This is a summary for all teachers of ideas for our priority in the classroom at this time of year; establishing a positive learning environment and building an ethos for learning with new classes. These ideas were shared at the first T&L meeting in mid-September last year, once teachers had begun to establish routines with …
Category Archive: Lesson Climate
Jan
05
Oct
18
Pupil Queue
Who is it for? This is relevant to all teachers of practical subjects who spend much of their lesson time rotating around the class assisting individual pupils. Outline of idea I had two Yr 9 classes who were starting to learn an entirely new program and set of concepts to do with programming (Computer Science). …
Feb
01
The Random Name Selector: A way to make everyone pay attention
Who is it for? Anyone looking for a way to ensure that everyone contributes answers (without having to pick on people yourself). It works at all key stages. Outline of the idea: Some time ago I stumbled across this when looking for an easy way of picking people to answer questions or contribute ideas to …
Jan
25
Contribution Cards
This comes from Katie Slusar and Pippa Boyns. Who is it for? KS3 groups or anywhere you want to encourage (or discourage!) contributions. Outline of idea Version One – targeting a quiet pupil Give pupil anywhere between one and five contribution cards. These should be small pieces of paper or card, could have a C …
Jan
25
Lesson summary "Russian Roulette"
Thanks to Peter Law! Who is it for? Anyone looking for a good way to get pupils to take part in a quick quiz at the end of the lesson to check their understanding of work covered in class (or earlier on in the scheme of work). Outline of the idea At the end of …
Jan
11
As easy as 1-2-1! Multiple cross-curricular uses for a simple drama strategy
Thanks to Rachel Hawkes for this. Who is it for? This is an idea borrowed from our excellent Head of Drama and adapted for various foreign languages classes at KS3 – 5 and of all abilities. It reduces anxiety, promotes concentration, develops memory skills, and is fun! Outline of idea (what you wanted to do) …
Jan
10
"The perfect Ofsted Lesson"
It appears that I was a good boy in 2011 because Father Christmas gave me a copy of “The perfect Ofsted lesson” by Jackie Beere over the Christmas break!!! What a fantastic read it is. Irrespective of your teaching experience this book is incredibly inspiring and written with a totally natural approach to teaching. This …