Tag Archives: Active learning

Skills, Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized, Vision and Leadership

Ukulele in the Classroom

Leave a comment

Siobhan Cardow – Music Teacher

2.1  Learners’ Experiences

5.1 The Curriculum and 5.9 Improvement Through Self-Evaluation

With changes in SQA, the ukulele is now an approved instrument at National level.  This is a new and exciting instrument which pupils enjoy playing and was introduced into schools across Scotland in August 2013.  In the last year, I have attended a ukulele workshop at the Fringe Festival and expanded on my knowledge of SQA requirements whilst building upon my skills on this instrument at Scottish Association for Mucis Education (SAME) conferences and other CPD events, in order to effectively teach this instrument.  The music department ordered a class set as part of the S1 and S2 Music courses and this has led to pupils performing on the ukulele at National 4/5 levels.  It has become so popular in the department that the ukulele club is also running for the second year in a row.  It provides pupils with the challenge and enjoyment of learning an instrument as well as the opportunity to become a further part of the school, meet young people from various year groups and work with others.

Responsibility of All, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Smartphones in Education

Leave a comment

Mr Varty – Biology/Science Teacher

Recently I was having a look through the Professional Development Edmodo Community and I stumbled across “Smartphones in Education”, a free emagazine. This provide a detailed look at why and how smartphones and other technologies should be integrated in education.

The resource contains loads of lesson ideas and strategies that I know will help me make better use of our Anytime Anywhere Learning  network that we are lucky to have available to us.

http://flip.it/oqGij

Continue reading Smartphones in Education →

Interdisciplinary learning, Literacy, Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

SSERC Chemistry Residential

Leave a comment

At a recent SSERC course I was able to take part in a range of innovative practical activities that I hope to be able to integrate into our science and chemistry courses at St Margaret’s.

Practical activities included:

  • a novel method for carrying out chromatography that can be used in biology (separating compounds found in plants) in chemistry (chemical analysis in the new National 5 course)
  • etching zinc plates as a new way to demonstrate displacement reactions  – this allows a possibility of creating cross-curricular links with art (using the plates for printing) or CDT (shaping the plate to make a product).
  • ethanol rockets as a way of comparing energy from different fuels (this can be run in conjunction with physics to allow calculation of acceleration, velocity and average speed.)
  • making and analysing a shampoo from herbs and natural oils
  • extracting limonene and pectin from oranges and using the pith as an absorbent
  • looking at the properties of hydrogels
  • making ceramics
  • making liquid crystal displays

Continue reading SSERC Chemistry Residential →

Numeracy, Responsibility of All, Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized

The Mathematical Association Secondary Education Mathematics Conference

Leave a comment

Bronagh  McKeown – Mathematics Teacher

On Saturday 14th September four members of the maths department attended ‘The Mathematical Association Secondary Education Mathematics Conference’ held in Stirling University (www.m-a.org.uk).  The day consisted of a keynote address by Peter Ransom and then the opportunity to visit four different workshops of our own choice.    Below is a summary of the workshops I attended:

Workshop 1

This workshop was entitled ‘A Square Meal’ by Adam McBride and it was both informative and entertaining (bonus!).  The focus was on investigating Magic Squares (a square in which every row, column and diagonal have the same total).  He showed lots of cool tricks that can be investigated by pupils and the algebra behind it all which could be investigated and discussed with high ability pupils.  I found it very interesting and hope to be able to find a way to incorporate some of it into my lessons. Continue reading The Mathematical Association Secondary Education Mathematics Conference →

Responsibility of All, Self-Reflection, Teaching Pedagogy, Vision and Leadership

Science – Good Practice

Leave a comment

Keith Varty – Biology/Science Teacher

When you watch this video you will observe a Science lesson where S2 pupils were actively engaged in learning about cell biology, specifically microscopy and cell structures.  This lesson began with sharing the learning intentions, both visually and verbally, in the form of questions to allow pupils to recognise what their specific targets for successful learning would be.

Afterwards, the lesson progresses to the identification and description of parts of animal and plant cells and shows how I used an innovative approach to Smartboard use and Show Me Boards. This approach captivated pupils and  focused them on their learning, whilst ensuring that they were actively engaged in activities that would allow formative assessment of the knowledge and understanding, which they had developed during the course of the topic.

Continue reading Science – Good Practice →

Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized

Drama – Good Practice

Leave a comment

In this video you will see a glimpse of the practical element of Drama. These Standard Grade pupils are working on a Voice unit and this lesson focuses on Tone. The young people are involved in a mixture of Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic activities, to maximize involvement and understanding and to keep lessons fast-paced. All pupils get the chance to devise, rehearse, perform and evaluate, so they are constantly strengthening and sharpening their creative, cooperative, presenting and analytical skills. Standard Grade actors also present their performance work to audiences from lower years, which in turn, is a chance for S1 and S2 students to experience the Standard Grade Drama course for themselves.

Literacy, Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized

English – Good Practice

Leave a comment

Edith McCabe – English Teacher

Active Learning strategies-keeping your pupils on the ball.

It is well known in the world of teaching that active learning strategies are extremely effective. Having pupils actively involved in the learning process ensures that they retain information much more effectively. The very simply strategy of throwing a ball is incredibly beneficial; it focuses and engages even the most reluctant learners. They can’t seem to resist chucking a ball about the room! I have since discovered however, that a balloon is even more useful (noone can get hurt!). Other teachers in the deaprtment have used the balloon strategy since hearing the noise and laughter coming from one of my lessons-controlled noise of course! I usually get the pupil holding the balloon to think of a question for the person who catches it. It beats the whole class methodically answering questions that I have formulated. Often they come up with very probing and insightful questions and they learn so much from each other. It removes a lot of the attention away from the teacher and encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning.

Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All, Self-Reflection, Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized

Engaging all learners in practical lessons

Leave a comment

Sally Cameron – Health and Technology

This video shares some of the techniques we use to motivate and support the progressive, fast-paced learning of all pupils in Health and Technology.  Fifty minutes is not a long time to welcome students, share learning targets and success criteria, deliver teacher led demonstrations of key skills, reinforce points of health and safety, support pupils through a practical task whilst still ensuring there still time for peer and self-evaluation, never mind the most important task of tasting your creation! You get a real sense of this in the video as you see an early S1 class making healthy pizzas.

Continue reading Engaging all learners in practical lessons →

Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Felting CPD

Leave a comment

Diane Plenderleith – Art and Design

I decided to select Hat/Headgear design in order to enable pupils to apply the techniques and use the materials I had learned how to manipulate through my CPD. The results produced were fantastic and I feel pupils achieved better results and enjoyed studying hat/headgear design as a result. Included are examples of Headgear from 4 pupils who have added comments in support of their learning and achievements. Continue reading Felting CPD →

Interdisciplinary learning, Literacy, Responsibility of All, Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

60 Seconds News Brief (IDL – Social Studies)

Leave a comment

Dermot Doherty – Social Subjects

Following the Inter disciplinary learning (IDL) review I began to think about my practice and look for lessons that may be IDL.

As part of the first year social studies course pupils create a 60 second news brief (Modern studies section).   I teach 3 groups of 1st years and did this lesson a few weeks ago with one set, it went well and pupils really enjoyed it.

I realised this lesson could be IDL with English as pupils are practising their extended writing skills, and after speaking to Mrs Neild in English she informed me pupils cover the 5w’s (Who, when, where, what, and why) when they do their own news reports. This link to English was strengthened by also covering the 5w’s as part of our task.


Continue reading 60 Seconds News Brief (IDL – Social Studies) →