Teaching Tips

Time to tidy up and cool down

jlee — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:03:00 +0100

Introduction
It’s not just the weather that shows a marked change at this time of year. Winter school uniforms with shirts and ties, long trousers and ‘school shoes’ often make way for a less formal style of uniform, with open neck shirts, summer dresses, etc. Indoor teaching areas can become hot and stuffy, particularly if you have a number of electrical items in use. As any member of staff will recognise, any changes can lead to misunderstandings, arguments and challenges to authority.

Tips for SENCOs: finishing the school year

scameron — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:39:43 +0100

The end of term is in sight and you are looking forward to a well earned rest, possibly with some sun and sangria, or the equivalent. But ‘leaving things tidy’ in school will be worth a bit of extra time and effort if it means you can begin your holiday with a clear conscience and a feeling that everything is in place for September.

Support for SENCOs

A practical strategy for teaching behaviour

scameron — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:09:28 +0100

The methods used to teach different expectations of behaviour can vary quite dramatically. Simply stating the rules to all pupils and then using rewards and sanctions to reinforce them, or backing this up by posting printed rules and expectations in each classroom, does not guarantee complete understanding from all pupils.

How to recognise excellence

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:28:27 +0100

Are we always alert to signs of exceptional learning ability and potential?

This case study, one of our free teaching resources, provides examples of excellence from children that teachers can compare to their own students' work, to aid them in recognising signs of outstanding ability.

Written by David George

Science enrichment activities

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:28:27 +0100

Sometimes a little chaos in the classroom is a good thing; it can encourage creativity and lateral thinking.

This resource includes nine activities to encourage inquisitive learning in science, taken from Enriching Science KS1 & KS2 which will be published in the autumn.

Written by John Senior

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.

'The runner': when a child tries to leave school grounds

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:44 +0100

Introduction
Sooner or later you will encounter the pupil who decides that he or she would rather not be in your lesson, in fact may not even want to be in the school, and decides to vote with his/her feet.

Reasons for deciding to leave the building, or your room, can be many and varied. A simple misunderstanding or argument with a friend, an act of panic in response to something they find challenging, or even an upset at home that has been remembered again while in school, can all be strong reasons for leaving.

Replacing punishment with education

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:59 +0100

Two years ago, I was talking with an Australian teacher about the psychology behind school detention. Punishing children in this way, with the expectation that it will ‘teach them a lesson’, is a sanction commonly used by teachers in response to incidents ranging from forgotten homework to violent and abusive behaviour. The teacher described how her school in Queensland had eradicated detention as a result of training in something called choice theory. The more she talked about the impact of this theory on her school, the more interested I became.

Developing leadership using sport in schools

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:59 +0100

The long-term health benefits of physical activity for children during their school years are undisputed. What is not always so widely recognised is the significant role that PE and sport can play in helping children to develop their leadership skills.

The changing aims of primary education

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:58 +0100

Can schools be both learner-centred and standards-led at at the same time? Two papers for the Primary Review describe the emergence of such a hybrid from the century-long struggle to define the aims of education.

Personalised learning
A paper comparing approaches in six countries – Scotland, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, France, England and Wales – over the last 40 years observes the struggle has been between calls for:

a flexible and autonomous system shaped around the needs of children

Bullying is on the increase, say young people

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:58 +0100

According to new research from the children’s rights director for England, Roger Morgan, bullying is on the increase and bullies are using a variety of methods, including the use of new technologies, to torment their victims.

Students as learning partners (SaLP)

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:57 +0100

To me, one of the most challenging and revolutionary aspects of student voice has been students as learning partners (SaLP). After contemplating why this is the case we narrowed it down to the fact there has never been a precedent for this type of thinking before in school. Over the years we have seen versions of student councils, co-construction of lessons and schemes of work, mentoring/coaching but never before have we invited students in to observe and provide a critique our lessons.

Linking pedagogical theory and personalised learning

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:57 +0100

Developing a shared understanding and a common language to talk about pedagogy are crucial steps towards transforming teaching and learning to ensure that there is continuity and progression at all stages of the learning journey. The core principles outlined below were developed to be relevant for all learners regardless of age or stage, and are strongly aligned to the expectations of Every Child Matters.

'Fact': can you define and teach it?

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:56 +0100

One of the devices used by those who are under a bit of pressure in an argument or debate is to claim strong validity for some of the evidence that they have deployed. Some of the common phrases trundled out on TV and radio and of course in the pub include:

Behind the buzzwords: Thinking skills

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:56 +0100

If someone says ‘We have done thinking skills’ they may have observed the letter of the law but not the spirit. Thinking cannot be ‘done’ in the sense of being finished – it is always work in progress. My own thinking is still fairly rudimentary and full of holes and mistakes, and I notice what I can’t do and stumble over. In this article I intend to challenge some emerging dogmas about objectives and lesson planning.

