The summer is a time for fun and relaxation but research has shown that many children’s academic abilities drop over the break, therefore undermining all the hard work they, and their teachers, have done over the year.
“While it can seem a little daunting at first, it’s very important for parents to actively encourage their children to keep learning to avoid the negative impact it can have on their return to school in September.
If we want our children to have opportunities where “you don’t even feel like you’re actually learning, you just feel like you are on an adventure” and teachers to “be those people we are, not robots that it felt like we should be”, we need to change the way we think about school lessons. Teaching doesn’t need to follow a rigid classroom format – a simple change like going outside can have tremendous benefits.
Learning is a social activity and has the greatest potential to flourish when it is co-constructed with others’ participation, engagement and common ownership of problems. An ethical, relational approach to leading schools is also strengthening teacher agency between what we do and why we do it. Outcomes matter but should never be used to define the work of teachers per se. The real worth of teachers’ work can be found in the behaviours and exchanges we adopt through learning centred relationships.
Research around the impact that iPad has had on education is limited and, one could argue, biased. In one case Apple even acknowledges having no idea of the methodology used to collect the data of research published on its own website (iPad in education, 2017). Yet schools continue to buy into the device and its advertised rewards. Through the many conversations I have on Twitter it becomes apparent that the problem doesn’t lie with the technology but with the teachers using it. Teachers need to be better trained in the capabilities that this type of technology could provide them and their students. And this will no doubt be an additional cost to schools.
Being an education leader has always be hard. But in the digital age, the stakes have been increased. So how can digital leaders best this gargantuan challenge? Here are my tips for being the best education leader that you can be in this digital age.
Whenever we look back we realise that some things we did were mistakes. The most important thing, as teachers, we tell our pupils, is to learn from your mistakes. This made me think whether in years to come the government will realise they were wrong to introduce accountability measures which in effect forced schools to narrow their curriculum.
As formal language teaching has moved towards more communicative approaches to language learning, learners are turning to such apps where they can make mistakes in a private setting. However, what really makes language learning a rewarding experience is not the promise of virtual rewards, but rather the ability to connect the culture, the people and the language of the new country with one’s own experiences, knowledge and values.
Storytelling may be as old as the hills but it remains one of the most effective tools for teaching and learning. A good story can make a child (or adult) prick up their ears and settle back into their seat to listen and learn. These are certainly some of the lessons I remember most from my school days and which, I am sure, contributed not only to my knowledge and understanding but also to my interest and enthusiasm. So if you are thinking of using storytelling to help your pupils to learn, now is the perfect time to start.
Studies here in the UK and in the USA have revealed that children who have mild to moderate hearing loss but do not get intervention services are very likely to be behind their hearing peers by anywhere from one to four grade levels. And for those with more severe hearing loss, intervention services are even more crucial; those who do not receive intervention usually do not progress beyond the third grade level.
What are the reasons behind this education gap