Exploring Learning

I had a fantastic two lessons with both my Grade 7s today; we were all excited and the light bulb moments popped everywhere! We are currently studying the novel Skellig (Almond, 2000) and I have written before about using drama to bring to life their understanding of the opening and setting of the novel ; now we have moved on to looking at understanding the allusions and symbols used, and how a deep knowledge heightens our appreciation of literature. We learned about symbols and symbolism in the first unit of the year, and this unit builds upon that knowledge and moves into an understanding also of allusions. We explored the terms and then I assigned ten topics for research to either individual learners or pairs. I created a blank presentation using a Carnival Slides template on Google Slides and then created a copy for each class. All information from each learner's research will be contained in the one presentation for that particular class. To model the task require...

I have just started a new MYP Language and Literature unit called It's a Kind of Magic with my Grade 7s. To begin thinking about the concepts , they conducted some research on the genres of fantasy and magic realism using Multi-Media Text Sets that I created for them. They then taught each other about the genre they had researched and completed a Venn diagram about the similarities and differences of the two genres. Using this knowledge, they then wrote their initial thesis on our statement of inquiry: Fantastical fiction helps us to understand complex, real world ideas and issues. A few ideas about what creates scary atmospheres (Gr7, Jan 2017) Next, we moved on to exploring setting and how writers craft effective and evocative atmospheres. I began by asking learners to describe the scariest place they had ever been to their partners. I asked them to try to recreate the feeling they had using description (which we worked on in our last unit, Scraps of Me...

This year, I have been a little slack on updating my blog. However, it is with good reason! This year, I have the utmost pleasure in establishing a media studies department. It is challenging to set up and run a department single-handedly, particularly when compounded with technical issues that arise from working for a company that has very tight security and imposes extreme limitations - think 'exercise yard' rather than 'walled garden'. These restrictions have resulted in a school that has been protected from the advancements afforded in more liberal environments, which proves very challenging to a subject that requires access to online resources for success. In addition, the requirements of media courses now are much more demanding than my earlier experiences, particularly in technical aspects, meaning I am on as steep a learning curve as my AS learners in taking a subject for which they have no prior experience. All this compounds to formulate a very trying term. ...

To What Extent Does a Successful BYOD Programme Affect the Engagement and Motivation of Secondary School Learners?  This paper outlines current research into Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programmes in schools based on the experience of institutions currently employing the system. It explores the impact BYOD programmes have had on the engagement and motivation of secondary school learners, as well as the affect on achievement in tests and assessment in comparison to students not utilising mobile technologies in their learning. The experience of both private sector businesses and schools informs guidelines and advice for the successful implementation of a BYOD programme. SEE INFOGRAPHIC OF THIS ESSAY HERE Whilst some see technology in education as a “democratizer”, as a way of allowing “students from all backgrounds to access the same resources and tools”, to others, it potentially causes “great harm, widening an already substantial achievement gap related to issues of equity...

TED-Ed is not something I was aware of until recently. It is a "an extension of TED’s mission of spreading great ideas" and allows users to "take any useful educational video, not just TED’s, and easily create a customized lesson around" it. TED-Ed houses a  library of lessons  that are "carefully curated educational videos, many of which represent collaborations between talented educators and animators nominated through the TED-Ed platform." Types of Lessons Creating an account is easy - if you are already registered with TED, you can use the same one. It will require some additional information such as the ages and subject you teach. Once registered, you are able to search existing content by filters such as subject, content, student or duration. Once selected, you can customise the lesson by adding "context, questions, discussion items, and follow-up suggestions to any video on TED-Ed or YouTube" to personalise the learning...

For my current MEd. module, I am exploring Web 2.0 tools that can enhance learning. WebQuests are characterised by inquiry-based learning activities often involving an element of collaboration. I decided to look for tools in this area, as successful well-designed WebQuests address essential twenty-first century skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity, and are a way of bringing together the most effective instructional practices into one integrated student activity. The first WebQuests were used in 1995, by San Diego State University’s Bernie Dodge and Tom March. They developed a type of lesson plan that incorporated links to, from, and along the World Wide Web that they termed a “WebQuest” (Zunal, 2001). I first studied WebQuests in a previous MEd. module and used Weebly to develop a scavenger hunt using a WebQuest structure called, ' The Hunt for Dracula ' (Fairbrother, 2014). I found that successful WebQuests should engage learners in p...

… what we have loved, Others will love, and we will teach them how (Wordsworth, 1888). This quote embodies my belief about reading and is at the top of my Books 2014 page, which charts my attempts to read 100 books this year. It also heads my latest essay documenting my research into the impact daily reading can have on overall achievement in middle-school learners. ***** I have always believed that reading has a significant impact on our understanding and appreciation of the world. As both a life-long passionate reader and an experienced English Language Arts teacher, I have witnessed first-hand the impact that reading has on the ability of learners in terms of comprehension, grammar, empathy, confidence, vocabulary and expression. This has however , only ever been phenomenological through informal observations in the classroom, and in an effort to incorporate sustained silent reading (SSR) as a regular, valid and essential practice, I have embarked upon this resea...