Who said ‘you can’t teach teachers’: TeachMeet

On May 9, 2016June 21, 2019 By Aimee HorsleyIn Teaching, Learning and Assessment2 Comments

I attended my first TeachMeet event at Scalby School recently and it was fantastic. Don’t get me wrong I love teaching and learning anyway but after a long day at work and three more hours of ‘school’ it has to be pretty good to engage me. And it did! The buzz of sharing ideas through quick, snappy sessions was structured and organised (my favourite sort of learning) but more than that I picked up a hoard of teaching ideas that are just golden! Ideas that are so simple you immediately know which class and topic you are going to try them with. So here is my summary of the key ideas from the evening:

Learning Menu
Differentiated classroom activities written as a menu with starters, mains and desserts comprising of differentiated tasks and extension sides. This technique enables students to develop independent learning through challenging themselves.Revision Clock
Using the face of a clock, split the sheet into timed segments to focus revision on short, snappy pointers. This technique maintains focus and pace when revising. I’ve already tried this!

Achievement Display: Inspiration Board
Straight forward really – reward the little things (best piece of work, most improved) rather than just top performances.

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Welcome to the Boardroom: Discussion Activities

On January 23, 2016June 19, 2019 By Aimee HorsleyIn Teaching, Learning and AssessmentLeave a comment

Discussions are a fantastic teaching tool to engage all students, through connecting the subject material with the students’ own thoughts and experiences. This means that their learning is memorable.

Conventional Discussion with a Twist. Students present their perspectives either verbally, written or physically in a discussion line then the teachers role (or a very confident or high achieving student) plays Devil’s Advocate. The students know what to expect (so the points are taken seriously but not offensively) and the students must justify their views in light of the further ‘controversial’ points raised. Review: very good for challenging high ability or verbal students.

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Starters that Never Fail!

On January 21, 2016June 21, 2019 By Aimee HorsleyIn Teaching, Learning and AssessmentLeave a comment

Starting your lesson in the right way is crucial. You must capture your students attention, settle them into their learning , engage their interest and motivate them to want to continue. In a five minute starter that is not an easy task to accomplish.

Here are some well known starter activities. Why are they well known? Answer: Because they work.

Minimal preparation + maximum impact= a great start to your lesson.

The first two activities are ideal for new topics – exploring what your students know in order for their learning to progress more efficiently. With Anticipation (each of these images links to the topic of conscience) I would only use one as these as a starter activity – not all three.

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