My name is Ian Morecroft and I have been teaching since I was 22 years old. I reflect on all areas of my own experiences in and out of school both, positive and negative. I have limited management experience , however my recent experience of leadership has made me determined to become a leader of my own school in the future… I know not every teacher would wish for the responsibility, but I feel in spite of the obvious difficulties this would be both fruitful and rewarding.
I owe a lot to all the colleagues that I have worked with since 2003 and those I interact with (most recently) via Twitter. Teachers out there who ‘do not tweet’ or read co-colleague blogs up and down the country; you are really missing out… Like most ideas that evolve in education, the revolution is a small snowball-effect that will gradually en-capture the masses.
I have been active with Twitter since May 2009. Not long really, but in terms of people out there, it was relatively early. My most famous twitter account is @DTtoolkit, which I created in January 2013 having been inspired by @TeacherToolkit.
I have been asked to summarise my philosophy on teaching… Unless you really think hard about this and what and why you teach, it can be quite a difficult concept to put into words. I will come back to edit this later. Below is my experience to date:
Ecclesfield School:
Teacher of Technology, Head of Year, e-learning champion from September 2009 – to present, responsible for:
Teaching and Learning Initial Teacher Training MLE development 350 students, 12 tutors, 2 support staff
I arrived at Ecclesfield in a time of transition. I am grateful to my previous line manager and head for giving me the opportunity to work in such a fantastic school. I feel incredibly lucky to be working with a group of hard working individuals not only within my department, but across the school. I am currently enjoying every single day…
Parkwood High School (Parkwood Academy): Teacher of Technology from July 2005– August 2009 (4 years) responsible for:
Teaching and Learning ICT – Innovation and Communication (MLE implementation) Web development coordinator Delivering Vocational Education Working with external providers Developing SoL and resources
Sheffield Hallam University (2001-2005):
I trained to be a teacher at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU). I loved every second, mastering my teaching repertoire in 2 teaching placements in and around South Yorkshire. It wasn’t easy, but it was certainly memorable… How times have changed! e.g. I don’t have to set up a projector before each lesson in a different room!