Tag Archives: collaboration

Education Governance Review – Ask The DFM⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

small-john-swinney-ed-governanceAs you may be aware the Education Governance Review is currently underway. The Deputy First Minister is hosting a Q&A session live on Glow TV for teachers to discuss the Governance Review on Tuesday 17th November at 6pm.

The Scottish Government believe that decisions about children’s learning and schools should be taken within schools themselves supported by parents and communities. If schools are to have greater control over the decisions they take, there is a clear rational to change the allocation of resources to support this. The Scottish Government will introduce a new fair and transparent needs based funding formula to make sure that resources get to the areas that need it most.

The Scottish Government recognise that there may be some functions which are best delivered at a local, regional or national level rather than at school level and that teachers and practitioners require support to do their jobs well. They want to hear your views on how all levels of our education system can be improved to support the empowered, collaborative and flexible culture which we are seeking to develop. If you are unable to attend the live session and wish a question to be asked please send it to – governacereview@gov.scot

Register now to take part live – Education Governance Review – Ask The DFM

If you unable to join us for the live event you can always catch up with the recording at another time – Glow TV’s Watch Again.

If you do one thing this term; collaborate⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

JanieBy Janie McManus, Assistant Director in charge of the Scottish Attainment Challenge

Welcome back after the holidays! It’s always an exciting time of year, and one when we’re looking ahead to the difference we will make to the lives of children across Scotland. When I was in the classroom I always remember the first day with a new class of children and both the excitement and anxiety about getting to know them quickly and thinking about the difference that I could make to their learning over the coming year.  One of the strengths of the school was working alongside my colleagues to share ideas, resources and talk about ways I could make my teaching and learning better.  Learning from each other about effective practice to raise attainment and close the poverty related attainment gap is a key feature of the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

On the Scottish Attainment Challenge, we’re heading into our second year. This time last year we had just appointed our first Attainment Advisors. As they have become established, they are working collaboratively across groupings of local authorities as well as working with individual schools and local authorities.

With a well-established full team, we are learning about what is working. That includes the impact on the vocabulary gap in Dundee of speech and language therapists working alongside teachers, and the value of CLPL on literacy for practitioners in Inverclyde.

Both are featured in the August edition of GTCS’s Teaching Scotland magazine, as the publication follows the progress of the Attainment Advisors in these two authorities.

In both examples, collaboration has been key, and one factor that keeps being highlighted by the Attainment Advisors is the value of sharing practice with colleagues, whether informally or formally through professional learning networks. I have been impressed by the approaches being used to develop professional learning and enquiry and the use of collaborative action research.

The anecdotal experience is backed up by research. A recently published paper by Professor Chris Chapman, Senior Academic Advisor to the Scottish Attainment Challenge, has demonstrated that collaborative working has a positive impact on personnel, facilitating improvements in many aspects of practice, which in turn has a positive impact on learner attainment.

If you are looking for ideas, both publications are a good place to start; or you could simply catch up with colleagues in and beyond your classroom and school and start the invaluable process of sharing your questions and experiences; and collaborating.

Key links

Braidbar Primary School Book Group Forum⤴

from @ Glow Gallery

Creating a Book Group on Glow using a Forum.badge resized

Mr Howie, P5/P6 class teacher, discusses with pupils how a Glow forum was used to support engagement with reading.

Ruby likes a mix of fiction and non-fiction and has these as her favourites..

RubysBook

 

 

 

and ..

RubysBook2

 

 

 

 

 

Mathew likes these books …

MathewsBookMathewsBook2

 

 

 

 

‘As a teacher it gave me the opportunity to ask extended questions about reading’, says Mr Howie.

In this video, Ruby and Mathew discus their favourite books and the use of the Class Glow Site forum to share their reviews. Whilst Mr. Howie asks extended questions to tease out the context of use and impact on learning.

Mr. Howie was asked, “why Glow Forum for this activity?”. He replied, “I wanted my Book Club to be a place where pupils could meet and discuss their thoughts in relation to different texts and authors. We already had a newsfeed on the homepage where they interacted, but I felt I needed something more structured where these discussions could be grouped into different threads. The Glow Forum was the ideal choice. It was easy to set up and the pupils could add their own folders and titles where appropriate. This kept the discussions separate and it also made it easy to identify books/topics that the pupils would be keen on accessing.”

