Three Ways to Improve Our Disagreements

Resolving subjective differences can be challenging, but being able to think deeply about complex issues and communicate why we think a certain way is an important skill for students to develop. Steven Campbell-Harris shares some approaches to move beyond intuitive responses to difficult questions.

‘New York is the capital of America.’ I was on my way to school when I heard a boy arguing up ahead. He turned to the rest of the group and intoned with authority. I edged closer. Most of the others were in agreement, chiming in with ‘yes, of course, it’s New York.’ One boy, however, insisted that they were wrong. ‘Washington DC is the capital’, he said. I listened for a while before intervening. ‘Actually, Washington DC is the capital city of America.’ At that moment, the debate was over. An authority figure had settled it. Nothing left to discuss. They walked on momentarily in silence.

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      string(322) "... later‘Swallows and Amazons’, and maybe even modern series like ‘His Dark Materials’ or‘Artemis Fowl’?The need to bring whole texts to life is critical, but tasters, pictures, graphic novels,role play of scenes and a range of thinking skills all support access at an age when it’sall ..."
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      string(5656) "classroom, and theyshould improve the content and descriptive power of writing, as pupils becomesifters and sorters of narratives and genres.It is also an idea to start, at least with some pupils, with an illustration before readingthe passage, such as the image on the following page. Show the pupils the image andask: Can you invent characters for this setting? What do you notice about the building?The latter kind of open question tends to produce more creative responses thana more specific one. When comments are made about the shutters or the balcony,this can be followed up either by the teacher or across the class in a dialogic way.Sometimes, I ask the pupils to write a brief paragraph summing up the atmosphereof the setting, teaching them about inference and innuendo. They then compare theirdraft with Stevenson’s with delight and are switched on to the language rather thanrestrained by it.The more able can go much further. They can read a much longer extract anddevelop drafts which relate character to setting more coherently, imitating theadventure genre that Stevenson himself made famous. The teachers with whom I haveworked all call it a fine judgement whether the whole class are ready for the longerextract, but what seems most consistently successful, in terms of outcomes, has beento pitch as high as possible but have the access resources ready if and when pupils getstuck. Support is then coming at the point of genuine need and may just as likely be forthe most able pupil in the class! It should be a healthy struggle.87Vol 7.1School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comPrimaryFileLiteracyExtending learningExtracts are only tasters, but they do enable the kind of focus needed for deeperanalysis and appreciation. The enjoyment of language and literature pupils experiencethrough the extract above will hopefully help teachers lead them to other celebratedadventure stories of the era, such as Treasure Island or Kidnapped. Why not track thegenre through its development from these early adventure novels to the slightly later‘Swallows and Amazons’, and maybe even modern series like ‘His Dark Materials’ or‘Artemis Fowl’?The need to bring whole texts to life is critical, but tasters, pictures, graphic novels,role play of scenes and a range of thinking skills all support access at an age when it’sall too easy to be put off. Some of the following simple techniques have supportedengagement and new learning in ways which stimulate enquiry for the learner:■ Use Philosophy for Children to support literacy. Consider, for example: why do welike adventure stories? Is it essential to have a hero or heroine in a story?■ Establish a signal for risk-taking and feedback on progress. I call these moments‘Wings to fly’ moments.■ Organise evidence circles, in which all conversations must refer to the text andpupils choose each other to debate an argument.■ Try continuum lines – ask pupils to stand along an imaginary line to assess a view oropinion based on evidence.88Vol 7.1School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comPrimaryFileLiteracyRemember, ‘in dialogic classrooms, teachers and students act as co-inquirers,collaboratively engaging in a generation and evaluation of new interpretations of textsin order to “gain a fuller appreciation of the world, [them]selves, and one another”.’1Exploring poetryContemporary and classic poetry also plays a substantial role in the new curriculum,and should be explored with children as young as seven. Recently, I worked with pupilsreversing the lofty heights of Tennyson’s ‘The Eagle’ to write about the flight up fromthe ‘wrinkled sea’, devising sunset scenes inspired by Harold Monro’s ‘Great City’, andunpicking the Pied Piper’s journey from Hamelin to Koppelberg Hill and writing aboutwhat really happened inside the mountain.Taking ‘The Pied Piper’, after I supported access using the single image of ‘horseswere born with eagles’ wings’, there was a whole explosion of ideas and imageryaround the kinds of creatures that the children may have found inside the mountain.Our readings of parts of the poem were then received with interest, and some pupilsimitated Browning well in their inventive poetry.The best lessons on poetry I see tend to be when teachers are using objectivesthat teach specific aspects of a poem – whether a narrative technique or perhaps theeffect of stanza length – but showing how the technique contributes to the poem’smeaning. To bring past literature alive, we should never lose focus on the central themethat awakens our imaginations, makes us tingle or stirs our emotions. The pupils weregripped by the image of the multi-coloured piper, the opening in the mountain and, ofcourse, the rats! But were the children really led to a land where honey-bees had losttheir stings, or not?Encouraging wider readingDespite the obvious importance of the home environment in promoting wider reading,it’s often up to schools to provide pupils with a rich diet of reading materials. Happily,wider reading policies are now taking greater priority in schools. The new nationalcurriculum is much more demanding of young readers, listing literary heritage texts atKS2, and has many references to the need for more poetry and more quality texts, and itwill be hard to deliver this without effective school libraries and book availability.Linking reading is pertinent here – by asking for links between texts, teacherscan find out what pupils are reading outside lessons and build from there. Links willhopefully be made quite"
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Leadership

