Wednesday, December 24, 2014
@annies8888 and I presenting at the Christmas Eve service tonight. Thanks all for coming.
Reporting
T'is the season to be reporting, so I found these tips on reporting to parents...
Context is all in this sort of thing.
Report frequently
Unless your school has a policy of not communicating with parents, there is no reason that you should wait until the formal school reporting times to inform parents how their children are doing. As you will already have recorded the relevant data on each student about their attainment on different tasks, assignments or projects, it shouldn't be too much effort to do a mail-merged letter or report at the end of each block of work, or once every half-term, say.Make work available
If that suggestion sounds like too much work, then another thing you can do (and ought to do anyway, in my opinion), is give parents a log-in so they can see, and comment upon, their child's work, and read your comments too. Obviously, you'll need to get the go-ahead to do this, and then possibly enlist the assistance of the technical support person or team to implement it, but it can be done.Explain the context
There's no point sending out a report that states that Jimmy did fairly well at a computer programming task. You're bound to get a parent who phones up to say "Fairly well??!!!". He single-handedly set up our home network, reconfigured the TV remote, and set up home security webcams all over the house." You need to include a paragraph that states something like, "The students were asked to work out how the timetable for parents' evening could be automated, and then devise a program to do it."Context is all in this sort of thing.
Avoid giving grades if you can
As soon as you give a grade, a mark or a Level, people stop reading once they've seen it. It's much better to give a description of what they can do and can't do, and how they can improve.Be quick to praise but...
You're not doing anyone any favours if all you do is offer praise, especially if you are struggling to find something worth praising. If the work isn't good enough, for whatever reason, I think you have a moral duty to say that, and to then say what might be done about it.Thursday, November 27, 2014
It must almost be Christmas as I am deep into report writing season and this is all I see in my dreams.
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Effective teaching: 10 tips on what works and what doesn’t
A very interesting article written in The Guardian at the end of last month. I feel that I do use some of these, but have fallen into other traps. Have a look at the full article [click here]
The main points are listed here:
1. Know your subject
2. Praise can do more harm than good
3. Instruction matters
4. Teacher beliefs count
5. Think about teacher-student relationships
6. Manage behaviour
7. There’s no evidence that setting works
8. Don’t worry about learning styles
9. Learning should be hard at first
10. Build relationships with colleagues and parents
1. Know your subject
2. Praise can do more harm than good
3. Instruction matters
4. Teacher beliefs count
5. Think about teacher-student relationships
6. Manage behaviour
7. There’s no evidence that setting works
8. Don’t worry about learning styles
9. Learning should be hard at first
10. Build relationships with colleagues and parents
Friday, October 31, 2014
Arrived in the post, so some time this weekend will be dedicated to relaxing. @wavelengthsurfmag
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Evaluating a School’s Education Technology
Terry Freedman wrote an article on his site about the 11 criteria for evaluating a school’s education technology [link here]. These are fairly useful to think about our own provision for teaching and learning. Change is good if it improves teaching and learning, but often it is difficult to find the early adopters, who will lead the rest. As Terry writes, "There’s nothing to lose, and much to gain, from carrying out a fresh evaluation at least once a year"
Here is his check list....
Here is his check list....
- Is education technology being used a lot by pupils in a wide range of lessons?
- Is the technology exciting, innovative, attractive?
- Is it being used well, i.e. in the service of learning, as opposed to being used as a means of keeping pupils occupied?
- Is it making a difference to pupils’ attainment?
- What does the technology look like?
- How many subject leaders are using technology?
- How many members of the senior leadership team are using technology?
- What’s going on beyond the school gates, but within the school community?
- What’s the Computing scheme of work like?
- Where the subject is optional, how many students choose it?
- Finally, what does it actually feel like?
Sunday, September 07, 2014
Had some free time this afternoon so I decided to bake. Will let you know how they taste.
Monday, September 01, 2014
Woohoo new paddle arrived today, at the start of a busy term. Will now need to find time to test it out #SUP
Thursday, July 24, 2014
An obvious sign at a hockey tournament? #bringiton #2014hockey #commonwealthgames
Sunday, June 22, 2014
When choosing a school look for the skyscrapers - Mark S. Steed
Here is a great piece written by Mark Steed on his blog (link)...
Great cities can be recognised by their skylines.
Some cities are dominated by ancient domes and spires testament to centuries of culture and learning; other more recent new-comers compete through ever taller and imaginative iconic structures; and truly great cities combine the two with a juxtaposition of history and an ever evolving modernity.
In many ways schools are like cities. On the ground they all do very similar things: lessons take place, young people excel in music, drama, sport and adventurous activities; trips and visits go out both near and far. Some schools have long and distinguished histories and have the buildings to match, whilst others are forward-looking and have new technology and infrastructure to dazzle. So how to choose between them?
Great cities can be recognised by their skylines.
However, on the ground, modern cities tend to be increasingly similar: shopping malls and business districts have a similar feel whether in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur or Toronto or Sydney. Life in one world city can be a very similar experience as life in another.
Top independent schools, like world cities, have skyscrapers: areas of particular strength that define their skyline. These are areas where a school would consider itself making a distinctive contribution, areas where perhaps it puts a greater proportion of its resources than its peers. School skyscrapers are usually built on the foundations of long-standing tradition and expertise. So when choosing a school, consider the skyscrapers and ask yourself, 'Will the school in question provide my son or daughter the best possible opportunities to thrive, develop his/ her talents and, above all, to see new horizons?'
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Great meeting up with these guys today, chatting and spending some time on the water.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Stand up fun in Hopeman harbour with @bps379 and Miss9. #summerfun #sup #lazydays
Monday, April 21, 2014
Repairs on a favourite pair of jeans - how much longer can I get them I last?
RG @finisterreuk: WIN the chance to shape your own handplane with the guidance of @ottersurfboards at the #Finisterre workshop! All you have to do is LIKE and REGRAM this shot to enter the comp! Easy! And we will be picking the winner later this week. More info at the Finisterre site. Image taken by @matarneyphotography #regramapp
Monday, January 20, 2014
A Useless Machine
There is something sinister about a machine that does nothing — absolutely nothing — except switch itself off. - Arthur C. Clarke
A useless machine is a device that performs a mostly useless task, such as switching itself off, performing no other practical function. In its modern form, the useless machine appears to have been invented by AI pioneer Marvin Minsky at Bell Labs in the 1950s, which he named the “ultimate machine” (Minsky also invented a “gravity machine” that would ring a bell if the gravitational constant were to change, a theoretical possibility that is not expected to occur in the foreseeable future). The device has also been called the “Leave Me Alone Box“.
Minsky’s mentor at Bell Labs, information theory pioneer Claude Shannon, made his own versions of the machine (similar to this one).
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