Education ShowReview
At the heart of Education
The Education Showcelebrates its 20th anniversary. Becci Knowles reports…
Taking place from4th – 6thMarch 2010 at the NEC in Birmingham, the Education Show was amust for buyers and decisionmakers throughout the UK.
R
ichard Joslin, Exhibition Director, Emap commented: “Visitors to the show can see
companies that bring inspiration and innovation to the education sector in the UK and support schools to provide a rich learning experience to children and young people.With so many wonderful exhibitors and supporters, along with countless professional development opportunities, the show is a great day out for anyone interested in education.” Doctor ChristianMarquardt, neuroscientist and
consultant for the STABILO Easy ergonomic range, gave the press a fascinating talk on the development of handwriting on Thursday 4th March. Explaining the gap between handwriting and what is learned, he insisted that education in writing technique is needed to improve academic results.Most children starting school have well developed motor skills – required for learning to write – says STABILO, but many can not put these skills into practice correctly. “Skilled writing is the art of movement and the artist is individualist,” explained DoctorMarquardt, pointing to the results of his own research, which found new ways of learning to write that can help children to develop flowing and relaxed handwriting, in turn facilitating academic development. Continuing the theme over at standM84, STABILO offered visitors the chance to have their handwriting analysed, whilst representatives from the National Handwriting Association were there to raise awareness of handwriting as a crucial component of literacy. Richard Joslin took to the stand in the press
office next to brief us on what the show had to offer in terms of educational resources, best practice methods and CPD training, on what was also its 20th anniversary. As one of a panel of speakers, Ray Barker, BESA’s enigmatic Director explained the role of the show well: “If education is your business, you need to be aware of what is going on in business.We are in a time of change; changes in the curriculum and the buildings themselves.We have had 12 years of very positive funding, but must wait untilMay – or even June 10th – to find out what is next.While there is
political uncertainty: future governments, changes in the curriculum and assessment – there will always be money for education. A centralised procurement model is not something teachers here want. This kind of event depends upon open choice, diversity and competition. Yes you can see these products on the Internet but you can’t touch and feel them or try them out.” Professor Stephen Heppell of Cool Schools added: “Schools aren’t like they were when we were children,” and taking a look around, we had to agree.
Unveiling awhole newlook
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Education Show unveiled a whole new look with the halls divided into two main zones: ‘For Your School’ and ‘For Your Classroom’, making it much more coherent. Exhibitors in ‘For Your School’ ranged from furniture suppliers to Government departments, agencies, trade unions and ICT hardware suppliers. ‘For Your Classroom’ meanwhile, boasted resources and services covering all age groups for use in the classroom; from art and musical equipment, publishers and software suppliers, SEN and scientific resources through to more general equipment. A must for anyone involved in the procurement process, the need to see and try out the products before committing any budget was, as Barker said, a huge pull for visitors and the halls only got busier as the show progressed. Richard Joslin commented: “The Education
Show has maintained its success over the years because it is so much more than just an exhibition; the show offers fantastic CPD opportunities for teachers and ample opportunities to explore the best resources for their school.With the challenges that we all face in the current economic climate, we felt it was important for the show to offer decision makers, whether teachers, school governors or local authority staff – the easiest way to explore the most cost effective solutions to meet the needs of their school and their learners.” Highlighting new areas such as Innovation Alley and BETT Boulevard, Joslin was keen for us to note the many improvements made. Speaking prior to the show, Ray Barker insisted
the changes were positive: “For twenty years now, the Education Show has featured leading educational suppliers, alongside smaller, innovative companies providing educationalists from the UK and beyond with the ideal place to discover new resources and achieve better researched procurement decisions. BETT
20 www.education-today.co.uk
Boulevard brings an exciting element of ICT to the show in one easy to find location.” Located in the ‘For Your School’ area, exhibitors in the BETT Boulevard included NumberGym, Software Rentnote,Whizz Education, Rapid English Consultants and Spysure.
Cool Schoolsmake a stand
A brand new feature area for 2010 was the aptly named ‘Cool Schools’, developed in partnership with Professor Stephen Heppell. On each day of the show, groups of learners from two Birmingham schools showcased their ‘cool’ projects and interacted with visitors to the show. Prof. Stephen Heppell commented: “Parents visiting schools today often wish they could be school children again themselves: the technology, communication, the buildings, the new methods of teaching and the new ways to learn.” Joslin added: “Cool Schools has been created
to highlight some of the most exciting and innovative projects that are taking place in schools today.” The feature brought a whole new dimension to the show, demonstrating how products and practices can be applied to improve results in the classroom in a way simply viewing a range of materials cannot. It also indicated that the impact of what is bought for and used in schools relies very much on the attitude of the teachers and learners involved.
April 2010
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