Using trees to inspire poetry

Trees, the lungs of the earth in many ways, are often looked to as our life source, but revered children’s poet Kate Williams shares how the humble tree can transform the unlikely writer into the most articulate poet.

Trees can inspire at any time of year, but especially in the autumn. In the wild weather and darkening days of this eloquent season, trees offer a whirl of wonders to fire the imagination of young writers, irrespective of ability.

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      string(5752) "‹‹ PREVIOUS PAGE n  NEXT PAGE ››This month’sFeaturese-learning UPDATE n www.teachingtimes.comImplementing Minecraftin the classroomTracy Broadbent discusses the potential benefits to incorporating game-based learning in the classroom, as well as discussing ideas on how teacherscan enrich a wide range of subjects with this approach.Games in the classroom are nothing new. Getting children involved in an activelearning process captures and maintains their engagement, while at the same timegetting them to see topics and activities in a different way. With the increase inthe use of technology in classrooms, it’s hardly surprising that video games havestarted to appear in the learning environment.One such game is Minecraft, a three-dimensional “sandbox” world in which players can explorelandscapes, create structures and go on adventures using tools and square-shaped blocks to buildand change the environment around them. The massively open nature of the software meansthat it has very few limitations in terms of its learning potential. But how exactly can Minecraft beimplemented as part of the wider curriculum?http://www.teachingtimes.com‹‹ PREVIOUS PAGE n  NEXT PAGE ››This month’sFeaturese-learning UPDATE n www.teachingtimes.comOf course, with all games in the classroom, there is always theconcern that pupils will find themselves distracted and going off task.Indeed, there has been a great deal of debate around the idea thatconsistent attempts to make learning more fun will prevent pupilsfrom engaging with any subsequent, more challenging activities thatrequire extra cognitive effort.On the flip side however, there is plenty to be said for findingways for pupils to apply their knowledge practically in a real-lifesituation, and it is this in which Minecraft excels. With the abilityto recreate scenarios and events that require the pupils to thinkthrough potential issues and implement solutions, this balancesthe engagement factor of using the game with cognitive exercises.More than anything, this approach gives them ownership in creatingsomething for themselves: a process which is lost in a number ofsubjects in various parts of the curriculum.Take mathematics, for example. The protagonists of the game,Steve and Jane, will often find themselves in unknown areas and mustbuild a shelter in which to keep themselves safe from the monsters thatroam the world at night. A maths activity that could be set from this isworking out the scale and measurements of blocks in order to builda basic ‘house’ with walls and a roof. You could even ask them towork out how many blocks would be needed to create a shelter with5×5 dimensions. The pupils can think out their ideas on paper beforeimplementing their solution in the game to show their work.In terms of literacy, the ability to roam free through the landscapecan be the perfect catalyst for creative writing opportunities.The pupils might discover an interesting cave filled with monstersand treasures to be found; this experience could lead to writingdescriptively about the way they interact with the game. For example,you can set particular tasks where pupils take on the role of Steveand Jane and talk about what they can see and how they feel.The potential for cross-curricular applications are huge. Minecrafthas been used extensively already in the teaching of computing, withblocks called redstone being used as a power source to demonstratelogic gates, or even by altering the code itself to make changes withinthe game world – but the opportunities don’t end there.There are creators around the world who have developed modelsof historical landmarks which are available through MinecraftEdu,the software we used to develop our own lesson ideas. The diversitywithin the landscape, including forests, plains, beaches, mountainsand oceans, provides an excellent platform for geography, describingdifferent ecosystems and the creatures that live there. Science canbe addressed in a number of ways, for example, creating new things http://www.teachingtimes.com‹‹ PREVIOUS PAGE n  NEXT PAGE ››This month’sFeaturese-learning UPDATE n www.teachingtimes.comfrom various different elements through the “crafting” function, suchas turning sand into glass for windows in their shelter. There are evenopportunities to incorporate music by creating sequences of ‘noteblocks’ to develop patterns and melodies!The experience around these activities can also be incrediblybeneficial as they can help in developing a number of personallearning skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. If a toolisn’t working, what’s the possible reason for this? Why does thisparticular block act in a different way from others?In addition, because the programme can be used across thewhole school network, pupils can work together on projects anddevelop their communication and teambuilding skills. Each child will have anindividual set of characteristics and talentsthat they can bring to an activity, allowingeveryone to make their own uniquecontributions in finding the solution. The abilityto share their work with peers, teachers andeven parents is a fantastic boost of confidenceand can be saved for use in evidencing workand outcomes.Setting up the Minecraft environmentsafely within a school network can be aconcern for teachers in terms of online safety.Pupils need to receive a suitable level ofonline safety training before and during theirtime on the servers, teaching them what to beaware of when interacting with other peopleon the platform, as well as how"
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Digital Learning

