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pguMUFyJ3_U

27th September 2019

GROW 2.0: a Review

Mr Ben Turner, Assistant Head Pastoral at WHS, looks at some of the key messages from last week’s Grow 2.0 conference, looking at what it means to be Human in an A.I. World.

Panel — Discussions and debate from our recent GROW 2.0 Conference

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the troubling determinism of social media and the corrosive effect of echo chambers on our beliefs. At GROW 2.0 however, Robert Plomin talked to us of a different kind of determinism. In a mesmerising, if slightly worrying, lecture he enthralled us all with his ground-breaking work into, what he calls, the ‘DNA Revolution’. I say worrying because, according to Plomin, 60% of any child’s GCSE attainment is down to their genetics. The other 40%? Well, there are no systemic factors, that scientists have yet identified, that make a discernible difference in a child’s attainment.

Plomin debunked outdated notions of nature vs. nurture and instead asked us to think about our genetic predispositions. He warned that we must never mistake correlation for causation. If, for example, a parent reads to their five-year-old every night, it is easy for us to believe that that child’s predilection for books and literature later in life is because of their parent’s diligence at that early age. Plomin would argue however that we have missed the point entirely and ignored the correlation of the parent’s love of reading being passed, genetically, to their child.

This is a powerful message to share with teachers and parents. As a school and, in these turbulent times, a sector we offer a huge variety of activities, interests and passions to those we educate. It is all too easy, as a teacher, parent or pupil to put on your GCSE blinkers and ignore the world around you. If 60% of the outcome is determined by our genetics, why not embrace that other 40%? Fill that time and energy with all of the ‘non-systematic’ activities, trips, hobbies and sports that you possibly can. Because, if we are still not sure what actually makes a difference, variety of engagement is surely the best possible choice.

We were lucky enough to also hear from Professor Rose Luckin, a leading thinker in artificial intelligence and its uses in education. It was inspiring to hear the possibilities ahead of us but also reassuring to hear the primacy, from someone truly immersed in the field, of the human spirit. Rose talked about an ‘intelligence infrastructure’ that is made up of seven distinct intelligences. The most important of these for her were the ‘meta-intelligences’, for example, the ‘meta-subjective’ and ‘meta-contextual’. It is our ability to access others’ emotions and our context “as we wander around the world” that Luckin believes separates us from even the most exciting advancements in A.I.

Does VR have a role in education in the future? How can it not have a role given the exciting opportunities it offers?

As an educator, where I think I gained the most excitement from Rose’s talk were the possibilities for bespoke and tailored learning for every child. The use of data to help us with the educational needs of learners has some amazing possibilities. One could imagine every child having an early years assessment to understand the penchants and possibilities that lie ahead. This could lead to a bespoke path of access arrangements and curriculum for each child. A possibility that, as Rose said, is truly exciting as we will finally be able to “educate the world”.

More photos of the event on Flickr.

17th September 2019

Coaching at WHS: developing approaches to academic and pastoral support

Emma Gleadhill, English Teacher, speaker, trainer and coach specialising in wellbeing, relationships & harnessing the power of emotional intelligence, discusses the ways we are using coaching at WHS to support the academic and pastoral strands of the school.

September 2019 marks a significant change in my role at Wimbledon – where 1:1 coaching becomes more central. It has taken a year of serious soul-searching and being coached myself in order to move away from a strength and passion (teaching A Level English) which has provided me with so much joy and fulfilment in order to use my ‘Co-Active’ training as a professional coach to work in greater depth with individuals and small groups.

So why? Why coaching? I thought it worth sharing what I see as the value of coaching – what it is and what I believe it has to offer. Coaching has been in the press a great deal over the summer – and as a relatively unregulated industry, there are many different perceptions of what it is and how it can help. Coaching is a relatively new strand to the multi-layered pastoral support Wimbledon High offers. The aim is to provide a rich range of opportunities for courageous conversations to take place that will enable pupils, and sometimes also teachers and parents to develop their voice, consider perspectives, explore their needs, and arrive at a point of choice so that they can act and thrive.

My work as a coach links strongly to my ethos as a teacher – it is about bringing my best energy, attention and training to bring about transformation. This involves examining the mindset, motivation, and creativity – for people to ‘play big’ in their lives and achieve their goals. Whether it is someone seeking coaching because they feel stuck in some area of their life, or someone who wants to dial up their performance, or change the dynamics in their relationships, for me it is about holding the space for the truth to be spoken, fears to be addressed and for obstacles to action to be brought into focus so that a clear path forward can be found. And when that connection is made, in the coachee, we really do have lift-off. Giant leaps are taken and as the momentum builds, my work is to help celebrate, savour and wire in the goodness, the motivation and energy of the possible.

