Teacher’s Pet Canine classmates
Headteacher Islean Gibson saw remarkable results when some four-footed friends joined the register in her classroom…
Every year we ask our children what they want to see happening in school and how it might be better for them,” explains Islean Gibson, headteacher at Kinloch Rannoch Primary School in the Scottish Highlands.
“Along with requests for swimming pools and chocolate fountains, a recent suggestion was for a school dog. One of the girls said, ‘When I go home and I’ve had a great day I tell my dog about it – or if I’ve had a fight with my brother I cuddle up with my
“There is an amazing feel around the school when the dogs are in”
dog and it makes me feel better, so why can’t we do that in school?’”
“The pupils, aged 10 and 11, researched the idea and we worked together to make it work. We started off with two local dogs, brought in by volunteers.
“We needed to measure their impact and that became the dissertation topic for my Masters degree in Leading Learning and Teaching. I wanted to see if learners having this level of control over what happens in their school was good for them, and also to measure the impact of the introduction of dogs into school on the pupils’ selfesteem and self-efficacy.
“The results were immediate and impressive. Some children wanted to be more organised to be ready for the start of their lessons. When the dog was sitting waiting, they would miraculously find all they needed and be ready to start the lesson on time – they wanted to be there beside her.
“The dogs were timetabled around the needs of different children and they also joined the pupils at playtime and lunchtime, where their presence helped to reduce the usual playground bickering.
“We also noticed that the dogs were able to quickly sense if a child in a class wasn’t in a good place emotionally, and sit beside them, alerting us to check that they were OK.
“One boy has type one diabetes and when his blood sugar levels went low, Twizzle (who is a total superstar!) would go and sit beside him, detecting this drop quicker than even he could do. It was incredible to watch her.
“The dogs could read the room, moving around when everyone else did but sitting or lying down during direct teaching.
“Along with improved self-ratings of self-efficacy and confidence, and improved academic skills and wellbeing among the pupils, the teaching staff also remarked how the dogs helped to improve their day. The dogs really came to life in the classroom with all the attention and affection they were getting. We had to change the day of the week that Twizzle came into school – her owner said she was waiting by the front door at home on her original day, really gutted that she didn’t get to come!
“The research for my dissertation ran for about three months. The children and staff were on that journey with me from day one, and I talked to them openly about it, encouraging them to see that learning continues no matter what age you are, what you are
doing or what your job is – it is part and parcel of what you need to do in your life.
“At the end of that period, the children were keen that the dogs stayed here, because they were felt to be part of our school. We now have seven or eight dogs coming in during the school week.
“The children felt strongly that we should broaden the types and ages of dogs to meet the needs of different children, which was a very grown-up thing for them to suggest.
“There is an amazing feel around the school when the dogs are in and we continue to see the benefits in all ways, both in school and out in the community. And the project has grown arms and legs; there has been lots of interest from other schools, we have attended seminars at the University of Dundee and even presented our research at an educational conference.”
Islean graduated with distinction from the University of Dundee last June.
“With permission I brought along the kids who had been the project researchers, because I felt it was important for them to see the whole process,” says Islean. “The rest of the school – even Twizzle! – were waiting outside and they ran over, which was such a nice moment to share with them, because really, it was everybody’s celebration.”