Damian Rollinson first used HOW2s when he was a sessional lecturer. In this blog post, he describes how HOW2s increased his confidence as a teacher and gave him more time to spend with his growing family.
I was 20 years of age, inexperienced, lacked confidence in my teaching ability and spent hours trying to plan my lessons.
I was introduced to the How2 teaching techniques when I was a sessional lecturer, teaching Public Services and Health and Social Care. I was studying for my teaching qualification. I was 20 years of age, inexperienced, lacked confidence in my teaching ability and spent hours trying to plan my lessons. At this point, I was unsure if teaching was the path I wanted to continue to pursue.
Every teacher has their own login, meaning they have instant access to support
I was given access to the How2 teaching app by a colleague and a brief explanation of how they can support staff to improve. Looking at the app, I was unsure if I was going to have the time to look and implement these into my practice. A few weeks passed before looking at the strategies again, and it got to the point where I was struggling to plan engaging lessons. I remember talking to a colleague who had been using the techniques; they looked refreshed and spoke about their experiences with passion and enthusiasm. I so badly wanted to be this way.
For any Educators new to HOW2s here’s the on-boarding video our customers use
It was a weekend, and I was planning my lessons for the following week, I logged into the How2 app and started to scroll through the techniques. To my surprise, I was amazed at the number of techniques and strategies available to me to use within my lessons. HOW2 was going to make planning my lessons and planning a variety of activities so much easier and quicker. WHYHAD I NOTLOOKEDATTHISSOONER?
I must have been on the app all day planning my lessons and feeling excited to be using the techniques and being in the classroom delivering to my students. (A feeling I had lacked)
Monday morning was here, and I had a lesson at 9 am. I had incorporated a few How2s into this lesson, level 2 Public services group A. I was confident that I had planned my session well but nervous at the same time as I was unsure the students would buy into the techniques. It didn’t help that there were a few challenging students within the group.
I am not sure what I was worried about, the lesson was great. I adjusted the techniques to suit the mood of the session and to fit in with activities and group dynamics, and it just flowed. It was the best, most enjoyable lesson I had taught to date, and all of the students took part and were engaged throughout, I was excited about my next session.
Over the coming months, I used the How2 Techniques more and more and challenged my self to use a variety and not just the ones I first started to use. I reviewed my lessons in more detail and planned on how I could use the techniques in different ways to meet the needs of my students.
Educators can organise HOW2s into their own sets
I was receiving good lesson observations and gained an outstanding lesson observation while in a computer room doing a workshop-style lesson ( which at that point I didn’t think could happen). I used the ‘Entry Routine’ technique, greeted the students, followed by the ‘desk work’ technique, which engaged the students from the very start. The desk work activity was a simple question written on the board. Students were asked to think about the question alone for a minute and then discuss it with a partner for a further minute and then share the answer with the rest of the group. I based the lesson around the HOW2 techniques. It just worked.
The one-minute video below shows how quickly educators can find teaching solutions
We all adapted and met the challenge of C19 head-on because there was no other choice. C19 has changed the education landscape for good. We all did what we had to do. Now, it’s time to look to the future, do more to support our teachers, and give them a better way and place to learn.
Transitioning teaching expertise from live face-to-face settings to online is not immediate. But there are a few little things that can make it look like you’ve been doing it for ages.