Coaching is all about empowering and enabling others to engage their creativity and resourcefulness and commitment to change. As with teaching at its best – it is entirely in the service of supporting and challenging others to be the best that they can be. Unlike teaching or mentoring you are not approaching problems from a point of expertise and providing content.

What is coaching?

Coaching is:

More about listening and questioning than giving advice and ‘telling’.
Confidential – the only exception is where someone is at risk of significant harm.
Focused on the values and meaning of the topic or situation – what is at stake, why it matters, and what you want.
Forward-looking – designing practical steps towards your goals rather than dwelling on the issue.
Challenging YOU to do the thinking, to reflect and deepen self-awareness in areas where you are stuck or play small.
About using mind and body connections to tap into the emotional resonance of the topic (if it was as simple as thinking it through, you’d be doing it already!)
Rigorous – you will be held to account for whether you do – or don’t – take the next steps you design at the end of the sessions.
Time-limited – it is designed to move you on to greater fulfilment and to take the actions that will help you reach your goals.
Empowering – you will be called upon to recognise and act on your innate creativity, resourcefulness and wholeness. (I trained in the Co-Active method).
Celebratory – through the joys and the pains of doing the hard work of making meaningful life changes – as a coach, it is my job to champion you and remind you of your strengths, your capabilities and your awesomeness.
All about personal growth – living more authentic, connected, fulfilled and purposeful lives. Coaching is a major tool for career development in the corporate world. It is like having a personal trainer for your mind, heart and spirit.

What is coaching not?

For me, coaching is not:

A cosy chat or conversation as we experience in our wider lives.
Focused on the detail of a problem (because what you focus on grows).
Therapy – the assumption is that you are creative, resourceful and whole (Co-Active) and ready and able to act on the dialled up self-awareness that your sessions should tap into if the coaching chemistry is right.
A self-indulgent, ‘Woo-woo’, millennial fad. Trained coaches work in a way that is informed by research in the world of psychology, and emotional intelligence, and have to keep up their own training and self-development. This is why businesses invest in coaching.

So coaching is not only a response to a problem, it is also a powerful 1:1 space to dial up your performance, name and tame the things that hold you back, and generate perspectives on your situation so that you can come to a point of choice. It is all about connecting you to your power and unlocking your potential.

Coaching approaches can also be used in the classroom to develop self-direction, ownership, engagement and independence in learners– as well as to make deeper, more memorable connections with issues by concentrating on their emotional resonance. Training as a professional coach has transformed how I lead as a trainer when I am running speaker events and workshops. It has meant what I have to offer is more focused and the collaborative approach means I am meeting people’s real needs and interests, not overloading with content I have chosen! A discipline indeed!

Final thoughts…

When could we take opportunities to use coaching approaches to encourage and empower young people in our lives to greater independence, ownership and engagement in solving their problems and the problems in the world today?

On Saturday 21^st September we host our second Grow Pastoral Festival. The theme for this year is an examination of what it is to be human in a machine age. What questions should we be asking about the way technology affects our lives and what are our hopes for the future? More specifically, how will our young people develop and grow in a fast-paced, algorithmically driven society and what might education look like in the future?

In the morning session Professor Rose Luckin and Professor Robert Plomin will be giving keynote addresses, and then talk with our Director of Digital Learning & Innovation, Rachel Evans. Prof Luckin specialises in how AI might change education; Prof Plomin has recently published Blueprint, a fascinating read about genetics and education. We can’t wait to talk about how education might get personalised, and how that change might affect our experience of learning.

In the afternoon we’ll dive into some provocative debate with Natasha Devon, Hannah Lownsbrough and Andrew Doyle, addressing questions of identity, wellbeing and community in an online age with our own Assistant Head Pastoral, Ben Turner.

So what kind of questions are in our minds as we approach this intellectually stimulating event? Ben Turner brings a philosophical approach to the topic.

Is our ever-increasing reliance on machines and subscription to the ‘universal principles of technology’[1] eroding our sense of empathy, compassion, truth-telling and responsibility?

Our smartphones give us a constant connection to an echo-system that reflects, and continuously reinforces, our individual beliefs and values. Technology has created a world of correlation without causation, where we understand what happened and how it happened but never stop to ask why it happened. Teenagers are understandably susceptible to an eco-system of continuous connection, urgency and instant gratification. It is these values that they now use to access their world and that inform them what is important in it.

