Advanced Plus Mid-course test audio script

Mid-course test. Listening exercise 3

Recording 10

Good morning everyone, my name is Amy O’Donnell, and I’ve recently

completed a post-graduate study into the impact of positive role models on
learning and attainment. This was conducted in conjunction with my work as a
secondary teacher at Oak Bank School, which, as many of you will probably be
aware, was recently awarded a special commendation for ongoing achievement
in community engagement, despite being placed under special measures only
three years ago. Now, at that point school inspectors felt that pupils within the
school, which is in a socially-deprived area of the city and comprises a high
proportion of vulnerable children, were lacking in terms of both academic and
emotional involvement.

As a cohort, the staff decided that something needed to be done, so we set about
researching areas where we could make small differences which, when
accumulated, would make a substantial change to the school and student well-
being. This approach, often referred to as marginal gains, had been previously
utilised within the healthcare system in our area, so we consulted with staff
there to better understand the practical and philosophical approach this required.
Significant improvements were made in a very short period by staggering start
times for pupils to ensure that the number of bottlenecks in corridors were
reduced. This meant that the start of each teaching day was more low-key and
pupils felt less anxious as they entered classes, resulting in a more receptive
attitude to learning.

We also re-configured classroom design to ensure that pupils sat around

workstations with immediate access to IT equipment, rather than it being placed
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 Advanced Plus Mid-course test audio script

elsewhere in the room. This made it easier to integrate digital learning strategies
into teaching processes, and allowed a more interactive, communicative, and
collaborative environment to be fostered. Where possible we also pushed
critical thinking, asking students to reflect on why they were taking part in the
different stages of a lesson. This greatly improved awareness of understanding
and outcomes, and allowed learning to be more of a dialogue, rather than
something imposed by staff.

However, it was soon abundantly clear that there were areas which couldn’t be
addressed via such a quick fix. After extracting data from a number of surveys
conducted with different year groups at varying stages in the first term we
realised that many students felt high levels of attainment were beyond them.
They couldn’t see success in their communities, and this apparent culture of
under-achievement was impacting on their psychological well-being. After
some consideration we decided that we would introduce the concept of role
model education in the upper half of the school.

Now, role model education is not concerned with the imparting of knowledge
and information. Rather, its aim is to expose its target groups to specific
attitudes, lifestyles and outlooks, and, in particular, to individuals in which these
attitudes and lifestyles are embodied. Initially we paired student groups with
teaching staff who we felt had something to offer in terms of inspiration. In this
way education became experiential, as students learnt a little about their
teachers’ lives, and how they embodied the values they are trying to pass on.

Building on the success of this pilot study we decided to offer a mentoring

system where students were paired with peers, teaching staff, or inspiring
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 Advanced Plus Mid-course test audio script

individuals from the wider community to discuss goals and aspirations. We

found that as they took part in this model, students were more willing and able
to reflect on their social position, and how best to address issues affecting their
sense of achievement. So in summary …

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