Introductory page- Working Wallpaper- An effective tool for he learning environment
Kelley Hassan
Page 1- Chinese proverb/ British Idiom- ‘A picture paints a thousand words’ – The idea behind this presentation was to provide a snapshot journey that told the story of the evolution of my working wall. With limited time and a lot to say, capturing it and presenting in an album format meant each page told at least a thousand words.
Page 2- The thinker- A reflective snapshot of an NQT year- a learning journey. Kelley Hassan – the skill that I have developed the most is my ability to think and reflect. In the business we call it ‘reflective practice’ and it has been essential to my professional development. In the hectic word of chrysalising from trainee to teacher it is very easy to overlook this practice. Make it a habit. No short cuts, you just have to do it!
Page 3- The Graduation – I remember that feeling of exhilaration, euphoria and a sense of finally having done it. I was at the end of a very long journey and about to start working, I was finally living my dream job. All the pain, stress, sleepless nights, reading, theory had brought me to this point.
Page 4- First day -reality – I stepped into my classroom. It was mine. All mine. 30 chairs, 30 desk, I even had my own computer station. I looked around and suddenly realised that the walls were mine too. Those huge bare walls. I stood unable to move frazzled by the task ahead. I grappled with my memory bank trying to remember classrooms I had been in and how inspiring they looked. I too wanted mine to be inspiring so that was it they were not bare walls they were my blank canvases.
Page 5- The Tate – My first brilliant idea, I would transform my classroom into a work of art. An exhibition worthy of The Tate Modern. I wanted it to be breath taking and generate a good amount of chatter and envy if I am honest.
Page 6- Divine Inspiration – I decided that I would need some inspiration, so looked around other classrooms often sneaking a peak for something that I could pass off as my own creation. I was creative, I had ideas and I just needed some help finding them.
Page 7- A match made in heaven – I searched classrooms high and low, in my school, in other schools, trawling the internet, pintrest! The more I looked the more I saw these beautiful walls, all perfectly decorated all perfectl twinkled and laminated within an inch of their life (disclaimer- I am a huge twinkl and laminator fan!). The more I looked the more I became overwhelmed. Intimidation began to set it.
Page 8- Warning – in spite of all my active research, I resumed my frazzled teacher status. The walls were suddenly closing in, I had nothing. What was I possibly going to put on them? There was a clear sign on my door (invisible of course) that said “DO NOT DISTURB”. I did not want to hear of any learning walls, no teacher popping in with that sympathetic ‘ooo your poor walls look’. Arrrggghhh was the only word on repeat in my head.
Page 9- Time to take the bull by the horns – I started to put something up. A mixture of the children’s work, shared writing/ ideas and other twinkly bits and bobs. It wasn’t The Tate but I was out the blocks.
Page 10- Eureka – like a bolt out of the blue, I suddenly realised that my walls were at their best when they were nothing more than a backdrop for the children’s work. Finally I was working towards that exhibition worthy of The Tate.
Page 11- Imitation is highest form of flattery (paraphrasing from Oscar Wilde) – with CPD events, NQT days, meetings, visits to other schools I began to magpie ideas that I came across. I loved the concept of shared practice it was like a full spread buffet, I could take the things that I like and skip the rest. My walls were taking shape but could they be better? Pause break- reflective thinking (REFER TO NOTES ON PAGE 2)
Page 12- It’s all about the children – I began to experiment with my lesson planning and build in more opportunities for the children to make the learning resources and props that we used in our lesson. Once the lesson was over it went straight up on the working wall and provided an instant display.
Page 13- Let the children speak – it was clear from the work they produced that the working walls were having positive impact and they gave me some feedback. Without any extra effort the children were creating working walls that provided an instant visual reference point and meant that it could be turnover quickly and became the very definition of a working wall.
Page 14- Interactive not static- The children actively used the working walls and engaged with them. I began to put maths questions on the working wall that they could answer. It provided a great opportunity for AFL and I could address any misconceptions during daily skills time without compromising impact or quality of the lesson itself. It helped to direct how I was able to pitch a lesson and quickly identified areas that they might need some extra support.
Page 15- Things work best when they work together – I began to use my working walls in conjunction with each other. If the outcomes in a particular literacy topic were for example to use onomatopoeias and conjunctions, then I was able to put supportive material on the working wall that the children could immediately access. It has meant that I can maximise the teaching element of every lesson and can direct children to where they can independently find the supporting material they might need.
Page 16- The Darwin effect – the working walls are constantly evolving to effectively support the learning needs of the children. By modeling and producing a shared piece of work exactly how I expect the children to produce it, then it immediately goes up on the working wall. If a child didn’t quite grasp the concept or didn’t complete the task I can easily refer them back to the working wall for the day they need to focus on.
Page 17- Clever preparation – the flip chart has become my best friend and I have learnt to invest a bit more time in advance. Preparation is key so that it can quickly be used on the working wall. As the working wall is broken down by days of the school week and it provides a visual working representation of the learning process from flip chart to working wall, conception to production.
Page 18 & 19- 2 for 1- The working wall supports the outcomes of the children and means that there are beautiful pieces of work readily available for display. By showcasing their work means t it is their environment is created by them and always accessible.
Page 20- Finally – The journey of my working walls has been painful, fun and extremely rewarding. By regularly reflecting on the needs of the children, effective planning and some advance preparation then the working walls can because a reliable tool for anyone’s teaching practice. Is that the end? No…. I am still on this journey and am excited to where it takes me to next!