Michael's Starters and Plenaries Pack

Dear Colleagues,
I have raked out a starters, middles and plenaries pack to share on the blog. It has the names and descriptions/instructions of each activity and will be very useful for all teachers I hope.It has been very useful for me.

Thanks

Michael. (MFL)

Starters, Middles, Plenaries Activity Pack

Brilliant Leadership and Strategic Planning Tools

I have discovered two brilliant sites that are loaded with fantastic resources for leaders to broaden thinking and gain practical tools for strategic planning.

Vision Mapper is a superb site with a diverse range of tools, resources and ideas to make you think 'Outside the Box' and strategically plan for the future. Click on the link to discover more:


 http://www.visionmapper.org.uk/index.php

The Exploratree web resource has been developed by Futurelab and emerged out of our work on the Enquiring Minds project. It provides a series of ready-made interactive 'thinking guides' or 'frameworks' which can support students' projects and research. Thinking guides support the thinking or working through of an issue, topic or question and help to shape, define and focus an idea and also support the planning required to investigate it further. Exploratree guides can be used as a basis for whole class discussion, or emailed to individuals or groups to complete. They can also be used as a presentation tool to share your findings and thinking with others. As well as providing a set of ready to use thinking guides, which are completely customisable and shareable, Exploratree also enables teachers and students to create their own simply and easily.

http://www.exploratree.org.uk/

Ninax

Brilliant 'Crazy Class' NQT Support Resources

I found a site called Crazy Class which has some great advice for teaching in general and there is a specific NQT section. I have linked a few choice articles below:

Learning Names
http://exchsvr/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://crazyclass.myfamilyreviews.com/how-to-remember-your-pupils-names

Survival Tips
http://exchsvr/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://crazyclass.myfamilyreviews.com/nqt-survival-tips

Challenging Behaviour
http://exchsvr/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://crazyclass.myfamilyreviews.com/nightmare-lessons

First Class In September
http://exchsvr/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://crazyclass.myfamilyreviews.com/new-class-first-lesson-in-september

Sam

Two great publications on Active Engagement with Learning and creating a positive climate for learning

I have found these documents on 'Active engagement Techniques' and 'Climate for learning' interesting. Some food for thought to mull over during summer.
Regards

Herve Tamo
NQTS and Maths

Links to each document:

http://exchsvr/exchange/mooren/Inbox/RE:%20Will%20YOU%20be%20%27Blogger%20of%20the%20Week%27_x003F_-8.EML/Unit11activeengagementtechniques04342004.pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/Unit11activeengagementtechniques04342004.pdf?attach=1

http://exchsvr/exchange/mooren/Inbox/RE:%20Will%20YOU%20be%20%27Blogger%20of%20the%20Week%27_x003F_-8.EML/Unit%252018%2520Climate%2520for%2520Learning[1].pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/Unit%252018%2520Climate%2520for%2520Learning[1].pdf?attach=1

24 Tips for Fostering Creativity in our students and teaching

I find this article very important in helping teachers to become very creative. What makes a person creative? Why are some people more creative and others less so? We often think that creative people are the ones who have some rare and unattainable ability, but it is not so. Creative people are ones who make a decision: They decide to buy low and sell high in the world of ideas.

In this article, Robert Sternberg and Wendy M. Williams first describe this idea of creativity as a decision, which is formalized as an investment theory of creativity. Then they describe 24 tips we can use in order to foster creativity in our students and teaching.

http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/teaching_creativity.php

Jimison (MFL)

Creativity Culture Education

This may be of interest to fellow NQTs as we are probably all thinking about our classroom layouts for September:

Collaborative Learning
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/learningaboutlearning/collaborativelearning/research/rscollaborativelearning.asp
I have also attached a link to an inspirational and refreshingly short pamphlet on creativity which has some interesting statistics regarding pupils' progress in a creative environment. http://www.creativitycultureeducation.org/data/files/cyl-changing-young-lives-55.pdf

Sam

Starter and or Tutor Time Interactive Game

One more thing I have that I think students and teachers will enjoy, though will soon get very infuriated with!!!!

 

Some say its possible, others impossible! It's the "circle the cat game"...

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/chatnoir/chatnoir.html

Sarah Stirling

NQT Arts Faculty

'Philosophy for Children - P4C'

The Maths NQTs have a lot of LOVE for the blog!

During our citizenship session this morning for NQTs, Sam and I mentioned something we have touched upon and used in previous placement schools: Philosophy for Children - it's principles are below, with a link to the website.

This is how it works:

The teacher acts as the facilitator - the children come up with their own ideas, responses and opinions to a stimulus (visual, kinaestethic or auditory) - IWB are fab for this!