Implementing Minecraft in the classroom

12 Apr 2016

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      string(5726) "Research20 Managing Schools Today    March/April 2008What is the pointof homework?Is it a way to prepare fortests? To reinforce earlierlearning? Or to develop studyskills? Bill Boyle, JoannaBragg and Diane Pearsonintroduce their research onattitudes to homeworkAs part of a Qualifications and Curriculum Authority(QCA) funded survey, we explored the issue ofhomework in a sample of primary schools acrossthe country. More than 200 pupils from Years 2 and 5 andmore than 100 of their parents contributed their opinionsabout homework..The key focus of the investigation was to explore thereasons for setting homework. Is homework set in order toachieve any particular aims? Is it merely to comply with aneed to have and then follow a school homework policy?What are the expectations of setting homework? Is thereany evidence that homework is supporting what is beingtaught in the classroom?  Is homework used to develop thepupil as an independent learner, resourcing and extendingan ongoing activity in the classroom?BackgroundRecent research (Boyle and Bragg, 2006; Tymms & Merrell,2007) has commented on dramatic changes to the primarycurriculum brought about by the government-enforcedstandards agenda. A testing culture has evolved in whichschools have skewed their teaching timetables in favourof the tested core subjects, responding to initiatives suchas the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies andfitting their ‘teaching’ timetables around optional andpractice tests.There is evidence that schools have increased thepercentage of teaching time allocated to English andmathematics to the detriment of other non-tested subjectareas (Boyle & Bragg, 2006), which is cause for concern in acurriculum that was intended as one of ‘breadth, balanceand diversity’ (DfES, 2003). A curriculum which the DCSF is– despite the wealth of data to the contrary – still preparedto defend as ‘carefully balanced to ensure that pupils canmaster the crucial basics in English and maths (sic) and alsoenjoy a creative approach to learning.’ (DCSF, 2007).One might suggest that homework is another strategyused increasingly by schools for the purpose of preparingfor testing and as such has shown a dramatic increase 21March/April 2008    Managing Schools Today   Researchpupils to develop independent learning skills? Does it informteaching and learning? Does it relate to work in school?The sampleWe investigated the opinions of 232 primary pupils from Years2 and 5 and the views of 121 parents of those participatingpupils were collected by questionnaire survey and contributeto this article. Additional evidence was gathered throughinterviews and discussion groups for other strands of the MCAproject. Some key themes to emerge from the research aresummarised in the following section.in the primary sector over recent years. We wantedto investigate what schools are aiming to achieve insetting homework? Do they hope to develop skills suchas independent learning? To cover subject content thatcannot be squeezed into the over-crowded curriculum?To consolidate or revise material taught in the classroomor boost literacy and numeracy skills in preparation for theend of key stage tests?The main research literature relating to homeworkfocuses on issues with its implementation, such as thefriction that homework can cause between parents andchildren. The fact that homework can encourage parentsto take an active interest in their child’s learning is positiveand supports the development of independent study.However, some parents lack the necessary knowledge andconfidence to help their children (Hallam, 2004). This factorrelates to the ever widening social divide (referred to byChristine Gilbert, Chief HMI, in this year’s recently publishedOfsted Annual Report), with the more disadvantagedparents tending to be ill-equipped to help their childrenboth educationally and (perhaps as a result of their ownnegative negative experiences of school) emotionally.Other literature suggests that pupils portray a sense ofboredom and fatigue regarding homework (Black 1990).What sort of homework tasks are being set? Most primaryschools set daily reading, weekly spellings and simplenumeracy tasks. Why are children disenchanted? Perhapsthe level of work and concentration required at schoolis so demanding that they perceive home as a place forrelaxation. Certainly, many children attend extra-curricularactivities which conflict or compete with the completion ofhomework tasks (Black 1990, Cooper et al 1999, Macbeath &Turner 1990, McKechnie et al 1993). Hallam (2004) suggeststhat homework clubs may be the answer to out of hoursstudy rather than the home environment.One other key issue discussed in the research literatureconcerns the use of ICT as a resource for homework(Cranmer, 2006). Computers can be widely used forhomework tasks, the most obvious being internet searches.There are many issues with the use of ICT, the main onebeing that not all homes have a computer, which againcontributes to the widening social divide. Schools arekeen to post their homework tasks and timetables on theirvirtual learning environment (VLE), but still have to managepaper-based communication in order to reach thosehomes without computer facilities. Some schools providea rental scheme to equip all pupils with a laptop. Naturallythis has resource implications as well as maintenance andmonitoring issues.Much of the research literature focuses on issuessurrounding the completion of homework, but there is verylittle about the reasons for setting it. The authors set out toexplore the"
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Leadership

What is the point of homework?