Are tech giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook creating a monoculture that lacks an empathy for its surroundings? If we all become ‘insiders’ within a technology dominated society, pushing instant buttons for everything from batteries to toilet roll, are we losing the ability to see things from a fresh perspective? By raising children in a world of instant access and metropolitan monism are we creating only insiders; young people who will never gain the ability to step back and view what has been created in a detached way. How as parents, schools and communities do we keep what is unique, while embracing the virtues of technological innovation?

Is social media destroying our free will?

If you are not a determinist, you might agree that free will has to involve some degree of creativity and unpredictability in how you respond to the world. That your future might be more than your past. That you might grow, you might change, you might discover. The antithesis to that is when your reactions to the world are locked into a pattern that, by design, make you more predictable – for the benefit of someone or something else. Behaviourism, developed in the 19^th Century, believes in collecting data on every action of a subject in order to change something about their experience, often using punishment or reward to enact the change. Is social media, through its algorithms, gratification systems and FOMO, manipulating our actions and eroding our free will?

Social media is pervasive in its influence on the beliefs, desires and temperaments of our teenagers and you do not have to be a determinist to know that that will lead to a disproportionate level of control over their actions. Does social media leave our young people with no alternative possibilities; locked in a room, not wanting to leave but ignorant to the fact that they cannot?

Is social media the new opium of the masses?

Social media has changed the meaning of life for the next generation. The change in human contact from physical interactions to those, arguably superficial, exchanges online is having not only a well-documented detrimental effect on individual young people but also on the very fabric and makeup of our communities.

In addition to the ongoing concerns about privacy, electoral influence and online abuse, it is becoming increasingly obvious that social media has all the qualities of an addictive drug. Psychologists Daria Kuss and Mark Griffiths wrote a paper finding that the “negative correlates of (social media) usage include the decrease in real life social community participation and academic achievement, as well as relationship problems, each of which may be indicative of potential addiction.”[2]

That is not to say that everyone who uses social media is addicted. However, the implications of the ‘heavy’ usage of social media by young people are increasingly painting an unpleasant picture. The UK Millennium Cohort Study, from the University of Glasgow, found that 28% of girls between 13 and 15 surveyed spent five hours or more on social media, double the number of boys survey who admitted the same level of usage. Moreover the NHS Digital’s survey of the Mental Health of children and young people in England[3], which found that 11 to 19 year olds with a “mental disorder” were more likely to use social media every day (87.3%) than those without a disorder (77%) and were more likely to be on social media for longer. Rates of daily usage also varied by type of disorder; 90.4% of those with emotional disorders, for example, used social media daily.

However, there is more to this than just the causal link between the use and abuse of social media and poor mental health. With the march of technology in an increasingly secular world, are we losing our sense of something greater than ourselves? Anthony Seldon calls this the “Fourth Education Revolution”, but as we embrace the advances and wonders of a technologically advanced world do we need to be more mindful of what we leave behind? Da Vinci, Michelangelo and other Renaissance masters, not only worked alongside religion but also were inspired by it. Conversely, Marx believed Religion to be the opium of the people. If social media is not to be the new opium, we must find a place for spirituality in our secular age. Even if we are not convinced by a faith, embracing the virtues of a religious upbringing seems pertinent in these turbulent times. Namely inclusivity, compassion and community, because if we do not, then very quickly the narcissistic immediacy and addictive nature of social media will fill the void left in our young peoples’ lives, becoming the addictive drug that Marx forewarned against.

References:

[1] Michael Bugeja, Living Media Ethics: Across Platforms, 2^nd Ed. 2018

[2] Online Social Networking and Addiction – A review of Psychological Literature, Daria J. Kuss and Mark D. Griffiths, US National Library of Medicine, 2011

[3] November 2018

25th June 201925th June 2019

All girls are born great at Maths!

Rebecca Brown, Maths Teacher at Wimbledon High School, explores the benefits of creating a positive stereotype.

“I’m great at Maths”

A statement seldom heard. In fact, quite the opposite, particularly when introducing yourself as a Maths Teacher!

Unfortunately, many people hold strong negative beliefs about maths that they do not hold about other subjects. I often hear intelligent, highly educated adults state (almost with pride) “I was never any good at maths”. Many people seem to have been traumatised by maths, further fuelled by misguided beliefs about mathematics and intelligence. Their experience of learning Maths varied drastically from the dynamic, exciting and personalised maths teaching of today. Researchers found that when mothers told their daughters “I was no good at Maths in school” their daughters’ achievement immediately went down (Eccles and Jacobs, 1986^[1]). But why is it considered socially acceptable to be bad at Maths? And more importantly what message does it give the women of the future if their own parents, teachers and influencers unashamedly comment on how bad they were at Maths at school – or still are?