The pupils are seated in a semi circle around the teacher/tutor. An added extra is a sponge football/large dice that the pupils throw to each other according to who wants to input an idea next (pupils put their hand up to receive the ball rather than calling out). I have seen a range of pictures/sounds during the INSET session and they are great for creating (its all about creativity!) ideas with the kids. - independent learning / critical thinking etc........

Principles of P4C

'Philosophy for Children' is a set of simple, everyday practices to help children and young people become thoughtful, curious and reasonable, though the following philosophy:

• Good thinking is learned from dialogue with others.


• Children need to take part in dialogues that provide examples and models of good thinking .


• The wellspring of knowledge and intellectual excitement is questioning.


• Claims should be tested in argument. Argument is seen not as a quarrel but as a collaborative search for the best answer to a question.


• To think well is to be creative as well as critical. Creative thinkers make connections, speculate and explore alternatives.


• Good thinking depends on attitudes as well as abilities. Children should be encouraged to be reasonable in the fullest sense of the word.


• People make sense of the the world though a web of concepts. We should talk with children about significant concepts.


• It is good for children and adults to talk together about philosophical questions -- questions that matter and that link thinking about one area of experience to thinking about experience as a whole.
  

Many of the principles of P4C can be applied with all ages of pupils and in most subject areas using some straightforward practices. We've grouped them together under the heading: encourage questioning, develop concepts, encourage dialogue and argument, and work for reasonableness. The http://www.p4c.com/ website has many resources tailored to helping you achieve these practices and with your pupils.

Many Thanks
Gemma and Sam (Maths NQTs)!!!

Blooms Taxonomy and Questioning Techniques

"What makes questioning effective?" Brilliant tips to help teachers to address this question.

Jimison Rivo Niaina

MFL Teacher

Questioning Techniques - Handout

Pocket Book Resources and Freebie 'Learning to Learn' version for NQT's

Teachers' pocketbooks is an amazing portal exposing pocketbooks on different aspects of teaching and learning. These books  are very easy to carry around and well structured.Used versions of the books are also available on Amazon.co.uk for £3.00.You can copy and paste the links to find out more:

http://www.pocketbook.co.uk/results.asp?sf1=series&st1=teachers&sort=sort_title&ds=A+to+Z+Listing&cid=&tag=&pge=teachers

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Teaching-Pocketbook-Teachers-Pocketbooks/dp/1903776627

Nina Moore - Acting DHT CPD/QA has a few copies of the 'Learning to Learn' Pocketbook available free to any NQT's on a first come, first serve basis! Contact Nina Moore via e-mail: mooren@welling.bexley.sch.uk , or visit in Media Corridor in Room E19 to get your copy!

Regards
Herve

Some Video Goodies on AFL and moving from Good to Outstanding

This is an interesting video series from Teachers' TV on how to move from 'good to outstanding'.I have found these quite informative.This will be useful to NQTs and members of staff as a whole to fine tune their practice.

http://www.teachers.tv/series/45

Assessment for learning strategies are key to assessing pupils progress.I have  found this video from teacher's TV interesting and I am looking forward to apply some of these techniques with my classes next September.These skills can be easily transferred to other subject areas.

http://www.teachers.tv/video/3347

Herve Tamo (Maths)

Cross Curricular Starter Activity Idea!

COUNTDOWN - A Cross curricular Maths/English starter from Mr Paige

 

www.mathsnet.net/puzzles/countdown/countdown.swf

The NQT Cocktail Choice for the Summer Hols

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1 green olive or lemon twist for garnish
• orange or Angostura bitters (optional)

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice cubes.
2. Stir for 30 seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Add a dash of orange or Angostura bitters if desired
5. Garnish with the olive or lemon twist.

There are many variations on the classic martini that are a personal preference

Thanks

Alan Southgate (Music)

Excellent Starter Activity for your Interactive Whiteboard

Here is a fantastic Starter Activity game to use with students across the curriculum or in tutor-time and it helps students learn some Spanish too! 

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO PLAY. ENJOY:

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/froggame.html

Plenary Suggestion by Fionn

Plenary Suggestion

 

Tell the students to imagine that a stranger has come into the room and knows nothing about what we have learned in the lesson today.  How would you explain what we have done and learned in our lesson?

Thanks,

Fionn

 

Excellent Behaviour Management Resources

This is a brilliant resource that I am wanted to share with NQT colleagues to support learning about Behaviour Management. 

This is the link to the main website for Behaviour4Learning:

http://www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk/

This is a link to the Behaviour4Learning Youtube site: 

http://www.youtube.com/Behaviour4Learning

Here are some great videos from the site to give you a taster. Enjoy! 

Sam McCann (Maths)