In teacher training, we are constantly asked to reflect on our practice. 

Our lessons need to be effective, efficient and have some kind of (hopefully positive) impact upon our pupils. 

At various times and under various leadership teams, we may be under pressure to follow a set format of lesson or set timings. 

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Other targets can also creep in, such as the current go-to target of choice: pace.

One of the massive benefits about working in primary is your relative ownership of the timetable. It’s perhaps an underrated and under-celebrated one. 

Although the curriculum is pretty packed, afternoons in primary are long and useful periods of time. Without reflection and careful thought, they can also drift and lessons can take longer than perhaps is needed.

This is where I was at before I chose to do something drastic to refocus my practice.

Pace, pace, pace

My approach was simple. Enforced pace. Relentless pace. Move away from the regular morning routine of something English-based, something maths-based, hopefully squeeze in an additional half-hour of something English- or maths-based.

I took the approach of breaking my day into 10-minute lessons from 9am, all the way through till 3pm. Immersive speed-teaching, if you will. Each lesson was to be timed on an iPad and by the end of the day the ticking clock began to haunt me in the same way it did for 24‘s Jack Bauer. 

The children were used to the odd curveball in the classroom and were naturally eager to see if it could be done, if only to see if I could drag myself through my own creation.

Looking back at the lesson plans, the coverage was quite impressive. Drama, maths, computing, art, tests of resilience, Lego and Latin all featured. I can guarantee that had never happened before.

The afternoon included history, geography, more computing, more history, PE, RE, philosophy and more art. 

A very different picture and structure to my regular teaching. The final lesson was a feedback lesson. The children were overwhelmingly positive about the day, but that was hardly surprising. This was a class that would have been overwhelmingly positive about anything.

Constant reminders

But what about that all-important reflection? Was it worth the constant time reminders? The excessive planning? Did it improve my teaching?

Looking back, there were some real highlights. I had hit a stage in my teaching where I needed to consider the pace of my lessons.

It was too easy to let lessons take longer than necessary. As with any aspect of teaching, the effort that went into the planning also paid off. 

I was forced into being creative and drawing on all kinds of short activities to maintain pupil interest. This refreshment and innovation, if nothing else, made the day worthwhile.

However, in reality, they weren’t really lessons. There was little assessment going on. There was no time to delve deeper into misconceptions or explore ideas if needed. 

I had essentially stuck a range of unrelated tasks together as opposed to structured learning. The opportunity to string moments together, bringing a series of lessons together like the finale of a box-set binge, is lost.

Does this mean I wouldn’t do it again? In the format described above, definitely not. However, would I look into the possibility of short -bursts of 10-minute lessons again? I think I would. 

There is a benefit in looking at quickfire recall tasks and applying some intense focus for short periods of time for your pupils.

Perhaps a focused half-hour each week or a half-termly hour of rotated activities just to provide a low-threat reason to reflect on my practice is no bad thing.

Adam Parkhouse is an upper key stage 2 teacher and deputy head in a rural school in Norfolk. He tweets @Parky_teaches