Fifteen is the exact age a girl loses her interest in Maths (Jones, 2018^[2]). I am not referring to Maths anxiety, that Ashcroft (2002) defined as a ‘feeling of tension, apprehension or fear that interferes with maths performance’, but to the time girls decide that Maths is just ‘not for them’. Recent figures show that after GCSE, 20% fewer girls than boys continue studying Maths. Yet in junior schools, Maths is often cited as a favourite subject for many girls. So why are girls not continuing with maths and what can we do about it?

Why is Maths so important?

Maths is all around us. It is in everything we do and everywhere we go. From Music to Sport, from Geography to Biology. Coding, Algorithms, Programming, Problem-solving. It is our future. It is in the technology in our hands, on our laps and on our screens. It is shaping our world and is the beauty that surrounds us.

When it comes to Maths at A Level, girls account for just 39% of the national cohort. (Although at Wimbledon High School we’re proud that over 55% of the sixth form opt to continue with Maths after GCSE).

A female underrepresentation as a nation at A Level means an underrepresentation of women in careers that involve Maths. By not taking Maths, girls limit their access to some of the more challenging, interesting and lucrative careers. For example, recent IFS research^[3] suggests that, compared to the average female graduate, five years after graduation women with a Maths degree earn 13.4% more; those with an engineering degree earn 9.7% more, and those with an economics degree – another subject in which girls are significantly underrepresented and for which Maths is often a gateway subject – earn 19.5% more. Research has also shown that students taking advanced Maths classes learn ways of working and thinking – especially learning to reason and be logical – that make them more productive in their jobs (Rose and Betts 2004^[4]).

Engineering jobs are predicted to grow at double the rate of other occupations, but there is currently a crisis of female underrepresentation in STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers; women comprise up only 14.4% of the total STEM population (WISE[5] ). This means that potential female candidates will have not only limited their own life chances, but also deprived the STEM disciplines of the thinking and perspectives that girls and women can bring. (Boaler, 2014a^[6]). The current UK goal is for at least 30 % of people working in STEM careers to be women.

It is not just the raw state of Maths that is useful for the future, it is the skills that develop as part of learning the wonders of Maths; problem-solving, critical and lateral thinking, quantitative and analytical reasoning to name a few, that are part of the attraction. After all, we are preparing our children for jobs that do not yet exist!

The negative connotations that prevail about Maths seldom come from harmful teaching practices; they come from one idea, which is very strong, permeates many societies (although notably absent in countries such as China and Japan) and is at the root of maths failure and underachievement: that only some people can be good at Maths (Boaler, 2016 ^[7])

Growth Mindset in Maths

A ‘Growth Mindset’ in Maths is crucial. Perseverance, grit and resilience, are common skills identified in successful students in any field, made widely known by the work of Duckworth et al. (2007[8]). ‘Economists refer to them as non-cognitive skills, psychologists call them personality traits and the rest of us sometimes think of them as character’ (Tough, 2013[9]). In Maths these skills are even more fundamental.

In her 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck summarised her evidence from decades of research with differently-aged subjects, showing that when students develop what she has called a ‘growth mindset’ then they believe that intelligence and ‘smartness’ can be learned and that the brain can grow from exercise.

Everyone has a mindset, a core belief about how they learn (Dweck, 2006b[10]). People with a ‘growth mindset’ are those who believe that smartness increases with hard work, whereas those with a ‘fixed mindset’ believe you can learn things, but you can’t change your basic level of intelligence.

The fixed mindset thinking that is so damaging, cuts across the achievement spectrum, and some of the students most damaged by these beliefs are high-achieving girls (Dweck, 2006a). General mindset interventions can be helpful, but if students return to approaching maths in the same way they always have then the growth mindset about maths erodes away (Boaler, 2016[11]).

So, our focus should be on developing strong Mathematical mindsets within the classroom and at home.

What holds girls back from Maths?