Improving teacher effectiveness with NLP

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:56 +0100

In April 2003 I attended a DfES conference for 500 Fast Track teachers being delivered by CfBT Education Trust. I had just joined the programme as a consultant and was there to support the development of training for teachers on the programme. Fast Track teachers are known for their enthusiasm and interest in debating effective leadership and specifically ‘how’ to do the sorts of things that leaders need to do, such as influencing, motivating others and being resilient yourself.

Personalised learning: promoting engagement and reflection

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:53 +0100

What is it? Why do it?

Personalised learning (PL) favours individual learners’ interests, talents, needs and aspirations. It attempts to correct the inevitable impersonality of prescribed curricula. Personalised learning is concerned with negotiating courses that enable learners to extend and apply generic, as much as specific, capabilities independently beyond the classroom and after they have left school.

Making provision for how boys learn best

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:53 +0100

I was always in trouble at school; infants, juniors and secondary. How would I describe myself? Bright, but bored probably sums me up as a pupil! One of my former teachers said, when he heard that I had gone into teacher training, ‘Well, at least he knows all the tricks!’

How to use ICT to support young children's learning

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:52 +0100

In 2005-06 the DfES funded 20 local authorities to research good practice in the use of ICT in the Foundation Stage, the results of which have been published on the DCSF website. This article summaries some of the good practice highlighted in this study to serve as an introduction to the vibrant and exciting full accounts available on the website.

Working in groups: an under-used strategy?

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:51 +0100

Over the years considerable empirical evidence has been gathered, mainly in the United States, that group work can be a very effective teaching strategy for helping pupils of all ages to learn. Not only do pupils do better in terms of academic achievement when cooperative structures for learning are compared to competitive and individualistic ones, but there are often other important gains relating to social cohesion, motivation and improvements in pupils’ self-esteem.

Making written feedback effective

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:51 +0100

The case for comment marking is compelling but it is perhaps the most challenging aspect of assessment to get to grips with.

Student voices: Year 7 pupils leading the plenary

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:51 +0100

There were only a few reasons for introducing this project two years ago but now there are many to keep it going. Initially, training up Year 7 students to be able to confidently lead their peers through three different types of plenary was about raising the profile of the plenary and highlighting the importance of students reflecting on their learning.

Creating an outdoor learning environment for the early years

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:50 +0100

‘A rich and varied environment supports children’s learning and development. It gives them the confidence to explore and learn in secure and safe, yet challenging, indoor and outdoor spaces’
(Statutory Framework for the EYFS commitment 3.3)

Enhancing the contribution of business and finance staff through ECM

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:50 +0100

How do you determine what makes a successful school? In the current climate of league tables there is one immediate way to see if your school is successful and that is to see how students’ levels of attainment or value added measures compare with other schools. At some point during the school year a member of the senior leadership team will take the teaching staff through the school’s results. When I was a middle leader there were days when I would bask in the rosy glow of my faculty’s results.

The cool 'no hands' approach to assessment for learning

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:48 +0100

How many teachers, parents, students even, subscribe to the view that a quiet classroom is an effective classroom? For many years this has been a commonly held view that has permeated thinking in English schools (Westgate and Hughes, 1997). More recent thinking, however, holds that talk in the classroom is indeed a powerful tool to learning (Alexander, 2006), a view that I strongly support. It is my belief that conversations between students, sometimes supported or facilitated by teachers, can lead to significant gains in learning.

Shaping a CLASI learning environment

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:46 +0100

Antidote’s research demonstrated that schools can improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that staff and students feel CLASI – capable, listened to, accepted, safe and included. This is because the experience of feeling CLASI means they:

Video conferencing

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:43 +0100

The government is encouraging schools to expand pupils’ horizons beyond the classroom but the logistics of organising educational visits can be restrictive. Video conferencing is becoming an acceptable alternative, offering an opportunity to contact schools and experts throughout the world. Children are very tuned in to modern technology and the chance of seeing sights worldwide and quizzing experts excites them.

Managing gender difference issues in the D&T workshop

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:39 +0100

My research project was undertaken as part of a Gatsby Fellowship relating to a Master’s degree research study. It was conducted at Cottingham High School, an 11-18 mixed comprehensive in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Year 7 students were used as the focus for the research, which involved academic study, surveys and lesson observation using new media technology.

Project aims
The aims of my project were to:

understand the theory behind gender difference: Do girls and boys learn differently? Why?

Literacy: fabulous fridge magnets

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:37 +0100

Look at the text below. What kind of sense does it make?

Ideas for topic-based learning in science

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:37 +0100

It is easy to see why cross-curricular approaches to learning are becoming increasingly popular. While subjects compete for space on an over-crowded timetable, many of the learning processes and concepts encountered within them are similar. Nothing and nobody exists in a vacuum, and 21st-century global communication networks bring this to our attention like never before. It is difficult to gain a meaningful understanding of a specific in isolation from its context, its history and, of course, its divergent potential for future development.

