Gopher : small , burrowing rodent .
Gopher
So, what's that got to do with science? Well, the Royal society of Biology offers small grants to support transition between secondary and primary.
Further details Here
Now, generally secondary teachers apply for this, but I wasn't letting that stop me. I drummed up support from my local schools and applied.
Hey presto, grant received. Thank you again Royal Society.
After lots of emails we managed to fix a date and our local secondary school trained up some year 9 students to deliver a series of fun activities to year six pupils from the feeder primaries.
See some pictures Here
I will shortly be leading a staff meeting to share the experience and hopefully encourage others to apply for this wonderful opportunity.
Students teaching students.
Cross phase links.
Transition opportunity.
Fun science.
I'm still not sure what it all has to do with gophers, but it was certainly a great experience.
Why don't you go for it this year? 😉
Applications close end of this month.
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Sunday, 11 September 2016
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
Great way to start the year
I felt compelled to write this as soon as I came home; I have spent one of the most enjoyable days with my class today thanks to the BRILLIANT resources from the ASE.
' Why you'll never catch smallpox'
My Year six class were captivated from the moment we started.
It certainly helped that the village our school is in is where Benjamin Jesty lived (see http://www.dorsetcountymuseum.org/benjamin-jesty) . Another session or two could follow up as to why he isn't as famous as Jenner.
There are enough activities to fill a week or a half term, but I had chosen just the 'Speckled monster' resources . At the summer PSTT conference ( see www.pstt.org ) the resources had been introduced and the suggestion made that this would work well as a stand alone exercise.
We began with a chat about microbes and watched a cartoon about how germs from a sneeze travel ( 'That's so gross, I'm always going to keep my hands clean!' exclaimed one of my class)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yToii3-p-NI
We then watched the excellent film, James. Quite hard to watch at times, but sparked loads of discussion .
We used the concept cartoon to channel ideas and then embarked on the role play. I have fewer than 30 in my class so they had brought various toys in to make up numbers. Much hilarity as these were allocated as grandmothers, sons, butlers and others.
The children threw themselves into their characters and we're trying to guess who would 'get the pox'
We have recently introduced various signals across the school for behaviour management and these were indispensable as I could leave them to immerse themselves and quickly get their attention for the next part of the scenario.
Small pieces of wool were tied around little fingers of sufferers ( again much hilarity when this was a toy!) The 'graveyard' was used to map the village and observe proceedings. Children were discussing where they thought the next victim would be, who would survive and so on. They were sceptical about the wood lice charm and agreed that they were pleased that such superstitions don't still exist. ( (Although , later in the day some of the children told me about various superstitions they had heard)
When we came to the end of the scenario there were cheers for the survivors ( funnily one of the tiniest toys that had been brought in!) and lots of talk about why that could have been.
The teacher PowerPoint was brilliant at keeping discussions on track.
We spent the whole morning on this , drew line graphs , looked at genuine case studies from Jenner's diaries and discussed how the language was different. We will spend a little time tomorrow to finish machine up the case studies.
The resources are all here : http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/whyyoullnevercatchsmallpox
A fabulous way to start the year off and great for team building. The resources are so accessible and totally age appropriate for my year six class. Curriculum constraints are such that time won't allow for a lot more , but the activities could easily be stretched out for longer . We have no internet in school at the moment , else I would have gone straight onto biography work. However, I shall return to this later in the term. I would definitely use this to start the year off again . Personally I like the fact this can be used as a stand alone and feel inclined to use it in the same way as it made such an impact . I can then revisit aspects as appropriate.
Check out the resources and see a different way of linking science, history, maths, English, drama, pshe.
' Why you'll never catch smallpox'
My Year six class were captivated from the moment we started.
It certainly helped that the village our school is in is where Benjamin Jesty lived (see http://www.dorsetcountymuseum.org/benjamin-jesty) . Another session or two could follow up as to why he isn't as famous as Jenner.
There are enough activities to fill a week or a half term, but I had chosen just the 'Speckled monster' resources . At the summer PSTT conference ( see www.pstt.org ) the resources had been introduced and the suggestion made that this would work well as a stand alone exercise.
We began with a chat about microbes and watched a cartoon about how germs from a sneeze travel ( 'That's so gross, I'm always going to keep my hands clean!' exclaimed one of my class)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yToii3-p-NI
We then watched the excellent film, James. Quite hard to watch at times, but sparked loads of discussion .
We used the concept cartoon to channel ideas and then embarked on the role play. I have fewer than 30 in my class so they had brought various toys in to make up numbers. Much hilarity as these were allocated as grandmothers, sons, butlers and others.
The children threw themselves into their characters and we're trying to guess who would 'get the pox'
We have recently introduced various signals across the school for behaviour management and these were indispensable as I could leave them to immerse themselves and quickly get their attention for the next part of the scenario.
Small pieces of wool were tied around little fingers of sufferers ( again much hilarity when this was a toy!) The 'graveyard' was used to map the village and observe proceedings. Children were discussing where they thought the next victim would be, who would survive and so on. They were sceptical about the wood lice charm and agreed that they were pleased that such superstitions don't still exist. ( (Although , later in the day some of the children told me about various superstitions they had heard)
When we came to the end of the scenario there were cheers for the survivors ( funnily one of the tiniest toys that had been brought in!) and lots of talk about why that could have been.