Confidence, self-belief and mindset. It is lack of confidence and not lack of ability that deters girls from taking Maths after GCSE. Lack of self-confidence can limit a girl’s learning and her potential. We need to develop their confidence and self-esteem and teach them to not be perfect! Getting an answer incorrect does not mean failure. A mistake is a portal to better understanding, discovery and part of an important learning journey. Mistakes are invaluable lessons and help up us to develop. Generation Z is under pressure to look and act a certain way, a problem amplified by social media. Role models are extremely important to young people and girls are often more influenced, judging themselves by more restrictive standards reinforced by the media and society at large, further reducing their confidence in the classroom.

When it comes to Maths, girls rate their abilities markedly lower than boys, even when there is no observable difference between them, according to Florida State University researchers.^[12] The authors note boys are encouraged from a young age to pursue challenge, including the risk of failure, while girls tend to pursue perfection.

‘Sticking with it’ is something girls need to be encouraged to learn, says Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, whose mission is to close the gender gap in technology. “We have to rethink the way we raise our girls. We have to teach girls to be imperfect. Teach them to be brave and not perfect” (Saujani, R 2016^[13] ).

As leaders in educating girls, at the GDST, we focus on developing the skills and character to prepare them for the future. As teachers, we are dedicated to inspiring every one of our girls and trained to unleash their potential. Especially in Maths.

At GDST Schools, girls can learn without limits. We can influence the next generation of women to have a positive view of maths. We can all create and believe in a new stereotype– All girls are born great at Maths.

References:

^[1] Eccles, J. & Jacobs, J (1986) Social forces shape math attitudes and performance.

^[2] Jones, P. (December, 2018). Phylecia Jones: All Girls Are Great at Math [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.phyleciajones.com/tedx/

^[3] https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/13036

^[4] Rose, H., & Betts, J.R (2004). The effect of high school courses on earnings. Review of Economics and Statistics, 86 (2), 497-513

[5] https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/statistics/women-in-the-uk-stem-workforce/

^[6] Boaler, J. (2014a). Changing the conversation about girls and STEM. Washington DC:The White House.

^[7] Boaler, J (2016). Mathematical Mindsets. Unleashing Students’ Potential Through Creative Maths, Inspiring Messages and Innovative teaching.

[8] Duckworth AL, Peterson C, Matthews MD, Kelly DR. Pers Soc Psychol. 2007. Grit, perseverance, and passion for long term goals.

[9] Tough, Paul. 2013. How Children Succeed.

[10] Dweck, C.S (2006b). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Ballantine Books.

[11] Boaler, J (2016). Mathematical Mindsets.

^[12] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170406121532.htm Florida State University. “Under challenge: Girls’ confidence level, not math ability hinders path to science degrees.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 April 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170406121532.htm>.

^[13] Sujani – Teach girls bravery not perfection. https://www.ted.com/talks/reshma_saujani_teach_girls_bravery_not_perfection?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

18th June 2019

Making a WISE choice

Mrs Mary McGovern, Head of Chemistry, looks at some of the reasons behind the low representation in the workplace of women in STEM roles, and how teaching STEAM Skills from early years can help to allow pupils to make informed choices.

In the UK and many other countries, there are long-standing patterns regarding who continues with science post-16. In the physical sciences — and engineering in particular — women, working class and some ethnic groups are notably under-represented¹. Furthermore, women make up less than 20% of the UK STEM workforce (the lowest in Europe).

Women into Science and Engineering, WISE, enables and energises people in business, industry and education to increase the participation, contribution and success of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

A report published by WISE in November 2014 entitled “Not for people like me?” looks to previous research to explain why girls are under-represented in science, technology and engineering, arguing that a fresh approach is needed.

Understanding the research

It’s not what you think! It is a myth that girls and women are not choosing STEM subjects. In fact, girls outnumber boys in STEM subject choices overall and girls outperform boys in STEM qualifications at all levels, both academic and vocational. The real issue is that girls are NOT choosing physics post 16 – physics is the third most popular A-level for boys but only the nineteenth for girls, and of 14,000 engineering apprentices, only 450 were girls. Girls report being concerned that physics limits their career options. This means that girls are losing or rejecting the opportunity to choose engineering post 18, as well as making it harder to find jobs in technology. The data also suggests that the numbers of girls taking A level physics has not changed in the UK in the past 30 years despite various initiatives.

Data from UNESCO’s UIS. Stat database from 2013 was used to create the charts above. The charts show the uptake of STEM subject at tertiary level within the worlds nine largest economies (by GDP) for which data is available. Each plot represents students who chose to study one of the subjects and is divided by gender. As identified by the WISE research, it is not that women are not choosing STEM subjects; instead, it is that their choices in all cases support the fact that girls are losing or rejecting the opportunity to choose engineering post-18. In every country represented above, this section showed the greatest imbalance².

