Highgrove Online School’s teachers are some of the most passionate and accomplished teachers in education. As well as being experts in their subject and awesome at online teaching, they’re also super friendly and have some quirky interests.
We spoke to some of Highgrove’s teaching staff to ask a few questions about life as a teacher, what inspires them, and what advice they have – not only for Highgrove’s talented pupils, but for the next generation of young learners. We hope you enjoy the first blog of our new “5 Questions with…” series.
Mr Josh Fox, Highgrove Education’s Head of Physics, wins the prize for the best-ever pupil feedback for a Physics teacher: “He makes complex topics understandable. He’s like a normal person who knows about Physics!”. He has taught Physics, Combined Science, Applied Science and Music Technology at GCSE and A level, and also prepares pupils for university interviews and the PAT exam. Mr Fox also authored the Physics self-study courses for Highgrove Online School. Outside of school, he is an experienced guitarist and guitar technician as well as a keen fell-walker.
So, here’s our 5 questions with Mr Josh Fox!
- How did you get started with teaching? And why Physics, of all subjects?
Before teaching in schools, I was a chef in commercial kitchens. I had studied for my degree whilst working and had really enjoyed mentoring younger chefs through their City and Guilds qualifications. I felt as though I had taken the cooking about as far as I could and so decided to apply for teacher training on a PGCE course. Physics was always my favourite subject at school, and my first degree is in Audio Technology.
- What changes have you noticed in pedagogical practices from the time you began teaching to the present?
Lots – a move away (on the whole) from endless PowerPoints and ‘chalk and talk’ to getting the pupils to do the work. Use of assessment as a diagnostic tool has become much more prevalent as have concepts such as flipped learning and giving students choice in tasks.
- For pupils who are on the fence about studying Physics, what advice would you offer them as to why they should consider this subject?
Trying to understand the workings of the universe and therefore the everyday world is really satisfying for the enquiring mind. If that’s your thing – physics is for you.
- Can you tell us one of your favourite teaching memories from your time at Highgrove?
I always love proving to people that heavy and light objects fall at the same speed, in a vacuum. No one believed Galileo either, but he didn’t have Brian Cox on YouTube.
- And, lastly, what is something unexpected about being a teacher that people might not know about?
Those long holidays everyone goes on about…you need them.
Thank you for your time, Mr Fox!