The teacher PowerPoint was brilliant at keeping discussions on track.
We spent the whole morning on this , drew line graphs , looked at genuine case studies from Jenner's diaries and discussed how the language was different. We will spend a little time tomorrow to finish machine up the case studies.
The resources are all here : http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/whyyoullnevercatchsmallpox
A fabulous way to start the year off and great for team building. The resources are so accessible and totally age appropriate for my year six class. Curriculum constraints are such that time won't allow for a lot more , but the activities could easily be stretched out for longer . We have no internet in school at the moment , else I would have gone straight onto biography work. However, I shall return to this later in the term. I would definitely use this to start the year off again . Personally I like the fact this can be used as a stand alone and feel inclined to use it in the same way as it made such an impact . I can then revisit aspects as appropriate.
Check out the resources and see a different way of linking science, history, maths, English, drama, pshe.
Monday, 21 March 2016
Assessment without levels- what do the children think?
So much talk about the impact of the new ‘assessment beyond
levels’ . So much confusion over the new
expectations and interim assessment guidelines.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the
constant stream of news updates/myths/scaremongering.
What about the children?
In particular, the ones who are going to be taking the SATs
in a few short weeks? How do they feel about all of this?
I decided that to
directly ask my class would not be the most useful way to go about this- and it
is my job to protect them from all the changes and concentrate on the job in
hand- teaching them! Helping them to improve and be the best they can be.
Instead I have talked to some Year 6 children about what
they enjoy about being in Year 6, how they feel about the tests and the changes
from levels to the new system.
This is a summary of their main points.
***
NOTE: CHILDREN SPOKEN TO WERE HAPPY TO HAVE THEIR VIEWS
SHARED AS ARE THEIR PARENTS. THEY ARE FROM A VARIETY OF SCHOOLS AROUND ENGLAND. THIS IS PURELY TO SHARE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THE CURRENT SITUATION IN SCHOOLS. NONE OF THESE CHILDREN ARE AT THE SCHOOL I TEACH IN .
What is good about being in Year 6?
Trips
Being the oldest
Having more responsibilities
The tests
Getting to spend time at the secondary school to find out
what it is like
Reading
Maths
Lessons
The teachers
What isn’t so good about Year 6?
More homework
Worried about secondary school
Having lots of jobs to do
Last year at my school
Harder work
The tests
How do you feel about the changes?
I like the work being harder
I was in a year 5/6 class last year and we are doing more
than last year 6 did
Too many spellings
I don’t like all the SPaG work
I used to know what level I was and what I needed to do to
get the next one. I had a list of the things I had to work on. Now there aren’t
levels (but some of the teachers still use them) I don’t really know how well I
am doing. I know how many marks I get, and I try to get more next time, but I
don’t know if that will be enough.
It’s annoying because the teachers don’t really know if we
are doing well or not.
Well last year my friends knew what level they were and what
level they were going to try to get to. This year none of us know what level we
are. I know what I can and can’t do well. I’ve got a list of things to do to
help me improve, but I don’t know how well I’m doing compared to my friends who
have gone up to secondary school.
***
So, what has this told me? That levels were used to let
children know how they were doing and where they needed to go next, that the
children actually quite liked them.
Has it told me anything I wasn’t expecting? Not really, but
it has further highlighted the enormous impact that constant interference from
ministers has on our education system. As a teacher, it is my job to teach my
class to make progress, to build and develop existing skills, to learn new
ones, to become independent thinkers, to question, to be curious, to have a
thirst for knowledge and learning, to have the tools they need in order to be
ready and resilient when taking on challenges.
(There are of course lots more , but these are the ones that spring most readily to
mind). Not forgetting time to have a bit of fun in between all that too !
And that it is unsettling for the children who , despite the
very best intentions of their teachers, are anxious about how well they are
doing. I’m doing all I can to reassure my class about their progress, where
they are , what they can /can’t do, what they need to do to make progress- all
the things that teachers have always and will always do. But, it’s tough on
this first group of Y6 children in particular.
So, what is the answer? Say that everyone has met A.R.E
(whatever that ends up looking like?)
Saying that no one has?
Thinking of a number and saying that a random % has?
Exactly- none of these are satisfactory solutions.
Chucking the whole
lot in the bin?
No!
Honesty and consistency is what is needed. The new A.R.E is NOT (despite what some have
said) ‘roughly equivalent to a 4B’. They are more like a level 5.
One clear message needs to be given to ALL schools to
clarify this. Teacher assessments are fairly/completely (select preferred
option) meaningless with no idea of thresholds and are a guess at best.
I would like to think that things will get better. In the
meantime, like every other year 6 teacher I shall carry on helping my class to
be the best that they can be and keeping it real. There is so much more to life than SATs. :-)
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Learning in science
I thought I would try something new with my class this year. Well, there are lots of new things: new room, new year, new class, new assessment... the list goes on.
Specifically, I am trying out a 'reporters' book' . The plan is that in each science lesson, one group is responsible for recording the learning that is happening. The group has a camera and the children are not expected to double up on their work, but to record what's been learnt.