“We are regularly bombarded with literature depicting young women in hard hats and high-vis jackets. This says to me – and I expect other women – that the sector is desperate to attract women. Instead of highlighting the problem, we need to get better at saying what’s brilliant about a career in engineering, regardless of sex.”
– Female engineer, quoted by the Royal Academy of Engineering

High-quality careers advice to young people is essential to demonstrate to students the benefits of studying STEM.³Girls’ experience in schools and the quality of career guidance are critical elements in their decision making. Out of date or poor quality teaching and limited availability of triple award science reduce the likelihood of girls having the confidence and desire to progress beyond GCSE.

“Whilst many of the major engineering companies and institutes run school outreach programmes, these often see an individual with a particular expertise give a talk that is likely only to appeal to a very small percentage of the class. By allowing untrained and narrowly prepared speakers to address this key audience, it could be that these outreach programmes are doing more to discourage prospective engineers than to incite the intended excitement and interest.”
-Royal Academy of Engineering

Photo of female scientist — Women account for just 8% of engineers

What are we doing at WHS?

We firmly believe that to start raising the profile of science in Years 10 or 11, can in many cases, be far too late. With this in mind, we look to plant seeds at any given opportunity that incorporate a basic “scientific thinking” across as many subjects as possible, from Reception up.

Alongside all the work and co-curricular activities (including clubs, competitions, workshops, guest speakers and departmental trips) our two Scientists in Residence are central to our ‘scientific thinking’ philosophy. An approach we are working hard to weave across the Senior and Junior Schools and throughout all departments. Bespoke ‘STEAM lessons’ explore non-science/art subjects from a science perspective (plant/animal dyes in Joseph’s technicolour Dreamcoat, PTSD in war poetry/Mrs Dalloway, how the voice box works in music etc). This allows our pupils to connect subjects, seeing the inter-disciplinary potential of thinking creatively across a range of different areas.

Our STEAM Lead is a fully trained WISE ‘People Like Me’ trainer and has conducted the WISE ‘People Like Me’ survey with Year 8s, the focus being on opening minds to the possibilities of perusing careers in all areas of STEM. The survey involved the girls using adjectives to describe themselves, the results were then processed and the girls were provided with information on skills, places and job roles where ‘people like them’ work. This, therefore, raised awareness of where ‘people like them’ actually work and what their job involves.

Moreover, our STEAM Lead is currently working on a fully funded project with The Wellcome Genome Campus on a project to reduce “unconscious bias” amongst parents and teachers towards influencing A level and career choices. This project starts with primary students.

“Parents have a huge role in influencing the career choices and aspirations of their children – a fact that to date has not been reflected in the outreach and engagement programmes run by the engineering industry. Mothers in particular wield significant power in directing their daughters down specific career paths.”
– Royal Academy of Engineering

At WHS we aim to ensure that every girl striding out of WHS leaves with ‘STEAM skills’, with the drive, passion and self-belief to work in whatever field they so choose.

References

1 WISE, 2012; Smith, 2011

2 https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/our-research/data-bytes/the-international-popularity-of-stem-subjects/

3 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldselect/ldsctech/37/37.pdf (p21)

4 http://web.archive.org/web/20171016144625/http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/jobs/female-engineers-equalising-the-path-to-a-career-at-the-forefront-of-science-a6699671.html

We all have a responsibility for widening access to Oxbridge

These days, any article you read about Oxbridge entry focusses on widening access. The Sutton Trust[1], for example, recently reported that Oxbridge currently recruits more students from eight leading public schools than it does from 3,000 state schools combined. Few disagree (not least the universities themselves) that this needs to change. But it is not just the universities that have a responsibility for widening access.

At Wimbledon High, we work with our partner schools to share ideas and activities to develop our Oxbridge support programmes. These programmes seek to dispel myths about studying at these institutions and ultimately support students to be as well prepared as they can be for the application process. At the heart of any successful support programme is the ability to galvanise enthusiasm and guide independent exploration of their chosen subject.

How we help pupils decide if Oxbridge is right for them

In order to help pupils decide if Oxbridge is right for them, our introduction to Oxbridge starts in Year 10 with a day trip to either Oxford or Cambridge. As well as the tourist hot spots, we visit individual colleges (hosted by Wimbledon High alumnae) and receive a lecture from our link college admissions tutor to understand the realities of living and studying in these historic university cities. The purpose is to plant the seed for the right candidates to pursue an application in the future.

