Teaching Skills

Troubleshooting problems with students' teamwork

scameron — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:22:45 +0000

When teams fail, it is almost always for one of two reasons: the students don't want to work together, or they don't know how to work together – they lack either the will or the skill to cooperate as a team. This week, we will focus on team-building strategies that can be used to help learners develop the will to work together during the lifespan of a team.

Language for developing team work in young learners

scameron — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:52:28 +0000

The Thinking Together Project

A team at the Open University, led by Professor Neil Mercer (now of Cambridge University), began investigating the nature and value of children's collaborative talk in the late 1980s. The early research focused on talk during computer-based problem solving, but talk in other activities across several subjects including mathematics, science, English, citizenship, design and technology and geography has since also been studied.

Thinking skills activities for Year 6

scameron — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:29:21 +0000

They are taken from 60 activities from Thinking Skills in the Primary Classroom by Matt Revill, which helps teachers to apply thinking skills strategies to maths, literacy and science.

Written by Matt Revill

Strategies for developing team work in young learners

scameron — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:16:25 +0000

This week we will look at strategies that can help young learners to start thinking and talking about the concept of 'team work'. As in previous bulletins, these strategies will help to make the ‘invisible’ qualities and skills associated with thinking and learning, both ‘visible’ and learnable. They are designed to help staff and students develop a common understanding of what the different PTLS skills and competencies mean, and a common language for exploring their value both in school and in every day life.

Introduction to dilemma-based learning

scameron — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:53:38 +0000

This resource offers initial guidance of a framework that aims to help students practise and develop their ability to make wise choices in their lives by integrating social, emotional and thinking skills.

Written by Phil Wood, Barry Hymer and Deborah Michel

Teaching strategies for effective learning

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:28:26 +0100

Matching teaching approaches to learning styles

Written by John Beresford

This resource provides a comprehensive breakdown of the four different learning styles below, and offers a useful range of classroom activities and strategies associated with each so you can implement them accordingly.

Remembering your calling

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:39 +0100

"Every calling is great when greatly pursued."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Practical Tips
Can you remember why you went into teaching in the first place? Can you reconnect with your original goals and desires? Still identify your motivation for making a difference in the classroom and in the lives of young people?

Supporting SEN across the curriculum

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:38 +0100

Support for SENCOs

Supporting across the curriculum

Contextualising development: CPD in practice

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:37 +0100

Quote of the Week

"It's not enough to be busy. The question is: What are we busy about?"

− Henry David Thoreau

Practical Tips

Contextualising development

Discipline for the whole-school, classroom and individual

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:37 +0100

Introduction

Whole-school, classroom, individual

Assessing the quality of CPD

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:37 +0100

Quote of the Week

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives."

− William A Foster

Practical Tips

Assessing the quality of CPD

Establishing a school-wide approach to spelling

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:36 +0100

Support for SENCOs

Spelling

It can be useful to use staff meeting time (or departmental meetings in large secondary schools) to refresh colleagues' minds about spelling policy and remind them of useful approaches.

Chronic misbehaviour: tactics and interventions

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:36 +0100

Introduction

Using SEAL and empathy in the classroom