Daily Archives: 25/01/2017

Music

Research: students who use web-based testing progress at a faster rate

Students who regularly test their literacy and numeracy skills with web-based games progress fastest overall across the subjects

 According to recent research, carried out by Andrew Gallacher (an education coordinator at the University of Glasgow), students who regularly test their numeracy and literacy skills with web-based games progress fastest overall across the subjects.

Which is exactly why Education Quizzes exists – and why we are offering free sign up for schools to Education Quizzes for a whole year.

Our library of KS3 Music quizzes covers an extensive range of topic areas, making them ideal for revising what your students are being taught in their Music lessons, past and present.

Education Quizzes is also ideal to set as homework tasks as it involves little to no PPA time – giving you more time to focus on planning and preparing future lessons and assessing the work of your students from lessons which have gone before.

To see the KS3 Music quizzes that we have produced thus far, toggle through the topic area links below. Alternatively, you can email admin@educationquizzes.com to request more information.

If you would like to sign up free to Education Quizzes for a year, simply visit our schools’ registration page – www.educationquizzes.com/schools-uk-registrations/.


Topic area

 Composition 

Hooks and Riffs 

Jazz Chords 

Music and Media 

Soundscapes 

Variations 

The Concerto 

Time and Key Signatures 

Musical Cycles 

Fundamental Elements of Music

See more

School News

Academic Summer Schools 2017 for students aged 11-14

>The Debate Chamber Summer Schools offer students the opportunity to find out more about some fascinating subjects, take the first steps towards some fascinating and rewarding career paths and options for further study, meet like-minded peers and get to grips with some serious intellectual challenges.

The material is designed to stretch academically able students, but a relaxed atmosphere, with plenty of discussion, debate, and opportunities for students to shape the direction of classes creates the perfect environment for getting to grips with new ideas. Working in small groups (usually around 14 students per group) over several days means a real chance to get to know tutors and fellow students and to explore the topics or questions that particularly interest each individual.

Highlights of Summer 2017:

The Young Lawyers Summer School – an opportunity for students aged 11-14 to learn more about the legal world, and to have a go at arguing a legal case for themselves. The four-day course will include seminars and activities looking at diverse areas of law, from family to contract law, as well as games, practical exercises, lively debates and a full mock crown court trial.

The Young Writers Summer School – taking in a wide range of forms across prose, poetry and journalism, we will develop individual and group compositions within a friendly and supportive environment. An intensive four days of enjoyable exploration, discussion, practice and feedback will leave participants with a strong grasp of creative techniques, plentiful stimulating examples, and a sense of direction and possibility for their future writing.

The Young Thinkers Summer School – a chance to discover and debate some of the really big questions posed by philosophers over the centuries. From ethics to metaphysics, this course offers two days of mind-expanding and argument-sharpening discussion, thought experiments and exercises. Particularly helpful in building confidence and encouraging students to structure their arguments in a logical and consistent form.

The Young Doctors Summer School – an introduction to the world of medicine for younger students. Each part of the Summer School is structured so that more academic sessions are interspersed with fun and enjoyable exercises which are designed to test and apply the theoretical knowledge gained. Students will take part in practical activities, like learning how to suture a wound, and in role-play and case study scenarios where they take the role of practitioners and consultants – diagnosing and recommending treatment options. There will also be experiments, group work and quizzes on each day

Practical Details:

All the Summer School events will be held at Student Central, University of London, Bloomsbury Campus, Central London, and will take place in July and August 2017. Please note that these courses are not residential, and accommodation must be arranged independently if required.

You can find full details of schedules, dates, costs, student reviews and tutors at http://www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/. There is a limited amount of bursary funding available for students who would otherwise have financial difficulty in attending – please see our website for details.

To book a place please visit www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/, call us on 0845 519 4827, or email info@debatechamber.com. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Languages

What is the secret resource that brings pure joy into the MFL classroom?