Next step maybe to try in other subjects, maths would be my next move.
The point? A record, a revision tool, a discussion point, a way for me to assess understanding .
Will it be useful? Raise standards? Improve understanding? I hope so. Watch this space...
Specifically, I am trying out a 'reporters' book' . The plan is that in each science lesson, one group is responsible for recording the learning that is happening. The group has a camera and the children are not expected to double up on their work, but to record what's been learnt.
Next step maybe to try in other subjects, maths would be my next move.
The point? A record, a revision tool, a discussion point, a way for me to assess understanding .
Will it be useful? Raise standards? Improve understanding? I hope so. Watch this space...
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
New term begins ...
So, that is the first week back with the new class of children. Year 6 :)
I am so looking forward to the year ahead- apprehensive about the new assessment procedures but it is the same for everyone so just going to take it as it comes!
Here are my five good things about the new school year:
1) Enthusiastic children
2) Preparing the children to be ready for secondary school
3) Having a lovely big classroom to work in
4) Working with a fabulous team of people
5)Having lots of new challenges
I have written this so I can come back and look at it every time something doesn't quite go to plan.
I am trying out a slightly different approach to my maths teaching which I will blog about once a few weeks have passed.
I am so looking forward to the year ahead- apprehensive about the new assessment procedures but it is the same for everyone so just going to take it as it comes!
Here are my five good things about the new school year:
1) Enthusiastic children
2) Preparing the children to be ready for secondary school
3) Having a lovely big classroom to work in
4) Working with a fabulous team of people
5)Having lots of new challenges
I have written this so I can come back and look at it every time something doesn't quite go to plan.
I am trying out a slightly different approach to my maths teaching which I will blog about once a few weeks have passed.
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Teaching, still a great career?
Teacher: a person who teaches, especially in a school.
This post was prompted by a recent blog , 'Would you recommend teaching?' ( find it here ) courtesy of @secretteacher6.
With 23 years of teaching , I feel reasonably qualified to express my views.
Yes, I would heartily recommend teaching as a career if you are:-
1) Passionate about your subject/specialism
2) Genuinely like young people/children and have patience and humour by the bucket load
3) Self motivated and very well organised
4) Thick skinned enough to cope with difficult patents/managers/colleagues/students but human enough to care
5) A risk taker and prepared to learn alongside the children
6) Adaptable and flexible
I could go on with this list almost indefinitely-I love those T shirts that you can buy which "sum up" what being a teacher entails e.g...
.
Perhaps being a teacher is most like being a parent in so far as it is a highly complex, multi faceted, not a one-fits-all but an ever changing role.
But, to address the question, is teaching still a great career?
Yes, in my opinion.
Hear me out- OK, there is a lot going on at the moment that isn't great and there have been blog posts a-plenty about those.
BUT, I honestly think that it is a privilege to work with children, the job IS ever changing but that is part of the appeal. No getting bored on the job allowed! (or possible) I was on a course the other day and when asked how long I had been in my present post was asked, "Isn't it time to move on now?" Um, well no. Not for the time being at least. It is the fact that the job does change so often that makes it fresh and exciting. (Yes, really) I couldn't imagine how dull it would be to drag the same old lessons out year after year. It's great if some themes/topics stay the same as I rally get to know all about them, but when things change it gives an opportunity to learn alongside the children and to model how to find things out.
To me that is one of the great aspects of the job. Seeing children progress, being there when they grasp a new concept, hearing them at play time, hearing about them when they have moved on to secondary school and beyond. Making a difference, no matter how small that might be, makes teaching what it is.
Recently someone spent a few weeks in our school , uncertain of what career path to take. Being in school, talking to the children and teachers, made that decision easy. He has just been accepted for teacher training. Fab :)
I am not deluded, not wearing rose tinted spectacles, not bonkers. But I AM passionate about being a teacher. Helping shape the children of today into the next generation. It is tragic that so many teachers leave in the early stages of their careers (see here )
Does the job get easier with experience? Not easier, you have a larger bank of resources, are less fazed by change, have a bit more patience, but no, it doesn't get easier. And I can't see myself being effective at 67 to be honest, or that the children will feel they can relate to teachers of that age (ha, I feel that now sometimes!)
I have had enough of the constant negative media . Social media all too often degenerates into negativity. I can moan as well as the next person and if I could wave a magic wand there are plenty of things that I would change (see previous post here ) but life is too short .
Warts and all, teaching is my career of choice, I am still excited, challenged, daunted,thrilled, scared,optimistic... by it. I look forward to the next ITT student that I work with and hope that I will be able to prepare them for a career that is incredibly rewarding. Hard work. Oh yes, more than words can ever get close to saying, but worth it. Yes.
"a history teacher"
This post was prompted by a recent blog , 'Would you recommend teaching?' ( find it here ) courtesy of @secretteacher6.
With 23 years of teaching , I feel reasonably qualified to express my views.
Yes, I would heartily recommend teaching as a career if you are:-
1) Passionate about your subject/specialism
2) Genuinely like young people/children and have patience and humour by the bucket load
3) Self motivated and very well organised
4) Thick skinned enough to cope with difficult patents/managers/colleagues/students but human enough to care
5) A risk taker and prepared to learn alongside the children
6) Adaptable and flexible
I could go on with this list almost indefinitely-I love those T shirts that you can buy which "sum up" what being a teacher entails e.g...
