Once upon a time, many many years ago, I was subjected to my first Ofsted. I was terrified and, worse still, I was teaching Treasure Island. I remember a wonderfully helpful Learning Support teacher spending hours with me cutting out bits of paper, making some kind of treasure game or something. It was so convoluted […]
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I found that too often I was preparing assessment feedback lessons just using PowerPoint slides which I read to the students or simply going through exam papers. In an aim to improve the quality of the feedback and to involve students in the process, I have tried the ideas below. I hope that these might […]
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‘Making Geographical Connections’ was the theme for this year’s Geographical Association Annual Conference , attended by 750 enthusiastic geographers. We spent two days attending lectures, taking part in workshops, discovering new resources and sharing ideas for the teaching of primary and secondary geography. This was my third time at the conference and I came away with plenty of inspiration […]
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It seems unbelievable that Easter is upon us once again. After a short break for chocolate eating, our exam groups will be revving up for the final few weeks of completing courses, revision, and past papers before the GCSE maelstrom begins. When that’s over, the impact of the new UK curriculum and the GCSE criteria […]
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Recently I was revising y = mx + c with my Year 10s. I was using an app that demonstrated the gradient calculation for different lines. The line started with a vertical change of 2 units and a horizontal of 1 giving a gradient of 2 ÷ 1 = 2. I could then drag the […]
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We all have stories like this: Mick was giving us a quote for laying a patio. Having measured the rectilinear space he almost immediately told us that he would need so many 4x4s, 4x2s, and 2x2s and that would cost us so much, plus labour at so much and VAT at so much. I can’t […]
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Times are changing in secondary education thanks to government reforms: around the country new AS, A Level and GCSE courses will be being from September 2016. At the time of writing, all GCSE specifications have been accredited. But, only Pearson (Edexcel) has been accredited at AS and A Level, with AQA, OCR and Eduqas on their third submissions to Ofqual. For those who are yet to decide which specification to follow, the Geographical Association has a wealth […]
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Asking pupils to speculate on facts, formations or processes at the beginning of a lesson can spark curiosity and is a technique that can be used within an ISM starter (a strategy outlined in my previous blog posts). A relatively easy technique to implement into any lesson, Roberts (2013) discusses the power of speculation at length in […]
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Are you bored with your normal lesson starters? Does your repertoire only stretch as far as a recall of previous learning? Whilst recap quizzes may be tried and tested and useful in linking one lesson to another, there is a way to boost curiosity and enquiry in your classroom. Initial Stimulus Material (ISM) ties in […]
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Open days/mornings/evenings are a chance to showcase the great work you do in your department: the event may be aimed at potential GCSE/A Level candidates or it may be for prospective pupils (and their parents) who are entirely new to the school. Whatever the audience here are five ideas to help you make the most […]
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