 

Well, just before we get on to the ‘secret’ resource, it is worth mentioning that the MFL resource market has been transformed over the past ten years.  Hundreds if not thousands of excellent and imaginative resources are available to MFL teachers using songs, games and interactive online software.  MFL teachers everywhere are now fully aware of the positive impact that these resources have on engagement and attainment.

But not everyone knows about this extra resource (the secret one) which is available in every classroom free of charge whenever required.  And this is the resource that adds pure joy!

The secret resource harnesses one of the most powerful resources in human society. It is not restricted to any specific MFL topic and yet can be applied to all of them.

It works brilliantly in MFL classes because spoken language connects people on an emotional level.

After all, we never speak to each other in sterile sentences such as ‘the cat sat on the mat’!

We gossip, we complain, we rejoice, we reflect, we inform, we collaborate, we recount, we congratulate, we sympathise, we encourage, we accuse, we defend, we tell jokes, we brag, we tell stories…..

And when we speak we expect a reaction.

In particular, we expect a reaction from our peers.  And the younger we are, the more importance we attach to the opinion of our peers.

And there you have it!  The power of peer pressure is the FREE resource available to all MFL teachers everywhere, at any time!

Do you dare to unleash its legendary potent force?

Have a go!  Spice up your usual role plays with some of these ideas!

An angry customer with a frustrated travel agent; a stressed out doctor dealing with a hysterical patient; an excited tourist completely misunderstanding directions; an absent minded mad professor in a shop; bank robbers who cannot agree on which is the getaway car; a dentist trying to calm a nervous patient who escapes when he turns his back.

Watch faces light up as pupils experiment with entertaining and being entertained by, their peers – in a foreign language!  See them enthusiastically research material for their own sketches. Watch confidence levels grow and peer relationships improve!

It is pure joy!

And it is free!

Marie – Director of www.singinfrench.com –  Fresh ideas for MFL teachers

Ps  You can see what pure joy looks like in this Pinot The Musical workshop

Pps  demand will be high for the 16 performance of our popular ‘sing along in French’ show Pinot! The Musical – playing at the New Wimbledon Studio Theatre in May and June 2017.   See www.singinfrench.com for details.  Email info@singinfrench.com if you have any questions!

Geography, School News

Why not experience learning in the Great Outdoors with Ford Castle Adventure?

The Northumberland countryside is the perfect setting for exploring. We offer a range of specialised activity sessions such as ‘Den Building’, ‘Photo Trails’, ‘Minibeast Hunts,’ ‘Search and Rescue’ and Falconry. These activities are the perfect foundation for exploring the local area, discovering natural materials, sharing awareness for the environment and its habitats, developing map reading skills and team work.

A real medieval castle, surrounded by vast grounds that encompass a range of challenging on-site activities, Ford Castle is also the perfect setting for educational local excursions; with options to try canoeing, crag climbing, or nature walks, visiting Bamburgh Beach or even spending a day in Edinburgh City and many more.

Ford Castle and the Great Outdoors are ready for you and your school to explore and enjoy! Bring your class closer to nature with March dates starting from as little as £119 + VAT per student.

All our prices are fully inclusive, covering: comfortable accommodation, three delicious meals a day, and plenty of stimulating on-site activities – with additional options of excursions and off-site activities available.

If you would like to find out more, or to request a call-back, then please email us at Holidays@ford-castle.co.uk. Alternatively, you can visit our website: www.ford-castle.co.uk for more information, reviews and useful downloads.

We look forward to hearing from you,

With kind regards,

Annette Best

Ford Castle Adventure Ltd.

Tel: 01388 741 354

Email: Holidays@ford-castle.co.uk

Website: www.ford-castle.co.uk

Maths

KS4 problem solving videos from Doddle Maths!

Get your KS4 students solving problems with ease thanks to tablet-friendly video content from Doddle Maths.

Test their algebra, geometry, and number skills with videos on unknown powers, the area of shapes, sharing out money, and much more.

These audio-narrated, step-by-step videos talk through the process of approaching and solving a problem in an engaging real-life context. Students are shown exactly the sorts of workings-out that should be visible on their own page.

