LEARNING AND TEACHING JOURNAL - North Birmingham Academy

EXCELLENT LESSONSDEVELOPINGEMOTIONALINTELLEGENCEOver the last few months,members of staff within theacademy have beingparticipating in ‘Packtyping.’Packtypes is a packagedesigned to develop people’semotional intelligence (EQ).Supported by provenpsychology, the packageenhances an individual’s selfawareness, self-esteem, selfmotivationand communication.For teachers, EQ can shape ourleadership styles and explainhow different students learn indifferent ways. The packagehas been well received and staffat NBA have found it aninspiring and effective form ofleadership.We hope the results of thepackage will filter through tostudent level, encouragingstudents to communicate andlead effectively and becomebetter team players.FULL MARKS FOR STUDENT ENGAGEMENTLast term saw the launch of the new marking policy atNBA. By encouraging active student engagement, thenew policy gives students greater independence in theirlearning and enables them to develop confidence andlearn new skills. Having support and feeling valued hascontributed to student success. It is evident studentsenjoy the opportunity to respond to their work, and thegreater use of peer and self assessment ensuresstudents are clearer on what they are being assessedon and, therefore, how to improve.CHALLENGING E-BAC PROGRAMMENBA currently has 61 Year 10 studentsfollowing the challenging English-Baccalaureate programme. This meansstudents must obtain 5+ A*-C GCSEs gradesin: English, Maths, Modern Foreign Language,Double or Triple Award Science and aHumanities subject. The E-Bacc is designed toprovide students with the opportunities, skillsand qualifications to compete and succeed inthe competitive business world. Theprogramme is designed to equip students witha competitive set of results along with theknowledge, skills and understanding toprogress smoothly into A level studies anddegree level.As part of the course, students are providedwith personalised support and mentoring, ifrequired, over a 6 week period. Reviews takeplace in weeks 3 and 6 to ensure students aregaining the necessary support and are on trackto succeed in this challenging curriculumcourse. We are delighted that 5% of our E-Bacc cohort have already obtained the desiredgrades in Maths and Modern ForeignLanguages and 56% have obtained a highergrade in GCSE Mathematics.SHARING GOOD PRACTICENBA is committed to sharing goodpractice. Throughout the autumn term,weekly sessions were held at theacademy to provide insight into differentteaching techniques. The sessions weredelivered by staff who explored anddelivered presentations on differentapproaches and strategies that hadproved successful. Last term, thesessions focussed on literacy andnumeracy, explaining new approachesto developing students’ skills in thesecrucial areas.Staff shared knowledge on a range ofareas; from kinaesthetic activities (whichare designed to motivate our students)to understanding the use of graphs inMFL and technology.UNDERSTANDING GOOD PRACTICEThe NBA Teaching and Learning team have investedin the Star Lesson Observation system. This is a toolthat uses cameras to film lessons. The lesson is thenuploaded to ‘Star Lesson Land’ to be viewed by staff.This allows teachers to ‘tag’ aspects of good practicewithin the lesson and produceclips than can be shared andexported. The facility isbookable through the ITtechnicians athelpdesk@nbacademy.org.uk“ITT SURVIVING SPRING”Workshop with Kim Wheelar from BASS.