CONTRIBUTORS


Don’t be afraid to fail in search of success


This month, regular Education Today GRAHAM COOPER, head of education at Capita SIMS, calls for teachers to be encouraged to learn from their own experiences in the classroom.


I’ve always been of the opinion that it’s better to experiment and push your own personal boundaries in an effort to achieve the previously unachievable than to play it safe and always go with what you know. In schools, we encourage pupils to follow a similar path – test yourself


beyond what you know you can do and see what happens; sometimes you’ll succeed, others you might fail, but it’s what you learn from both that counts. However, that doesn’t always seem to be the same approach when it


comes to encouraging teachers and, in many ways, senior leaders in schools. As an industry, we’ve become laser-focused on results, attainment and


climbing tables – all very important indicators of improvement and raising standards, but also the catalyst for a safety-first, go-with-what-you-know approach to teaching and assessment. Clearly the amalgamation and delivery of data, information and


statistics are an important element of schools keeping track on the performance of both their pupils and their staff, but there comes a point where subjective meets the objective. From my experience, teaching has always been more than just a job –


for those who really care about their classes and their school communities, teaching is a passion, not just another profession. In any classroom or school environment, no two days are ever the same


– with so many interactions, each with a variety of individuals with their own personalities and characters, they never could be – so there can never be a linear, straightforward approach to teaching. That means that teachers should be encouraged to learn from their


own experiences in the same way that pupils are – sometimes your approach will be successful and other times it won’t be, but that’s the way that we all learn. Much of the freedom-free approach to teaching can be attributed to


the way that schools are judged and inspected, with an unspoken expectation that all involved should look, act and think in a certain way in order to achieve outstanding, but the best schools I visit are often far from generic in their culture. In fact, it is often their personality and individuality that makes them


stand out – by understanding the needs and characters of their learners, schools can create a vibrant community where both teachers and students feel comfortable to push their own boundaries and discover their strengths (and weaknesses, now and then). A lot of the focus on teaching recently has centred on workload with


an effort to reduce the number of hours spent working in and out of the classroom. However, while the increased requirements on teachers is no doubt a ‘push’ factor that encourages them to consider leaving the profession, we should also consider the ‘pull’ factors that brought them in the first place. Most teachers I know are looking to make a difference to the lives of


their pupils, to help them grow and discover the extent of their abilities in addition to achieving their qualifications and finding their next step. If the industry continues to stifle that journey in its practitioners, it will


surely become increasingly difficult to instil that ethos in the learners they inspire.


18 www.education-today.co.uk End of term science fun!


This month, regular Education Today contributor and STEM ambassador KIRSTY BERTENSHAWoffers some ideas for having fun at the end of term while still keeping the learning going.


In the run up to summer, pupils are tired, teachers are tired, and everyone is counting down the days. But, maintaining interest and learning in lesson is still possible. These end of term lessons often give an opportunity to try something different and develop skills. Give them a try!


Make playing cards Match-up cards, where one card corresponds to another, are fun and easy to make. They can be topic specific, e.g. matching circuit symbols or chemical symbols to their written name. Stretch the more able pupils by having them make element cards that match the atom number of each element chosen. The more cards made, the longer the games last! Pupils can make Top Trump’s style cards for topics such as


classification, speed, energy generation, specialised cells, elements or even polymers. They can rate specific parts of the content in any way they choose, for example, specialised cells can list their functions, cell organelles, approximate size and specialized feature, whereas speed could list the fastest train, cars, planes, cyclist or animals. These activities take several lessons as research is required, then production time, then play time.


Problem solving challenges If you choose to do something completely different, then some STEM problem solving challenges are always good fun. Give groups of pupils ten sheets of A4 paper, preferably out of


recycling to prevent waste, and ask them to build the tallest tower. No scissors or sticky tape are provided, they must find a way using just the paper! If this proves too easy, introduce a mass that must be supported by the tall tower for at least 60 seconds. Hint: think about strong shapes. Give each group of pupils fifteen art straws and challenge them to


bridge a gap which is longer than the straws are, and which can support a mass or pile of textbooks. Limited sticky tape can be provided to younger groups, or charge per 10cm piece and see who can make the cheapest bridge. For extra challenge, try no sticky tape at all. Hint: art straws can be threaded into each other or platted with relative ease.


Investigations If it is important to continue to follow normal lesson procedures, then put a fun spin on it by investigating some fun concepts such as the best ratio of washing up liquid and water to glycerine for bubble mix. Pupils can plan the investigation, including each of the variables, the method and how they will rate the successfulness of the bubble mixture. They can then test the ratio of each mixture, preferably outside to avoid slipping on the classroom floor, and determine which is best in their conclusion. Slime is very popular now, and provided you use recipes that are


borax-free, could easily become an investigation. There are plenty of recipes online but avoid contact lens solution containing borate ions and American laundry products. Which recipe for slime produces the stretchiest slime? Again, pupils can plan the investigation, manufacture the slime and then stretch it across the tables as far as it will go before measuring the length. To make it a fair test, measure the mass and use the same mass for each recipe. Don’t forget to include repeats, calculate the average results and have fun!


July/August 2018


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