The Mystery Of The Dog In The Classroom

Researchers Helen Lewis and Professor Russell Grigg explore the growing interest in having dogs in class to help with reading.

A growing number of schools across the UK are bringing dogs into the classroom to support learning, particularly reading. Yes, dogs! In fact as early as 1999 an American organization called Intermountain Therapy Animals used dogs to support children’s reading and since then international interest has grown and there are now a number of initiatives around the world, including The Bark and Read Foundation in the UK.

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      string(4497) "and legends, making use of replica swords andunusually shaped keys alongside audio versions of thestories for reluctant readers, and film clips from a variety ofchildren’s films.PowerPoint can also be used for producing visual stimulifor spelling bank and sentence level tasks. Colourful tablesand backgrounds with missing words flying in at the click ofa mouse are simple, but highly effective, tools. Children reallyfocus and engage with tasks which, as paper activities, woulddisinterest them.Speaking and listeningAs we all know, children love to talk and will happily chataway for much of the day if left unchecked. However, focusedtalk is a skill that requires nurturing and guidance. By usingcamcorders and tape recorders, children can be empoweredto improve their own speaking and listening skills; watchingthemselves engaged in focused talk is an enlighteningexperience. Pupils can be given ‘monitoring sheets’ with thecriteria the teacher is assessing them against and so canplay an active part in their own learning.A similar approach can be used for group drama sessions.For example, a great example of performance poetry is themusical Cats. Children watch and note performancetechniques before deciding a poem they would like toperform. Their performance and its development can berecorded at different points using both camcorders and taperecorders. The final performances of each group can beshown on the whiteboard and evaluated by the whole class.This leads to a healthy forum for peer mentoring and self-evaluation, highlighting key areas for improvement and anopportunity to make real progress.Published schemesThere is, of course, a wealth of published resources whichhave been developed in light of the new technology in schools.The BBC ‘Story Building’ series uses DVD/video clipsalongside posters, paper tasks and pupil discussion todevelop writing skills through motivation and engagement.These film clips show children immersed in creative writingenvironments built around a specific genre, e.g. myths,legends, mystery etc. Many of these environments can becreated within the classroom, although the mystery writers’moonlight walk could prove difficult! Again the importance ofsound is a key element in creating atmosphere, and a bankof sound clips and taped extracts are a must!The British Film Institute (bfi) has also developed a bankof resources to support the use of film within literacy. ‘StoryShorts’ provides materials for Key Stage 2 teachers to use inconjunction with the accompanying video compilation,providing the basis for a number of activities related toobjectives for word, sentence and text level work. ‘Show usa story’ takes this idea one step forward and uses well-knownchildren’s classics to cover a range of cross-curricularobjectives through the media of film. Having used some ofthe ideas within this exciting resource, developing new ideasusing other films is an automatic step. ‘Starting Stories’ usesthe same approach for 3-7 year olds and is equallyinspirational. These materials were developed throughcollaborative work between schools, teachers, advisors,researchers and film directors. This ‘joined up thinking’advocated by the Primary National Strategy and linked tothe learning and teaching agenda has to be the way forward.By sharing ideas and skills, we can use ICT more effectivelywithin our classrooms and pupils’ learning will be enhancedthrough stimulating and enrichinglessons, as well as through confidentmodelling of ICT skills in all areas of thecurriculum. �Resources mentioned in this articleappear in Resources to die for onpage 49.PROFILEKaren Ferguson currently teaches atHoly Family Catholic Primary School inCoventry. She is about to take up postat All Saints Junior School in Warwick.She is a leading literacy teacher forCoventry LA and is also on the fast trackprogramme.In a nutshell…Karen provides a range of suggestionsfor making the most from ICT capabilityin order to enhance literacy. Sheemphasises the importance of:� Using a multi-sensory approach,including sound, to create atmosphere� The use of film to bring literacy to life� Encouraging children to build uponand adapt resources� Using hyperlinks to create a radialtext� Using ICT as part of the writing andreading environment you create� The use of PowerPoint to producevisual stimuli for spelling banks� Using ICT equipment to help withchildren’s self-evaluation andassessment"
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Leadership

