Teachers at Erdington Academy are stepping in front of the cameras to video their lessons 鈥� in a trailblazing project which puts best practice in focus.
Staff at Erdington Academy are pioneering a remarkable new technology within the ambitious 潘金莲传媒映画-Academy Trust (潘金莲传媒映画): a cloud-based professional development system called IRIS Connect.
By recording their lessons using iPads and uploading the videos to a secure data cloud, Erdington teachers are giving each other valuable feedback on teaching styles and lesson formats.
Assistant Principal Simone Mabbett, who teaches English, explained: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a brilliant but simple system.
鈥淲e set up the iPad on a tripod at the back of the classroom, so it isn鈥檛 distracting to students. The focus of filming is purely on the teacher, so we can watch it back and share it with colleagues if we choose.鈥�
One of the most valuable aspects of the IRIS system is how it empowers teachers at the Academy to self-reflect.
Mrs Mabbett said: 鈥淥ften when we鈥檙e teaching, we鈥檙e completely in the zone and we don鈥檛 notice things we do which may be distracting, or which could be improved.
鈥淲atching ourselves back helps us experience the lesson from the students鈥� perspective. We can spot things we could have done better, and implement changes for the betterment of our students鈥� education.鈥�
On top of this self-reflection, staff can share their recordings securely with other staff members at the Academy, enabling them to receive productive feedback from a variety of professionals.
One major focus of feedback has been on delivering the school鈥檚 鈥淜ey Drivers鈥� 鈥� areas of improvement the staff agree to work on across the entire school.
Mrs Mabbett said: 鈥淎s a staff body, we agree upon our Key Drivers at the start of the year and give them special focus throughout the school.
鈥淥ne of our Key Drivers this year is 鈥楨EP 鈥� Everyone is Expected to Participate鈥�. We鈥檝e been using different tactics like cold calling, partnered discussion time and mini whiteboards to encourage students to think hard and contribute in lessons.
鈥淚RIS has massively helped us narrow down what methods are working and which need improvement. We share small clips of our lessons with other teachers, highlighting these tactics, and I can confidently say we have all received incredibly useful feedback from doing this.鈥�
To help them track their improvements, Erdington Academy has issued each staff member with a private developmental journal for each academic year. This initiative, unique to the Academy, has been fully embraced by the teachers.
Mrs Mabbett said: 鈥淭he developmental journals supplement IRIS perfectly, and staff across the school have really engaged with them. IRIS helps us realise areas for improvement, and the journals help us keep track of our progress. It鈥檚 really rewarding to see it all written down.鈥�
Erdington Academy is the first school in 潘金莲传媒映画 to fully embrace the IRIS system, with Bournville School now beginning to use it too.
Mrs Mabbett hopes IRIS will be rolled out across 潘金莲传媒映画 in the near future, enabling staff to share feedback across the Trust鈥檚 four schools.
She said: 鈥溑私鹆接郴� initially funded IRIS for us as a pilot, to see if it was impactful and worth rolling out properly. It鈥檚 proven to be a real game-changer.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen such positive responses across our school community 鈥� from staff, to parents who have been kept informed and have been enthusiastic, to students, who even greet the iPads now as they enter lessons!
鈥淚ris has enhanced the teaching culture here, we have centred conversations around teaching and learning and so much enthusiasm among staff. It鈥檚 something I hope will spread throughout the entire Trust.鈥�
Principal Simon Mallett said: 鈥淜ey to the ethos of our school is what we call 鈥榯he Erdington way鈥� 鈥� a set of standards and expectations that helps build a sense of belonging for everyone in the Erdington Academy community.
鈥淭he IRIS Connect project really fits into that ethos, by connecting our teachers and helping them to share ideas and support each other, in a way that helps drive quality teaching and ultimately improve outcomes for students.鈥�
Crucially, both teachers and students have welcomed the IRIS system.
Head girl Milcah said: 鈥淚 think the iPads are amazing it helps the teachers see ways that they can improve learning for the students and make it more engaging and memorable.
鈥淚t also allows the teachers see how students get along with the Do nows, making sense and even the deliberate practice elements of the lesson; making sure all the lessons are impactful to the students.鈥�
Deputy Head boy Brycen said: 鈥淭he iPads are wonderful tools that help teachers review how they teach, spot areas of improvement, and take real action to make our learning that much better than it already is.鈥�
Javed Ali, Teacher of Mathematics, said: 鈥淚RIS has been an effective tool in allowing me to consistently receive feedback on my teaching practice without having to suffer the logistics of trying to organise in-person observations. It鈥檚 also been a great way for me to ‘see’ my own practice and identify and address habits in my practice which I’d otherwise probably never notice!鈥�
And Teacher of History Lucy Morrison added: 鈥淯sing IRIS has given me the confidence to try out new techniques in the classroom without the pressure of an in-person observation. It has helped me reflect on my lessons in hindsight to improve my practice in the long-term.鈥�
Anna Kosiacki, Senior Learning Designer, at IRIS Connect praised Erdington鈥檚 use of the pioneering system.
She said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 truly inspiring to see Erdington Academy’s commitment to professional development and reflective practice. Working with such dedicated and thoughtful school leaders like Simone has been a real pleasure. We鈥檙e proud to support their journey with IRIS Connect and look forward to helping build wider collaboration across 潘金莲传媒映画 in the near future.鈥�
