Delays to new Scottish exams an 'option' 21 March 2012Last updated at 05:12 ET Teachers were concerned pupils would not be ready for the new exams Individual schools are to be allowed the "option" of delaying the National 4 and 5 exams for a year.
Teachers' leaders have secured the breakthrough in the dispute with the Scottish government over the new curriculum for excellence and exams. Ministers have also agreed to a £3.5m package aimed at ensuring that schools are better prepared. The exams will replace Standard Grade and Intermediate qualifications from 2013-14. In addition to the funding, secondary school teachers will also get two more in-service days to help them prepare.
Course materials for the National 4 and 5 qualifications will also be developed nationally and distributed to schools, while the national body Education Scotland will carry out an audit to determine how ready schools are. Reading. Aloud. « Bill Boyd – The Literacy Adviser. There was a time when a great deal of time in school was spent on reading – and even singing – aloud, in turn, around the class.
I remember well the feeling of dread as my turn drew nearer. Many a child was made to feel humiliated in front of his or her peers, and generally speaking, time marched very slowly. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, spoken haltingly by embarrassed thirteen year-olds over the course of an entire school year is probably not how Shakespeare had envisaged it. Little wonder then that over the past three decades the practice has fallen out of fashion, and children are rarely asked to read aloud beyond the early years of primary school.
Which is a great pity, because it is only by reading or speaking aloud that we can truly understand, or demonstrate an understanding, of the written word. English literature, a Scot’s invention. Just over a century ago, neither Oxford nor Cambridge offered degrees in English literature, but Scotland has been studying the subject since the 18th century, largely thanks to one man, Hugh Blair When I was growing up we had that kitsch patriotic tea-towel, “The average Englishman in the home he calls his castle…” that detailed the entrepreneurial innovation of the Scots from breech-loading rifles and chloroform to Mackintoshes and the television.
I didn’t realise it at the time but the subject which I would go on to study at university – English literature – could well have been added to the list. Ironic though it might seem, the idea of English literature was a valid field of academic enquiry was a Scottish invention. The first person to hold the chair was the Rev Hugh Blair. The son of a merchant, Blair was born in Edinburgh on 7 April, 1718. David Hume described him in his letters as a “vain, timid, fussy, kind-hearted man that everybody liked”. Trove of free, public domain HD video. Kony 2012: Viral Video Prompts a Teachable Moment.
Culture Digital Tools Teaching Strategies Screenshot of Kony 2012 YouTube Video By Matt Levinson Over the past weeks, schools across the country have had the chance to witness the lightning speed with which viral videos can travel around the globe, particularly when young people are involved.
Stop Stealing Dreams – Seth Godin’s Manifesto on Transforming Education. As parents we are raised to have a dream for our kids—we want them to be happy, adjusted, successful.
We want them to live meaningful lives, to contribute in positive ways, and to find and live a life that matters. And the ticket for making that dream come true? A good education. We have told our kids that if you get good grades, follow the rules and comply to standards and requirements, you will “get into a good college”, find a “good job”, and be set for a happy life ahead. Writing prompts. Writing prompts.
When the world changes... Straight up. "Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.
And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent. " Martin Luther King, Jr. Your voice will give you away. Analysing Poems using a Computer. Introduction The use of computers for the study of literary works has been a major part of humanities research for many years – especially in areas such as concordances or word lists.
This seminar illustrates how, by using a variety of free online tools students can gain a quick insight into certain uses of language by the poets of the Fist World War. Technical Requirements To use this tutorial you simply need to be connected to the internet via a web browser, to be able to download a text document and open it in a word-processor, and to know how to ‘cut and paste’. At various points you will be taken to online text analysis tools and asked to ‘cut and paste’ the text of the poems into a window in a web browser. Information about the text used.
Grammar Bytes! Grammar Instruction with Attitude. Analysing Poems using a Computer. How Pizza Became A Vegetable Through The Magic Of Influence-Peddling. Aye Right glaswegian language old scots language accent glasgow. Alice's School Report #3. Shepard Fairey's new "Occupy Hope" poster, in which Obama's face is replaced by a Guy Fawkes mask. Bullying's Everlasting Scars. The Soul Of The Class. I’ve been working on a number of things over the October break, but one thing I keep coming back to is how to improve the classroom experience for every learner — including the teacher.
One of the side effects of this reflection is the following list of questions and thoughts and observations. They are rough and ready, and many may only apply to my own practice, but I thought I’d share them with you in the hope that you may have some observations or thoughts of your own to share. Enjoy!
Teach Jane Austen, state schools to be told. Writing Projects. Read CDC's #ZombieComic Preparedness 101 Zombie Pandemic. CDC has a fun way of teaching about emergency preparedness.
Our graphic novel, "Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic" demonstrates the importance of being prepared in an entertaining way that people of all ages will enjoy. Readers follow Todd, Julie, and their dog Max as a strange new disease begins spreading, turning ordinary people into zombies.
Learningspy.visibli.