Facilitating peer-based formative assessment through online quizzes Daniel Luxton, Teacher of Mathematics, Stanwell School, Vale of Glamorgan, UK Picardo (Picardo , 2017) identifies the benefits of regular testing through the use of online quiz platforms. Socrative provides a simple facility for teachers to devise and distribute quizzes. However, such testing does not need to be […]
Even though ICT and digital technology have been on the agenda in education since the first BBC Micro rolled off the production line in 1981, a debate continues in which the signal is often lost in the noise. New products, ideas and initiatives come and go but as a profession we still seem undecided on […]
In the five years to 2012, UK schools spent more than £1 billion on digital technology, ‘an investment that did not necessarily result in radical improvements to learning experiences or attainment.’ (Luckin et al., 2012) But why might this be, and might those improvements actually be achieved? How technology might be disrupting progress Tracking In […]
Note: The author of this article runs CyberCaesar, a chargeable online resource. Technology in the classroom should only be used to improve the learning experience. In this article, I reflect on the ways in which I have developed and used CyberCaesar, an online course to assist teaching and learning Latin in the classroom. Quizzes on Moodle […]
The New Wave Federation consists of three high-performing local authority primary schools in Hackney, Inner London. Improving outcomes through academic success is central to our mission and we endeavour to equip our children with the skills and understanding to make appropriate and positive choices about their own learning (Thomas , 2017). Technology, and specifically the […]
Recently we have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of digital technologies available to use within educational environments, though there is debate around whether they are being used effectively (Casey et al., 2017); (Fullan , 2013). Whilst capitalising on the significance of digital technologies and their ability to engage learners, it is important to […]
The UK needs more teachers, particularly in shortage subjects. One way in which this shortage is being addressed is through subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses; aspiring teachers lacking enough degree-level knowledge of their chosen curriculum subject can complete a fully funded course before commencing their initial teacher training. Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) was the […]
Based on over 30 years’ experience as a teacher and teacher educator, including research in over 50 schools looking at digital technology strategies, I believe that Bring Your Own (BYO) is the best mobile device strategy for schools. I use BYO to mean ‘you may bring your own internet-enabled mobile device into school to support […]
In recent years, the slideshow presentation has become so ubiquitous in our schools that it has become rare to walk into a lesson and not see one on display. However, teaching from a slideshow can either support or hamper learning, depending on the slideshow design. In my English classroom, I use slideshows for a number […]
In the past decade, classrooms have begun to shift away from textbooks, notebooks, pens and pencils and towards electronic media. In college classrooms, increasing numbers of students are taking notes on laptops, and in high schools teachers are incorporating computers and tablets into their lesson plans. While there are advantages to electronic media, a growing […]
It could be argued that all educators engage in some form of reflective practice when thinking about planning and assessment. What is not clear is whether teachers are finding time to reflect deeply – to think deliberately and purposefully about the learning they facilitate. With time a precious commodity, and new technology an ever-increasingly available […]
Steeton Primary and Eastburn Junior and Infant Schools are small primaries on the edge of the Education Bradford area. Both schools have been developing their internationalism – and use of IT – through eTwinning. As a British Council ‘eTwinning Ambassador,’ I train other teachers in the use of eTwinning. What is eTwinning? eTwinning is a […]
Note: The authors of this article work for the London Connected Learning Centre, an organisation offering chargeable services for schools. Drop by the London Connected Learning centre in Clapham, South London, and most days of the week you’ll hear the excited buzz of children programming robots, learning about city planning by building cities in Minecraft […]
For nearly all of history, people’s lives have been governed primarily by ignorance… But sometime over the last several decades… science has filled in enough knowledge to make ineptitude as much our struggle as ignorance. (Gawande, 2010, p. 8) My 15-year history teaching experience has been paradoxical: a subjective feeling that my workload has increased […]
While there is no shortage of polarised (and polarising) debates in education, the question of whether or not schools should ban mobile phones has received particular interest in recent months. With a new law banning pupils from having mobile phones in France’s schools coming into force in September, and Damian Hinds and Amanda Spielman both […]
There has been significant talk recently about the place of, and the use of, the textbook in teaching both in primary and secondary schools, with Department for Education-approved texts being available for phonics and mastery mathematics in primary and a growing call, from some quarters, for textbooks to make a comeback in secondary. However, with […]
The music education climate The music classroom is a different place to the one I studied in as a child, and quite different to the one in which I began teaching in 2004. The environment is very different in 2018; music departments are likely to have more computers in their classrooms (Savage, 2010; Ofsted, 2012) […]
In recent years, providing student feedback has become increasingly burdensome, to the point where it is now one of the biggest contributors to teacher workloads (Elliott et al., 2016). This considered, I want to ensure that the feedback I am giving is of good quality and that my students engage with it. I hypothesised that […]
Note: The author of this article is an Apple Professional Learning Specialist. ‘Well, that was fun!’ was a comment I heard after a recent professional learning session with teachers. We had focussed on using robots to teach computing. The teachers had all taken part, solved problems and there was a real buzz in the room. […]
Note: The authors of this article work for LessonApp, an education technology company offering a product for teachers. Designing quality lessons is one of the cornerstones of teacher education in developed countries. For example, in Finland, lesson planning is based on the latest scientific research on learning and how to foster it. Achieving a versatile […]