Enhancing literacy teaching through ICT

1 Jan 2005

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      string(5678) "CreativeApproaches44Volume6.1nCreativeTeaching&LearningHave you solvedthe mystery ofliteracy across thecurriculum?Literacy across thecurriculum has been thesubject of increasingdiscussion since thegovernment white paperin 20111,with all teachers,no matter their specialistsubject area, now havingthe responsibility to embedliteracy in their schemes ofwork. Planning activities toconvey subject content yetpromote literacy is thereforean important skill all teachersneed to develop.One powerful tool forpromoting literacy acrossdifferent subject areas isMysteries – a collaborativelearning activity devisedby the Thinking ThroughGeography group in the 1990s.Mysteries recently enjoyedIt’s the role of all teachers to developliteracy, no matter their subject area. Couldlongstanding collaborative learning tool,Mysteries, be the solution? Sue Lyle exploresthe potential for developing listening, speaking,reading and writing with a Mystery for KS3science and geography.45Volume6.1nCreativeTeaching&LearningCreativeApproachesa digital upgrade, but the paper version isstill a valuable activity for any classroom,presenting opportunities for pupils to extendand consolidate their literacy skills whilestudying the content of subjects other thanEnglish.Mysteries can provide real cognitivechallenge to small collaborative groups, buttheir effectiveness relies on thorough planningand careful preparation of information for thestudents to sort.2 The Mystery featured in thisarticle has been carefully prepared to supportteachers in exploring the impact of intensiveanimal farming on climate change, and can belifted straight from the page to the Key Stage3 geography or science classroom.But first, what makes a Mystery, and howwill using it with your pupils help to strengthentheir higher-order literacy and learning skills?How do Mysteries improveliteracy?In Mysteries, pupils are given an open question,then a series of paper slips presentingstatements related to the overarching topic.These statements may be irrelevant, misleadingor contradictory, or they may provide valuableinformation – it’s up to the pupils to rank andreconcile the statements in order to come toa final, personal judgement.Skills of listening, speaking, reading andwriting are naturally built into Mysteries.For example, as the students work withthe statements, they have to listen to eachother and take account of others’ opinions.They must also talk together to suggestdifferent ways of organising and presentingthe information to support their response tothe Mystery’s question.Statement sorting of this kind is also a verygood way to promote reading. The languagewe associate with scientific or academicwriting often uses the third person and passivevoice – a style students often find difficult toaccess. Presenting the information in ‘bite-size’chunks on individual slips of paper helps tomake the text more accessible. Pupils shouldbe encouraged to support each other with thereading in order to make sense of it.The activity also requires pupils to makeinferences, and compare and contraststatements in order to classify them – vitalreading skills to develop, especially ahead ofGCSEs. Furthermore, as students read and re-read the statements to classify, find evidenceand identify connections and comparisons,they will come to see the different waysreading allows them to interpret information.This will help them to see how literacy can getthings done.During the sorting process, pupils shouldbe encouraged to make notes to help themorganise and develop their thinking. They willalso need to learn how to structure a logicalargument. At the end of the session, whenthey are called upon to effectively explain howthey came to their conclusion and support thiswith relevant evidence, how well the studentsdo will depend directly on how well they havegrouped and organised the paper slips.Developing higher-order thinkingskillsIn the process of listening, speaking, readingand writing, the students are also engaged ina wide range of higher order thinking skills.These include:n classificationn analysis of problems, events and argumentsn testing of hypothesesn speculationn inductive and deductive reasoningn the establishment of cause and effect.Mysteries always have a strong narrativethread linking the cognitive with the affectiveto engage students and enable them to exploreattitudes and values. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

Have you solved the mystery of literacy across the curriculum?

