Tour de Billingham

Student Bingo

Student bingo

How to do it.

Students write the names of 12 other students in the class in each of the boxes on the grid.  They may use their own name if they want to.  Depending on time, or the number of students in your class, you could use just 9 boxes or even 6.

Ask a question and select a student to answer it.  If they answer correctly, all of the other students that had that person on their grid fill in the relevant box with the Q and A.  That student can now no longer answer any further questions.  Continue with Q&A session until a student has all boxes filled in.  Bingo!

Why do it?

All students need to remain focused throughout the Q&A session in order to complete the grid, and so improves listening skills.  No switching off!  The main benefit I have found using this tool is that it forces all students to answer a question, and stops the same student from answering every question.  Students that are close to completing their grids will start to “encourage” others to answer questions.  A lot of questions are needed so this is an ideal revision activity, and at the end the students have a set of revision notes.

By John Pickup

Ski Slope Learning

Everybody learns at different rates and have different strengths. Ski slope learning allows for people to get to the same end result from different starting points. If you think about ski slopes there are several different degrees of difficulty, with green being the easiest and black being the hardest, however no matter which route you take you always get to the bottom. This method allows pupils to work at their own individual paces and has differentiated routes to ensure all pupils achieve the learning objective. The ski slope method also provides opportunity for pupils to work independently and allows for rapid progressions.

By Danielle Bartram @missbsresources

Proper Punctuation- Twlight staff session with resources attached.

‘Proper Punctuation’

On Thursday 9th January, twenty eight staff gathered to focus on strategies for implementing the teaching of punctuation across the school.  There were representatives from all curriculum areas who shared practice on the teaching and understanding of how punctuation can be used for effect in students’ writing. 

Firstly, staff analysed and evaluated a variety of theories about punctuation which highlighted some interesting ideas for discussion.  Furthermore, the wider implications were discussed of the Government’s recent decision to emphasis more focus on punctuation across all curriculum areas.  Also, the importance of pupils’ life long learning was discussed in relation to the application process in the employment sector.

Staff carried out a variety of activities which could be transferred into practice, for example considering how punctuation can be used to create different meanings in different types of texts such as essays and narrative writing. 

The final part of the session focused on staff devising a 5 minute lesson play as a way of utilising the skills they had learned.

Some members of staff commented:

“It was extremely useful.”  Richard Henderson (SLT)

“We should do this more often.”  Liz Lister (Year 10 guidance)

“I really enjoyed it.  Well delivered.”  Gary Jude (Unit Manager)

Laura Daley and Anna Kirkbride- English Teachers.

 

 

Resources from the session are attached below:

Collective memory activity

 

 

 

Examples of student questions

 

 

Punctuation cards for students to match up-

Give each student a card; they have to find their 'three'.

 

 

 



Using SOLO Taxonomy in practice.

 

 

 

 

 

The attached power point is a record of how I have experimented with, and where I wish to go with Solo Taxonomy. 

I hope it provides an example of how easily and quickly learning at a deeper level can be tracked and monitored by both the teacher and students using the common language and symbols of Solo Taxonomy. 

I aimed to show through the examination of the plot line of Macbeth how students can deepen their understanding of the plot line at each stage and then take it to another level. My aim now is to alter a Drama scheme of work and to integrate the language of Solo Taxonomy and to assess the impact on students' learning and drive to achieve in the classroom.

 

Claire Dickinson- Drama.

 

Learning Grids- Teach Meet 17th December 2013

Learning Grids are a fantastic way of engaging students to do activities that they might find boring or tedious.  They incorporate an element of chance and present as a ‘game’ which allows students to learn independently, whilst feeling they are in control and enjoying it!  Isn’t that what we’re all aiming for?

Learning Grids are activities for students working in pairs.  Learning in pairs provides opportunities for collaborative learning, enabling students to discuss their learning and to peer-teach each other.  When groups are larger there’s always a greater risk of some students dominating while others sit back.  There are opportunities, when using Learning Grids, for one pair of students to work with another during or at the end of the activity to compare and contrast their learning.

In terms of equipment, the students will need a die each.  You could use foam die- which are delightfully silent!  Students take it in turns to roll the die to determine which cell in the grid they will use.

The example above was used to compare each cell in order to create links between the novel.  After each pair had selected two cells, they had to retrieve a quotation from the novel which supported their link.

The benefits:

Engages students- particularly boys

Element of chance- they feel as if they are ‘choosing’ their activity.

Collaborative learning.

Opportunity to discuss learning.

Implementing numeracy into practice.

Fun way- tailored directly to exam technique

The Silent Debate!

The Silent Debate!

I heard of the silent debate in my training year and decided to give it a go with my top set Year 8s.

We were doing a media SOW about the representation of men and women in the music industry. I put a statement on the board ‘Men have more power than women in the 21^st century’ as they walked in. I explained to the class that they were going to have a silent debate. Each student wrote the statement and their answer to it in their books. Once this had happened, the person next to them had to respond by either disagreeing or agreeing with them in silence by writing underneath. I told them to do this minimum of 3 times. If they agreed with the person, they had to debate by adding on reasons why they though this.

It really challenged the children to push their thinking and reasoning skills and was a great starter activity to get the children settled into the class, thinking about either a previous topic or one for the lesson. 

Jennifer Winward