2023 in Review: Celebrating Teacher Training Triumphs
@TeacherToolkit
Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2010, and today, he is one of the ‘most followed educators’on social media in the world. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the ‘500 Most Influential People in Britain’ by The Sunday Times as a result of…
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What are your teaching highlights from the year?
This post summarises my physical teacher training travels during this calendar year. I’ve led 49 physical training sessions and 49 webinar sessions to work with approximately ~6,500+ teachers, potentially impacting ~200,000 students!
In this time, I’ve managed to write yet another book! In a follow-up post, I’ll also explain the website traffic for this year: 92 blogs, almost 50 per cent lower than my average, and 51 resources. I am still blessed to have 858,000 website users this year – totalling 19.5 million readers!
January 2023
The first week back to school in the New Year is always busy! I travelled to Shifnal to work at Idsall School before returning to Hull. I’ve been invited back to Yorkshire and Humber Teacher Training provider in Hull for the last seven years! Although I play a tiny part in this process, I’ve supported 300 new teachers to the profession in this one location alone.
I then returned to Southwest Wales (Carmarthen) and, inbetween pit-stops at home, reached Kent Showground for a keynote with trainee teachers from across Thames Gateway, before returning to Marylebone Boys’ School.
On returning home from a keynote in Kent, I popped into Primrose Hill Primary School. What a fantastic building!
February 2023
In the spring (and increasingly into the summer term), I worked with more and more further education colleges, keen to explore the science of learning. In early February, I worked again with colleagues at Barnsley College before heading over to North Wales to work with teachers and lecturers at Coleg Cambria in Deeside and Wrexham. This will be the first of three physical training events this term; I’m always fascinated by the breadth and depth of courses that colleges provide to students. It really makes you question teaching and learning …
March/April 2023
March and April this academic year proved to be an interesting challenge, probably the most difficult I’ve known.
Whilst I was incredibly busy online, it was the first time I had little or no physical commitments in seven years. On reflection, costs of living, the war in Ukraine and teacher strike action across England meant that training (and books) were a luxury item.
However, in late April, I was blessed to work with Holywell School in Bedfordshire, one of only 23 middle schools (years 5 – 9) left across England. I used what time I had at my desk to finish the last big chunk of research and writing for my new book.
May 2023
In May, I was physically working back in North Wales (Coleg Cambria and St Brigid’s) and Marylebone Boys’ again, including many online training sessions. I found myself back in Northern Ireland at Ulster University in Coleraine – a beautiful part of the world – leading a keynote for 400+ teachers and leaders from across the region.
June 2023
June is always my busiest month. It’s conference season, plus as exams ease off, schools open up for teacher training and planning for the year. I’ve easily clocked up 10,000 miles in the 20222/23 academic year, and in June, I reached Dollis Primary in North London (see video) and then drove all the way to Clacton on Sea to work with Whitehall Academy – it was a fantastic set up there.
I led a couple of online keynotes for Bristol Council, before travelling to St John’s in Cambridge, then back to Coleg Cambria in Deeside for our final event of the year. I also had the privilege of working with teachers and lecturers at Tameside College – they really know how to celebrate and look after their teachers there! I had a fantastic morning.
July 2023
In between physical commitments, what little time I had at my desk, I spent editing the final parts of my new book, Guide To Questioning.
My last two training commitments of 2022/23 academic year were working with colleagues at the University of Chichester to help them move forward in their academic thinking. I was also blessed with one last (local) physical commitment at Bury College. This is my third time there, and it’s always nice to be asked back because you see familiar faces, and you can add much more value … The last gig of the summer term was at the fantastic Tameside College in Manchester.
July 2023
In July, as schools wind down for the academic year, this is an opportunity for me to develop the website behind the scenes, put the finishing touches to my new book, make plans for the next book, and organise the annual book launch party at home. This year we hosted 75+ guests, and although it was a ‘washout’, it was a lovely way to end the academic year.
August 2023
After a couple of weeks on holiday, I packed my teacher training suitcase and was back on the road. It’s non-stop from the last week of August until the first week of December! I travelled to Abu Dhabi in mid-August, then returned to work with Merthyr Tydfil College, then onto King’s School in Macclesfield and Monkton Combe in Bath…
September 2023
September was as crazy as normal. I was delighted to be invited to Northampton School for Girls to help develop their coaching implementation. This was immediately followed by visits to schools in James Hornsby in Basildon, Yew Tree Primary in Birmingham, Leaways SEMH school in East London, then back to The Hayling College on Hayling Island.
In the middle of the month, I worked with Harlington School in West London – this school was moving to a new school building over half term – before returning to Parkstone Grammar School in Poole. I rounded off the month with a trip to Colchester Sixth Form and a keynote at Bolton Football Club.
It was a busy month!!
October 2023
This month, I found myself back in Coventry at the fabulous Joseph Cash Primary School, before I visited the lovely Carr Hill School in Kirkham, Lancashire. I then travelled to Stringer Academy in Coventry – literally in the heart of the city – then on to Birmingham to work with teachers and support staff across Waverley Trust – these guys will feature my new book, Guide to Feedback.
I completed this half term with the return trip to Coleg Cambria, working with teachers and lecturers across three college sites across Deeside and Wrexham.
November 2023
During either side of half-term, there were a couple of online sessions followed by a trip to West London College in Hammersmith. There was also an official book launch party at Bloomsbury Publishing headquarters with the brilliant Action Jackson! In mid-November, I worked with TOVE Trust, supporting teaching and learning leaders at Sponne School, followed by a return trip to Mill Hill School in North London. Seven years ago, I supported a new teacher in the profession, and it was fantastic to see her still thriving, now supporting another group of new teachers!
Later in the month, I had a keynote for HMC in Andover, speaking in front of over 100 independent school leaders. As part of my preparation, I wondered if ‘private schools were valued for money‘, and I was pleasantly surprised. I then finished off the month with a trip back to Colchester to work with Whitehall and Coastal Academy, and a small group of primary headteacher as part of Ormiston Academies Trust, leading a small workshop at Nottingham University.
I squeezed in a special birthday celebration before visiting a trainee teacher as part of my role as PGCE tutor for Buckingham University. Repton School is one of the oldest in the country!
December 2023
December is always a month for me to down tools physically before getting up to speed with all-things online. It’s quite a task to keep developing the website to support 50,000 teachers logging in each week. When all the technology works, this gives me some downtime to assemble the bones for my new book. At the time of writing, I’ve cobbled together 20,000 words.
I finished the year with a keynote presentation at Cronton 6th Form College (with Riverside College) in Widnes. What a fantastic teaching and learning space they have!
This calendar year has been a tale of two halves. Almost at rock bottom in the Spring, before turning down another investor and then rising into one of the busiest periods I’ve ever known …
I’ll keep doing TT as long as I’m physically capable, and as long as people still want the support in-house, I’m happy to travel. Thank you for reading, for using the resources, and the reading website. Happy New Year, Ross.