Book a visit
Find out more about Doddle’s interactive resources, self-marking homework quizzes, and automatic online markbook by booking a free in-school visit with one of our Education Consultants:
www.doddlelearn.co.uk/bookavisit

Philippa
Doddle

Special Needs

A proven way to reach and engage your students with mental issues

Every teacher has their own methods for connecting with a class, however it can be difficult when it comes to those hard-to-reach students struggling with mental health issues.

We launched EDVirtual (our virtual classroom) in 2016 so that your establishments can target these students and support them and their learning needs.

The virtual classrooms and all of their features can be accessed from any location with an internet connection, allowing you to effectively teach students who struggle to make it into the classroom at a distance.

Our unique safeguarding tools have been developed with distant learners in mind to give educators the best opportunity to deliver lessons to off-site students whilst also monitoring their behaviour and safety.

Read more

This facility will enable further support for students and the needs of those involved with these individuals in furthering their education by giving you the ability to:

  • allocate timetabled pathways that are customisable to suit students’ learning ability and needs.
  • mentor students in real-time through a written chat, verbal chat or face-to-face video link
  • monitor student’ wellbeing through our attendance trackers, safety questionnaires and alert system.
  • create bespoke learning plans and catch up programmes for your students to prevent them falling behind their classmates whilst off-site

We provide a safe and secure learning environment for hard to reach students, ensuring each student reaches their full potential in a controlled and safe environment.

For more information about EDVirtual, a two week free trial or a live online demo of the functionality of the online learning platform, contact us on 01909 568 338 or by email at mail@edlounge.com with the subject ‘Virtual17’.

Maths

FREE resource to connect maths to the real world

Help your pupils understand the exciting applications of Maths in life after school

We’ve all heard it: “What’s the point of learning algebra? We’re never going to use it after we leave school!” Too many young people fail to see the purpose of learning Maths and subsequently become disengaged with the subject. We’ve built Panjango to give learning context and purpose by demonstrating the many exciting applications of Maths (and English and Science) in the world of work.

Panjango connects learning to life by linking curriculum topics to real, work-related challenges. For example, the following challenge demonstrates how, as a Computer Games Designer, young people may be required to recognise and generate terms in a sequence:

You are tasked with designing a ‘level up’ system for a new computer game. The system should be based on experience points. You decide that each level’s required experience points can be worked out by doubling the previous level’s experience points and then subtracting 100 times the level the user is currently on. The first level requires 400 experience points before the user can progress to the second level. How many experience points is the fifth level going to require?

Or this challenge puts students into the role of an Armed Forces Officer and requires them to apply their geometry skills:

You are planning an aid drop. Each air freight pallet has a length of 2.1m and a width of 1.6m. Items can be safely stacked to a height of 0.8m on the pallet. The aid drop is delivering first aid kits on the first flight. These kits each measure 35cm by 40cm by 10cm. In order to plan how many flights will be required to deliver the necessary aid, you need to know how many first aid kits can fit on each pallet. How many first aid kits can fit on one air freight pallet?

Panjango, which is free to use, features more than 1000 contextualised challenges across 120 different occupations (covering curriculum levels 3 to 7).

Our new filtering system allows you to tailor your lessons and present the challenges most relevant to your class. For example, you could display challenges set at one curriculum level e.g. all Maths topic at Level 7 to broadly explore the context and purpose of Maths; or you could display challenges relating to a specific topic such as algebra, geometry, or probability to help bring a specific topic to life for your students.

To help give your learning context and purpose, register now for FREE at panjango.online.

Thank you for joining us on our journey to connect learning to life!

Jon & Joseph
Founders of Panjango

“Panjango is a powerful, immersive experience which helps young people understand why their learning is important and how it is used in practical settings in the world of work. The resource has the potential to significantly enhance the learning outcomes of young people by bringing learning to life, making if fun, interactive and meaningful.”
Dr Richard Gerver, Education speaker, author and Head Teacher of the Year