For those that do decide to take part in the programme, the real preparation starts in Year 12. Despite encouraging the girls to learn independently, the opportunity to discuss ideas with likeminded people is possibly the most valuable part of the programme. Each girl is therefore linked with a personal mentor (a teacher at the school) whom they meet regularly from the spring term of Year 12. Sessions vary greatly by department but the common format is a guided discussion using a particular stimulus (perhaps an artefact in Classics or a graph in Economics) chosen by the student. The idea is to allow the girls to forge their own path of academic discovery.

Building links with departments is vital

Pupils are also encouraged to engage with Oxbridge departments as much as possible. Cambridge, for example, offer subject “master classes[2]” which enable students to experience typical undergraduate teaching. Entering essay prize competitions are also a great way to engage directly with departments. Oxford, for example, offer a range of essay prizes[3] across a number of departments. We also link candidates with Wimbledon High alumnae studying their subject. Current undergraduates are well placed to suggest current reading lists and give specific advice on how to prepare for their application.

Confidence is key

Jasmine delivering her WimTalk entitled, “who legally owns your dead body?”

A common misconception among students, whichever type of school they attend, is that are not “clever” enough to go to Oxbridge. Of course, these institutions are highly competitive but girls especially often underestimate their abilities and fail to acknowledge that a deep academic interest in their chosen subject is possibly more important than a stellar set of GCSEs. The WimTalks programme is there to encourage WHS girls to express their love for their subject with confidence. Girls are required to present a series of short presentations to their peers on a topic of interest. They then have to field questions from subject specialist teachers. Encouraging the girls to develop expertise in a range of topics has proven a great way to boost self-confidence and prepare for interview.

The results

These are just some of the ways in which our programme supports and empowers our girls. In an increasingly competitive environment, we have managed to increase the percentage of the cohort securing offers year on year. This bucks the national trend for independent schools and we think our support programme has helped our Oxbridge success grow. We continue to work with our partner schools to develop our programmes to encourage candidates to pursue an application and to support them wholeheartedly throughout the process.

References:

[1] https://www.suttontrust.com/newsarchive/oxbridge-over-recruits-from-eight-schools/

[2] https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/events/masterclasses

[3] http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/teachers/academic-competitions-schools-and-colleges

4th June 20193rd June 2019

To assess or not to assess?

Isabelle Alexander, Specialist Teacher Assessor and Head of Learning Support at WHS, considers the merits of carrying out a diagnostic educational assessment.

We have all seen the news articles and reports about parents or carers who try to get as much help as possible for their children in school, particularly when public exams are on the horizon. It would seem that they want their children to have an educational ‘label’ and will pay considerable sums of money to experts such as Educational Psychologists to try to achieve this, assuming that in so doing their children will gain a competitive edge.

At the other end of the scale, there are those parents/carers who refuse to accept or acknowledge that their child might have a learning difference worthy of further investigation and who reject all suggestions and advice from their child’s school. These parents are often convinced that it’s the child’s work ethic or the teaching in a school that needs to be addressed and indeed sometimes it does, but to dismiss the likelihood that there may be an issue worthy of further investigation with a child, might put the child at a disadvantage.

It is also true that students with certain educational needs are eligible to receive access arrangements in their GCSEs, A Levels and beyond, but most importantly, only once strict, regulated criteria are met, including, and in fact beginning with, evidence and support from the school.

The process of having a student assessed is about finding out what their strengths and weaknesses are and what, if anything, is having a detrimental effect on their learning and stopping them from achieving their potential.

The process

Educational Psychologists and Specialist Teacher Assessors assess for educational differences, some of which may lead to access arrangements in public examinations. They run batteries of tests that look at the child’s underlying ability, processing skills and attainment. They then produce a comprehensive report detailing the child’s profile. Other professionals may well be called upon in the instances where a student is displaying other symptoms, which could include difficulties with executive skills, socialising, maintaining attention, copying from the board, restlessness, excessive fidgeting, slow and/or poor handwriting – and school SENCos should be able to advise accordingly in these cases.

Advantages

The advantages of assessment are numerous regardless of any diagnosis:

Often a sense of relief is experienced by both parents/carers and child as the report clarifies why things have not always fallen into place or why, for example, it takes longer to complete a piece of work. Contrary to expectations, this can lead to an increase in self-esteem and confidence as there is a realisation that there is nothing ‘wrong’ with the child; they might simply process things differently.
Educational assessments provide a greater understanding of learning strengths and weaknesses (we all have them), which then enables teachers to make appropriate accommodations and differentiate their teaching so the student can maximize their potential.
Assessments may also explain why work takes longer and why the student can’t always finish a task in class.
Assessments may explain why the student has to work harder to keep up.
Assessments can also explain why the student might feel awkward or does not ‘fit in’. They provide them with at least a part of their identity that they might have been struggling to understand.
Assessments usually provide answers and as such, give explanations and ways forward.

