January 15, 2018
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Comments Off on Learning outside the classroom
Recently, I discovered through Sue Cowley (Teach Early Years Magazine), that 3/4 of children now spend less time outside than prison inmates do, and with 3/10 children in Scotland overweight or obese (5-14) – primary schools need to have more outdoor learning and children need to be better educated. There are many benefits from learning …
December 24, 2017
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Comments Off on Rudolph, I’ve got a letter for you (and Santa too, of course)!
Before you immerse yourself in these words for a few minutes, you will be all the wiser from knowing that this blog post is my Christmas Eve letter to Santa (and Rudolph). Don’t worry, I’m old enough to realise that Santa is a fictional character, but the magic can still exist- right?! Merry Christmas for … Continue reading “Rudolph, I’ve got a letter for you (and Santa too, of course)!” Continue reading
November 26, 2017
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Comments Off on Outdoor Learning
I am a huge fan of outdoor learning! I think my passion has mostly stemmed from my experiences working in a nature nursery, where I saw many of the benefits of the outdoor environment for my children. Unfortunately, I see much less outdoor learning taking place in school. So, what is outdoor learning? Well the … Continue reading Outdoor Learning → Continue reading
November 17, 2017
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Comments Off on “Maths is truth, truth maths”: Romanticism, Poetry and Mathematics
The Romantic Period, an intellectual, literary and artistic movement that swept across Europe, saw a change in the way society viewed the world during the late 1700s and early 1800s (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2005). Nature was increasingly becoming more valuable to the Romantics during a time of industrial revolution, where trade and business was becoming king. […] Continue reading
November 14, 2017
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Comments Off on A Poor View on Society
After a recent lecture on Socio-Political Perspectives on Poverty, I realised how wrong I was about the ‘type’ of people who find themselves in the ‘lower class’ bracket of society. Before going to the lecture, I was asked to write down my views on those who experience poverty; their characteristics, lifestyle, attitude to life etc. […] Continue reading
November 7, 2017
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Comments Off on The importance of the ‘+’
If there is one thing I’ll always care about it’s the LGBTQ+ community. A community on the rise without a doubt but one that is still far too under represented in almost all aspects of our daily lives. Our hetero-normative world is often guilty of overlooking such a vibrant part of our society and even […] Continue reading
November 6, 2017
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Comments Off on “Get a grip” attendance campaign
An article published by the BBC caught my attention today, concerning pupils absences from school and the approach undertaken by one council to tackle it. The “Get a grip” campaign was launched by East Sussex County Council which recently has faced significant backlash, and I can understand why. The nature of the campaign can be … Continue reading “Get a grip” attendance campaign → Continue reading
November 6, 2017
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Comments Off on Curiosity in Science
This is all about curiosity and why it is important to promote curiosity amongst children. Continue reading
November 4, 2017
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Comments Off on Analogue Clocks: Pointless and Confusing?
Living in a digital world, I ask the question: do we need to teach pupils how to read an analogue clock in schools? Although most of us have converted to digital clocks in our online, digital world with our smartphones, computers and televisions; we cannot deny that our encounters with analogue clocks are not completely […] Continue reading
November 2, 2017
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Comments Off on Ciao, adios, we’re done.
(Before reading, please be aware that this post strongly discusses my views on western feminism. All views are my own- I completely appreciate if you don’t support them.) Boys,I could tell you that I love being a female. I could boast day and night to the apparently ‘strong’ species that you are, exclaiming that being … Continue reading “Ciao, adios, we’re done.” Continue reading
October 30, 2017
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Comments Off on Girls Can Be Spooky Too!!
Ah yes, it’s that time of year again. Colder days, darker nights, orange-toned fashion trends and the return of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte™. Autumn is in full swing, winter is looming and Halloween is just around the corner. Halloween brings about many questions. What will we do? Where will we go? Who will we go […] Continue reading
October 27, 2017
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Comments Off on Basis Behind Belief?
In our country there would have been a period in which whatever the Pope said was what should be obeyed. For many centuries, the Ten Commandments were the ground rules. Has there not been a century when the king’s word was the final word (ever heard of Henry the 8th)? A few weeks ago in […] Continue reading
October 25, 2017
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Comments Off on “Can we fix it?”
When in the classroom it appears children are really innocent and do not realise what is expected of them. To some extent this is true but, without children realising, they are being socialized into what society expects them to be. Children of any age, size, race, ethnicity, gender should be allowed to be who they […] Continue reading
October 24, 2017
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Comments Off on (10.10.17 Values) Poverty
Poverty: the word on the bottom of everyone’s cup of tea. I guess you could say I’ve lived a relatively cosy life. I’ve always had a roof over my head, food in my stomach and lights to comfort me… well, sort of. As a child, I lived in a tenement and no, not a cool […] Continue reading
October 23, 2017
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Comments Off on Boys will be boys?
There’s so much talk nowadays about gender. Binary, non-binary, fluid, female, male, the list seems never ending especially when the majority of us have been brought up knowing only two and those two have been so separated that we find it difficult to see how they can merge. A few weeks ago there was an […] Continue reading
October 18, 2017
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Comments Off on Finding your voice
Our first lecture in the values module looked at the themes ’empathy and the sociological imagination’. Before this input, we were asked to look through various materials and one video, a talk by Clint Smith, in particular has stuck with me over the last few weeks. Sharing your thoughts and opinions is a struggle that …
October 18, 2017
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Comments Off on “Everyone is different…”
“But that means everyone can fit in” (Paddington The Movie, 2014) Just from one quote, Paddington the Movie could stem a lot of lessons about inclusion, respecting diversity and expressing feelings. However, this was not the reason behind watching this film. We had been told about Paddington the Movie in our social studies elective as …
October 14, 2017
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Comments Off on Po-Value-rty and Education
Our lives are constantly changing – and so must our values. It’s not something I’ve ever really stopped to ponder about until now. I know I am only eighteen – and that according to society, I should be living up my youth- but reaching the age of majority has added a new dimension of seriousness. … Continue reading “Po-Value-rty and Education” Continue reading
October 12, 2017
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Comments Off on National Coming Out Day.
With yesterday being National Coming Out Day, now seems a better time than ever to discuss my story. Here goes… I’m straight. From a young age, I did not feel like there was something very different about how I acted or who I liked. I was not worried about sharing who I really was for […] Continue reading
October 12, 2017
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Comments Off on I know the caterpillar is hungry but do I need to know why?
Another fun filled expedition with my Ruby to delve into the world of science. This time it was another impromptu discussion brought up by the world around us. The location was the cycle path along by Barry Buddon (army base), a lovely contrast of environments: golf and a train track on one side and gunfire […] Continue reading
