Autism has garnered much attention recently, however, despite advances in science, treatments and educational techniques, there are several common misconceptions about autistic children. We’ve looked at 5 common myths about autism and dug deep into their roots to try to reveal the truth behind these myths. Our hope is that with a greater understanding of autism, society’s perception and treatment of autistic individuals will move in a positive direction.
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After a summer full of free time – most of which kids will have spent sleeping, lazing around and playing – it’s no wonder that many pupils find the return to school a difficult adjustment. The school routine of the previous year is a distant memory, and this can make coming back into a learning environment challenging. As teachers, this is an issue we all face, but it can be exceptionally hard to address. With increasing distractions from learning (predominately in the form of smartphones and handheld games consoles) on top of the usual excitement of seeing friends again and
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Both are playground classics and should provide the same play value, shouldn’t they? In reality, they don’t.
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The debate on the relevance of games in education has raged for nearly thirty years now, but has a game finally appeared that can unite teachers and students through exploration and creativity? It’s possible, and the game is Minecraft. What is Minecraft? Minecraft is a difficult game to describe in a few sentences. Some describe it as a world-building game, as Lego in virtual form, or as an adventure game dotted with dungeons, monsters, swords and magic. In reality Minecraft is all of these things, and more. Moreover, Minecraft can be what you want it to be.
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This post is written by David Weston, Managing Director of Informed Education and first appeared on his blog here. These days, schools are awash with targets, estimates, and predicted grades. Used well, they are a way to embed a common ambitious vision for each child. Used badly, they are a demotivating, self-fulfilling prophecy of underperformance. It’s really important to understand the difference between these: Target: “I would like you to aim for…” – a reasonably ambitious goal that stretches the student. Prediction: “In my judgement you’re currently heading for…” – a professional opinion, based on evidence of assessment. Estimate: “Similar
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“This post was written by David Black, CEO of Autology who make it possible for every pupil to access a wealth of high quality electronic learning resources to support their study. You read your books on a Kindle, read your magazines on an iPad and listen to music on your smartphone – so why are students still learning in our classrooms using pen and paper? Electronic textbooks have been one of those frustrating things in technology that has always seemed just a few years away.
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This post looks at common reasons why online activities aren’t as successful as they could be, and how these barriers can be overcome.
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This post takes a look at the pros and cons of student leadership teams and how we can go about really giving ALL of our students a voice.
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This post, extolling the virtues of compulsory post 16 education is in response to a recent Guardian Article titled ‘Raising the school-leaving age will make teachers ill’
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In this guest post, Sophie Robinson discusses the Nurtured Heart approach to behaviour management and how it can be implemented in the classroom
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Head of English, David Didau, takes a look at why lesson observations are important and how we might be able to get more out of them.
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A wide range of ideas to help you get to know your new class whether you’re an NQT or an old hand.
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This post aims to suggest 10 straightforward ways to settle in to your new role whether you’re an NQT or an old lag in a new school, a fast track careerist or frantically treading water.
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Guest blogger David talks us through the process of writing outstanding job applications, based on his personal experiences of getting it both very right, and very wrong!
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Do you teach your pupils text speak? If not, here are ten reasons why you might want to consider building it into your lesson planning
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