So what is a Digital Breakout or Escape Room or Cracking the Code activity anyway? Cracking the Code to break out and escape in a classroom story scenario by solving the puzzles in a classroom activity – where learners have to solve puzzles in order to get a code for each step to reveal the next …
Category: Problem Solving
Fake, Fiction or Fact? How can learners be helped to work out what’s true?
There are so many choices for sources of news for learners to find out about what’s going on the world today, whether printed media, online news sites or social media. But how can learners be helped to be able to work out if what they are reading has any substance in fact, how accurate the information is, or what …
Simulations to engage pupils in their learning
15 Simulations to Gamify Your Class – this post by Jacqui Murray lists and describes a variety of online tools which let learners interact with a situation and make choices, which lead to different options depending on their choices. These include historical situations, life choices, enterprise activities and science and technology scenarios where the learner …
What would happen if…..? ICT tools to develop inquiry and investigation skills in science in the primary classroom
ICT tools to develop skills of scientific inquiry and investigation One of the main purposes of learning in the sciences is to develop skills of scientific inquiry and investigation using practical techniques. From “Sciences: Principle and Practice” from Education Scotland “In the sciences, effective learning and teaching depends upon the skilful use of varied approaches, including …
Do I just Google that? Tools for Teaching Search Skills in the Primary Classroom
Nowadays many pupils, when given a research task, immediately might think to themselves, “I’ll just Google that.” Internet search engines (of which Google is only one of many) are powerful tools but many pupils use only a fraction of the power of them, and then can also have difficulty finding the information specific to the task. There …
Adding deeper understanding, fun and choice to classroom project tasks with Learning Event Generator
Teachers often look for fresh ways of setting classroom tasks for pupils to demonstrate their learning. That is, to be able to show that they have understood what they have been learning by presenting or applying that information in a different form to the way in which it may have been taught or learned. This …
What’s the Answer Wolfram|Alpha? A search engine which answers with numbers, tables and graphs
Wolfram|Alpha is a search engine with a numeracy slant! It is what is known as a computational search engine, meaning that it is numerical data that it displays in various formats when a search term is entered in the search box. To get a flavour of what this tool can do you may wish to click …
BeeBot to Logo – engaging the primary mathematician!
Programmable robots and on-screen robot simulations provide engaging practical learning in mathematics (shape, position and movement, angle, measurement & problem solving) in the primary classroom. There are a number of robots and online simulations available. Falkirk primary schools have Infant Video Toolkit software from 2Simple, Bee-Bot and Pro-Bot robots from TTS, Roamer robot from Valiant Technology, …
Handling the Information – Databases in the Primary Classroom
Handling the Information – using Databases in the Primary Classroom. In this information age being able to use a database is an essential skill. Databases are all around us and being able to use them effectively is seen as an essential skill for pupils. The task for the teacher is finding age-appropriate databases and contexts which will appeal to …
Fun or fear? Spreadsheets for Problem Solving in the Primary Classroom – fun over fear!
Mention spreadsheets to some teachers and there may be a visible shudder! For those unfamiliar with the use of spreadsheets in a primary classroom they don’t tend to conjure up ideas of a fun activity for pupils. Part of the reason for that is that for those who have used spreadsheets in their adult life, …