3 Dec 2015

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      string(5678) "69Teaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 8:5www.teachthinking.co.uk   intelligent learningIntroduction by Steve WilliamsReaders of this magazine are likely to be familiar with theclassroom strategy of ‘mysteries’. Here, teachers set theirstudents a question or mystery to explore. I say ‘questionto explore’ rather than ‘problem to solve’ because thequestions at the heart of mysteries are most often mattersof interpretation, judgement and argument. This is whatmakes them useful for stretching the thinking of students.Apart from the central question, students are given a setof statements to read, discuss and categorise as part oftheir exploration.The term ‘mystery’ was coined by David Leat and hiscolleagues at Newcastle University. One very valuableaspect of their approach was the insistence that studentsare allowed to create, change and develop the titles ofthe categories they use for their exploration rather thanteachers providing the categories. This, and the opennature of the central question, is what makes mysteriesdifferent from the ‘broken-information’ tasks of old. Ihave found that the insistence on choice contributes tothe mystery task being a creative and engaging challengefor students. It also ensures some differences in theapproaches that students take and this, in turn, promptsinteresting comparisons in the discussion that shouldfollow the activity.The statements for a mystery are usually cut into separatecards and given to small groups of students. The studentsmove the cards around, discussing as they go, oftenchanging their minds when they see fresh connectionsor spot logical patterns they hadn’t noticed before. Thepossibility of this movement is a crucial feature of thetask, contributing in large measure to its effectiveness asa classroom strategy for thinking.The following mystery by Martin Renton is featured inIntelligent Learning [See page 19].A life ordeathMystery70intelligent learning   www.teachthinking.co.ukTeaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 8:5Will Latif’s brother survive this winter?This mystery is about a fictional child, Latif, in Kenya. I have used Kenyan names for people and also for places such asMadzuu and Embu. Both are real places in the western mountains of Kenya and do have issues with poverty. However,the travel times between them and the existence of hospitals, water wells, charity organisations and so on is fictional.This task is about general possibilities and problems rather than a specific single instance. The places and names givethe mystery life and context. The central question to explore is: ‘Will Latif’s brother survive the winter?’The information for the two places came from:Pell, A. (2004) The Interplay between Small Farms and Fragile Tropical Ecosystems in Kenya, Cornell University.Statements for the taskTwo of Latif’s sisters died from typhoid last winterLatif’s brother is very ill. He has been vomiting and has pains in his stomach. He can hardly talk because his throat isso dry but his mother is glad that he doesn’t have a fever.Cholera is caused by drinking contaminated (dirty) water. Symptoms: vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pains anddehydration.Treatment: most patients recover in 3–6 days if they can drink a lot of clean water.Without treatment: more than 50% of patients die.Typhoid is caused by sharing drinking water or food with contaminated people. Symptoms: vomiting, diarrhoea,headaches, spots on the stomach and fever.Treatment: Typhoid is treatable with antibiotic tablets.Without treatment: typhoid is fatal.Aid from a Charity Organisation paid for a new hospital to be built in the summer. It has antibiotics and vaccines tohelp people keep safe from dysentery, cholera, malaria and typhoid.The hospital was built in Embu. It would take 3 days to walk there and back from Madzuu. The whole family wouldneed to go to carry Latif’s brother.Since Latif’s sisters died, all members of the family have to work on the farm. Because of this, Latif cannot afford togo to school anymore.Latif’s family received a goat from a Charity Organisation that advertised ‘Buy a Goat for Christmas’ in Britain. Thegoat provides milk and cheese for Latif’s family when it is well-fed.71Teaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 8:5www.teachthinking.co.uk   intelligent learningTwo months ago, Latif’s father received a parcel of food from a Charity Organisation. The food was good and thefamily ate very well for a whole week.Latif’s mother uses a bucket to collect water from the well that the family shares with 5 other families. The water isuntreated and is sometimes used to feed the animals too. The well is close to their farm, so she can get there andback in less than an hour.A Charity Organisation paid for 3 water pumps to be placed in the middle of Madzuu. These provide clean water forthe village. Madzuu is 3 hours walk from Latif’s farm.The Charity Organisation that put water pumps in Madzuu last year plans to begin a sewage system and place a cleanwater pump on each farm around the village next year.In the summer, some of the food that was sent from a Charity Organisation was kept in a warehouse by the army tofeed its soldiers.A school was built in Madzuu. Children are taught how to keep safe by washing their hands before eating, boilingwater before drinking it, not washing vegetables in water straight from the well, cooking food in boiled water andnot buying fruit from street sellers.The school has clean water and pupils come to school each morning and return home at lunchtime.Latif’s mother makes vital income from"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