Here are some screenshots from the School Glow Book Forum…

P5BookGroup

P5BookGroupDiscussion2

If you want to find out more about using a forum to support class discussions and collaborative learning check out:

– Coaching discussion skills

- Introduction to Class Sites

– Create an online space for learning and collaboration

Motivating Tools for Reading and Writing in the EAL and MFL Classroom, Practical Pedagogies, International School of Toulouse, 16th October 2015⤴

from @ My Languages

I had a fantastic time at  #pracped15, the Practical Pedagogies conference organised by @russeltarr at the International School of Toulouse. It was great to meet new people and finally meet people I have interacted with online for a very long time. Last but not least, it was fabulous to learn so much from them in such a great location-but I would say that, wouldn't I? ;)

Here are the slides I used for my session:

 

Motivating Tools for Reading and Writing in the EAL and MFL Classroom, Practical Pedagogies, International School of Toulouse, 16th October 2015⤴

from @ My Languages

I had a fantastic time at  #pracped15, the Practical Pedagogies conference organised by @russeltarr at the International School of Toulouse. It was great to meet new people and finally meet people I have interacted with online for a very long time. Last but not least, it was fabulous to learn so much from them in such a great location-but I would say that, wouldn't I? ;)

Here are the slides I used for my session:

 

Practical Pedagogies Conference, International School of Toulouse (IST), 15-16th October 2015⤴

from @ My Languages





I am very excited to be joining the 60+ teachers from all subject areas who will be presenting at the Practical Pedagogies conference organised by @russeltarr at The International School of Toulouse next October.

What is the Practical Pedagogies Conference?
-A high-impact training conference for teachers, from NQT to senior teachers, run by and for primary and secondary school teachers ;
-A not-for-profit event hosted at the International School of Toulouse, October ;
-Workshops and networking activities around the theme: "Creativity, Internationalism and Innovation in the classroom" ;
-Two days of inspiring keynotes, 70+ workshops and networking activities delivered by experienced primary and secondary teachers ; 15-16th October 2015-that's just before half term for some of us in the UK.

How much does it cost?€150 : This price includes a delegate pack, lunches and refreshments, and access to all the workshops, keynotes and other events on offer.

How to find out more / register your placeFull details about the conference, including how to register and the full workshop programme, can be found on the Practical Pedagogies Website. Other queries can be sent here.

The Venue
The conference will take place at the International School of Toulouse, a co-educational day school for children aged 3 to 18, situated in the South of France close to Toulouse Blagnac Airport [directions/map].
 
My workshop
Pinterest and Twitter? Motivating tools to develop reading and writing skills in EAL and MFL
Explore the potential of tools such as Pinterest and Twitter to motivate all pupils to develop reading and writing skills in EAL and MFL. Increase your pupils' independence as language learners and understanding of linguistic structures. Support the development of all your pupils' language skills and their linguistic creativity.
Led by Isabelle Jones (@icpjones), languages consultant and Head of Languages in Cheshire, England. 

Other MFL workshops include
 
Collaborative learning strategies for the effective teaching of mixed ability classes in MFL
This workshop will present collaborative learning strategies in MFL which engage whole classes to talk / write simultaneously therefore maximising class time. Delegates will go way with a much deeper understanding of the benefits of collaborative learning and will have a bank of ready-made resources (F/G/Sp) to use immediately on their return to school.
Led by Suzi Bewell (@suzibewell), Course Leader for MFL PGCE University of York
 
Using Quizlet to create interactive resourcesThis workshop is designed to help mainly modern languages teachers who want to teach students easy ways to revise grammar rules, verb conjugation and new vocabulary with Quizlet. This US software allows students to be more independent leaners and give them an opportunity to be more responsible for their own learning.
Led by J. Cavalli, Curriculum Leader for French at IST
 
Using Kahoot! to engage students in knowledge acquisitionKahoot! is a free tool to assess your students' knowledge (from FS2 to Y13 and beyond - you can even use it at home to test friends and family!) in any subjects, on any topics, in a fun, interactive and competitive way. Kahoot! just turns your classroom into a game show (with a very catchy musical theme). In this session, you will get to : play a Kahoot game (to see what it is like) and maybe win a Kahoot! Prize / see examples of what can be assessed through Kahoot! in different subjects in both Primary and Secondary / create your own Kahoot short quiz. Led by A. Braud, Modern Foreign Languages Teacher at IST
 
