Humans Not Robots - support and resources for SEN / SpLD. The ‘Washing Hands’ of Learning: Think Pair Share. A blog about something really obvious but worth spelling out. After 25 years of teaching, I’ve been through a fair amount of dodgy INSET/CPD. As a result I am something of a ‘visiting speaker’ sceptic. However, it hasn’t all been bad; far from it. Some ideas have been very influential such as the ideas behind CASE (Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education) developed at Kings in the 1990s; also the principles of formative assessment that have trickled into our collective consciousness as teachers since ‘Inside the Black Box’.
Whilst some ideas have helped me to frame an overarching philosophy for teaching or have augmented my armoury of teaching tools, there is one simple strategy that has transformed the way I teach every lesson, every day: Think, Pair, Share. I used to be a ‘hands up’ merchant just like a lot of people. But the solution came: Every time you ask a question, get the students to think first, then discuss it in pairs before they answer.
An everyday hands-up moment.. Humanities AST Wiltshire: OfSted arrive! On the 27th and 28th of September 2012, we were ‘done’! The views, observations and opinions below are my thoughts following the OfSted inspection. They are my reflections and mine alone – and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer. So the email circulated at lunchtime on Wednesday: ‘Urgent meeting in the staff room at 3.15pm’. For someone who has been through four Ofsted inspections, it could only mean one thing! So the frantic preparations began for the arrival of the inspection team the next morning. My first thoughts went back to our last inspection in 2009, where we were graded as ‘satisfactory’ and the comments made then, that too much teaching was safe.
We were ‘done’ last time at the start of the new framework in 2009 and as a result, felt aggrieved that we had been dealt with harshly. So, I sat down to re-plan my lessons for the next two days – as you do. Day one, full teaching day…. Quick 5 minute intro from me – two simple slides on the whiteboard. Ninjawords - a really fast dictionary.
This much I know about…teaching disengaged 15 year old boys. Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary and thesaurus. Text 2 Mind Map – The text-to-mind-map converter. Befuddlr! Tagxedo - Word Cloud with Styles. Free education videos and resources for professional development | Teachers Media.