Creative approaches to teaching texts from the past

21 Sep 2015

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      string(5753) "“The limits of my language are the limits of my world,” said the great 20th century philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein. He adds, “Language is much more than a communication medium, it is a shaper of reality. Teachers, who are figures of authority and tone-setters, name situations and through the choice of their diction and syntax will create limitations and affordances. Keeping language mindful, open to possibilities, inclusive and positive is vital. The challenge is to remain metacognitively conscious of the power of language at all times so that the reality we shape is what we want it to be. When we stop thinking, the language we produce can be sloppy, deterministic and prejudiced.” Wittgenstein’s thought-provoking words made me begin to think about my own use of language. Just a few years ago, I was co-teaching in a middle school language arts classroom. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

Shaping Reality with the Language of Thinking

10 Oct 2018

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      string(4155) "There seems to be a common belief and general consensus of sorts that young people, these ‘digital natives’, have a higher level of digital ability than the people teaching them. This stereotype of older people not being able to keep up with the times has been around for generations and has very little to do with the current state of affairs, as compelling a notion as it is. This viewpoint is problematic in education as it perpetuates a pernicious myth that the failures of the education system to suitably prepare students for their adult lives is the fault of the luddite teachers who can’t cope with changing times. Certainly, training and exchange of ideas about teaching techniques and schools must be ongoing, but the assumption that young people are somehow automatically digitally literate is problematic. It perpetuates the myth that it is a lack of gadgets, apps or games that are creating the barriers to access, rather than a pedagogical or institutional failing. Young people are great at using and manipulating technology for things that motivate them, which in the teen years, is often related to social connectivity and rewards. This means that they are masters at growing their social media following and mastering complex video games. They are also wired to learn quickly, which is why it’s such a crucial time for them to be educated to perform complex and challenging tasks and to develop the thought processes and problem solving abilities that will keep them in good stead once the pruning, myelination and remodelling stage of their brain development is over. At this stage of their lives, there is so much potential for education to either hinder their prospects or enable them to flourish and develop. The DfE’s recently announced tech strategy is certainly an improvement over not having one at all, but there is a critical feature lacking with it, and that is a focus on learning. There is a very prominent focus on reducing administrative tasks for teachers and developing partnerships with the tech industry, primarily for infrastructure and safeguarding needs. But learning is not addressed. Rather than revolutionising technology for learning by making advanced platforms available for personalised learning or creating interactive experiences that advance learning through knowledge sharing or community building, the strategy focuses on industry partnerships, anti-cheating software and increasing administrative capacity.The current problems relating to digital literacy being identified by employers are not that young people don’t know how to use a computer, but rather that they don’t know how to solve the problems the businesses are trying to address. The current generation is not used to building things or searching for answers to an unknowable question. They don’t understand the power of advanced coding and mathematics to create systems and allow people to build things. They are used to having answers given via Google and social media. Many people think the answer to a technology problem is ‘Did you restart it?’, instead of ‘how can we solve climate change?’ The more advanced the technology we use, it seems, the less care and attention are given to problem-solving and critical thinking. The UK is far behind the United States and China in its digital education strategy and from the looks of this current offering, they intend for it to stay that way. The strategy primarily focuses on infrastructure, but with only a £10 million backing (about £400 per school), we can expect it to have minimal impact. But it is not just the lack of financial investment. People have been asking why the UK doesn’t have its own version of Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, and they could equally ask why the UK doesn’t have its own version of Microsoft, Google or Apple for education. Maybe this is because tech leaders like Bill Gates see computers as tools of communication, creativity and collaboration, areas conspicuously missing from the DfE’s edtech strategy. Jory Debenham Editor"
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Digital Learning

