A year ago, I attended a deep learning weekend, hosted by Cramlington LV. Alongside a group of like minded teaching and learning geeks, I was up for a weekend of collaboration and self development. At the end of the weekend we were asked to present: “Six Brilliant ways I Teach My Subject.” After listening to the great Darren Mead and his work on SOLO, followed by Mark Lovatt’s exploration of effective teacher/ learner behaviours, I felt that my presentation was weak to say the least.
What did I have to say that these teaching and learning gurus had not already heard? How could I dare to stand in front of such brilliant minds and declare that I taught my subject in a brilliant way? Unfortunately, it was too late to back out so I took a deep breath and went for it. My final thoughts being that the group had hopefully switched off after the long weekend and wouldn’t listen anyway. One of the six points on my presentation was an explanation of how I use the outside space of my classroom. I like to have tasks outside so that pupils can begin thinking about their learning before they walk through the classroom door.
What a great idea: a bible for PE resources shared by a number of PE teachers around the globe. This shared folder is on the ever-popular online ‘cloud’ called Dropbox.
Now I have joined #PEBible, I have access to hundreds of resources that have been developed, tried and tested by other PE teachers globally. Not all resources will be for you, and I would recommend you always adapt the file you will use to your style, but it is a great base to develop a resource from. A group of 74 educators collaborating and sharing within a rich resource!
My school is an IB school. We follow the philosophy that to educate students requires an international understanding of the world, people and ideas. Part of the curriculum requires fifth graders to participate in an Exhibition where they use knowledge accumulated over six years of education to communicate their ideas on a global issue such as displacement, global warming, lack of education, pollution, world hunger, and limited access to fresh, clean water.
Last year, the fifth grade team asked me to brush students up on Publisher/PowerPoint/Word skills so they could construct their presentation. This year, I'm taking a different approach by encouraging students to think outside the box in communicating their ideas. We're spending six weeks studying and teaching each other some of the amazing online communication tools that offer motivating and inspirational ways to share thoughts.
Imagine a world without email.
The content of the first email may have been forgettable, but when Ray Tomlinson first fizzed that message over the ARPANET between two side-by-side computers in a Cambridge laboratory, communication changed forever. That was in 1971. Since then email has remained, despite decades of technological innovations, the staple tool for communication between computers.
By rights it should be a redundant relic, rusting beneath the surging tides of technological evolution. Instead, email is more integral to our lives than ever. It is hard to imagine the most consummate maestro of instant messaging, inveterate IRC idler or turgid Twitterer considering, even for a moment, that anything short of the grim reaper himself could render his trusty email account unnecessary.
