Views & Opinion
Snappy starts to lessons!
Education Today columnist and teacher Kirsty Bertenshaw this month looks at getting your lessons off to the best start.
Before I stated writing this article, I searched the title “Snappy starts to lessons” on a popular search engine and was interested, if not a little concerned, at the results. Some of the recommended starters that come up on the first links include activities which are not starters, and often don’t include the whole class. Now, whether you are follower of the “settlers then starters” idea, or “starters are hooks to learning” theory, you know you have to get the whole class on board for the first 5 minutes! Despite the ideal of students being ready to learn, time is always needed for sorting lack of equipment, checking everyone has books to write in, finding replacement homework sheets for ones that have gone missing, solving social issues that occurred over break and so on. So how can we really have a quick focus on learning that gets most students settling into learning behaviours promptly? Here are a few suggestions - as I have said in previous articles, these are not new, they are just ideas with limited preparation time for maximum impact that work well for me.
Draw pictures
In science this is quite easy, but admittedly harder in other subjects. Ask pupils to draw rather than to write to start off with, this encourages reluctant writers to start quicker, and is more exciting than literacy based starters. An example would be to draw circuit symbols, or perhaps a root hair cell. This could be more creative too, e.g. draw the effects of smoking on a person.
True or False
This is an easy one to apply to all subjects. Either have a list ready on PowerPoint or, if the children are reluctant to write straight away, a small handout with statements on. Which are false? This is easily differentiated too with different lists, or asking them to justify answers or correct the false ones to make them true. This can apply to the correct use of complex language in English or MFL, or examples of equations in maths.
Mini quiz
This is one of my favourites with my current year 9’s as they have started the GCSE syllabus and are struggling to remember the content of lessons. A simple 5 question mini quiz on the board gets them to write down the date, title and answer relevant questions which get harder as they progress through the list and the course content. Repetition of questions helps memory too, so repeat the questions after a few lessons and see if they can improve their answers!
Obscure pictures – what is it? I love to use
www.sciencephoto.com/ for genuine images using scanning electron microscopes, but Google Images works just as well. It could be an object like a bacterium, or a process such as an oil refinery, or something with PSHE links like children picking recyclable rubbish out of landfills for money. The differentiation comes with what you ask pupils to do with the image. Describe it? Explain the relevance to our learning journey? Ask questions about it which we will try and answer by the end of the lesson? How do the people in the picture feel? What effect could the picture have on wider society?
Thought dump
I can’t remember who introduce me to this as a teaching tool but it’s fantastic. Pupils like writing the word “dump” in their title, and it is an opportunity to write down any thoughts around a picture, word, sentence or topic title. It’s a good way to elicit prior knowledge on a subject and address misconceptions too.
The best suggestion I have? Share good practice! Steal other teachers’ ideas and give them yours in return.
12
www.education-today.co.uk Why safeguarding
is everyone’s responsibility This month, regular Education Today columnist Graham Cooper, head of product strategy at Capita SIMS, offers his thoughts on the revised Ofsted safeguarding framework, and how schools might deal with it.
Let me share a secret: I love January. After overindulging in mince pies and chocolate sprouts throughout the festive period, my attention turns to Bett. I’ve been attending for a fair few years, and I can quite honestly say there’s never been a year in which I’ve not been blown away by the technology being showcased at the event.
I’m really looking forward to one of the new products we are launching at Bett this year. SIMS Activities enables schools to manage their extracurricular activities and more importantly, strengthen their safeguarding arrangements around these activities.
As we know, changes to the Ofsted framework that came into effect in July have seen an increased emphasis on safeguarding. In short, you need to know the location of every student at any given point throughout the school day.
We all share a responsibility for safeguarding children and young people. However, as they spend such a significant part of their lives in school, education professionals take on an extra duty of care. Now teachers are in a good position to be able to spot when things might be going wrong for a child. Triggers such as a change in behaviour or attendance, medical or dietary issues, misuse of IT and an unkempt appearance are all early indicators that we are trained to look out for. The revised Ofsted framework means schools are now required to clearly evidence the impact of their safeguarding and welfare responses for every pupil and at risk groups. Senior leadership teams must also be aware of the guidance in place and create a culture of safeguarding to ensure every member of staff can quickly identify any safeguarding issues and make the appropriate interventions.
If you haven’t already, I would urge you to read the Children’s Commissioner’s 2012 report ‘You have someone to trust’. It includes examples of safeguarding practices that schools have implemented as well as advice on best practice. It also quite rightly highlights the importance of schools being more proactive in engaging with parents. Some schools recognise times when families are going through a particularly stressful period and do all they can to help. The report details how one school offered parents a support group during their child’s transition from year six to year seven. It clearly demonstrates the importance of allocating resources to nurturing parental relationships. Communicate with parents; give them the peace of mind that their child is safe. Do not hesitate to notify them if there are any issues or concerns – however large or small. By having parents who are confident and comfortable with talking to you, staff can intervene earlier and work together with parents to ensure a child fulfils their potential. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. By making changes to how staff track and report any concerns they may have for a particular child, schools can ensure learning continues unabated.
Planning a trip to Bett? Be sure to visit the Capita SIMS stand B190 and ask to see the SIMS Activities module.
And don’t forget, if you have a question about this or any other issue you’d like answered in my next column, do contact me via the magazine using the email
jswift@datateam.co.uk
January 2016
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