Using the “Accelerated Integrated Method”  to teach French as a foreign languageOriginally from Canada, this way of teaching has been very successful in various countries, with the help of gestures for each word, the use of the mother tongue is limited to an extreme minimum. The children learn French through stories told in gestures. After the workshop participants should have a good idea about what this didactic approach is, and be able to 'tell in gestures' some of the content of stories. Led by Dico Krommenhoek (@dico_kr), French teacher and teacher educator in Rotterdam
 
Using technology in the Primary Foreign Language classroomWhy and how can we use technology to enhance learning in the primary language classroom? Ideas for teachers and learners, beginners and those with more experience; some online, some apps but mostly free :) Covering 'the four skills' - listening speaking reading and writing as well as phonics and grammar, we'll consider how technology can help with assessment as well as managing transition, and how it can open windows and doors for you and your learners. Led by Lisa Stevens (@lisibo), Primary Languages and International Coordinator, Whitehouse Common Primary and Welford Primary, Birmingham
 
Boosting language acquisition for lower and upper primary through a FUN Reading Program. Developing comprehension and expression for upper primary (intermediate levels) through a Reading Program.
Led by P. Burgaud and J. Allcock, Primary Years Teachers at IST
 
The conference has its own Twitter Practical Pedagogies feed. We will be using the hashtag #pracped15 to allow delegates to share the ideas and resources they are being presented with and discuss the conference outcomes.
 
Would love to see you there!

Practical Pedagogies Conference, International School of Toulouse (IST), 15-16th October 2015⤴

from @ My Languages





I am very excited to be joining the 60+ teachers from all subject areas who will be presenting at the Practical Pedagogies conference organised by @russeltarr at The International School of Toulouse next October.

What is the Practical Pedagogies Conference?
-A high-impact training conference for teachers, from NQT to senior teachers, run by and for primary and secondary school teachers ;
-A not-for-profit event hosted at the International School of Toulouse, October ;
-Workshops and networking activities around the theme: "Creativity, Internationalism and Innovation in the classroom" ;
-Two days of inspiring keynotes, 70+ workshops and networking activities delivered by experienced primary and secondary teachers ; 15-16th October 2015-that's just before half term for some of us in the UK.

How much does it cost?€150 : This price includes a delegate pack, lunches and refreshments, and access to all the workshops, keynotes and other events on offer.

How to find out more / register your placeFull details about the conference, including how to register and the full workshop programme, can be found on the Practical Pedagogies Website. Other queries can be sent here.

The Venue
The conference will take place at the International School of Toulouse, a co-educational day school for children aged 3 to 18, situated in the South of France close to Toulouse Blagnac Airport [directions/map].
 
My workshop
Pinterest and Twitter? Motivating tools to develop reading and writing skills in EAL and MFL
Explore the potential of tools such as Pinterest and Twitter to motivate all pupils to develop reading and writing skills in EAL and MFL. Increase your pupils' independence as language learners and understanding of linguistic structures. Support the development of all your pupils' language skills and their linguistic creativity.
Led by Isabelle Jones (@icpjones), languages consultant and Head of Languages in Cheshire, England. 

Other MFL workshops include
 
Collaborative learning strategies for the effective teaching of mixed ability classes in MFL
This workshop will present collaborative learning strategies in MFL which engage whole classes to talk / write simultaneously therefore maximising class time. Delegates will go way with a much deeper understanding of the benefits of collaborative learning and will have a bank of ready-made resources (F/G/Sp) to use immediately on their return to school.
Led by Suzi Bewell (@suzibewell), Course Leader for MFL PGCE University of York
 
Using Quizlet to create interactive resourcesThis workshop is designed to help mainly modern languages teachers who want to teach students easy ways to revise grammar rules, verb conjugation and new vocabulary with Quizlet. This US software allows students to be more independent leaners and give them an opportunity to be more responsible for their own learning.
Led by J. Cavalli, Curriculum Leader for French at IST
 
