3.1 Teaching and Learning – Page 4

Protected: My Urban Environment

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Protected: Sustainable Development: Environment Learning Log

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Situated Communication – Outdoor Experience

Within my group there was no designated group leader, as all the groups were small we were all able to contribute ideas and take lead if need be. Due to no group leader being decided it allowed everyone in the group to suggest strategies and explain how they would carry out their ideas, this in turn meant that no one was excluded. The most challenging aspect about working in this group for me was still not knowing everyone in my group and trying to get to know them whilst remaining focused on the task set.

When another group came to explain their ideas and actions for tackling the challenge I think they explained it clearly and concisely. They used eye contact with everyone in my group and supported their ideas with reasoning. They also would refer to certain materials they used and demonstrated how they were useful so that others were able to visual their thoughts. When speaking the group were also loud and clear so that they were able to be heard by everyone, however they were not shouting.

The environment had a slight impact on our communication as it was often difficult to hear some members of the group due to the noise surrounding us for example, the trees blowing in the wind. When explaining to others our ideas we changed the volume of our voices so that we were able to be heard over the background noise but made sure not to shout or have an aggressive tone. It was challenging speaking over the sounds of the environment however it can be made easier by making eye contact with your audience and for those listening to be making eye contact in return. This ensures that the speaker and the audience are paying attention to one another. Also to overcome this if possible try and make the surrounding areas quiet and less distracting.

The negotiations that my group made with others were successful as we were able to trade them an item of material in return for something of theirs. The most challenging aspect about the negotiation was trying to convince the other group to trade certain items without coming across rude or informal.

Protected: Sustainable Development – The Environment Learning Log

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Protected: Learning Log – The Environment 21/09/18

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Protected: Integrated Arts in Education – week one

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Integrated Arts in Education 11/09/2018

Today was the first day of the Integrated Arts module. This is an area that I am slighty out of touch with, as I have not been around the Arts for some time. When I left school and became employed full time, the Arts were forgotten about as they were no longer a priority of […]

This is a common theme, which we discussed in our seminars today. The Arts are unfortunately not seen as a priority with in the curriculum, unlike subjects such as, numeracy and literacy which are. In our discussions I discovered that the Arts allow us to use our imagination and give us oppertunity to express feelings that we cannot often speak of or write down. The Arts allow us to be creative, self-reflect and also to have self-confidence.

While looking at some children’s artwork today and playing with musical instruments, I could sense my imagination working, just like it did when I was at school.

It is with this kind of imagination and drive that great ideas/inventions of the future will be created and it is important that we as educators encourage imagination. This something I look forward to, when I go out on school placement.

“The differences between the arts subjects maybe as important as the similarities because between them they offer a range of expressive outlets, each making demands and offering opportunities that are unique and quite specific” (Ross, 1976 cited in Burnard , 2006).

References

Burnard, P (2006) Rethinking the Imperatives for Reflective Practices in Arts Education, in Reflective Practices in Arts Education Series: Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, Vol. 5 Burnard, Pamela; Hennessy, Sarah (Eds.) Dordrecht: Springer.
McAuliffe, D. (2007) Foundation and Primary Settings. In Teaching Art and Design 3-11. London: Continuum.

Digital Technologies – Week 11 – QR Codes and Outdoor Learning – 20/03/18

This week’s lesson was focused on QR Codes and Outdoor learning. Unfortunately I was unable to attend this lesson. Outdoor learning has a positive impact on a child’s ability to learn. Education Scotland (2010) says that “…it’s clear that the outdoor environment offers motivating, exciting, different, relevant and easily accessible activities from pre-school years through […]

This week’s lesson was focused on QR Codes and Outdoor learning. Unfortunately I was unable to attend this lesson.

Outdoor learning has a positive impact on a child’s ability to learn. Education Scotland (2010) says that “…it’s clear that the outdoor environment offers motivating, exciting, different, relevant and easily accessible activities from pre-school years through to college.” Children like to be outside. I remember when I was at school and the teacher said we were going out- even just into the playground- we all got very excited and looked forward to the lesson.

