Education News

National Career Guidance Show

I started the day feeling as if I was rather out of the loop, as I read information about the National Career Guidance Show – an event of which I had not heard before.

Fortunately my self-esteem returned quickly when I found that this is a first ever National Career Guidance Show.

I must say I personally welcome the development – trying to push careers guidance into other shows has always meant that careers ends up as an extra. With this show we are promised over 100 exhibitors including employers, qualification bodies, government departments, training companies and education organisations – all offering their information.

The full list of exhibitors is on line at www.nationalcareerguidanceshow.com and features information and weblinks to all of the organisations.

The National Career Guidance Show also promises CPD – for FREE. Over 30 seminars are taking place certified by the Institute of Career Guidance including Career Opportunities In The NHS; The Implication Of Reforms To Information Advice And Guidance; Career Paths With Languages; Career Planning – An Employer’s View; Going Interactive With The IAG Strategy; Innovations In Careers Guidance; Making The Most Of Career Guidance; Space: The Next Generation; Why Guidance Professionals Should Be Blogging, Tweeting And Networking Online; What Do Pupils Think About STEM Careers? as well as many more.

You can come along to the Emirates Stadium in north London (Arsenal tube station, obviously) on Wednesday 3 or Thursday 4 March, or both, just book online at www.nationalcareerguidanceshow.com.  (If you have ever read any of my jottings on topics away from careers, you’ll know that the location is my home from home – and a jolly nice place it is too.)

If you’ve got any questions please give Alona De Havilland a call on 01823 362800 or email info@nationalcareerguidanceshow.co.uk.

How can making one change to a classroom radically improve teaching and learning?

There is one question that has often puzzled me. Is there one thing that can be done to a room that will improve teaching and learning?

The reason I ask is that a change to a classroom is generally comparatively simple compared with introducing new teaching techniques. In my ideal world you just make this change, and the results improve.

People in industry talk about this – if you have a room with particular lighting, or the walls painted a certain colour, then productivity rises. But how does this relate to the classroom.

We do, of course, think a lot about the visual environment. We write clearly so that each student can read what we write.  We recognise the importance of adjusting the lighting in the room to compensate for gloomy days (lights on) or brilliant sunshine (blinds down).

We ensure that computer screens can be read easily, and we take steps if there is any problem.

But is that it? Is that all we can do?

About nine months ago I mentioned in this column that I had come across another idea – the issue of acoustics. Certainly I have never taught in a classroom where the acoustics are what I would call ideal – and yet I have never done anything about the acoustics in a room.

Generally, there’s a feeling that little can be done to combat extraneous sounds. For instance, cutting down noise from outside the class is either impossible (have you tried shushing a playground or diverting a flight path recently?) or involves expensive soundproofing. And as for cutting out the sound of computers or scraping chairs emanating from inside the class, where does one begin?

And yet the problem with noise and hearing in the classroom goes much deeper: after all, ear infections are sometimes cited as the most common health complaint among young people.

Anyway, my wandering around this subject led eventually to a research paper which suggests that about a quarter of the average class on any day will be struggling to make proper sense of all that the teacher says.

Of course, if your school is not under a flight path, and if you have carpeted floors and no computers in the room the problem is somewhat reduced, but for most of us there are plenty of sounds interfering with those that we want the children to hear.

There is, however, a solution – which is a simple system that amplifies the teacher’s voice very slightly, in a way that takes into account the acoustics of the room.  I think it works rather well – and would recommend it for any teacher who is concerned about everyone hearing everything that is said.

I found details of the product via Soundfield, who offer a free trial of their system.

There’s more details available at www.soundfield.info

How to take students up a grade at A level history

 

It is undeniable that there are a number of ways of taking A level history students up a grade; but here is just one approach, which can be used alongside any others that you choose.

Many students often feel daunted by using primary sources, tend to overlook them, and, when pushed towards them, use them superficially.

 

And yet A level coursework units require students to refer to primary sources, and marking schemes give credit to students who show independence in selecting their material.

