Learning Through MOOCs - Staff Meeting

Please follow this link:

https://www.futurelearn.com/

Register and find the course for:

Teaching computing: part 1

... then spend time completing the course!

Online Stopwatches

Hello All

I found this webpage this evening which is a lot of fun!

We all need those countdown moments in the classroom and some of these made me laugh! Follow the links - set the time and see how the countdown works!

One of the tabs at the top of the Leading Learning Blog will take you to the same page!

New Blogs

Hello All

Please note that your new blogs fro next year are set up for you. You can find them at the side of this blog. By all means begin to populate them with all your information for next year. They have been top-quality this year so make sure you maintain the high standards!

I won't remove the links on the school website to the current blogs until the holidays have begun - so the only place you can access them is from the Leading Learning Blog.

Time For A SWOT

At the side of our Leading Learning Blog are our links to our SWOT analyses for our Learning Areas. (In the sidebar titled: Learning Areas Development)

Please follow the links and add your thoughts. Try to be as constructive as you can (it's never nice feeling like you're being got at!) but the aim is to improve our work. Remember - all you have to do is to click within the virtual sticky notes and add your thoughts - you don't need to add any new 'stickies' to the pages.

I have collated any previous comments at the bottom of each learning area's page so you can remind yourself of what has been said before.

Remember how the matrix works? Well, the image above will help.

When complete - look at the analysis for your area and begin to feed it into your development plan for the coming year. For those of you just starting your role in this area - by all means come and speak to me after the analysis has been done and we'll go from there.

Please remember just how important this work is and also how this work contributes to your appraisal at the end of the year. Effective leadership of these areas continues to be very important indeed.

Top Ten Teaching Tips

Click here to look again at the presentation from Wednesday's staff meeting.

Please take some time (if you haven't already) to reflect on your practice. Also - consider the extra ideas at the end.

Generating Class Profiles Using Classroom Monitor

Please click this link to access the video I spoke about regarding Classroom Monitor and looking at class profiles.

The Flipped Classroom

As promised - the info-graphic about Flipped Classrooms.

To what extent could this be an effective model for some of the learning at school?


Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

Lesson Observations

Please follow this link for tonight's lesson observation...

http://www.teachersmedia.co.uk/videos/uncut-classrooms-maths-at-melcombe-primary-school

New Classroom Monitor Guidance

Hi All

 Please check out the new Classroom Monitor Guidance tab at the top of the blog.

 There are 2 videos that should help you use the new tools quickly and effectively.

Please give them a go.

Further Reminders...

Hi All.

After discussions with our SEP (Karen) it has become clearer how visitors to schools (!) observe learning in the classroom. I have listed below quotes from several headteachers whose schools have been inspected recently ... there should be no fears or surprises:

Inspectors are looking for...

"high levels of engagement of children..."

"use of questioning to develop learning..."

"checking understanding during the lesson..."

"use of feedback and reviewing the learning..."

Think of our Timeline Diagrams and AfL webs generated during our observations and consider which areas these quotes relate to...

"high levels of engagement of children..." -> Timeline, Learning Objective (do they know?)

"use of questioning to develop learning..."-> Higher order questioning,Big Picture, Pupil Feedback

"checking understanding during the lesson..."->Talk Partners, HOQ ,Mini-Plenary, Success Criteria

"use of feedback and reviewing the learning..."-> Feedback, Mini-Plenary, Reflection on Learning

*                                             *                                        *

We are on the right path! If we deliver the correct AfL web and maintain the childrens' attention then all is well. It's heartening to know (or at least to be reminded) that we have been working hard in all the right areas.

The diagram above is a clear reminder from last year's analysis though: don't forget to stop, reflect on success criteria and what it is we're working towards and then go again. This is the area we needed work on (compared to other areas).

Karen picked up this quote - which is a beauty...

"children should be working harder than their teachers in lessons" 

Let's remember this one eh?

Tweet from BSM Primary Head (@bsmprimaryhead)

	BSM Primary Head (@bsmprimaryhead)
23/11/2012 09:42 BBC News - Poorest pupils 'weaker at maths' bbc.in/QyDIEi

Download the official Twitter app here

Helping Pupils Become Their Own Teachers | Reflective Teacher and Learner

Some fascinating techniques for us to look at adapting...

http://reflectivetandl.com/2012/03/06/helping-pupils-become-their-own-teachers/

A Man After My Own Heart...

This story is something for us to look at...

Music - The OfStEd View On Promoting Good Practice

Have a read and see what you think...

It seems to be very much along the lines of what we've discussed...

Subject professional development materials: Music in schools - promoting good practice from Ofsted

VERY Important...

Can you all have a look at this scheme. It looks great, sounds great and could be our next step on delivering a supportive (for you) ICT curriculum that is creative and modern...

It has a couple of free resources to look at and is backed up with tutorials (for us) and a support website too.
If we go for it - we could do with purchasing before the summer as the themes may have a bearing on your planning.

Let me know what you think ASAP please.

Departure Times

Lots of stuff to inspire...

BBC News - Today - Is phonics the best way to teach reading?

The reading debate continues...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9729000/9729158.stm

Draft National Curriculum PoS - 2012

The new PoS for the draft National Curriculum have been published on the DfE website.

At the top of our blog is a new tab that houses all the documents in one handy place for us to read online if you choose to.

It is important that we remember that they are a draft stage and a final consultation hasn't been undertaken. It will eventually go to unions and other bodies for feedback. This is a chance for us to have a look and provide feedback for our own ends.

Here are some key questions that need answering and considering:

• What's changing?
• How could it affect our school and our approach?
• What might we need to do to prepare?
• What feedback might we give to our stakeholders and to the DfE?

There are Stixy Links at the side of the blog for recording our thoughts. They are public pages (to be shared with governors and parents) so be be professional in your critique!!

Jubilee Resources

Just letting you know that Education City have some good stuff to make the Jubilee come to life in the classroom:

What Was Life Like in '52?

Get the kids to have a look at this link: