Teaching Freedom - EDUCATION WITH IMAGINATION | Academic Results and Benefits

Academic Results 2003-2004

In all of the tables below, the number indicated below each ‘Subject’ heading indicates the number of pupils who achieved above the level predicted by their teacher. The ‘Percentage’ figures highlight the impact of our approach.

The following table correlates the frequency with which the teacher used our tools and techniques with class results.

Additional benefits

Teachers on benefits for children
· Learning becomes far more enjoyable
· Better behaviour and less disruption
· More fun, laughter in the classroom
· Increased self-confidence
· Increased self-respect
· Greater participation in class
· More involvement during lessons
· Increased acceptance of others
· Improved attendance levels
· Increased levels of concentration
· An increased desire to learn

Teachers on benefits for themselves
· Greater freedom and flexibility
· Enhanced self-confidence
· Increased self-esteem
· Increased creativity and motivation
· More spontaneous and dynamic
· Greater communication skills
· More enjoyment and fun
· Reduced stress levels

Head Teachers on benefits for their teachers
· Increased subject knowledge
· Enhanced levels of self-confidence
· Better communication skills
· Willingness to teach more creatively

ACADEMIC RESULTS & BENEFITS

"It gives teachers confidence and pride in what they are doing; giving them fun back. I’d love to see it in more schools because it gives the children such motivation." Jon Farley, Head Teacher Summerfield Primary School

“It enables teachers to become more confident in teaching more creatively and helps them learn by making concepts that would be abstract to children more concrete. The children really enjoy it. It values them, their thoughts and feelings. It makes the job more fun and helps you be more in tune with the children. If you develop the imagination the capacity to learn a wider range of things is greater. Without the imagination the facts don’t all link up.”
Carolyn Sandford, Head Teacher, Westroyd Junior and Infant School

“Teaching Freedom has led to increased work rates and an improvement in behaviour in the classes I teach. In short it's a different and valuable way of learning. Personally, it has helped me rediscover my temporarily misplaced love of teaching, and respect for the job.”
Jim Brassil, Teacher of 9-10 yr olds, Lower Wortley Primary School, Leeds

“This could revolutionise teaching. It is a very, very powerful teaching technique. They used to say that Heineken reaches the parts that other beers don’t reach. Well this is the teaching equivalent! With this you can reach parts of children that you otherwise couldn’t reach”
Teacher (21 years experience)

“James is a visionary. His work with teachers and schools will change the face of Education in the UK. If you are involved in education in any way - make contact with James.”
Adrian Gilpin – CEO and Founder of Institute of Human Development

Teaching Freedom is a glorious simple, highly enjoyable and remarkably effective approach to teaching that can be enjoyed by adults and children from any background, colour or creed and with any academic ability. Having witnessed it myself, I am still amazed that I can remember the entire lesson content almost 2 years later! I highly recommend it. Sir Christopher Ball – ex Warden of Keble College, Oxford University

“Teaching Freedom’s approach has helped my teachers to become more creative and confident in expressing themselves more creatively and spontaneously through their teaching”.
Head Teacher (15 years experience)

It’s put some of my faith back in teaching – it’s a style I relate to.
Teacher 12 years experience

“It’s put some of my faith back into teaching. This course has been the difference between leaving and staying in teaching”. Teacher 12 years experience

“It has made me think about my teaching style and made me realise I am more creative than I think! It has given me practical ideas that I can use immediately in the classroom”.
Teacher (4 years experience)

Results from 2002-2003 – The original pilot

The original project study was carried out in a primary school in Leeds. Two members of staff were trained in the Teaching Freedom system. They were a 35-40yr old confident and dynamic male teacher who taught Yr.6, 10-11yr old school leavers, and a 20-25yr old less confident and quiet female teacher who taught Yr.4, 8-9yr olds.

Within 3 months of implementing the Teaching Freedom approach, they recorded:

· In their Yr.3 class who were not using the Teaching Freedom approach, 22% of the class produced written work that was better than predicted by their teacher at that stage of the year.

· In their Yr.4 class who were using the Teaching Freedom system, 40% of the class produced written work that was better than predicted.

· In their Yr.5 class who were not using the Teaching Freedom system, 27% of the class produced written work that was better than predicted.

· In their Yr.6 class who were using the Teaching Freedom system, 100% of the class produced written work that was better than predicted.

The break down of their improved results showed that the amount of children obtaining or surpassing the grade required in English, by the end of the year increased by 20% to 85%. For the equivalent grade in Mathematics they saw an increase of 11% to 81% and in Science an increase of 5% to 92%.

The improvements achieved in the Yr.4 and 6 classes using the Teaching Freedom approach were significant enough to be included by the head teacher as one of the primary reasons why the school’s average standing went from below the national average to above it.

A Summary of 2005-6 Results

Academic Results:
We have collected the class results of 1,076 children involved in the 2005-6 project so far and have broken them down into 3 subsections based on how often the teacher uses our techniques and approaches in class. They are: 1) Weekly or more 2) Fortnightly 3) Monthly

Experienced teachers tell us that on average, about 10% of their children exceed the end of year predicted grades they set for them. The table below shows the percentage of children in the project that exceeded their teacher’s predicted grade last year.

The following data was collected through a questionnaire that we asked all teachers in the project last year to complete after the end of year exams. They recorded:

Added Benefits to Schools:
Schools that use our approach find it helps them to demonstrate their use of a number of aspects of Excellence and Enjoyment and Every Child Matters. This can directly help all schools, especially those struggling, to improve their Ofsted rating. Head teachers tell us that during inspection, inspectors regularly rated lessons where teachers used our techniques highly because of the outstanding enjoyment and progress of the learners.

Added Benefits to Teachers:
Recorded Benefits to Teachers (By Teachers and Head Teachers)
Head Teachers and teachers have witnessed improvements in the following areas:
• Creativity
• Confidence
• Communication skills
• Motivation
• Fun and enjoyment
• Self-esteem

Added Benefits to Children:
Recorded Benefits to Children (By Teachers and Head Teachers)
Head Teachers and teachers have witnessed improvements in the following areas:
• Quality of work
• Quantity of work
• Behaviour
• Concentration span
• Participation
• Fun and enjoyment
• Enthusiasm
• Confidence
• Working together

Additional Benefits:
• 100% of head teachers in the project say that their schools will continue using it and that they openly recommend it to other head teachers and schools
• 98% of teachers are going to continue using it and recommend it to other teachers
• 80% of head teachers believe it has helped their teachers’ levels of confidence, creativity, motivation and communication skills
• 80% of head teachers believe it has helped their children’s levels of confidence and focus
• 60% of teachers believe that their children are more enthusiastic as a result
• More than 1 in 3 teachers believe it has helped their flexibility and creativity
• More than 1 in 3 teachers believe it to have helped improve the quality and quantity of work done by their children
• More than 1 in 3 teachers believe that their children participate more freely in class activities more as a result

Academic Project Summary 2003-7

The results from our 4-year pilot study have shown a consistent and direct correlation between the frequency with which teachers use our techniques and the percentage of their children exceeding their predicted results. We have measured this through teacher assessment comparing the predicted levels they give their children and the actual levels they attained and the results are as follows:

2006-7 Academic Summary

This is the first year we have split the top category into two individual ones to show the significant impact on results that occurs when teachers use our approach more than once a week on average compared with an average of just weekly.