...at least they did in 1999, according to Tim Brighouse, when I heard him talk about them. Do they still make sense, 23 years later? At the time they were incredibly compelling and, evidenced here, highly memorable. Do you do them?
Multiply Their 'Specialness'
Increase the chances of each child in school coming into contact with people and situations that make them feel special, worthy and valuable. This could be teachers, peers, older students, visitors, TAs, parents - anyone who can bring understanding, love, learning and challenge into a child's daily experience.
Smile in the corridor; give meaningful responsibilities; listen; ask; get to know; play a game in the playground; give pupils the chance to teach something to a younger child. There are hundreds of ways to make a child feel special and so many adults in school to do it. But do we make this a priority, do we dedicate real time to it?
Value and Use Your Outside Interests
If you love photography, bring it to school, not just as an after school club, but woven in to your subject lessons. If your passion is dancing, do the same. Whatever your hobby, your pastime, your relaxation, your interest, don't leave it at the gate, bring it into your teaching and learning. And guess what? the passion you have for it will come along aswell.
Create Meaningful Alter Egos
Puppets, comedy voices, imaginary characters, soft toys, 'talking' objects - bring characters into your lessons and expand your teaching personality. This is not just an EYFS thing. My last Yr4 class learned maths alongside a magic talking stone. At the end of each lesson, I held the stone up to my ear and it would quietly tell me who had made the most effort. After a while I passed it to the children. They began to hear the maths stone too, telling them which of their peers had succeeded and why.
If you need a behaviour monitor for Year 1, might that be a rag doll with a beady eye? If you need concentration power for Yr6, is that a benevolent crystal on your desk?
I'd be interested to know what you think. My guess is that most people get it. They understand intuitively why the Brighouse 3 might be features of good teaching. But I worry that in the current climate, they describe the kind of teaching style that is either frowned upon, tolerated, or dismissed as frivolous. A style with no data to back it up. No evidence other than it feels right to many dedicated and experienced professional educators. Including Tim Brighouse.
About Our Schools, Brighouse and Waters
