Mrs Angela Gibbons
Teaching Awards 2008 Winner
The Guardian Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School in East
Greensward Academy, HOCKLEY
Today’s students don’t like learning foreign languages, right? No, wrong. At least in Angela Gibbons’ French and Spanish lessons, where they are constantly given the confidence and encouragement to make great progress.
Angela uses examples from the world of film, sport and music to ensure lessons are exciting and relevant – she even had the visiting Teaching Awards judges dancing to the theme tune of a Spanish television show!
She has taken extra training to help students improve their speaking skills, and freely offers support outside the classroom. “She helps you until you feel comfortable with the work, often after school so it is not in front of everyone else,” explains one student.
She encourages all her students to aim high and makes sure that they know what they need to do to make progress. “She has time for you, she is approachable, she relates to our world and she is always smiling,” says one. In addition she organises work experience training abroad for older students, and flies out to check on their progress
She has been active in developing close links with a school in Hong Kong, teaching students and staff Mandarin and using Skype to bring the two schools closer. She has also helped a school in London, which was having difficulty finding a modern languages teacher, by running a video-linked classroom.
Angela is active in training student teachers, who say she supports their development, is great at encouraging good practice, and always well-organised and diplomatic. She is currently the Director of Global Studies (Humanities and Languages) at her school but from next September will be an Assistant Vice-Principal, responsible for initial teacher training.
As well as her classroom duties she organises sailing trips, supports gifted and talented students and teaches dance. Not surprising, then, to hear her head describe her as “a star from beginning to end.”