There are many areas of the curriculum that outdoor learning can cover, Health and Wellbeing, Science and even Maths. When I was on placement, the children went into the playground to learn about using a compass, and the directions, before they started a maths lesson to do with co-ordinates. Learning outdoors can make the lesson more relevant and give it more depth than when just sitting in a classroom (Learning Teaching Scotland, 2010).

Working outdoors can help develop critical thinking skills, children make links between the curriculum. It can also help their personal development, communicating with others and problem solving. It can also help to include children who perhaps do not like to participate normally, or find formal, indoor lessons hard to cope with. “…the outdoor environment encourages staff and students to see each other in a different light, building positive relationships and improving self-awareness and understanding of others.” (Education Scotland, 2010).

The digital technology part of this week’s lesson was a QR treasure hunt. QR codes can link to text, an audio recording, a map location or a calendar event. To work out the codes we scan them with a QR reader which is an app that can be downloaded onto the iPad. On the treasure hunt, each clue had a QR code attached which when scanned would ask a question. From answering the question correctly a letter was found at each station that was an anagram of an associated word. I think that this kind of game sounds like it would work really well with pupils as well because they will think they are just having fun, but they are learning as well. I am sad to have missed this week’s lesson as it looks really interesting.

The CfE Outcomes I identified are:

I work on my own and with others to understand text using appropriate resources, demonstrating my
understanding by matching written words to pictures and by reconstructing the text in a logical sequence, for example. MLAN 2-08a.

Opportunities to carry out different activities and roles in a variety of settings have enabled me to identify my
achievements, skills and areas for development. This will help me to prepare for the next stage in my life and
learning. HWB 2-19a.

This week was the end of the Digital Technologies module. I have to say that I am very glad I chose this module. I have thoroughly enjoyed every week and feel that I have learned a lot. I also feel that I have loads of new ideas that I would be confident to plan a lesson around. At the beginning of the module I though that technology could only be applied to ICT in schools, but through the weeks I have seen that it can be used in almost every area of the curriculum to enhance teaching and learning. I also feel that I have the skills to decide where a digital technology lesson would be appropriate, rather than using them all of the time. I also know that it is the teacher’s responsibility to have good knowledge themselves about the technology they teach and I will make sure that I keep up to date with the new technology as it comes out.

References

Education Scotland (2010) Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning.

Learning and Teaching Scotland (2010) Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning.

Scottish Government (2008) The Curriculum for Excellence [Online] Available: http://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/all-experiences-and-outcomes.pdf [Accessed: 9th April].

Digital Technologies – Week 10 – Games-based Learning – Minecraft – 13/03/18

Today’s lesson was revisiting games based learning, this week focusing on Minecraft. “Minecraft has become a global sensation, prized by teenagers, adults and, in particular, seven- to 12-year-olds” (The Guardian, 2014). I was particularly excited for today’s lesson as I had played Minecraft a few times in the past, but never for long. I was […]

In class today we had a visit from a group of primary 6 children and their class teacher. They visited to tell and then show us how the used the game Minecraft to enhance their learning. The children came with iPads from the school that had Minecraft installed. For the first part of our session with the children, they showed us how to play the game, and what they had been creating in class. As a whole class they had been creating a Harry Potter world. They had been working in small groups and then linking it all together using the internet – this is one part I am still a little unsure on, but it was amazing to see! For the second part of the session the iPads were handed over to us and the children became the teacher. Some adults in my group had clearly never played it before and were quite slow- much slower than the children. It was funny to see how frustrated they got with them as for the children it must be very simple. Lucky for me I have played Minecraft a few times before and know the basic controls. The two boys in my group were impressed with how I played it- I think they were glad one adult knew what they were doing! It is important that we as teachers do have a good grasp ourselves before teaching it to pupils and this is confirmed by Beauchamp (2012) who states, “Achieving particular educational objectives through the use of the game was more dependent upon a teacher’s knowledge of the curriculum with which they were working than it was on their ability with the game.”

