“I’ve seen things, you people wouldn’t believe. Ofsted inspectors laughing and smiling. I’ve watched children enjoying their learning near the end of term. All those moments will be lost in time, like so many tweets on a #hashtag. Time to blog.” Enough of the Blade Runner parody and time for…
I’ve been an Independent Thinking Associate for quite a while now. It’s a lovely community of some of the most respected and brilliant educators you could ever wish to meet. We get together a few times a year and if you imagine what the inspiration is like at a Teachmeet,…
I was at Bristol Brunel Academy’s ‘Never Stop Learning’ event on Thursday evening this week and was delighted to have been asked by its organiser, Stephen O’Callaghan (check his blog here too) to wrap up the evening with a plenary. I did so with the following presentation and video. The event was…
Continuing this series here is Amy Harvey’s thoughts… 1. What place, if any, has technology got in education? I believe that as teachers we should be flexible and malleable to trends and changes. As with years gone by lessons would be taught around Billy bringing in a swallow’s nest, So…
If you read my blog you probably know that I don’t really do technology for technology’s sake. I was recently asked to be involved in a Teachmeet by the lovely Nikki Gilbey (check her blog here too) with a technology focus and wondered about what to talk about. I had recently…
It gives me such great pleasure to host the following #teachinghighlight from someone I truly admire and respect. This post is by Jill Berry. Since Mark Anderson (@ICTEvangelist) published his post asking us to reflect on our teaching highlights, I’ve done a lot of thinking! I taught for 30…
I start my teaching day by feeding our sheep and pigs before setting up the day’s lessons in Land Studies. The department has been built up step by step over the last four years, and each stage has been a calculated risk. We started with Brian the hamster, to see…
An English Trip to Shakespeare’s Birthplace For the last fourteen years I have taught English to secondary-aged pupils at a Pupil Referral Unit in the Midlands. Many of these students are vulnerable and complex, some are in care, and a large number have severe behavioural difficulties. All of this means…
Stuck in the Mud. A teaching highlight When you think of creative dance you don’t always think of children’s playground games. When you think of ballet you don’t always think of wheelchairs and community involvement. When I think of funding by the Arts Council galleries or Covent Garden and opera…
Further to my recent post I thought it fair that I write about my #teachinghighlight. Since we first started talking about it on Twitter earlier in the week I have been thinking long and hard about my highlight. There are some fantastic tales out there about the lovely moments in…
What’s your teaching highlight? I read a blog post last night by the brilliant @cazzypot from a tweet I’d seen on Twitter from @cherrylkd. The post had been about a trip to Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon. I’d urge you to read it. It’s a goodie. In the conversation which followed…
I am not saying that PowerPoint is the best program ever, but I do know that it is still one of the most used presentation tools out there. I’m definitely one for trying to make your presentation slide decks as impactful and beautiful as possible. It engages learners and sets…
Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting Andrew Curran who delivered a two hour session on the brain and the lessons we can learn from neuroscience to inform our practice in the classroom. In this post, I wouldn’t dream of trying to replicate his vast knowledge, but thought I’d share some…
Naace, if you haven’t heard of them, are a bit like Bafta for ICT education professionals and every year hold the Naace Impact Awards. Standing for the “National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education”, every year they have awards to celebrate excellence and impact in the use of technology in education….
Google’s Teacher Academy (#GTAUK) is taking place later this month and I am honoured and pleased to have been accepted. I’ll blog more about the event as and when it happens. In the mean time I thought I would share my application video. I’m very much looking forward to the…
As Debra Kidd wrote in her blog post ‘When you know it’s time to go‘, I’ve reached a similar point in my career too and am leaving the classroom. It’s not because of Ofsted… There are some considerable pressures in our education community today. In the case of Ofsted, I…
With my interests in technology, when I heard that Simon Pridham was writing the long awaited ‘Freaked Out‘ book for Crown House I was eager to find out what he had to say. As someone who has been on a similar journey with using mobile technology albeit in a Primary…
I still have a few entries to put in so thought I should add them in. This considered response is from @terryfreedman. A bit about yourself: I’ve been involved in education since 1974. Now an independent consultant, I’m a Fellow of Naace (of which I was Chair once), Mirandanet and…
It is the case that many classes don’t have access to things such as one-to-one iPads or even bring your own device. You may even be a teacher who make students but their phones away every single lesson. That’s fine. If that’s how you work. You know better than I…
Have you been hearing how great Twitter can be as a teacher to support your CPD and enhance and inform your practice? Well the rumours are right! Below is a short screencast focussing on Twitter basics and educational hashtags (thanks to @TeamTait for the infographic) to help get you started! You…
Being a parent is no easy task. Not only do you have to deal with the constant requests for help in all the different ways that our children ask for it, there’s also the pressure of keeping them safe; on the way to and from school; when they’re taking part…
My school experience was somewhat different to most. Attending a select boys school meant that things were all a bit traditional. Teachers desks were literally on pedestals and we were to be seen but not heard. I really do struggle to remember who my tutors were now when I was…
Forgive me for the non-sexy post, but sometimes, routines are just really important. Sorry too as the title to this post could be more explicit, but it strikes me that as teachers it’s really important that we ensure that we’re giving a students considerable support and focus in our lessons….
I love doing break and lunch duty. I was given some advice early on in my career about using lunch queues to get to know your students. Don’t get me wrong, please don’t give me more, but I do love it (and not just for the free lunch – there’s…
Google Slides for iOS is here and I have to say I am pretty impressed. Making the triumvirate of Google Docs and Sheets whole, for a free app on your iPhone or iPad that gives you access to a presentation tool, it is really good. To say that it is everything…
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