Ideas, Practices & Personal Insights

"The more you know, the easier it is to learn", is good news for teachers... mostly

The rule of thumb "the more you know, the easier it is to learn", is good news for teachers… mostly. Of course low attaining and underachieving learners get stuck in the trap: "the less you know the harder it is to learn" and then go on to develop further barriers to learning.

Passionately making the case for STEAM and creativity

Lauren Wallace, Physics teacher and STEAM Lead from Bishopbriggs Academy, shares why she sees cross-disciplinary collaboration between Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths as an integral part of her students' development As a sector, we’ve happily moved beyond the belief that Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts or Maths (STEAM) should sit isolated in a vacuum. It’s self-apparent that the most impressive, important and engaging developments in society are taking ...

Alcohol education: A ground-breaking e-learning experience

I’d like to share with you the remarkable 12 month journey we’ve been on to transform a global ‘in-school’ alcohol education programme into a ground-breaking e-learning experience, available free of charge worldwide at: https://online.smashedproject.org/uk

Championing women in teaching

While many men and women make up the teaching community across the world, there remains an imbalance, particularly within senior leadership. At primary school level, men are present at senior level at a ratio of almost 2:1. While progress has certainly been made over the years, there is still a long way to go, and this underrepresentation must be addressed at all levels if we are to inspire more women to ...

6 things I learned from observing 5 classrooms each day

As a training specialist, I enter the virtual classrooms of K-12 teachers each day. The teachers observed have a proven online curriculum and tech tools to support online learning. Yet, there are still areas of weakness that trend across schools and regions. Here are the 6 things I have learned from observing classrooms each day.

How to handle stress while teaching in a foreign country

Teaching English in a foreign country is likely to be one of the most demanding experiences you'll ever have. It entails relocating to a new country, relocating to a new home, and beginning a new career, all of which are stressful in and of themselves, but now you're doing it all at once. And you'll have to converse in a strange language you may not understand.

Is Learning Fun for You, Teacher?

Over the weekend, my family of five went to an Orlando theme park, and I decided we should really enjoy ourselves by purchasing an Unlimited Quick Queue pass. It was so worth the money! We rode every ride in the park at least twice, but one ride required us to ride down a rapidly flowing river, which quenched us with water. It was incredible that my two-year-old was laughing as ...

Employable young people or human robots?

STEM skills have been a major focus in education for over a decade and more young people are taking science, technology, engineering, and maths subjects at university than ever before, according to statistics published by UCAS. The downside of this is that the UK is now facing a soft skills crisis and the modern world will also require children to develop strong social skills as the workplaces are transformed by ...

5 ways to boost your school's eSafety

eSafety is a term that constantly comes up in school communities, and with good reason. Students across the world are engaging with technology in ways that have never been seen before. This article addresses 5 beginning tips to help you boost your school’s eSafety.

How the census can help students understand the importance of community

Darren Sayer, Associate Assistant Headteacher at Hanson Academy in Bradford, explains how the census offers a significant learning opportunity for students in England and Wales this year. By understanding the census, students can recognise and appreciate the importance of their local community, and how each individual story is part of a bigger picture. Darren explores some of the challenges their school has faced in light of the pandemic and the ...

Inspiration from e-sports takes online education to a new level

E-sports professionals, Youtubers or physics professors? Perhaps the differences are less than you might think. That is, when it comes to the technical equipment necessary for interacting with the viewers, or, in this case – the students.

Looking towards the future at Bonn International School

It goes without saying that this year has brought about an unprecedented set of challenges for us all. We are at the end of the first month of our second school closure within a year, with all pupils engaged in distance-learning and up to 20% of our pupils attending emergency supervision.