Education ShowReview
orders that make it worthwhile. Each year you learn from the past.”
Outdoor education gets a boost
Moor 2 Sea provides field trips in Cornwall run by trained Geologists. The show was a “tremendous success” said Technical Director, Paul Foster: “We were thrilled at the response from visitors to the show. It was the perfect showcase.” The YMCA National Centre was just next door,
using the show as a platform for courses offered in the Lake District. “50%of the profits made from the corporate side of the business are put back into schools. That’s our ethos,” said a spokesperson.
Brightening up theworld of Grammar
We were really impressed by The Puncs, a witty and original series of six titles from Compass Books about a group of characters, each representing a written punctuation sign. A seventh title traces the story of punctuation through the ages. Not only amusing, the books are brilliantly supported by cartoon style illustrations, making grammar fun and easy to learn. Also available on CD are Puncsheets - interactive whiteboard worksheets covering each Punc character and linked to the storyline. Over at Taskmaster, I was shown the A Box,
designed to help teachers manage highly distractible, demanding and even defiant learners in the classroom. Originally designed for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the A Box has been used with a number of learners who have problems with concentration and find it difficult to sit still in the classroom, said a spokesperson. The Complete Kit comes in a sturdy plastic box and contains a range of hand manipulation tools to manage distractibility, deal with fidgeting and improve concentration; 3 egg timers (1, 3 and 5minute) to help develop time management and improve seat work; reward stickers to reward success for achieving behavioural targets; target charts for charting positive behavioural outcomes; a set of Time In, Time To and Time Out cards to help manage disruptions and defiance and improve concentration and time on
task; and an A Box Manual that documents insights into the key symptoms and issues for children with ADHD and provides real strategies for helping them improve and control their behaviour. What I found
fascinating about this product is that 20 years ago, children were sent out of a classroom for fidgeting and not paying attention, yet here we have a relatively simple idea which means that those who struggle to pay attention are helped and encouraged, rather than punished.
Combining gaming and learning
Nyoyn was a stand that caught our eye; Bart van Gogh explained the motivation behind the company’s products: “Education has to be a combination of gaming and learning.We don’t make products just to be innovative - they have to be meaningful.” Nyoyn develops and sells interactive play concepts for children, based on both traditional and modern day game values. SoundSteps for example, is an interactive
sound concept whereby a collection of 10 mats react with a sound when a child steps, jumps or sits on them. It is up to the children to choose which sounds they want to hear or which game they wish to play. They can do this by selecting a card (showing an image of the game in question) and by inserting this game card into the reader. Every card has been developed for a target group - Nursery/Primary/SEN. The sounds on offer include musical instruments, thematic sounds (scary sounds, means of transport, animals) or games such as musical chairs and maths. The mats are wireless, which means they can easily be used in conjunction with existing play materials. “TheMaths card was created by a Primary
School Teacher and it’s been a real hit. It gets the kids up and moving; having to sit still is a barrier
to learning, they want a proactive way of communicating,” added Bart. The Nebula from NYOYN is an interactive wall
with unlimited playing opportunities. It might look like an ordinary wall, but little stars appear on the wall when the Nebula is touched. The players can compose the arrangement of this galaxy so that they draw, write and play together - another effective means of getting children on their feet and communicating.
Modern languagesmade easy
Despite all UK primary schools being required to undertake one hour of language tuition each week from 2011, many primary school teachers have little or no specialist language training. As part of a unique European collaboration, experts have developed LinguaSign - a primary language teaching resource that provides a comprehensive introduction to a range of languages combining visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning. Developed for use at key Stage 2, LinguaSign
supports current language teaching with ‘native speaking’ animations within a series of interlinked stories, uniquely using gestures to reinforce language learning, with the added benefit that the teacher does not need to have prior knowledge of the subject being taught. The LinguaSign cartoons allow time for the teachers and pupils to repeat the words and gestures after each phrase, and each cartoon is designed to be used multiple times during the week or over a half term, approximately seven minutes per session, with the teachers and students initially repeating the words and actions modelled by the avatar but eventually being able to speak alongside the characters. GilesWhattam of LinguaSign said: “The show
was very useful for us, we went there to find out what teachers thought and they were very positive - there was some understanding of the challenges faced.” A great motivator at the start of the morning or afternoon, we expect interest in this product to be high. Education today is almost unrecognizable from
the form it took twenty years ago, when this particular show made its debut.While of course many of the changes implemented during this time have been largely political, it’s clear that we have the continued efforts of business to thank for helping us to bring some of these new ideas and innovations to life in the classroom.
22 www.education-today.co.uk
April 2010
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