A life or death Mystery

15 Jul 2008

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      string(286) "... stories.Her curiosity turns to concern when she finds another set ofdresses identical to her own in a drawer in her bedroom.Who is the mystery man at the gate, and why does MrRucastle want her to wave him away from her seat at thewindow without turning around? Why does ..."
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      string(5577) "The policeassume he wanted to hide the horse to stop it running inthe race.Only Holmes notices evidence that doesn’t fit thisexplanation.Why, for instance, are so many sheep at the farm wherethe horses are kept going lame? What is the significanceof a 22 guinea bill made out to ‘Mr Derbyshire’ foundin the dead man’s pocket? And why, if a stranger hadentered the yard in the middle of the night and run offwith Silver Blaze, did the stable’s guard dog not alertthe neighbours?Story outline two: The problem of ThorbridgeRich American businessman Neil Gibson asks Holmes tohelp him clear the name of his child’s governess, Grace. Butwhy is the former senator so concerned? Grace has beenarrested for the murder of Gibson’s wife, Maria!In this case, set in the rolling hills of the Hampshirecountryside, things are, again, not as they seem.If Grace was the killer, why would she coolly carryout the murder – then carelessly toss the weapon intoher wardrobe? Why was there a strange chip on theunderside of the stone balustrade of the bridge whereMaria met her end? And if the murder weapon was oneof a matched pair of pistols, why couldn’t the other befound in Gibson’s collection?Story outline three: The adventure of theCopper BeechesAnother governess, Violet Hunter, is offered a fantastic jobin a country house five miles from Winchester. But she findsit odd that her employer Mr Rucastle insists that she cutsher hair. He also demands that she sits by the same windowevery day for an hour in an electric blue dress listening tohim tell amusing stories.Her curiosity turns to concern when she finds another set ofdresses identical to her own in a drawer in her bedroom.Who is the mystery man at the gate, and why does MrRucastle want her to wave him away from her seat at thewindow without turning around? Why does Rucastle keepa hungry Mastiff (dog) in the yard? Most chillingly of all– why is a whole wing of the house kept boarded up – whennothing appears to be wrong with it?Story outline four: The adventure of theGolden Pince-NezHolmes visit Yoxley Old place, near Chatham, to investigatethe murder of old Professor Coram’s assistant.Where did the murderer disappear to? It would havebeen impossible for him/her to leave the house withoutbeing seen. Why was this person in the house in the firstplace? What is the significance of a pair of broken pince-nez in the hand of the dead man – and what does this haveto do with the professor’s previous life, as a revolutionaryleader in 1860s Russia?Introducing the stories in classEither read the original Conan Doyle stories to the class, orshow them the excellent 1984 Granada TV version starringJeremy Brett. (I love Brett’s quirky portrayal of HolmesAn illustration of Violet Hunter in The adventure of the Copper BeechesAn actor portrays Holmes’ arch nemesis Professor Moriarty24 Teaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 10:2Focus on: Speaking and listening   www.teachingtimes.comConan Doyle uses dialogue in an extraordinary way inhis sotries – in a way which reveals much more about t hecharacters than is written on the page.For instance, in ‘The adventure of the Copper Beeches’,Holmes confronts Rucastle about the way he imprisonedhis daughter in a shuttered room. Holmes corners him in hisown home after gaining entry without his knowledge.“You villain!” said Holmes. “Where’s your daughter?”The fat man cast his eyes round at them – and at the openskylight.“It is for me to ask you that!” he shrieked. “You thieves! Spiesand thieves! I have caught you, have I? You are in my power!I’ll serve you!” He turned and clattered down the stairs as hardas he could go.“He’s gone for the dog!” cried Miss Hunter.Rucastle’s reaction is one of terror – he has been foundout and he wants to deal with it through violence beforehe can be held to account for his actions. He does notconfront Holmes himself – which tells you that he fearsHolmes. That Rucastle doesn’t attempt to argue his wayout of the situation tells the reader that he realises Holmeshas discovered the truth about him. In this way, ConanDoyle tells the reader in subtext what Holmes can see– Rucastle is guilty.Learning from Holmes’s techniquesWhen dealing with a case, Holmes is extremely impatientwith anything that distracts him from focusing entirelyon the problem at hand. The look of withering despairhe gives Watson whenever he gets stressed aboutmissing a meal during an investigation proves this.Holmes himself is happy to go without food for dayswhen his mind is otherwise engaged – showing Holmes’sobsessive nature.Although this level of commitment is unhealthy– certainly not a trait to encourage in young children– Holmes’s other basic rule is worthwhile for everyoneto remember – that it is ‘fatal to come to a conclusion, oreven to speculate, while you are not in possession of allthe facts’. It’s the same in any science or maths project.How often do children go in the wrong direction orcome up with a flawed conclusion because they havemade assumptions, taken short cuts or made theirconclusions prematurely? In many of his adventures,Holmes comes up against situations where hastydecisions have been made – and as a result, an innocentperson has been accused.For instance, in ‘The problem of Thor Bridge’, a note inthe dead woman’s hand asking Grace to meet her at thebridge – and the discovery of a gun in Grace’s wardrobe– mean everyone assumes Grace is the murderer. But allthe facts haven’t been discussed.Holmes"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Classroom detectives

16 Dec 2009

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