.
Perhaps being a teacher is most like being a parent in so far as it is a highly complex, multi faceted, not a one-fits-all but an ever changing role.
But, to address the question, is teaching still a great career?
Yes, in my opinion.
Hear me out- OK, there is a lot going on at the moment that isn't great and there have been blog posts a-plenty about those.
BUT, I honestly think that it is a privilege to work with children, the job IS ever changing but that is part of the appeal. No getting bored on the job allowed! (or possible) I was on a course the other day and when asked how long I had been in my present post was asked, "Isn't it time to move on now?" Um, well no. Not for the time being at least. It is the fact that the job does change so often that makes it fresh and exciting. (Yes, really) I couldn't imagine how dull it would be to drag the same old lessons out year after year. It's great if some themes/topics stay the same as I rally get to know all about them, but when things change it gives an opportunity to learn alongside the children and to model how to find things out.
To me that is one of the great aspects of the job. Seeing children progress, being there when they grasp a new concept, hearing them at play time, hearing about them when they have moved on to secondary school and beyond. Making a difference, no matter how small that might be, makes teaching what it is.
Recently someone spent a few weeks in our school , uncertain of what career path to take. Being in school, talking to the children and teachers, made that decision easy. He has just been accepted for teacher training. Fab :)
I am not deluded, not wearing rose tinted spectacles, not bonkers. But I AM passionate about being a teacher. Helping shape the children of today into the next generation. It is tragic that so many teachers leave in the early stages of their careers (see here )
Does the job get easier with experience? Not easier, you have a larger bank of resources, are less fazed by change, have a bit more patience, but no, it doesn't get easier. And I can't see myself being effective at 67 to be honest, or that the children will feel they can relate to teachers of that age (ha, I feel that now sometimes!)
I have had enough of the constant negative media . Social media all too often degenerates into negativity. I can moan as well as the next person and if I could wave a magic wand there are plenty of things that I would change (see previous post here ) but life is too short .
Warts and all, teaching is my career of choice, I am still excited, challenged, daunted,thrilled, scared,optimistic... by it. I look forward to the next ITT student that I work with and hope that I will be able to prepare them for a career that is incredibly rewarding. Hard work. Oh yes, more than words can ever get close to saying, but worth it. Yes.
Monday, 3 February 2014
I wish...
Now, stop; just for a moment ...
If wishes could come true here is what I would wish for today (not including the obvious ones like health, happiness, world peace etc)
An education system that was run by education specialists not civil servants.
An education secretary who had spent time in school teaching or at least shadowing teachers (for years not one off media stunts).
A system where the state and private schools were funded equally (or even just narrowed the gap).
A system where qualified teachers taught our children yet supported experts in their field to work alongside them.
A system where sports coaches and music teachers could take children for after school clubs IF THEY WANT TO! (the children that is!)
A system where the teaching profession was respected and trusted.
Schools which had their leaks and cracks fixed.
Headteachers who were trusted to bring the best out of their staff and pupils.
A system which limited class sizes and funded schools so that they could use staff where the need is highest.
A system which recognised the essential contribution made by teaching assistants.
A validation system which worked in partnership with schools to improve learning for children and provide CPD opportunities for teachers.
Secondments available to teachers (with a range of experiences- not just SLT) to get involved at LA , region or national levels (hey, while I am wishing why not INTERnational levels too)
To be honest, the first one alone would have (IMHO) a huge impact. The others... It is good to dream.
Of course all children are entitled to the very best education that we can give them; and that is what the vast majority of teachers are trying to do despite the never ending obstacles which stand before us.
If wishes could come true here is what I would wish for today (not including the obvious ones like health, happiness, world peace etc)
An education system that was run by education specialists not civil servants.
An education secretary who had spent time in school teaching or at least shadowing teachers (for years not one off media stunts).
A system where the state and private schools were funded equally (or even just narrowed the gap).
A system where qualified teachers taught our children yet supported experts in their field to work alongside them.
A system where sports coaches and music teachers could take children for after school clubs IF THEY WANT TO! (the children that is!)
A system where the teaching profession was respected and trusted.
Schools which had their leaks and cracks fixed.
Headteachers who were trusted to bring the best out of their staff and pupils.
A system which limited class sizes and funded schools so that they could use staff where the need is highest.
A system which recognised the essential contribution made by teaching assistants.
A validation system which worked in partnership with schools to improve learning for children and provide CPD opportunities for teachers.
Secondments available to teachers (with a range of experiences- not just SLT) to get involved at LA , region or national levels (hey, while I am wishing why not INTERnational levels too)
To be honest, the first one alone would have (IMHO) a huge impact. The others... It is good to dream.
Of course all children are entitled to the very best education that we can give them; and that is what the vast majority of teachers are trying to do despite the never ending obstacles which stand before us.
Friday, 30 August 2013
Calm down Jar
I came across this idea on Pinterest and have made a couple for the start of the new term.
There are loads of different webpages with these on; here is how I made mine.
Jars- didn't think that glass jam jars would really be suitable to give an angry/upset child so found some plastic ones on the web (300 ml seems a good size for little hands) which are "leakproof and unbreakable" ... we'll soon see.
