News
Allergic to the classroom? A
llergy UK is warning thousands of children could face health implications after returning back to school, due to their environment.
Certain floor coverings and soft furnishings within schools can harbour dust mites and other ‘indoor allergens’, exacerbating asthma, rhinitis and eczema, a huge worry for parents with children with respiratory and skin allergies. Around 90% of children with these conditions are allergic to house dust mite allergen, whilst 65% also react to cat allergen, which is carried onto communal carpets.
Some parents are well versed at managing allergies within the home but have less control over their child’s condition at school. The symptoms caused by indoor allergens contribute to disturbed sleep, affecting concentration and attendance.
Allergy UK’s Director of Clinical Services, Maureen Jenkins says: “Allergic children’s asthma, rhinitis and eczema is often made worse at school when they have to sit on carpets. To protect a dust-mite allergic child vacuum carpets using Allergy UK approved products or replace with hard floor or textile flocked flooring specially developed not to harbour house dust
mites. Children will also learn better in a well- ventilated, low humidity, cool room.” The national charity has teamed up with Forbo Flooring to trial an Allergy UK approved flooring at primary school, Meopham Community Academy to see whether it will improve the symptoms of allergic children.
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www.allergyuk.org
Teachers call for an overhaul of creative education across the curriculum A
new report released today by Adobe reveals that two thirds (67%) of teachers and lecturers across the primary, secondary and HE sectors in the UK believe that *creativity in education is vital to fuel the economies of the future. Despite this, 65% agree there is much more they should be doing to teach creativity, with 68% stating that in order to do this, there needs to be a transformation in the way schools, colleges and universities across the country work. The State of Creativity report highlights how educators across the board pinpoint the current curriculum as the most significant barrier they face in teaching creativity. Six in ten (61%) state that creativity is ‘stifled’ by the current education system and that improving the curriculum is the single most important step needed in promoting and fostering creativity in education, with 65% claiming the current curriculum structure leaves them no time to be creative with their students. And it’s not just teachers and lecturers who feel the need for an overhaul of the system – a staggering 82% of parents across the UK are in agreement and admit to feeling that creativity is currently severely under-valued by the education system.When asked to name the most important step to addressing this, almost seven in every ten (69%) educators said they need more tools and techniques to teach creativity, with 87% of parents agreeing with them. This further highlights the need for the heads and decision makers within schools and universities to invest in the latest technologies to help support their staff and meet the growing expectations of parents. According to Mark A’Bear, UK Education Manager at Adobe UK: “Our research further highlights how crucial creativity in education is for today’s economy. Despite this, teachers and lecturers still don’t feel they are prepared enough to be able to deliver this effectively.
With the many pressures and demands on educators it must be increasingly difficult to keep up with technological developments, resulting in a widening gap between the technology expertise of students and educators.
“Perhaps it is time that Educators became facilitators of learning – increasing student access to creative technologies – supporting and guiding their use of the technology rather than trying to teach it. This research should act as a real wake-up call for institutions to increase student access to technology, giving freer rein to their creative talents.” Greg Hodgson, Senior Leader at Chalfonts Community College said: “I’ve been lucky enough to be at the helm of an extremely creative path over the last ten years and strongly believe that digital technology is key to student success. From teaching basic photo editing, to enabling them to develop their own games; when technology and creativity are combined in the classroom, amazing things happen. The access students have to digital creativity in schools is often entirely dependent on individuals; however
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www.education-today.co.uk
changes to the curriculum are making even those opportunities harder to come by. My fear is that creativity will be stifled as a result.”
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www.adobe.com/uk Te State of Creativity in Education 67%
84% of parents agree
Almost seven in ten (67%) teachers and lecturers in the UK believe that creativity in education is vital to fuel the economies of the future
67% of teachers feel the current curriculum hinders creativity in education
believe in order to teach creativity
65% agree there is much more they
should be doing to teach creativity
86% of parents agree
83% of parents agree
65%
state that creativity
is ‘stifled’ by the current education system
Te tools and techniques that
educators pinpoint as being the
most important to develop student creativity include:
69% of educators
said they need more tools and techniques to teach creativity
claim the
current curriculum structure leaves them no time
to be creative with their students
68%
well, there needs to be a transformation in the way institutions across the country work
87% of parents agree
82% of parents agree
Sciences, followed by Humanities,
71%
Rewarding creative ideas
Rewarding creative ideas
Encouraging idea
generation
Involving children in
critical thinking skills
Parents believe Join the conversation on @AdobeUKEdu
teaching classes such as art and drama is also important
68% of parents agree
of teachers think creativity across the curriculum is important …
Engineering and Maths are the subjects most
lacking creativity
Parents think the Arts are
also important
October 2013
61%
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