27 Apr 2008

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      string(5734) "from Reception to Year 6. With the younger children,it has supported vocabulary development. For example, children were asked tocollect words to describe both the race scenery and a crash within the race. In KS2,it has been used by teachers within a literacy warm-up activity, to collect as manydescriptive words in one minute as possible, as well as a stimulus for various types ofwriting – general information writing, persuasive writing, biographies of the driversand commentaries. It has also been used widely in cross-curricular topics to supportthe teaching of time, data collection and designing cars.Across all age ranges, teachers have used Wild Earth African Safari and EndlessOcean to develop vocabulary and descriptive writing. Both of these games give thechildren an immediate experience that they can easily recall and write about. Aswell as using the games to support information texts (about animals or oceans) oneteacher used the unknown surroundings of Africa as a stimulus for work on dinosaurswith Reception and Year 1. How has the project benefited the students?We have found that using GBL has engaged children who might otherwise not beengaged. Some children who were weaker at writing had strong gaming skills andthis boosted their confidence. Teachers found that the experiences encounteredwithin the games have led to extended speaking and listening opportunities wherevocabulary and ideas can be developed.  These experiences have also given childrenacross all year groups a real reason for writing, as even reluctant writers in Receptionand Year 1 wrote an account of a race in Mario Kart. All the teachers have noticed adefinite improvement in the children’s writing when they have engaged with GBL.  Volume4.1n CreativeTeaching & Learning83e-learning –TechnologyThere were also many social benefits, as children developed turn-taking skillsand respectfully supported one another without being bossy. Also, many childrenperceived themselves as the expert over the teacher in their knowledge of the game,which improved their self-confidence.How did you prevent children from getting distracted?All teachers found that giving the other children tasks to do (writing downdescriptive words on a mini whiteboard while one or two children were controllingthe game) stopped any distractions and kept everyone focused. All the teachers hada clear rotation planned for children controlling the game and found that the childrenwere more than happy with this, as they knew that they would get a turn, even if itwasn’t within that particular lesson.How can our readers get the most out of GBL?‘Use not play’ is a mantra that we’ve found to work when using GBL. Teachers shoulduse the game to support the children to achieve the desired learning outcomes.Teachers should first play the games themselves, as they have to know how the gamefunctions and what the game can do before deciding how to use them in learning.Teachers need to know how to work the consoles reasonably confidently beforeusing them with a class of children. It’s also a good idea to allow time in a lesson toplay the game first as this gets over the initial excitement factor!  After that, introducethe speaking, listening and word gathering activities before moving on to the restof the teaching sequence.Think of GBL as another stimulus for inspiring writing and use it alongside books,pictures and films to create a rich learning environment.Luring pupils into learningLynette Barr, a teacher at Pentland Primary in Victoria, Australia, was awarded theVTCU Outstanding Primary Teacher Award in 2011 for her integration of a wide rangeof games and consoles into the classroom. She explains that with this type of learningexperience, we should let the students take the lead.What initially inspired you to bring games into the classroom?We started using GBL in 2009 when we perceived a student need. Students in Grades 5and 6 were saying that they were able to play more at home and that being at home was e-learning –Technology84Volume4.1n CreativeTeaching & Learningmore fun than being at school. I wanted to explore the connection between learning andplay through the use of games consoles, to see whether I could engage my students inlearning experiences incorporating technologies they used at home. So I brought myPlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii to school for use in literacy and numeracy.You use numerous consoles for a variety of topics. Could you give a few examples?We have used Buzz on PlayStation 2 to encourage teamwork, to teach a wide varietyof facts and to encourage students to further explore the information presented inthe game by using other resources. Nintendo’s Wii Sports is great for science, healthand mathematics, as is Kinect Sport on Xbox360. Super Scribblenauts (Nintendo DS) isa great game for helping students to use adjectives and nouns to solve problems andthis skill has translated to their writing. Mario Kart (Nintendo Wii) is a great stimulusfor many writing genres and generates data that could be used for teaching mathsconcepts. The online game ElectroCity allows players to explore the impact of differentpower sources on the environment and economy of a community, while Lure of theLabyrinth and Villainy Inc, also available online, develop students’ maths skills, andrequire exploration and problem-solving to progress through the levels.Have you got any favourites? How have you made use of these?Students, both male and female, found the Lure of the Labyrinth game to be an excitingand challenging way of exploring mathematical"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Are you game for a new learning experience?

