Minimising ‘Foot Shooting’ In Teaching - A Collaborative Approach to Enhance Student Agency

To the school leaders out there ...

In the pursuit of creating thriving learning environments, it’s crucial to pause and reflect on teaching practices. As leaders responsible for the growth of our teaching staff, we must encourage teachers—and ourselves—to ask a fundamental yet tough question: “Am I unknowingly hindering my effectiveness and my students’ learning experience?”

The key word there is 'unknowingly'! No one knowingly hinders their effectiveness. However, the challenge we humans face is that we don't know what we don't know. Therefore, it is not uncommon for educators to engage in practices that, while well-intentioned, obstruct rather than enhance student understanding and agency. I’ve been there myself, especially in my early years of teaching.?

This unintentional ‘foot shooting’ stems from a lack of awareness rather than deliberate actions.

The path to positive change begins with self-reflection. When we help teachers critically assess their methods, they become more aware of practices that may not align with their vision of fostering student agency.?

This self-awareness is a key driver of meaningful transformation.

In my teaching journey, I realised that many of my early methods unnecessarily complicated learning for my students. Only through a shift in awareness did I begin to recognise how my approaches were hindering student understanding and growth.

Collaborative Approach to Changing Teaching Practices

Our collaborative approach emphasises a team-based structure, where groups of teachers work together to bring about meaningful classroom change. We guide teachers in creating online ‘tutorials’ of their best strategies so that all teachers benefit. Teachers regularly implement and reflect on new ideas, sharing insights through written reflections. These foster accountability and ongoing growth. This method encourages collaboration, exploration, and a deeper engagement with teaching practices, empowering both educators and students.

Alternatives to Raising Student Agency

For a more detailed insight into the collaborative CPD approach - especially for schools not needing to enhance student agency - check out Alternative Focuses of Collaborative School-Wide CPD

Let’s Collaborate

We invite you to explore how our collaborative PD approach can be tailored to your school’s needs. Together, we can align teaching practices to create a rich, empowering learning experience for all students.

Your Turn

Please share your takeaways, comments and questions.

If you’re ready to embark on this transformative journey or have any questions, contact us. We would love to help you enhance your educational environment.