Editor’s note: What does it mean to be digitally literate?

12 Aug 2019

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      string(373) "... adds a distinctive visual element to geographical exploration.  Google Lit Trips (KS1–5) www.googlelittrips.orgGoogle Lit Trips takes its users on innovative tours of literature, exploring how geography and stories connect. It adds depth and perspective to readings as students immerse themselves in literary field trips, becoming virtual travel ..."
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      string(232) "The Top Apps section this month features a variety of applications that can support factual learning about the world, as well as promoting creative and critical thinking and making deep connections between topics. "
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      string(5663) "(KS2–5)media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/biomeviewer_webThe BiomeViewer is a unique reference app that allows users to explore the ecosystems and biomes across the world. The app is intuitive to use, making it easy to learn about the area where you live or to compare areas across the world. It has information about temperature, climate, precipitation, wildlife and other climate features. There is a layer that displays anthromes, which reflect the impact of human activity on the ecosystem. Historical data are available for the years 1950–2000. The areas can be searched by place name, lat/long, or by clicking on an area on the globe map. The view can be with or without gridlines and political boundaries, but in all cases the biome areas are displayed in colour coded areas. The maps can be viewed in a globe or a flat map view. All searched areas can be saved for later reference and there are options to compare places with each other. The data and the app lend themselves easily to various types of tasks and open-ended exploration. There are some educator resources and ideas included in the settings section, but they are not especially extensive. However, there are some external links to extensive classroom resources using a wide variety of multimedia resources. BiomeViewer is a brilliant resource that adds a distinctive visual element to geographical exploration.  Google Lit Trips (KS1–5) www.googlelittrips.orgGoogle Lit Trips takes its users on innovative tours of literature, exploring how geography and stories connect. It adds depth and perspective to readings as students immerse themselves in literary field trips, becoming virtual travel companions of the characters in the stories. Each lit trip follows a unique route depending on the selected story. Users advance the trip, zooming into locations either in the order provided or by clicking each location in the sidebar. Once zoomed in, users see a pop-up video, photo, tutorial, informative text, or question(s) about that geographical region or place in the storyline. There is a wide range of extension activities, including higher-order thinking questions, photos, text, and information, making it a great resource for whole class discussions as well as group projects and individual learning. There is also an option for students and teachers to create their own lit trips, allowing for the gaps to be filled if they’re studying a text that isn’t part of the library, or creating an opportunity for a creative cross-curricular project. One other feature that is available, but which is still limited in scope is the ‘Literary Locations’ visits, which are virtual visits to real world locations of literary interest. ‘A Walk Down Cannery Row’ offers a virtual walking tour of Cannery Row featuring places of interest to John Steinbeck. ‘Author Homes’ is the innovative creation of Beryl Reid, who has created 3D models of homes of famous authors such as Mark Twain, Herman Melville and other. The app is free but it requires computer access to Google Earth and an internet connection. The lit trip is accessed via a downloadable zip file that is sent via email, so access to email is also necessary. The app does not give historical tours—it will show the places how they look today, so that may open up discussion about the connection between time and place.Expeditions (KS1–5) edu.google.com/products/vr-ar/expeditionsGoogle’s Expeditions makes geography immersive using virtual reality and augmented reality. Teachers can guide students through 360o scenes and 3D objects, exploring places all over the world. Using the Expeditions app, a mobile device and an optional cardboard or Daydream AR viewer, more than 100 expeditions are available that allow classes to visit the Parthenon in Greece, become immersed in outer space, explore African animals up close, delve into the topographic features of the continents or visit famous landmarks or sports stadiums. If a virtual reality viewer is not available, the expeditions can still be experienced through augmented reality. Each expedition is made up of various scenes that include 360o panoramas and 3D images. The content is provided by Google and partners, including National Geographic, the Guggenheim, PBS, the American Museum of Natural History and the Planetary Society. As an extra feature, students and teachers can use Tour Creator to create their own virtual tour (See Digital Learning article Dive Right in with VR Tech for ideas on using Tour Creator). Although the app is free, various classroom kits can be purchased that include teacher and student devices, virtual reality viewers, chargers and a router to connect the devices. Barefoot World Atlas (KS1–2)barefootbooks.com/buy-barefoot/apps/barefoot-world-atlasFor primary students, this interactive world map is a great tool for helping them visualise the idea of countries and cultures in a tangible way. Upon opening the app, the child can pinch, tilt and zoom around the world, learning about countries, population and topography, looking at animals, culture and other topics of interest around the world. It has many encyclopaedic entries, as well as real-time data such as temperature, time and carbon footprints of cities. It has associated music and effects soundscapes for different regions of the world and audio narration by BBC TV presenter Nick Crane. The 3D rotations of historical objects are taken from the Royal Geographical Society. Users can set favourite places, and search by country, region and continent to get more"
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Digital Learning

