Ideas, Practices & Personal Insights

Catering: reasons to be cheerful (part one)

Through my involvement with catering in the education sector over the last 20 years or so, I have seen many business cycles. In state schools we have gone from the service of a very limited, home cooked but highly subsidised offer; to very commercial burger, chips and fizzy drinks with little staff input and profit returns; then Jamie Oliver’s intervention causing mass panic; to today, with the emergence of a ...

Handwriting: cover the page or colour it?

According to a recent BBC press release, the state of Indiana is the latest in a succession of US states which will not require its schoolchildren to learn joined-up, or cursive, writing. The move is part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which aims to ensure consistency in US education and makes no mention of handwriting. Some critics say writing well is a vital skill for life and builds ...

Purpose-built education games vs commercial entertainment games

This article compares Purpose Built Education Games to Commercial Entertainment Games in terms of their use in the classroom. The comparison is done using the five factors: design, delivery, technology & support, outcomes and cost. DesignDoes the game provide a sense of realism (as opposed to pure fantasy)? Commercial entertainment games (CEnG) provide a visually compelling experience for the player and can provide a chance to practice “authentic” activities. Unfortunately, ...

Are you as smart as a Year 6 in technology?

I’ve been teaching technology to year 1 through to year 6 for almost fifteen years. Parents and colleagues are constantly amazed that I can get the littlest learners to pay attention, remember, and have fun with the skills that are required to grow into competent, enthusiastic examples of the Web 2.0 generation. I have a confession to make: it’s not as hard as it looks. Sure, those first few reception months, ...

You can’t decode phonemes while they move around - but you can make the problem go away

The government is quite right to support the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in schools, and the forthcoming matched funding initiative for KS1 Phonics materials will be a welcome boost for many schools who need to invest in phonics resources at this level. It will also be a bonanza for the publishers who have got their programmes selected for the catalogue of approved resources to be released by ESPO later ...

School furniture procurement – useful search terms

Before the days of the internet, suppliers provided customers with large printed catalogues targeted through print advertising and mailouts. Thankfully, those days are long gone (expensive and wasteful) and suppliers can access any market. Traditional Conference furniture manufacturers can now supply quality furniture to Schools and Colleges at far lower prices than traditional education suppliers. Competition is the key, and traditional suppliers have been exploiting this lack of competition for ...

Innovative ways of using the iPad in the classroom

The Apple company and teachers everywhere are coming up with innovative ways to use the iPad. This small computer lets people save trees by no longer using pencil and paper. It streamlines meetings with parents. Better yet, it can make higher education cheaper for college students. Below are a few ways people are taking advantage of this relatively new electronic device. Textbook Replacement Oklahoma State University thinks that iPads can ...

10 top tips for using traffic light cups to improve assessment

Assessment for learning has been a major development in schools over recent years, with teachers being quick to embrace the findings of a number of leading educationalists such as Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam. Traffic lighting of understanding and learning is a popular technique which can be used by both pupils and teachers to provide quick visual and impressionistic feedback, whether during lessons or in the marking of pieces of ...

Ancient treasures: the importance of studying the past

Politicians often remind us that we live in a modern world. A modern world, they say, requires a modern approach.The first statement - that we live in a modern world - is so obvious that one is tempted to accept the second as equally self-evident, when in fact it is not.The fact that a thing or idea is new or recent (which is all "modern" means) does not ...

Save time and money using ICT effectively

Driving efficiencies to provide real cost savings will be top of every secondary school Headteacher’s agenda in 2011. Managing and monitoring pupil behaviour is often administration heavy causing it to be a common time thief for both teachers and non-pastoral staff. An effective way of easing this burden is to implement a well-designed robust IT system that can record, monitor, analyse and manage pupil behaviour. As teaching, learning and behaviour ...

Managing pupil behaviour using ICT

Effective and positive behaviour management is achievable in every UK secondary school, through the combination of a well-designed robust IT system and properly supported and trained teachers. Sounds like a simple strategy, but putting a software system in place that enables a school to record, monitor, analyse and manage pupil behaviour effectively can be problematic. This article discusses some of the key considerations when procuring and implementing an effective behaviour ...

How pure subject-based teaching is a disservice to students, and how to use mobile technology to null its negative effect

The education discussions, in the online space, are filled with efforts to find the appropriate role for technology in the classroom. No longer are desktop and laptop computers the main focus; it is the new "kids" on the block, such as the iPhone, iPod and iPad, that have moved the discussion ahead at warp speed. Mobile devices, no matter how excellent, are not an answer onto themselves -- ...