Teach17

Becky Ridings is an experienced teacher and educational leader with a strong interest in teaching and learning, metacognition and developing effective classroom practice.
In these 17 questions, she shares her thoughts on great teaching, feedback, workload, EdTech and the importance of getting the basics right.

Connect with Becky Ridings on LinkedIn

Question 1

What first attracted you to teaching?

My parents were both teachers, so they were my inspiration behind my career in teaching. They always enjoyed what they did, and I would often want to play “schools” with them in the evenings just so I could call out a register and do some marking. I think I enjoyed the control and sense of power it gave me to boss my parents about. Ironically, since becoming a teacher, I realise that doing a register and marking are certainly not the most enjoyable aspects of the job!

Question 2

How did your career in education begin?

I did a PGCE straight after my degree, so it’s the only career I have ever known. I always wanted to be a teacher, despite my dad trying to talk me out of it. I get where he was coming from (it’s hard work), but I have no regrets. Initially, I wanted to be a primary teacher, but after some work experience with Year 1, where it took them 20 minutes to line up and wash their hands before lunch, I realised my patience levels were probably better suited to secondary!

Question 3

What does great teaching look like to you?

It is a feeling you get when you walk into a classroom: the environment feels calm and purposeful; pupils are busy and engaged; the teacher is relaxed but in control and not doing everything themselves. Then you know you have great teaching and great learning taking place.

When a teacher is able to make the things that they do look easy, even though what they are doing and teaching is complex, then you have a great teacher.

“When a teacher is able to make the things that they do look easy, even though what they are doing and teaching is complex, then you have a great teacher.”

Question 4

How do you know when pupils have really understood something?

I would like to say that their eyes light up and I can see a lightbulb turn on above their head, but this doesn’t happen as often as I would like! It’s rewarding when they ask thoughtful questions and are making connections between what you have taught. This sometimes happens in class, but often it isn’t visible until you read the work they have produced.

I often tell pupils that one effective revision strategy is to teach something to someone else because you really have to understand the content in order to explain it clearly. So, if they can teach me or others, then I am confident their understanding is secure.

Question 5

What role should questioning play in a good lesson?

Questioning should take place in every lesson. It is great to check for understanding, to ensure everyone is participating, as well as to probe for more detail and bounce ideas off each other. I always tell my colleagues that questions should be planned in advance of the lesson to ensure they are used in the best way possible.

Question 6

How do you support pupils who lack confidence?

It depends on the pupil, but often a quiet word of encouragement can help. If they are very nervous, then pre-warning them of your intentions for a lesson works, e.g. preparing them to answer a question or to expect group work.

Cold calling means that everyone can be included, so it reduces the fear of giving a wrong answer to some extent. Sending a positive email home is hugely beneficial. Often, parents say they only hear from school if there is a problem, so it always cheers them up and gives a huge confidence boost to them and their child.

Question 7

How important is retrieval practice in your teaching?

We all know that retrieval practice is the most effective form of revision, so I am a bit ashamed to admit I probably haven’t used it as much as I could. In the subject I teach, I am often trying to cover a lot of content in a limited amount of time, so retrieval activities have not always received as much attention as they probably deserve.

However, I have used it regularly with Years 9, 11 and 13 in the last year, so it will be interesting to see how it benefits the pupils. I have found that Year 7 enjoy retrieval tasks, particularly low-stakes quizzes and multiple-choice questions, so moving forward, I think it’s important to set them up with good habits in relation to retrieval practice from the start.

Question 8

What makes an explanation really effective?

I know it sounds basic, but planning what you are going to say is important. Clear instruction helps win trust and confidence from your pupils. Whilst explaining a concept, I would be sure to write key words or phrases on the board and perhaps include a diagram.

My subject lends itself to short video clips to help bring the concept to life. Even better if I can use a real-life example or story to help make the explanation memorable, or use an analogy so that the explanation is simplified and pupils can then apply the concepts to new situations.

One of my favourite examples I learnt on my PGCE is to explain how a river transports its load in relation to a very badly made cup of tea, which I draw on the board.

Question 9

How do you balance challenge with support?

I am lucky that I have relatively small class sizes, which helps. I aim to teach to the top by ensuring all are taught the correct subject terminology and have detailed explanations. To support, I would ensure key terms and main points are on the board for all to see.

Adaptive teaching is required to respond to each individual’s needs, as well as pre-empting where there are opportunities for challenge and where more support might be required. If there are pupils with specific individual needs, then I follow the concept of what’s needed for some but benefits all.

For example, at my school we have switched to off-white coloured paper so everyone uses the same. It makes adapting to the needs of some much easier. For those who welcome the extra challenge, we run subject-specific competitions and have a geography library in our department area to encourage reading around the topic.

Question 10

What is your approach to giving useful feedback?

There is such a wide range of opinion when it comes to feedback, and often this differs between teachers, SLT, parents and pupils. I think the Hattie and Timperley (2007) model provides a useful framework by asking three questions: where am I going? (feed-up), how am I going? (feed-back) and where to next? (feed-forward).

