Joanna MacDonnell

Literacy and Creative Curriculum Subject Leader, KS1-2

Brightside Primary School, Billericay

About Me

I have worked as a primary school teacher for 18 years.  Throughout my teaching career, I have held a number of different roles and responsibilities including Assessment, Mathematics, Literacy, Science and Creative Curriculum subject leader.  I have been a member of teaching and learning leadership teams.

I have developed and put into action thematic creative curriculums that promote pupil enquiry and independent learning skills. I have implemented an exemplary marking policy and developed a whole school pupil target and self-assessment system that rigorously involves pupils in their own assessment. In my role as subject leader I have lead a number of CPD training sessions for staff on various topics including the use of film in literacy & mathematics, times tables, higher order questioning, problem solving, effective planning, assessment for learning, guided reading and peer lesson study. I have had extensive training on the use of target tracker and delivered CPD training on how to input data, create reports, track vulnerable groups and identify focus pupils so that planned intervention can be put in place to accelerate pupil progress.

I have been an ITT and NQT mentor and have mentored new subject leaders too. I am an accredited facilitator of both the Improving and Outstanding Teacher Programmes and the Power of Coaching programme. Through outreach work I have worked effectively with partner schools supporting literacy, assessment, classroom/behaviour management and individual teachers. I have facilitated and supported colleagues at our school and across our teaching school alliance on the levelling of writing using APP materials. I have been highly involved in the implementation and embedding of Talk for Writing at my school and have had extensive demonstration writing school training.

 

Specialist Areas of Expertise

  • Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) Development
  • Teaching and Learning
  • Curriculum Development
  • Leadership of Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
  • Literacy and Mathematics
  • Assessment for Learning (AfL). Tracking Pupil Progress and Data

Other Areas of Expertise

  • Coaching and Mentoring
  • Behaviour Management
  • Talk for Writing & Writing Demonstration