What do your students worry about, above everything else?

What is the single most effective way of ensuring that your students are getting the most out of their assemblies, PSHE and Sex Education?

Sometimes it is difficult to know exactly what your students are thinking, experiencing and worrying about, making it just as difficult to know which topics to pay more time and attention to in assemblies, PSHE and Sex Education.

Which is precisely why ReSURV has developed youcansay surveys.

youcansay surveys, which are taken anonymously by your students, enable you to gather valuable information which will ensure that your students are getting the most out of their lessons involving health and well-being.

From the surveys you can find out, for example, how many of your students have drunk alcohol, taken drugs, experienced domestic violence, taken part in cyberbullying, or how many of your students eat breakfast every day before school.

What’s more, youcansay is flexible; surveys can be used off-the-shelf or tailored using our extensive library of topics and questions. And if there is a particular, perhaps less generic, area of concern, custom questions can be readily added to the survey.

Once the survey results are in, you will be able to see what the main issues are for your students and be able to design relevant PHSE lessons, sex education classes or assemblies to influence health and well-being in line with their needs. Please click here to find more information about youcansay surveys.

Alternatively, if you would like to talk about youcansay surveys, including their benefits and how they work, please do call us on 0118 978 1078 or contact us by email at service@youcansay.co.uk.

Adam Dotchin

Debate Chamber Summer Schools

Debate Chamber is excited to announce a series of academic summer schools aimed at aspirational 15-18-year-old students of Science and Mathematics. These programmes have been designed to challenge and inspire intellectually curious students and introduce them to modern ideas in Physics, Medicine and Mathematics.

Each course will offer a fun and stimulating educational experience in which students will be encouraged to develop their conceptual understanding and applied problem-solving skills. Each day will consist of a combination of lectures, practical activities, group discussions, team challenges and problem-sets with an emphasis on the real-world applications of the theoretical ideas.

All Debate Chamber tutors have completed, or are in the process of completing, postgraduate study in their respective field and are therefore perfectly placed to engage and inspire, as well as tailor sessions to cater for the interests and ability of each individual student. Small class sizes ensure an inclusive, university-style seminar experience in which students feel comfortable asking questions to each other, as well as their tutors.

Physics Summer Schools

The Physics Summer School will introduce students to some of the major themes of 20th and 21st Century Physics. The summer school is split into two parts, with each part comprising a structured 5-day programme. Part 1 focuses on Classical Mechanics and Astrophysics with an emphasis on modern applications of Newtonian Mechanics and is relevant to both GCSE and A-Level students. Part 2 focuses on Quantum Mechanics and Relativity with an emphasis on the mathematical and conceptual foundations of these ideas, and requires that students have completed AS Mathematics (or equivalent) at the time of completing the course.

This was by far the most informative, productive and enjoyable week of my summer holiday. It was an incredibly well balanced and finely tuned course, which not only expanded my knowledge of physics, but my skills in applying it to unfamiliar problems. Chilled atmosphere, tutors approachable and engaging; couldn’t recommend this course more for aspiring physicists.’

Medicine Summer School

The Medicine Summer School offers a fun and interactive insight into the world of medicine allowing students the opportunity to develop the theoretical and applied skills required to be a doctor. Students will work in small groups alongside medical students to gain experience in identifying a patient’s primary symptoms, ordering tests, drawing conclusions and presenting their findings. The Summer School is split into five 2-day programmes, each covering a different area of medical practice – student can attend whichever Parts best suit their interests.

‘I completely recommend this course! Whether you are totally convinced Medicine is for you, or if you just want a taster to see if it’s right, this course is perfect. The tutors are passionate and highly knowledgeable, and teach a great course covering a wide range of topics. Absolutely ten out of ten on all aspects – go and do it!’

Mathematics Summer School

The Mathematics Summer School is a five-day programme that will introduce students to contemporary ideas in Pure and Applied Mathematics, with an emphasis on developing problem-solving skills. The morning sessions will be used to introduce a range of theoretical ideas including Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Calculus, Proofs, Algorithms and Infinities. The application of these ideas will be explored in the afternoon sessions through a variety of problem-sets, group activities and discussions.  Please note that students attending this course must have completed AS Mathematics.

‘Attending the Maths Summer School allowed me to explore a variety of mathematical concepts not covered at school. I was given an opportunity to learn about multivariable calculus and differential equations from a physics graduate, predicate logic and Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem from a philosophy graduate, and linear algebra from a mathematics graduate. All of my tutors were very eloquent and clear, and I’ve learnt new branches of mathematics to give myself a slight head-start going into university.’

Bursaries

Debate Chamber is committed to ensuring that financial circumstances do not prevent any student from attending our events. Students are able to apply for bursaries covering up to 100% of the course fee through our website.

How can my students attend?

All the Summer School events will be held at University of London venues in Bloomsbury, 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.

FREE resource to connect learning to life

Help your pupils understand the exciting applications of Maths, English and Science in life after school 

We’ve all heard it: “What’s the point of learning algebra? We’re never going to use it when we leave school.” When young people fail to see the purpose of education they become disengaged with their learning.

So we’re delighted to launch a new and improved version of Panjango – our world of experiential learning which gives learning context and purpose by demonstrating the many exciting applications of Maths, English and Science in the world of work. Panjango also helps young people develop the skills they need to fulfil their potential, such as teamworking, communication, creativity, and confidence – all while enabling them to learn more about future career paths.

Panjango, which is free to use, now features 120 occupations and more than 1500 contextualised challenges covering the KS2 and KS3 Maths, English and Science curriculum from Levels 3 to 7. Our new filtering system allows you to tailor your lessons and present the challenges most relevant to your class – and switch between Individual and Team modes for flexible delivery.

The resource has already received praise from some prominent people in the education world. For example, leading education author and Head Teacher of the Year, Dr Richard Gerver, said: “Panjango offers 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.”

Pupils who have been inspired to explore careers possibilities at an early stage in their education journey are typically more motivated and focused in their lessons. Panjango aims to inspire and excite young people about careers from an earlier age, helping them understand the purpose of school and become eager to engage in further careers activities as they progress through school.

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

PS  Remember it’s National Careers Week 6th – 11th March!<

A Proven Way to Reach and Engage Your Students with Mental Health 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 “Virtual2017”.