The laziest teacher in town

There are two things that will transform the nature of teaching and learning in this country – brave heads and lazy teachers.

So, when it comes to helping teachers to teach less (and the children learn more) there’s one person who can really show schools how it’s done. After all, Jim Smith is one of the laziest, offloadiest, most delegation–happy teachers we’ve ever met.

And it’s no coincidence that he’s also one of the best classroom practitioners we know.

Apart from his teaching responsibilities and role as a senior leader at Clevedon Community School in North Somerset he has also worked closely with Independent Thinking for several years on a variety of different projects, including the innovative Learning Bug software.

Jim is passionate about ensuring learners get more from their education than the standard diet of classroom-based teaching and learning. To this end he has instigated a whole variety of opportunities and projects for students both from his own school and from schools across the authority but always with a common theme. See if you can spot it:

• Asked by schools to create a package for CPD on learning styles – he got the students to do it!

• Asked by a school to examine 'Schemes of Learning' – he got the students to do it!

• Asked to act as a consultant over a new homework policy – he got the students to do it! (And they scrapped homework at the same time - but that’s a different story…)

• Asked to develop a range of challenges for raising aspirations – he got the students to do it!

• Asked to act as a consultant on the Learning Bug project – he got the students to do it!

• Asked to design new 21st century learning spaces for a Sixth Form Centre – he got the students to do it!

See what we mean?

Jim is developing a number of roles with Independent Thinking Ltd – including leading on a major BSF Transformational Learning project in the south west – and is now available to help spread his ‘lazy teacher’ ethos through his powerful, practical and entertaining INSET sessions and conference addresses. You can even have Jim in the classroom with you as part of our unique Show Me! INSET approach, but in true lazy style your learners will be the busy ones.

And he’s finding the time to write the Lazy Teacher’s Handbook due next year as part of the Independent Thinking Series.

For more information about how Jim can help you help the learners learn more by teaching less please e-mail us on learn@independentthinking.co.uk or call us 0709 239 9617.

And remember, if the word ‘laminate’ crops up in your lesson planning, you’re trying too hard.

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