Stardust
So it’s the first lesson with my new first year class. We’re starting a topic on cells but we kicked off with a mini whiteboard discussion task in pairs based on two questions… What are living things?...
View ArticleDemonstrate is for Learning
There’s no denying that formative assessment, or AifL, or AfL, or whatever else we might call it, has been a force for good in our classrooms. It’s very hard to object to the idea that students will...
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SOLOing On
As I’ve mentioned before, our school is in the process of implementing a six-part learning cycle approach to lesson planning. As we’ve progressed with this one of the issues which has arisen is the...
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Mind The Gap: Is your lesson worth behaving for?
In a collegiate professional discussion last week around the findings outlined in one of the TLRP publications, I was reminded once again of the idea of the pratice-values gap. This concept is perhaps...
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Planning with the Learning Cycle
I mentioned this on #PedagooFriday last week. My S1 Learning Skills class are about to plan and deliver lessons in groups using our six part learning cycle. I first asked them to brainstorm ideas for...
View ArticleCfE2.0
Curriculum for Excellence will be ten years old this coming November. This is if we count its date of birth as the publication of the report of the Curriculum Review Group in November 2004 which was...
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Switching kids on…
Earlier this year I shared the outcomes of approaching a new topic with my S1 class differently. Basically, rather than starting the topic with the title, learning outcomes etc., we started with a...
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Reflecting on Involving Learners
I recently mentioned the powerful questions which my S1 class came up with when I involved them in planning our first topic together. Well, I’m pleased to report that we’ve recently finished this topic...
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Involving Learners in Planning Learning
I’m a big believer in the power of engaging young people in their learning through involving them in the learning process. As Lois Harris argues, if students are going to feel that they own their...
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Reading for Pleasure
So, let’s be up front about this. The author of this book is a pal of mine. More than that in fact. He was my primary partner in pedagogy during our pedagoo days. As a result, I already respected him...
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