Tried PVA glue- bad move as made the water opaque. So went for glitter glue (whole tube) some more glitter and some little beads and confetti (the type you get in a card shop made of plastic- not the wedding one HA!)
Then added a glug of glycerine (about 75 ml to the first jar which makes the glitter fall very slowly) and topped up with tap water right to the brim. Gave it a good shake and am pleased with the results.
Think I am going to superglue the lids on to be extra secure.
Plan is to use with children who are angry/upset...I have a couple of children starting with me next week who can find it difficult at times to calm down and this is something I haven't tried before. It certainly is very pretty when the glitter swirls around and it takes a few minutes to settle so not so long that it will become boring, but hopefully long enough to come down from seeing red.
Didn't have food colouring so used fountain pen ink which has given a more subtle colour. Not sure red would be a good choice!
Will blog once I have used them and share how they worked...
There are loads of different webpages with these on; here is how I made mine.
Jars- didn't think that glass jam jars would really be suitable to give an angry/upset child so found some plastic ones on the web (300 ml seems a good size for little hands) which are "leakproof and unbreakable" ... we'll soon see.
Tried PVA glue- bad move as made the water opaque. So went for glitter glue (whole tube) some more glitter and some little beads and confetti (the type you get in a card shop made of plastic- not the wedding one HA!)
Then added a glug of glycerine (about 75 ml to the first jar which makes the glitter fall very slowly) and topped up with tap water right to the brim. Gave it a good shake and am pleased with the results.
Think I am going to superglue the lids on to be extra secure.
Plan is to use with children who are angry/upset...I have a couple of children starting with me next week who can find it difficult at times to calm down and this is something I haven't tried before. It certainly is very pretty when the glitter swirls around and it takes a few minutes to settle so not so long that it will become boring, but hopefully long enough to come down from seeing red.
Didn't have food colouring so used fountain pen ink which has given a more subtle colour. Not sure red would be a good choice!
Will blog once I have used them and share how they worked...
Monday, 5 August 2013
Job sharing in Primary- Making it work.
I have been working as part of a job share now for two and a
half years. I’m still finding my feet with it but am writing this in the hope
to help others who are thinking about it or starting. At the end of my first
full year job sharing I blogged about how it had gone http://mrshalford.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/challenges-of-job.html
I have really enjoyed this year- no irony in that statement
at all. Even with a large class (35 at times) with the huge pile of marking,
extra parent sessions, reports… There is so much in the press about teachers
leaving the profession http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2013/aug/01/why-are-teachers-leaving-education Working part time for me has been the most
positive step I have taken in my teaching career for some time.
So, what works well in our class? Key has to be the
communication. I have read about some teachers who are lucky to have some time
each week when they are both in the class. Budgetary constraints don’t allow
that at my school, but we do talk.
And talk.
And some more!
We keep a book
(filled two this year) in which we leave copious notes for each other. We talk
on the phone at least twice a week. Oh yes, emails too! And the odd text. Without that level of communication I can’t
see how it could work effectively. All
the children and their parents know how regularly we talk about the class and
this has helped us to build strong and positive relationships. In an ideal world we would have one TA in the
class who could be a consistent presence, but there are two of them as well!
One works Monday and Friday, the other the middle part of the week.
We are very different in our personalities, in our teaching
styles, in our interests. But what we share is our passion for teaching, for
helping children to achieve their potential, to build their confidence and self
esteem, to enable them to believe in themselves and to be proud of themselves,
our class, our school. We work in a
school with a really well put together behaviour policy, that helps too.
When it comes to how we plan and deliver the curriculum that
has been a constantly evolving process. Some subjects are split between us
which works well. Maths and English (I know the terms are Literacy and Numeracy
but I have a pet hate for those and insist on calling them maths and English !)
Anyway, for the English this year I taught the majority of the genre work while
my partner concentrated on the SPaG. This was commented on favourably by the
subject leader during the course of the year through lesson observations and
book moderation. We made good use of AFL so that areas that came up in my
teaching needing reinforcement could be covered discretely and I would have a
“zero tolerance” approach for the focus area each week. With the increased
emphasis on SPaG we will definitely be carrying on with this next year. Of
course there are also lots of opportunities for writing across the curriculum
and we follow the Pie Corbett approach to non fiction writing and include all 6
areas each year so these are split between us.
http://www.talk4writing.com/index.html
Maths has been much more of a challenge. In the first year
of job sharing we started by splitting the curriculum so that I did all the
number work and my partner did all the shape,space, measure, data. This worked
fairly well but my partner felt that she didn’t have enough knowledge of their
ability in number. We then tried to work
as one teacher with one of us leaving plans for the other. It was a nice idea
but planning for each other was very time consuming. This year we used the unit
plans from the strategy and split the five units between us each term so that
over the course of the yer we had both taught everything. This worked fairly
well but is not the most consistent way for the children who would be doing one
area Mon/Tues and another on Weds-Fri.