Whether feedback is verbal, written or peer-based, it should help pupils answer those questions. I encourage prompt feedback, but this does depend on the task to a certain extent. For example, if a pupil wrote a very long essay, then I would argue that slightly delayed feedback that is more detailed is more helpful than the teacher rushing some feedback just to make sure the feedback is given promptly.

Question 11

How important are routines for successful learning?

They are essential! Last academic year, I led on this to improve more consistent routines across all departments. It had good results in terms of maximising lesson time and stamping out low-level disruption.

We worked on how pupils enter and exit the room, having regular Do Now activities, active listening, teaching agility by moving around the room more frequently, and cold calling.

Question 12

What teaching strategy has had the biggest impact on your pupils?

Since coming up with 10 Learner Attributes for our school, I think that metacognition has been the most powerful one. Ask me this question again in a year’s time, because this academic year we are really going to focus on improving this academic skill across the school.

But one strategy that has really helped pupils make better connections and think for themselves has been to ask these three questions when coming across a new piece of text, photo, map, graph, etc.

• What do I notice?
• What does this text/photo/map/graph tell me?
• What questions do I still have?

It sounds so simple, but it has really led to some of the best class discussions, connected thinking and deeper understanding that I have ever seen.

Question 13

What do you think schools sometimes overcomplicate about teaching and learning?

Firstly, I think that there has been rapid change happening in schools in recent years, and there is a danger that schools can try to do too much at once. Changing the teaching and learning culture in a school is painfully slow and takes time to embed. I have learnt that doing fewer things better is much more effective.

Secondly, and I know I will be unpopular for saying this, but I feel that EdTech has a risk of overcomplicating teaching and learning. Whilst I am very interested in EdTech, digital learning and AI in education, I also think we need to be realistic about the challenges.

For example, sometimes pen and paper can get the job done a lot more quickly and efficiently when faced with unreliable Wi-Fi, system updates, forgotten chargers, missing stylus pens, distractions on the internet, etc. I believe it’s important to ensure that EdTech is enhancing teaching and learning and not just causing yet another competitor for our pupils’ attention.

“I have learnt that doing fewer things better is much more effective.”

Question 14

How should teachers adapt lessons for different learners?

It depends on the needs of the pupils in the classroom, so the first place to start is by getting to know your pupils and how they learn best. Being adaptive may mean having adapted resources or seating plans in advance of the lesson to suit different needs. It could be adjusting the pace of the lesson or adapting explanations, or it could be working 1:1 with any pupils who are struggling.

Teachers still need to have clear expectations in terms of routines, behaviour, work ethic, etc., but how pupils get to the final outcome may require some adaptive teaching, so teachers need to be observant and responsive to what is happening in front of them, in the moment.

Question 15

What advice would you give to someone starting their teaching career?

I would encourage them to make use of the brilliant research that has been done in cognitive science. At my school, we subscribe to the Teacher CPD Academy, run by Inner Drive. It is great for explaining the science of learning whilst giving practical tips on how to apply this in the classroom.

When I was training to be a teacher, none of this existed, so I was very much left to my own devices. I would observe brilliant teachers but not really understand how I could emulate that. It comes with practice and experience, but if I had had access to what is available now, then it would have been a huge benefit.

Question 16

What would you most like to improve about education today?

This is a hard question because so much has improved since I first started teaching. One area that hasn’t improved is workload and teacher wellbeing. There is no real opportunity for flexible working or working from home if you are a classroom teacher or in middle management. COVID seemed to enable this for many professions, but not in teaching. This can be frustrating when trying to manage a full-time job and family commitments.

Some of the contributors to workload and stress from my own personal experience include:

• The vast curriculum content in my subject at GCSE is too much. I appreciate the need for depth and breadth of knowledge, but it has removed many elements of fun and opportunities to go beyond the specification. I also think that pupils are required to sit far too many GCSE exams.
• More SEND provision.
• I would like to see more guardrails put in place for digital learning. I feel not enough was put in place when social media arrived, and we risk following the same path with AI and digital literacy.
• Working in an independent school, I can see the impact that VAT on fees is having on this sector. Teachers are required to give even more to provide better value for money for pupils and parents.

Question 17

What is the best piece of teaching advice you have ever received?

I have been given lots of advice throughout my career. The most common piece was always about having a work/life balance. I still don’t think I have mastered that.

One piece that has stuck with me is from a colleague who once said that “everything in education is a cycle”. This is very true. I have been teaching for 23 years and I am certainly seeing ideas coming back around, both within my school and even nationally.

It has made me realise that getting the basics right is important, but not to sweat the small stuff, as these ideas often come and go. There is nothing more frustrating than feeling you have wasted your time on something that is then changed or phased out a few months or years later.

I feel I have been doing this job long enough now to recognise what is likely to stick and be worth keeping and what is yet another fad. This has helped me keep a clear head and focus on what is really important rather than become overworked and overstressed trying to make everything work.

More recently, in the age of AI, I find myself returning to the phrase “whoever does the thinking gets the learning.” I have it pinned to my noticeboard and quote it regularly in lessons, staff training and assemblies. It reminds me that, whatever new initiative or technology comes along, learning is still dependent on pupils doing the hard thinking for themselves.

“Whoever does the thinking gets the learning.”