18 Jul 2013

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      string(5767) "The report explored the link between reading, writing and mental wellbeing using two new measures to better understand these relationships: Mental Wellbeing Index: we quantified children’s responses to questions on life satisfaction, coping skills and self-belief on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest level of mental wellbeing. Literacy engagement score: we quantified children’s responses to questions on how much they enjoy reading and writing, how often they read and write outside school, what they think about reading and writing, and how good children think they are at reading and writing. Scores were then given out of a total of 52, where 52 is the highest level of engagement with literacy practices. Overall, the report shows that there is a link between mental wellbeing and reading and writing enjoyment and attitudes. Attitudes towards reading and writing emerge consistently as the strongest predictors of mental wellbeing, which might suggest that children and young people who feel positively about life in general are also more likely to feel positive about reading and writing. The findings might also suggest that a positive learning environment is important for wellbeing: it is possible that children who have positive experiences of reading and writing in the classroom feel better about their ability, which, in turn, creates positive attitudes and motivation towards the activity and through that enforces more positive attitudes in general and therefore higher wellbeing. The lack of association between frequency of reading and writing and mental wellbeing might also suggest that content, rather than the actual act of reading or writing, is linked to higher mental wellbeing. The report also includes new analysis from University College London which shows an enduring relationship between mental health and verbal scores, with those who have low verbal ability having worse mental health outcomes than those with higher verbal ability. Key Findings: Children and young people who are the most engaged with literacy have better mental wellbeing than their peers who are the least engaged (Mental Wellbeing Index scores of 7.9/10 vs 6.6/10) Children who are the most engaged with literacy are three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than children who are the least engaged (39.4% vs 11.8%) Conversely, children who are the least engaged with literacy are twice as likely to have low levels of mental wellbeing than their peers who are the most engaged (37.4% vs 15%) Children with above expected reading skills are three times more likely to have high levels of mental wellbeing than their peers with below expected reading skills (40.3% vs 13.1%) As children transition from primary to secondary school, their levels of literacy engagement and mental wellbeing both begin and continue to decline Boys who are the most engaged with literacy have higher levels of mental wellbeing than girls who are equally engaged (Mental Wellbeing Index scores of 8.1/10 vs 7.6/10) In line with previous studies, boys have higher mental wellbeing levels than girls, and pupils aged 8 to 11 have higher mental wellbeing scores than those aged 11 to 14 and those aged 14 to 16, with those aged 16 to 18 having the lowest mental wellbeing scores. Contrary to previous findings, pupils in this study who receive free school meals score very similarly in terms of their mental wellbeing to their peers from more advantaged backgrounds. Pupils from black ethnic backgrounds have higher mental wellbeing than pupils from Asian ethnic backgrounds, who in turn have higher scores than pupils from white and mixed ethnic backgrounds. Children and young people from Greater London tended to have the highest mental wellbeing scores, while those from Yorkshire and the Humber scored the lowest. There is a steady increase in mean mental wellbeing scores as one progresses from one literacy quartile to the next, from a mean score of 6.6 out of 10 for those who have low literacy engagement (bottom quartile) to 7.9 out of 10 for those with a high level of literacy engagement (top quartile). Nearly 2 in 5 (37.4%) of those who have low literacy engagement also report low mental wellbeing, while only 1 in 9 (11.8%) of those who have low literacy engagement have high levels of mental wellbeing. Conversely, 2 in 5 (39.4%) of those who have high levels of literacy engagement also have high scores in their mental wellbeing. There is a steady increase in literacy engagement scores as one progresses from one mental wellbeing quartile to the next, increasing from a mean score of 32.8 out of 52 for those who score in the bottom quartile (i.e. who have low mental wellbeing) to 38.2 out of 52 for those who score in the top quartile (i.e. those with a high mental wellbeing). Nearly 2 in 3 (64.3%) of those who have high levels of mental wellbeing consider themselves to be above average readers, compared with nearly 1 in 2 (46.1%) of those who have low levels of mental wellbeing. Conversely, those who have low levels of mental wellbeing are three times more likely to say that they are below average readers compared with those who have high levels of mental wellbeing (15.0% vs. 4.8% respectively). Nearly twice as many children and young people with high levels of mental wellbeing said that they are above average writers compared with those who have low levels of mental wellbeing (53.5% vs. 29.7% respectively). Those who"
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Leadership

Mental Wellbeing, Reading And Writing

3 Oct 2018