How are we going to organise it for this year? Not totally
sure at the moment. Progress in maths was less than it was for reading and
writing which would indicate that we need to look at how we are planning and
teaching the subject. There have been some interesting ideas on twitter about
planning the maths (http://www.broadbentmaths.com/)
Having asked the twittersphere’s opinions it
seems that the number/everything else split is the most popular…
Why am I blogging about this? Partly to share what has
worked well, partly to find out how others are making their job shares work
well. It’s a constantly evolving process. Being able to communicate well, trust
each other, share similar values are all key points. Most classes have at least
one teacher with PPA cover so job sharing is more common than one might initially
think. Having someone who knows the children as well as you is a real bonus.
Challenge for next year is to get on top of the maths and be
as effective as we possibly can. Anyone
who has any tips to share please do so.
Monday, 9 July 2012
Challenges of the job...
As the end of the summer approaches and the final words are added to the end of year reports it is time to look back at the year and start to think ahead to the next.
This has been the first year since qualifying (back in '91- last century !) that I have shared a class as a part time teacher. I teach 3 days each week (Wed-Fri) and I can honestly say that making the decision to go part time was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has renewed my enthusiasm for the job no end as well as giving me time to pursue my own interests and passions, some of which have enhanced my teaching , others have just made me a happier person! (and as a result a happier teacher!)
This year I have taught a mixed year 4 /5 class and will be doing the same next year. All the year 4's will stay with us to be joined by the rest of the year 4s along with some year 3's taking us to 35 in total (ratio 2:1 year 5:4)
Inevitably there have been questions raised by parents about this; it will be a challenging year. But every single class is challenging!
I read a blog the other day about class sizes http://www.manchestersalon.org.uk/does-class-size-matter.html and also http://drwilda.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/battle-of-the-studies-does-class-size-matter/
There seems to be little evidence one way or the other.
I have taught a class of 18 year 3's and found it frustrating to have that number of children because discussions and group work lacked the spark you have with a larger class. That said, the idea of marking all those books , writing all the reports and seeing all the parents will have its challenges! Peer marking and teaching the children how to work with high levels of independence will feature strongly I have no doubt!
Those children who will be remaining in our class for the next academic year start off at an advantage I feel as they already know the routines of the class and will be able to help the others settle in and find their feet. Children who will be moving onto a new class having spent their Y4 and 5 in our class have all made significant progress this year (3 sub levels for 6 out of the seven in reading all bar one with SpLD two sub levels in maths and writing ) with the greatest progress being in their confidence and willingness to have a go.
I think that it is a privilege to be able to "keep" some children for more than one year- I once followed a whole class through from year 4 to 5 and it was definitely one of the most successful experiences I have had so far.
I'd be very interested in any responses re. children staying in classes.
This has been the first year since qualifying (back in '91- last century !) that I have shared a class as a part time teacher. I teach 3 days each week (Wed-Fri) and I can honestly say that making the decision to go part time was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has renewed my enthusiasm for the job no end as well as giving me time to pursue my own interests and passions, some of which have enhanced my teaching , others have just made me a happier person! (and as a result a happier teacher!)
This year I have taught a mixed year 4 /5 class and will be doing the same next year. All the year 4's will stay with us to be joined by the rest of the year 4s along with some year 3's taking us to 35 in total (ratio 2:1 year 5:4)
Inevitably there have been questions raised by parents about this; it will be a challenging year. But every single class is challenging!
I read a blog the other day about class sizes http://www.manchestersalon.org.uk/does-class-size-matter.html and also http://drwilda.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/battle-of-the-studies-does-class-size-matter/
There seems to be little evidence one way or the other.
I have taught a class of 18 year 3's and found it frustrating to have that number of children because discussions and group work lacked the spark you have with a larger class. That said, the idea of marking all those books , writing all the reports and seeing all the parents will have its challenges! Peer marking and teaching the children how to work with high levels of independence will feature strongly I have no doubt!
Those children who will be remaining in our class for the next academic year start off at an advantage I feel as they already know the routines of the class and will be able to help the others settle in and find their feet. Children who will be moving onto a new class having spent their Y4 and 5 in our class have all made significant progress this year (3 sub levels for 6 out of the seven in reading all bar one with SpLD two sub levels in maths and writing ) with the greatest progress being in their confidence and willingness to have a go.
I think that it is a privilege to be able to "keep" some children for more than one year- I once followed a whole class through from year 4 to 5 and it was definitely one of the most successful experiences I have had so far.
I'd be very interested in any responses re. children staying in classes.
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
The first term as a job share teacher
Well, it is the holiday now (yippeee) and the first term working 3 days a week has come to it's end.
How has it gone?
Amazingly well...I have loved it. I have tried very hard to "get over" the classroom no longer being mine, but "ours" and stopped trying to squeeze a whole week's work into three days.
Of course I still felt shattered at the end of term, but considerably less so, and the whole build up to Christmas was so much more enjoyable having been there less! Early play rehearsals left me not knowing what was going on, but that didn't last long.
Have learnt that trying to split APP is a challenge; next term will do two subjects and my JSP will do the other and we will swap that each term. Found that there are quite a few things that didn't get covered this term...but that we know now exactly what we need to work on next term. In some ways I feel I know the class better at this stage of the year than previously due to the amount of conversations we have had about the children.