Using Kahoot! to engage students in knowledge acquisitionKahoot! is a free tool to assess your students' knowledge (from FS2 to Y13 and beyond - you can even use it at home to test friends and family!) in any subjects, on any topics, in a fun, interactive and competitive way. Kahoot! just turns your classroom into a game show (with a very catchy musical theme). In this session, you will get to : play a Kahoot game (to see what it is like) and maybe win a Kahoot! Prize / see examples of what can be assessed through Kahoot! in different subjects in both Primary and Secondary / create your own Kahoot short quiz. Led by A. Braud, Modern Foreign Languages Teacher at IST
 
Using the “Accelerated Integrated Method”  to teach French as a foreign languageOriginally from Canada, this way of teaching has been very successful in various countries, with the help of gestures for each word, the use of the mother tongue is limited to an extreme minimum. The children learn French through stories told in gestures. After the workshop participants should have a good idea about what this didactic approach is, and be able to 'tell in gestures' some of the content of stories. Led by Dico Krommenhoek (@dico_kr), French teacher and teacher educator in Rotterdam
 
Using technology in the Primary Foreign Language classroomWhy and how can we use technology to enhance learning in the primary language classroom? Ideas for teachers and learners, beginners and those with more experience; some online, some apps but mostly free :) Covering 'the four skills' - listening speaking reading and writing as well as phonics and grammar, we'll consider how technology can help with assessment as well as managing transition, and how it can open windows and doors for you and your learners. Led by Lisa Stevens (@lisibo), Primary Languages and International Coordinator, Whitehouse Common Primary and Welford Primary, Birmingham
 
Boosting language acquisition for lower and upper primary through a FUN Reading Program. Developing comprehension and expression for upper primary (intermediate levels) through a Reading Program.
Led by P. Burgaud and J. Allcock, Primary Years Teachers at IST
 
The conference has its own Twitter Practical Pedagogies feed. We will be using the hashtag #pracped15 to allow delegates to share the ideas and resources they are being presented with and discuss the conference outcomes.
 
Would love to see you there!

Cairn Primary School Primary 2/3 Glow Pages⤴

from @ Glow Gallery

Diane Owens from Cairn Primary School in Maybole explains how she began using Glow with her Primary 2/3 class.

Diane had used the previous version of Glow and was given some basic training on the new Office 365 version of Glow by another member of staff in her school.

cairnps

After this Diane began setting up a class site for her P2/3 class.  Diane found she needed a bit of help to begin with, but once she got started it was quite straightforward.

Diane decided to set up a site where her class could access messages from the teacher at home and also find their homework.  As the class were P2/3 and operating at First Level, Diane found that the photographs feature of Glow was very useful.

cairnpsp2photos

Diane posted photographs which related to the pupils’ homework to help them complete it at home.

As well as this Diane found that the pupils really enjoyed seeing photographs which related to work in the classroom and particularly enjoyed being able to share this with their parents and other family members at home.

Diane also created a list of useful weblinks for the pupils, which included sites such as:

Homework Shop

Think U Know

Woodlands Maths and Literacy

National Geographic kids’ site

Diane found that one of the most popular aspects for the pupils was the ease of communication with the teacher when the pupils were at home or out of school.  They regularly commented that this was their favourite thing about using Glow.

 

newsfeedp2

Diane reports that she was pleasantly surprised and pleased by how confident the young learners in her class were in using Glow.  Diane has 2 Pcs and a laptop in her classroom and the class have 2 sessions in the school’s ICT suite per week, one for curricular work and one for ICT skills.

 

cairnsari

 

 

 

 

Guess the Christmas Tune⤴

from @ Glow Gallery

Lots of Christmas fun was had by the children in Carmondean Primary and Deans Community High School in West Lothian over the Christmas period as they worked together to create an entertaining site in Glow O365. While the P1 girls and boys expertly acted out different famous Christmas songs, Glow users from all over the country were able to watch and join in the fun by guessing the festive tunes. Then to check their answers, they could watch the talented pupils from Deans Community High pupils singing the correct songs. Have a look for yourself and join in the fun using the link here.

P1s Deans Community Pupils

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lawthorn primary school⤴

from @ Glow Gallery

We visited Lawthorn primary school to find out how they have been using Glow

Listen to teacher, Mr English, sharing what he has been doing and which of the Glow services he has been finding useful.

And now we have some pupils talking about what Glow has meant for them