The Brigshaw Learning Partnership is a Multi-Academy Trust consisting of one Secondary school and six Primary schools, with a highly successful Initial Teacher Training (ITT) arm which regularly attracts ambitious young teachers to its popular course. 

HUE recently reached out to take an in-depth look at how the HUE HD Pro camera is being used in this thriving Secondary school. We were thrilled when Chris Kilby (Assistant Head – Teaching & Learning) at Brigshaw High School agreed to take part in the case study, and blown away by the video which shows the HUE HD Pro visualiser hard at work right across the curriculum in Maths, English, Science, DT and Art. 

HUE cameras help achieve Brigshaw’s learning objectives by enabling teachers to:

• Show the clear modelling of steps before independent practice.
• Show the clear application of success criteria during live marking.
• Narrate their process – making the implicit, explicit to students.

“We originally acquired some HUE cameras when the pandemic hit, having seen them previously at the Bett Show. We now have one in every classroom and they have become a key tool to drive up thought and participation ratio during teachers’ modelling and feedback.

Recent CPD has centered on “show call” and “name the steps” modelling and the use of visualisers at Brigshaw is increasing all the time. Students are introduced to this method early on in our feeder Primary schools, and so are used to working with a visualiser in what we call our cradle to career curriculum.”  said Chris.

We asked Adam Welch, Director of Digital Services, for his perspective on the implementation of the HUE HD Pro cameras which the trust purchased more than 5 years ago. 

“Cost is always really important for education but here at Brigshaw, we talk about ‘best value’ and having the three year warranty is really helpful for our financial planning. The teachers need to be able to rely on the technology and know it’s going to work first time, every time. We’re very rarely called into a classroom because of a technical issue.

Making sure we could deploy the software across our network was essential so that every classroom was set up in the same way. We now have 125 cameras in total across the trust and I have already recommended the HUE HD Pro visualiser to other schools’.’

‘’When I’m modelling on the board I can focus on a particular part of the text and show good strong practice but I can also show the weaknesses of a particular piece of work and how to improve the answer. It’s also an excellent tool for showing the reality of pressure within an exam.’’

‘’Using the visualiser is really valuable because the kids get to see exactly what’s happening. I can question them where they’re sitting and get them really thinking. It makes practicals and demos so much more effective. It saves me so much time because I can do it in lesson rather than spending lots of time preparing in advance. 

I can draw an image whilst I’m talking rather than just showing them an image on the board. They can hear my thoughts and I can give feedback straight away, take questions, change things and differentiate in the way that I need – that’s what’s really valuable with modelling.”

‘’I use my visualiser every single lesson of every single day – it’s always in my planning.  If a student is stuck on a question they can email me and I find it much easier to model the answer in a video which shows the method and then send it to them via email. Calculator skills are so important with the new GCSE. That has to be modelled using the HUE camera on the board, it cannot be done via a Powerpoint or by writing on the board.”

Chris Kilby continued:

‘’Teachers love the HUE HD Pro’s compact size as well as their ability to pre-record modelling for multiple classes. The students have also responded really well and love to watch the teacher model a task or, with their permission, see theirs or other students’ work up on the board for improvement. By using live marking regularly, we’re building a culture of normalising error as a natural part of learning. It’ s the most efficient method of instruction that I’ve come across.’’ 

“Using the camera, I can show the students how to apply or use any art material and have me talk through it at the same time, step by step. They can then take it into their own work and try it out and experiment in whichever way they choose as they’ve got a baseline from my demonstration. When I qualify, I will definitely use the HUE HD Pro as part of my teaching toolkit.”

‘’I find it really useful for textiles because you’re showing close-up skills – you can focus on the point of the needle and the thread, allowing pupils to see really easily. Also when I’m drawing I like to do ‘track and do’ which is where I’ll be demonstrating a drawing technique, for example, and then pupils will draw along with me. It keeps students engaged and focused on their learning rather than having to move to a demonstration table.“

Last but not least is a Brigshaw pupil.  

‘’I could see it much, much easier than when going round the actual practical because when you’re all together people push each other and you can’t really see. And with the HUE camera it makes it much easier to see. I’ve seen it used in quite a few ways such as in biology we do algae practicals where you can see the photosynthesis but it’s just really good in all lessons.’’ 

Chis Kilby: “Students come to lessons knowing they are able to learn from an expert; the next step in our journey is to get them thinking even harder whilst the teacher models, using techniques such as ‘cold call’. “You’ve seen it modelled, now it’s time to contribute to the process at the front of the classroom before you apply it to your own independent practice.” Through prioritising adaptive teaching, enhanced by our suite of visualisers, we can provide everyone with a scaffold to learn from.’’

We would like to express our thanks to Chris Kilby, Adam Welch, Maria McDermott, Chloe Ledger, Matthew Bradbury, Lee Verity, Victoria Stenholm and the students for taking part in this video case study.

For more information about the HUE HD Pro visualiser and our offers for schools, please visit the HUE website.

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