It has made me realise that we all, whether we are full time or part time, need to spend a lot more time talking to each other about what we do in our classrooms...staff meetings each week should focus on the teaching and learning rather than bogged down by bureaucratic discussions.
Next term we are going to do some observations of each other teaching with a view to this leading to some coaching... I am really looking forward to this and will write about how it goes.
Do I have any regrets about working part time? No! Salary taken a nose dive but quality of life is so much better. I have found some things harder, for example I run the class blog and have found it difficult to keep the momentum going with the class as my JSP is not a fan of ICT; one of my challenges is to try to change that (!) as well as try to keep my class enthusing about it when I am not there...watch this space.
Still going to the gym, caught up with friends more, been less of a stress head and had great fun taking part in various writing challenges particularly the 100Words one.
http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/5050-word-challenge-week24/
I am going to have go at that later on today...
I know that I am lucky to be working with a colleague that I have known for years...we are both keen to make job sharing as successful as possible. Communication is key. Would love to hear from both experienced and new job sharers for how they make their partnership successful and continue to develop their roles.
Twitter has been (and continues to be) a wonderful place to share ideas, gain inspiration and support each other. Love it.
Here's to a great 2012...
How has it gone?
Amazingly well...I have loved it. I have tried very hard to "get over" the classroom no longer being mine, but "ours" and stopped trying to squeeze a whole week's work into three days.
Of course I still felt shattered at the end of term, but considerably less so, and the whole build up to Christmas was so much more enjoyable having been there less! Early play rehearsals left me not knowing what was going on, but that didn't last long.
Have learnt that trying to split APP is a challenge; next term will do two subjects and my JSP will do the other and we will swap that each term. Found that there are quite a few things that didn't get covered this term...but that we know now exactly what we need to work on next term. In some ways I feel I know the class better at this stage of the year than previously due to the amount of conversations we have had about the children.
It has made me realise that we all, whether we are full time or part time, need to spend a lot more time talking to each other about what we do in our classrooms...staff meetings each week should focus on the teaching and learning rather than bogged down by bureaucratic discussions.
Next term we are going to do some observations of each other teaching with a view to this leading to some coaching... I am really looking forward to this and will write about how it goes.
Do I have any regrets about working part time? No! Salary taken a nose dive but quality of life is so much better. I have found some things harder, for example I run the class blog and have found it difficult to keep the momentum going with the class as my JSP is not a fan of ICT; one of my challenges is to try to change that (!) as well as try to keep my class enthusing about it when I am not there...watch this space.
Still going to the gym, caught up with friends more, been less of a stress head and had great fun taking part in various writing challenges particularly the 100Words one.
http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/5050-word-challenge-week24/
I am going to have go at that later on today...
I know that I am lucky to be working with a colleague that I have known for years...we are both keen to make job sharing as successful as possible. Communication is key. Would love to hear from both experienced and new job sharers for how they make their partnership successful and continue to develop their roles.
Twitter has been (and continues to be) a wonderful place to share ideas, gain inspiration and support each other. Love it.
Here's to a great 2012...
Sunday, 4 September 2011
New term ahead...
Holidays are fab- certainly one of the perks of the profession. (I don't believe any teacher who doesn't agree with that sentiment). However, as the new year looms, panic sets it...how on earth am I going to fit the teaching in with everything else that needs to be done? Of course it will all get done (mostly anyway) once term starts the pace of life cranks up a gear or three and before you know it, multitasking your way through a never ending to do list.
I am lucky to be going back on a part time basis. Labelling books and trays is so much easier when there are two of you to do it. Next week am in all week as INSET which I don't want to miss; after next week though, three days a week.
I have great plans to get the work balance thing sorted. Decorations planned for house, more regular catch ups with friends and family; and a more energised me in the classroom. Will it make me a better teacher? I hope so...I know the days I am in will be manic but will the fact that I am there less than not make a difference? Time will tell. I know that I will miss out on some things that happen on the days that I am not there; but my aim is to give my all on the days that I AM there. Something all teachers try to do, and something I was finding increasingly difficult to do everyday along with all the paperwork/redtape etc that the job has been so engulfed by. I am very lucky to have a job share partner who I have known for years and worked alongside. We are both really excited about the forthcoming term; we have very different interests and strengths which is fab as we have been able to split the teaching in a way we are both really happy about. The maths is a bit of a worry at the mo as we don't have a scheme or even agreed approach at school having spent ages and ages working on improving the writing and reading. INSET on tues is all about maths so I am hoping that some answers will come from that.
So, back for two INSET days then children on Wednesday. I am looking forward to this next phase in teaching tremendously and am committed to making it a success. Will reflect in due course.
I am lucky to be going back on a part time basis. Labelling books and trays is so much easier when there are two of you to do it. Next week am in all week as INSET which I don't want to miss; after next week though, three days a week.
I have great plans to get the work balance thing sorted. Decorations planned for house, more regular catch ups with friends and family; and a more energised me in the classroom. Will it make me a better teacher? I hope so...I know the days I am in will be manic but will the fact that I am there less than not make a difference? Time will tell. I know that I will miss out on some things that happen on the days that I am not there; but my aim is to give my all on the days that I AM there. Something all teachers try to do, and something I was finding increasingly difficult to do everyday along with all the paperwork/redtape etc that the job has been so engulfed by. I am very lucky to have a job share partner who I have known for years and worked alongside. We are both really excited about the forthcoming term; we have very different interests and strengths which is fab as we have been able to split the teaching in a way we are both really happy about. The maths is a bit of a worry at the mo as we don't have a scheme or even agreed approach at school having spent ages and ages working on improving the writing and reading. INSET on tues is all about maths so I am hoping that some answers will come from that.
