Ideas, Practices & Personal Insights

What every school needs from a digital strategy

As a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages at Surbiton High School, Kingston Upon Thames, Assistant Principal José Picardo is an important part of the teaching community. As head of Digital Strategy at the school, he’s very keen to make sure that technology is implemented correctly in the classroom. He gives his thoughts on the latest Network.Ed piece. Last September I started a new role as Assistant Principal at ...

Knowledge: product vs process

How does a student gain knowledge? Is it via reading, or rather by collaborative exercises? As an international educator of 25 years and currently teaching in Mumbai, Maggie Hos-McGrane gives her thoughts on the issue. I'm reading George Siemens' Knowing Knowledge very slowly as there is a lot to take in and think about. There are a couple of questions that I'm thinking about today: Is knowledge acquired or created with ...

Studying the solar system: Using art and technology to teach science

Thanks to compelling astronomy experts such as Professor Brian Cox, Sir Patrick Moore and Carl Sagan, study of the stars has often been a fascinating, entertaining practise. But how to best teach this subject in schools, and how do you make the most of such an interesting topic? Rachel Wintemberg, Marc Taras and Lindsey Tisch, teachers at William C. McGinnis School in Perth Amboy, New Jersey have been teaching astronomy ...

Why go to university? MOOCs will change everything

Are too many students given the impression that university is the only option? Mark Steed returns to Innovate My School, and discusses a great alternative to higher education. There are many reasons for going to university but arguably the most important three reasons are: To have a life experience: making the first steps to independence by living away from home, living with like-minded people. To gain an internationally recognised qualification, ...

Digital art at Feren's Art Gallery, with Hull Children’s University

As an important part of 2017’s Capital of Culture, Feren’s Art Gallery have been helping pupils discover art with the help of the hard workers at Hull Children’s University. Innovate My School regular David Andrews explains how the use of iPads have been an essential part of this project Recently we've had the privilege to be invited to work alongside Hull Children's University and St James Primary School, ...

Getting the most out of project based learning

With flip teaching being discussed and debated frequently, different methods of employing homework are being looked at. A group of teachers are revolutionising the issue from a school in Desierto de los Leones, Mexico. Founded in 1963 by Welshman Edward Foulkes and Canadian Ronald Stech, The Edron Academy (an IB World School since 1995) is currently looking to get the most out of after-school exercises. Michael Flynn, an expat who used to ...

How to catch code - stress free computing

GVeteran teacher David Whyley shares his thoughts on the right ways to teach coding: why it can be fascinating, fun and even smash stereotypes. Computer programming and coding as a topic can be viewed as dry, so it is essential that schools deliver the new curriculum in a creative and exciting way. It is also a great chance for teachers and pupils to break the stereotype of computer programmers. The ...

The Cult of Outstanding™

Given how fast the UK’s teaching communities are growing in multiple directions, different ideals of education are constantly emerging. Are the lesson plans of old being pushed out for a new, more entertaining way of teaching? The Perfect Ofsted English lesson author David Didau discusses this. First of all I need to come clean. Up until pretty recently I was a fully paid up member of the Cult of ...

BYOD in schools - How safe is your data?

The rise in the popularity of BYOD in schools raises a number of data security issues for school leaders to consider. What is BYOD? There has been a huge rise in the popularity of hand-held and tablet devices in the last few years, and some schools may allow staff to use their own personal devices to access school systems. This is commonly known as Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, ...

Why arduino is great for the classroom

With so much talk about the raspberry pi - which we feel does have its merits, but is not always the most efficient solution - we felt that we had to write an article about arduino and why it’s a great way to get started with robots, electronics and computer science. The Arduino board is designed for artists and hobbyists – in other words people who are not necessarily roboticists ...

10 best apps for creating poetry on the iPad

Poetry is one of the arts that many students struggle with. I always found that providing an initial successful learning experience was the best way to instil both confidence and foster engagement with my students. Here are a bunch of apps that would allow a student to get their teeth into writing some poetry and for those that struggle, an opportunity to see just what they are capable of. Photo ...

VALUES mindfulness makes for positive mindsets

Children and young people enjoy exploring the role of values in their daily lives because of the excitement as they begin to see more relevance in what they are learning. This awakening can help them experience the benefits of a positive mindset and how working on personal qualities, including resilience and patience, contributes to a greater likelihood of achieving their dreams and goals. Many of us are probably not consciously ...