To overcome this problem, Primary Sources in Russian History 1801-1917 has selected a wide range of materials which are the most accessible for students taking A level history.  In it is also true to say that some of this material will also be relevant for GCSE students study this period.

 

Some of the sources are little more than a line in length while others extend to two ore more pages.   Of course, the students will find some of the sources a little difficult to understand – but that is surely part of the historian’s training.  Research in understanding a primary source (as well as actually referring to it) is very much part of history.

 

Each subject area comes with a historical overview, and the sources are followed by questions for the students to answer.  There are also some model answers which are meant as a guide for students and a cross-referenced analysis of themes linking each individual source to the prime topics of:

 

Autocracy

Repression

The west

Modernisation

Opposition

Reform

Society

The role of the individual

The peasantry

Revolution

 

The book covers the reigns of Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II.

 

What’s more, the materials are available as a photocopiable book and as a CD which can be put onto the school’s network and shared among all students for whom it is relevant.  Thus all students may use the material with the purchase of just one copy.

 

ISBN No: 978 1 86083 769 2 Order code: T1762EMN

Sample pages are available to download free of charge from

http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/history/T1762.pdf

 

Photocopiable book: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery

CD: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery

CD plus photocopiable book: £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery

You can order… Please quote the order code T1762EMN

By post: Write to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH

By fax: To 01536 399 012

 

By phone: quoting a credit card number or a school order reference number: 01536 399 018

On line: Go to

http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=738 - you will need a credit card to complete the order

 

Pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently enjoyed a visit to Disneyland Paris where they focused on how GCSE Maths can be applicable to the planning, design and running of the theme park.

The Gifted and Talented pupils from years 8 and 9 attended three Maths seminars, led by the company Study Experiences. In one of the seminars, they had to apply their mathematical skills to the design of roller coasters; looked at speed, time and distance; determining velocity, load and forces and calculating minimum downtimes. Another seminar’s aim was to explore shapes, space and measurement, the pupils had to calculate the materials needed for a parade, plan routes, examine timings and look at the costings which would be involved.

In addition to the Disneyland experience, the pupils also got the opportunity to visit central Paris where they spent time at the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.

“The pupils had great fun, saw some wonderful sights and, at the same time, were able to develop their knowledge and understanding of Maths,” commented Ms Kelly Wass, Maths teacher who accompanied the pupils. “Experiences such as this highlight the importance of Maths in today’s world and bring the subject to life for the pupils.”

“Whilst at Disneyland, the pupils are given an opportunity to learn about some of the real life practical applications of Maths,” said Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “They studied aspects of the subject which I am sure will help them both with their GCSE studies and also when they enter the world of work.”

Bringing Shakespeare to Life

Teaching Shakespeare can be extraordinarily rewarding at all ages. But some students, faced with challenging language and allusions to a culture and context which are now remote, have difficulty appreciating and engaging with his works to the full.  This is especially true when studying stage plays as classroom texts.

Approaching the plays from the point of view of actors or directors allows a new way of thinking about character and plot, and the opportunities Shakespeare’s texts create for performers.

One company (Debate Chamber) that takes this approach organises full-day or half-day workshops in schools for Key Stage 3, GCSE and A Level. The school chooses the play or plays that will form the focus of the day’s activities.

Participating students learn about Shakespeare’s cultural and historical context, the English Renaissance and the world of  Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre. They take part in a wide range of role-play and performance activities to help them explore characters and themes, learn about contemporary adaptations of the play and finally compose, direct and perform an interpretation or adaptation of their own.

During the workshop they treat Shakespeare’s works as plays to be acted and watched, not only texts to be read. Students will perform extracts under the guidance of actors, produce their own interpretation of a scene, and explore the ways that Shakespeare’s vocabulary, style and verse form inform the performance of his work.

Debate Chamber tutors include professional actors as well as graduates in Shakespearean or Renaissance Studies. They have experience working with secondary school students of all ages.

You can get in touch with them by emailing info@debatechamber.com, or calling 01865 515030.

Tony Attwood
Hamilton House Mailings Ltd