So, back for two INSET days then children on Wednesday. I am looking forward to this next phase in teaching tremendously and am committed to making it a success. Will reflect in due course.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Another year...
Two more weeks with my class until they move onto their next class... Two more weeks of talking to parents that I have built up a partnership with before the summer break and return to new children.
It's a strange time of year; children feeling all sorts of feelings , teachers too. Why is that? We teach children to challenge themselves, meet new opportunities, look for the positive... But that sometimes falls on deaf ears.
I told my class that I had finished their reports and given them to the Head to read and comment on. Their faces fell, one or two put their heads in their hands. What was going on? I abandoned plans and went straight into a circle time to address this. My class looked at me in disbelief when I said that I had enjoyed writing their reports (bear with me) as it was a great opportunity to celebrate all the things they had done well over the year. Still one or two looking anxiously at me. "There wont be anything I havent already told you in them!" I continued. One of the boys piped up, "You're always telling us what we do well..."
Another, "and we know what we need to get better at..." (Hurrah)
"Exactly!" I replied, and went on to explain how the reports are for their parents to have an overview of the year. The discussion carried on with children talking about things they had achieved over the year and we made a start on the child report comment.
What this made me stop and think about was, with all the changes we have made in schools, all the technology, some things have not changed at all- there are still children (and parents?) who have a built in fear/dread of reports. Where does this come from? We try so hard to build a positive learning environment, celebrating achievements, having clear learning goals...So why do children still worry about taking the end of year report home? And how can I overcome this?
Well, next year I am going to talk to the children much earlier about reports and maybe ask them to write their own in the style of the school one. Our reports go home really late- last week- get them out earlier so we can talk about them in class (if they want to ? or just go for it?)
I felt that somehow I had missed a trick when I saw this response; not for the first time. Talking to colleagues it seems that many children respond similarly. I would love to know how others have dealt with this; are reports looked on in this way widely? And how can it be changed if that's the case.
I suppose it can be compared to a teacher having performance management. "Tell me what has gone really well this year." Much foot shuffling and fidgetting; we spend so much time looking at ways to improve that it seems self indulgent to talk about successes. Maybe this is the issue here, and something to look at how to change.
Target setting, assessments, top tips; all dwell on what needs to be done. I think I need to spend more time asking children to focus on the things that they can do really well. We have celebration assemblies, reflection time...but maybe celebration time is missing. Something to think about over the summer and see where to go from now...
Next summer I don't want anyone in my class looking alarmed at the prospect of receiving their report . (And I WILL look my head right in the eye and say what I have done well too :) )
It's a strange time of year; children feeling all sorts of feelings , teachers too. Why is that? We teach children to challenge themselves, meet new opportunities, look for the positive... But that sometimes falls on deaf ears.
I told my class that I had finished their reports and given them to the Head to read and comment on. Their faces fell, one or two put their heads in their hands. What was going on? I abandoned plans and went straight into a circle time to address this. My class looked at me in disbelief when I said that I had enjoyed writing their reports (bear with me) as it was a great opportunity to celebrate all the things they had done well over the year. Still one or two looking anxiously at me. "There wont be anything I havent already told you in them!" I continued. One of the boys piped up, "You're always telling us what we do well..."
Another, "and we know what we need to get better at..." (Hurrah)
"Exactly!" I replied, and went on to explain how the reports are for their parents to have an overview of the year. The discussion carried on with children talking about things they had achieved over the year and we made a start on the child report comment.
What this made me stop and think about was, with all the changes we have made in schools, all the technology, some things have not changed at all- there are still children (and parents?) who have a built in fear/dread of reports. Where does this come from? We try so hard to build a positive learning environment, celebrating achievements, having clear learning goals...So why do children still worry about taking the end of year report home? And how can I overcome this?
Well, next year I am going to talk to the children much earlier about reports and maybe ask them to write their own in the style of the school one. Our reports go home really late- last week- get them out earlier so we can talk about them in class (if they want to ? or just go for it?)
I felt that somehow I had missed a trick when I saw this response; not for the first time. Talking to colleagues it seems that many children respond similarly. I would love to know how others have dealt with this; are reports looked on in this way widely? And how can it be changed if that's the case.
I suppose it can be compared to a teacher having performance management. "Tell me what has gone really well this year." Much foot shuffling and fidgetting; we spend so much time looking at ways to improve that it seems self indulgent to talk about successes. Maybe this is the issue here, and something to look at how to change.
Target setting, assessments, top tips; all dwell on what needs to be done. I think I need to spend more time asking children to focus on the things that they can do really well. We have celebration assemblies, reflection time...but maybe celebration time is missing. Something to think about over the summer and see where to go from now...
Next summer I don't want anyone in my class looking alarmed at the prospect of receiving their report . (And I WILL look my head right in the eye and say what I have done well too :) )
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