Disadvantages

Naturally, parents and carers are concerned that any diagnosis will result in fewer opportunities, particularly when it comes to Further Education. It is therefore important to know that all universities, including Oxbridge, accept students with learning differences and neuro-diverse profiles and most significantly have departments that offer support where it is needed.
There is a fear that the child will be ‘labelled’. ‘Labelling’ has come to have such negative connotations but I have yet to hear it used in an adverse way in a school in the context of a learning difference or where a child has an educational need. A diagnosis is not about attaching a label, it is about getting the right support and expertise in place to maximize self-esteem and potential. Knowing that a child has, for example, ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder), Dyslexia or issues with attention, no matter how mild, changes perceptions, and reactions for the better both at home and in school as it increases understanding and that has to be a good thing, doesn’t it?
It is possible that a diagnosis becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; teachers and parents might expect less from a child with learning differences and stop challenging them or the child might assume that they are incapable and stop trying. However, focussing on the child’s strengths and positive personal characteristics and offering encouragement and support usually stems feelings of doubt and negative thoughts.
It is expensive. Maybe, but a great deal of time, professional expertise and work go into assessing a child resulting in a full diagnostic assessment. This major piece of work that identifies strengths, weaknesses, with recommendations for support, could and most importantly, does, prove invaluable.

Concluding remarks

Clearly, it can be argued that I have a vested interest in promoting diagnostic assessment; after all, it goes with my job and I have spent many hours training to do this. However, I have not always worked in this field, I came to it following the assessment of my daughter, who at primary school could not learn rhymes, the days of the week or to read, but seemed intelligent. Her school recommended that she be assessed. The assessment revealed that she was indeed a bright child with excellent underlying ability who had dyslexia. Interventions were put in place at school and she attended sessions with a specialist tutor. The result is that at 21 years of age, she still has dyslexia. She also has the most amazing work ethic and organisational skills and has done extremely well academically. She firmly believes that diagnosis and intervention made a huge difference to her in a multitude of ways.

Learning differences and neuro-diverse profiles are often invisible and are not always easy to spot and are not always identified by the school, no matter how many checks are put in place. Young women and high achievers often mask their differences as they do their best to fit in. Not wanting to attract attention and stand out from the crowd, they work excessively at home to try to keep up. The views of parents are therefore relevant; if you notice for example, that your child is spending an extraordinary amount of time on their homework, or that their reading speed appears to be slow or that they have difficulty remembering things or communicating, call the SENCo at your school, discuss your concerns and observations and let them investigate further.

For me, there is no question or doubt in my mind. When a school suggests that an assessment might be useful, it will be; whether or not a firm diagnosis is made, you will gain a deeper understanding of your child’s learning profile and your child will ultimately feel happier in themselves.

Learning differences do not discriminate; they are not a measure of intelligence or ability and they can be present in anyone. They are certainly not a barrier to achievement. So why is there still so much stigma attached to them?

Category: WimTeach

Are partnerships with local schools and the community beneficial? Who do they benefit?

Partnerships are central to WHS values

The more you do for others, the more you do for yourself

How should we really feel about the arrival of artificial intelligence in the classroom?

What makes a successful A Level student (with a little help from Disney and friends)?

Goal setting & going the distance

Whistling while you work

Keep on swimming

Don’t just fly. Soar.

GROW 2.0: a Review

Coaching at WHS: developing approaches to academic and pastoral support

Emma Gleadhill, English Teacher, speaker, trainer and coach specialising in wellbeing, relationships & harnessing the power of emotional intelligence, discusses the ways we are using coaching at WHS to support the academic and pastoral strands of the school.

What is coaching?

What is coaching not?

Final thoughts…

Further reading

All girls are born great at Maths!

References:

Making a WISE choice

Understanding the research

What are we doing at WHS?

References

Further Reading

How can we prepare pupils for Oxbridge entry?

We all have a responsibility for widening access to Oxbridge

How we help pupils decide if Oxbridge is right for them

Building links with departments is vital

Confidence is key

The results

Further reading:

References:

To assess or not to assess?

The process

Advantages

Disadvantages

Concluding remarks