Creativity in the science curriculum

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:31 +0100

Many primary teachers find it hard to devise imaginative ways of teaching science, especially if they are not science specialists. The younger the age group, the harder it is. Fortunately there are numerous initiatives at hand to make it easier.

What makes a good teacher for gifted and talented students?

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:30 +0100

Different teachers can be good in different ways, depending on their method of teaching and the types of pupils they teach. One teacher may be better suited to teaching pupils who struggle with certain subjects and another might be great at working with children who thrive on their subject and do really well in it.

Enjoyment

Soundtracks for learning review

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:26 +0100

The purpose of concert review is to allow learners to review the content of your lessons for a few moments at the end, whilst slow, steady and relaxing music is played in the background.

Talking about cancer with young people

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:24 +0100

Cancer affects nearly all young people. With more than one in three people in the UK diagnosed with the illness at some point in their lives, many young people will know a friend, family member, or even teacher that has cancer. Talking about the subject with students is essential in helping them deal with the issues surrounding cancer, and corresponds with PSHE curriculum guidelines.

Talking about morality

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:17 +0100

If you said that you were teaching your students morality, would you get strange, even disapproving, looks? It probably depends on the institution you are teaching in. In some faith schools teaching morality may be exactly what is expected. In a more secular environment – and perhaps especially with older students in an FE College – the idea that teachers should be involving themselves in their students’ morality may be thoroughly suspect.

Bringing theatre to the early years

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:06 +0100

Over the last few years, I have been asked more and more to work with early years, to the extent that now it occupies most of my time. This seems to reflect an increasing amount of work being done in this field. I work with Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 90 days a year, developing their early years work, often working in settings, with parents present, in the context of family learning, ‘doing drama’ with children – making up stories, acting out, playing together creatively.

Geography in the early years

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:04 +0100

Foundation Stage Curriculum

Knowledge and understanding of the world
A sense of place:
Observe, find out about, and identify features in the place they live and the natural world.
Find out about their environment, and talk about those features they like and dislike.

Exploration and investigation
Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.
Ask questions about why things happen and how things work.

Primary workshop ideas wanted!

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:04 +0100

Phil Avery, our Teaching on Ice blogger, is planning some Antarctic workshops for local primary schools...but he's a secondary teacher, so any tips from primary teachers would be welcome!

Currently my plan is to have three workshops:

Hotseating in the early years

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:01 +0100

In the world of the theatre, ‘hotseating’ is a well known technique used to deepen an actor’s understanding of a role; the actor sits in the hotseat and is asked questions by other members of the cast. Questions might cover their feelings about certain aspects of the storyline in the play or what their relationship is with other characters. The actor answers as the character they are playing. It is a powerful technique that really helps actors immerse themselves in a role.

Activities to develop phonological awareness

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:57 +0100

Pupils who have difficulties in this area may have:

Activities to develop visual discrimination skills

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:57 +0100

Pupils who have difficulties in this area may:

Activities to develop visual memory

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:57 +0100

Pupils who have difficulties in this area may:

Activities to develop auditory memory

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:57 +0100

Pupils who have difficulties in this area may have:

Safe in the sun

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:57 +0100

Skin types and sun protection

Some of the information given here is specific to those with fair skins. Children with darker skins still need some form of protection. There is a useful guide to the five different skin types, the likely ethnic origin for each one and the appropriate levels of sun protection. www.medicinechest.co.uk

Activities to develop auditory discrimination skills

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:56 +0100

Pupils who have difficulties in this area may have:

Bringing out talents through drama

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:54 +0100

Gifted and/or talented?

Building a class library

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:53 +0100

Books have a special place in introducing a child to his/her first experiences with language. Whether that introduction is the reading of a poem, the sharing of a story, or the introduction of simple concepts, books play an especially valid role in shaping children’s perceptions and skills during the early years. This article seeks to investigate how you can select a range of books that will be ideal for your needs, whether you are seeking to start or improve a ‘class library’.

Without geography, you are nowhere

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:52 +0100

I bumped into an old friend the other day, an assistant head at a local secondary school. ‘Got to tell you John – I put my head out of the office today and was almost mown down by Year 8! Of course I asked what was going on: “We’ve got geography!” they cried and rushed off down the corridor’.

Taking risks and taking care

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:51 +0100

Twelve years of igniting a 5 November bonfire and firework display seem to prove that risk taking is a personal strength or weakness, depending on your own perspective. The wary would castigate me, or profess admiration from afar, whilst risk-takers might understand this annual expedition into the dark.

Primary geography: is it falling off the map?

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:51 +0100

The name ‘geography’ is to some degree one of the problems besetting this subject. We hold environment weeks, look at habitats (science), develop recycling schemes and pick up litter (PSHE) and possibly run a citizenship programme, all of which involve geographical thinking and skills but are often recorded under another name. It may well be that geography as a subject holds bad memories for teachers: who amongst the older generation managed to solve the problem of what a packet station was or how many frost-free days were needed in Canada to grow wheat?