8 Apps for Enriching your Geography Lessons

10 Mar 2020

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      string(361) "... is adapted to its environment and why each feature was chosen. The children present their ideas to the rest of the class who act as ‘critical friends’ by asking questions and suggesting alternative uses. Creature creationsAnimals and plants living in different climates are often well-suited to their environment. The ..."
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      string(3320) "Activity 10 instructionsExploring AfricaActivity 10: Creature creations Key words: science, art, literacy, adaptations, animals, plants, climates, rainforest, desert, savannah, steppe, Africa, environment, biology, research, creativity  Key stages 2-4Description Students design a plant or animal that is adapted to life in a chosen African climate – desert, savannah, rainforest or steppe. Curriculum FocusScience (biology), literacy (writing), thinking skills, research, art Materials Included in this resource pack:Activity sheet 10 – Student introduction Groupings Individuals or pairsProcedureHand out Activity sheet 10. Discuss how animals and plants adapt to their environment – there are some examples on the sheet.Choose one of Africa’s many climates – desert, savannah, rainforest or steppe. Discuss attributes of plants and animals that live in the chosen climate. What could you take from different animals or plants to produce the perfect living thing for this environment?Ask the children to draw a detailed diagram showing the features of the animal or plant they have invented and how their new creature uses them. Pupils could borrow from existing animals or plants or create a completely new creature.The children need to write a detailed explanation demonstrating how their plant or animal is adapted to its environment and why each feature was chosen. The children present their ideas to the rest of the class who act as ‘critical friends’ by asking questions and suggesting alternative uses. Creature creationsAnimals and plants living in different climates are often well-suited to their environment. The various traits and features that help a creature to survive and flourish in its habitat are called adaptations.For example, many animals living in the Sahara Desert have adapted to a lack of water and survive on the water their body absorbs from its food source. Others have adapted in the way their feet or hooves allow them to move over sand.Another example is the way tropical trees anchor themselves to the ground. Rainforests have a shallow layer of fertile soil, so trees only need shallow roots to reach the nutrients. However, shallow roots can’t support huge rainforest trees, so many tropical trees have developed huge buttress roots. These stretch from the ground to two metres or more up the trunk and help to anchor the tree to the ground.You are going to create an animal or plant that will live in one of the many African climates – desert, savannah, rainforest or steppe. You can combine the features of existing plants and animals with your own ideas to create a plant or creature that would be perfectly adapted to its environment.Draw a detailed diagram of your plant or creature.Label the diagram showing the features you have taken from other creatures, explaining what plant or animal currently uses them and whether your new creature uses them in the same way. Are there any features of this creature that you have made up yourself?Now write an explanation demonstrating how your new animal or plant is adapted to its environment and explain why each feature was chosen. Remember, you will need to name your plant or animal!© Imaginative Minds Ltd"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Activity 10 Resource Pack: Creature creations

15 Aug 2014

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