While the pupils were having their break, we had an opportunity to talk to the class teacher about why she chose to use Minecraft to teach and in what ways it could be used. An example would be to use it as a stimulus in topic work. The teacher said that she herself had used it to teach topics such as the Titanic and Ancient Egypt. Children can use Minecraft to build a world based on this time, either individually or working as a group. After this, the children could then have a literacy lesson or art lesson based on what they had created. Writing a story about it or trying to replicate what they had built through painting.

The CfE Experiences and Outcomes I chose for this lesson are:

I enjoy creating texts of my choice and I regularly select subject, purpose, format and resources to suit the needs of my audience. LIT 1-20a/LIT2-20a

When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can exchange information, experiences, explanations, ideas and opinions, and clarify points by asking questions or by asking
others to say more. LIT 1-09a

I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways. TCH 1-04b/TCH 2-04b

There are many reasons and ways we as student teachers can optimise using games based learning in a classroom to help enhance teaching and learning. By doing this correctly and by having the relevant knowledge ourselves we can really help to engage children, particularly those who previously would have been unwilling to participate in normal lessons. I will definitely use this approach, and mine craft in particular in future lessons I may plan.

Image result for minecraft

Minecraft, Video Game, Blocks, Block, Computer Game

References

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.

The Guardian (2014) Minecraft: here’s one I made earlier [Online] Available: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/14/minecraft-computer-game-success [Accessed: 9th April].

Pixabay.com. (2018). Free Images – Pixabay. [Online] Available at: https://pixabay.com [Accessed: 9th April].

Scottish Government (2008) The Curriculum for Excellence [Online] Available: http://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/all-experiences-and-outcomes.pdf [Accessed: 9th April].

Digital Technologies – Week 9 – Game-based Learning – 06/03/18

This week’s lesson was focused on games based learning, focusing on the games console, the Wii. Unfortunately I was unable to attend this input but through talking with my peers and looking over the class material I have a good idea of what went on. At first the class were asked to create a mind […]

At first the class were asked to create a mind map on why games based learning is an effective tool. My own thoughts on this are:

It is fun,
Interactive,
Engaging,
Creative.

By talking with peers I can also add:

It is stress free,
It gets the children’s attention,
Reinforces knowledge,
Promotes team work.

The Higher Education Academy Website states that, “Digital Games-based Learning is the integration of gaming into learning experiences to increase engagement and motivation.”

Games based learning is one which can be used for cross curricular learning and is one that children of all ages can participate in and enjoy. Game-based Learning being adaptable to all ages is backed up by (Porter, 2004, p.35) when he states “The digital environment provides a unique opportunity to empower people of all ages”. Although the internet and digital, online games are a relatively new phenomenon, the links between play and learning are long since established. Theorists Jean Piaget and Leonard Vygotsky have argued that “play is a crucial component of cognitive development from birth and through adulthood. ” (Higher Education Academy Website). Learning Teaching Scotland’s study found that “Game-based approaches present an excellent opportunity to engage students in activities which can enhance learning and produce a range of educational benefits.”

Overall, games based learning seems to be a great way to engage pupils in the lesson and make it more fun. Due to not being at the lesson I was not able to complete the assigned task. However, having looked over peers work, I can see that games based learning can cover many curricular areas, it just depends what lesson I as a student teacher would choose to base it on.

References

Higher Education Academy (2017) Gamificaiton and Games-Based learning [Online] Available: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/gamification-and-games-based-learning [Accessed: 9th April]

Learning Teaching Scotland The impact of console games in the classroom: Evidence from schools in Scotland Available: http://moodle.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/105145/mod_resource/content/1/Console_Games_report.pdf [Accessed: 9th April]