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You know that brilliant idea you’ve had to help your pupils…? E
Ask Charlotte! E
very teacher has had a great idea that they just know will help pupils achieve more if they only had the opportunity to develop it. Well, now they can with the Let Teachers SHINE competition. The competition, supported by Capita SIMS, is run by SHINE, the education charity (Support and Help in Education), and designed to uncover the best ideas to raise the achievement of disadvantaged children in England.
Teachers can win one of ten grants worth up to £15,000 each to develop their idea and examine the impact it has on pupils. The most effective ideas also have the opportunity to be extended and rolled out to more schools in disadvantaged communities. Phil Neal, managing director of Capita SIMS, explains: “Teachers come into this profession to make a difference and Let Teachers SHINE gives them a real opportunity to do that. The competition is a fantastic way to help transform learning for students who need it most.” “Our staff are very excited about being involved with such a worthwhile cause.”
One past winner is Colin Hegarty who works at Preston Manor School in Brent. Colin used the money to pilot the use of iPads in the classroom, as well as launch his own website which hosts his personally made in depth maths tutorial videos at
www.hegartymaths.com. Paul Carbury, CEO of SHINE says “At SHINE we are committed to raising the achievement of all children irrespective of their background or family income. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Capita SIMS on Let Teachers SHINE, as their goals very much match our own. Together we can help more students succeed.” Paul continues “We are looking forward to seeing a wide variety of ideas this year, as in previous years. One of the most innovative from 2013 was John Hayes’ idea from The East Manchester Academy in Beswick. John’s winning concept has led to students now being able to design and launch an e-tutoring app to enable peer-to-peer tutoring online.”
To qualify, teachers must show that they have an idea or initiative that will help disadvantaged students raise their achievement levels in maths, English or science.
The competition is free to enter and runs from Friday 28th February to Sunday 27th April 2014. The participants will be shortlisted before undertaking a series of interviews. Ten grants of up to £15,000 will then be awarded in June 2014, with a view to the projects running a year- long pilot in 2014-2015. There is also the possibility of further funding being awarded for the most successful schemes.
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http://campaigns.capita-sims.co.uk/sims-and-shine
ducation Today is proud to launch a new, regular column from primary school teacher and Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator Charlotte Beckhurst, in which she shares her experiences working with technology in primary schools and offers advice on what to use, how to use it and how to do it effectively without increasing your workload.
“Writing a column on using technology in primary education is no mean feat. With the wealth of information, devices, software and of course, the new computing curriculum, it almost begs the question, where should I begin? Until the other day, I was skimming the web to see what topics were hot and I realised I needed to take a step back and address what it is, you, the educators want to know.
So far I have come to the conclusion that there are three key things which most educators want answered: what technology to use in the classroom; how to use it effectively; and how to do this without increasing the workload. So not too much pressure for me then!
Considering what technology to use in the classroom can be quite a daunting task for teachers, ICT technicians and Heads of Schools alike and for me, my skills are better focused in the classroom. Alas, if you want techy advice – stop reading right here. Instead I will be looking at software, applications and the teaching through technology tools once the hardware has been put into place.
Sadly, once the hardware has been implemented, it can often be the case the technology stops there or rather the potential of the technology becomes dormant. However, to avoid this, there are two crucial points to remember. Technology must scaffold and enhance what you are already doing. Technology in primary schools should not be about having separate ICT lessons. Instead flip the classroom around; build programming into literacy, use apps to support maths, blog to scaffold humanities and wikis to enhance science. It really works! Children are engaged, behaviour for learning is positive and progress is made within lessons. Furthermore technology must develop 21st Century Learning Skills; problem-solving, communication, collaboration, self-regulation and assessment, creativity and of course, strong digital literacy skills. A study conducted by ITL Research (2011) found a significant gap between the skills children learn in school to those which are needed for the workplace. As teachers, we are responsible for building citizens of the future and it is crucial that our children and students are exposed to a classroom environment which addresses the wider educational ecosystem.
Teachers are busy people. I am writing this on the back of an evening of marking. I know technology can be viewed as an additional task or something else to think about adding to the timetable. However it is time to commit to changing your approach. If you are already integrating technology into literacy, maths and the foundation subjects, then you are already onto a massive time-saver. The next step is to share with your colleagues. Have an ‘APPetizer’ Sheet in the staffroom, where staff can compile a list of the apps they found and how they were used in teaching and learning. Share app searches out amongst staff or even hold an ‘App-etition’; award a prize to the most apps found in a month. Finally there is excellent CPD available at the moment on technology in the classroom. Not only will you pick up ideas from the trainer but you will glean ideas from other educators to implement in your own classroom.
So I thought I would leave you this month with five top tips I feel are the pinnacle to your journey into flipping your classroom and embracing technology into your teaching and learning: 1) Innovate each week – don’t be afraid. Learn with the kids! 2) Integrate with the curriculum - use it to enhance your already amazing work.
3) Develop 21st Century Learning Skills – give it a purpose, and always have 2-3 children around one device.
4) Plan for longer than you expect the first time you try something new AND always have a back-up plan. 5) Share with other educators.
If you do have any questions, you would like answering specifically I am keen to research and discuss them in my up-coming columns. Feel free to contact me on @CharBeckhurst or
beckhursteducation@gmail.com Charlotte Beckhurst is a Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator. She works at a primary school in Tottenham and runs training courses on using technology in the classroom.
uwww.chicmeek.blogspot.com April 2014
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