November witnessed the first meeting of the PE working group at St Margaret’s Academy. The group is made up of primary and secondary PE specialists, school staff members and senior management and has been tasked with reflecting on the second and third level PE provision across the St Margaret’s cluster. The inaugural meeting was attended by 19 members of primary and secondary staff who discussed the PE provision currently on offer to P6 and P7 pupils across the associated primaries and S1 and S2 pupils within St Margaret’s.
Tag Archives: Communication
Pass the Parcel – AifL
Laura Williamson Modern Languages Department
I recently observed a colleague in the Modern Languages department using a rather novel and fun way of assessing pupils’ knowledge. The activity, as the name suggests consists of a box that is passed around the room while music plays. The box is filled with sentences to translate, when the music stops the pupil holding the box must open the box and pick out a random sentence to translate. This activity works well because it is fun and the pupils do not realise they are practising their language work. It also helps the teacher avoid always picking the same pupils to answer whilst helping more shy pupils to be become more confident.
This is a great activity for revision and consolidation. The sentences can be of varying difficulty and tenses to suit all learners. The chosen phrase if translated unsuccessfully or answered incorrectly can then even be passed to other pupils, this promotes peer learning. This type of activity can be utilised in other subject areas by substituting the sentences with questions about specific topics.
Consultation on the Revision of the Professional Standards
The General Teaching Council for Scotland are currently consulting with all stakeholders with an interest in Scottish education regarding their Revision of the Draft Framework of the Professional Standards. As such they are inviting your views and suggestions with respect to the attached draft Professional Standards. To participate in the consultation process which closes on October 31st please click here.
S3 Profiling and the Profile – Progress Update
During the INSET day that took place on the 18th of September the Profile team and representatives from most curricular areas engaged in discussions where the next steps towards the creation of the S3 profile were agreed. The next steps included:
- Plans for completion of S3 profile using an amended version of the NAR pilot with a deadline of early December in time for the S3 Consultation meeting
- More information would be shared with parents through the newsletter
- S3 focus week on skills to gather information for pupils to understand their learning in terms of skill development Continue reading S3 Profiling and the Profile – Progress Update
Working Together for Better Science Learning – a Cluster Approach to CPD
St Margaret’s Academy Science department has been approached by SSERC to develop the transition process in science. The rationale and outline of this programme: “Working Together for Better Science Learning – a Cluster Approach to CPD programme” can be downloaded here. Myself and colleague Keith Varty along with one of our primary colleagues Jennifer Currie were invited along to the first workshop of the Armadale cluster to see how this works and if it is something that we would be interested in leading across our cluster. Each cluster primary school had sent at least two representatives to this event and Armadale Academy also had members of the science department there to help support their primary colleagues in the science tasks carried out during the workshop.
Continue reading Working Together for Better Science Learning – a Cluster Approach to CPD
S3 Profiling and the Profile – Presentation
Frances Laing (Senior Head of House)
The S3 Profiling and the Profile Presentation aimed to engage staff in the profiling process. It aspired to share the key messages contained in building the curriculum 5 a framework for assessment about the profile and the process involved in producing it. There is a requirement for pupils at key transition times to create a profile and our present S3 cohort will be our first year group to experience Broad General Education and move into the Senior Phase of the new curriculum.
We in our classes should be aware that for our young people to create this profile they have to experience opportunities in their day to day learning that allows them to reflect and realise their achievements. This is part of learning and teaching and should be ongoing through S1 to S3. Below is an example of what this profile may look like. Further information from Education Scotland can be located here.
Pets in the classroom
Andy Wilson (TLC Dept), Maddy Quinn (TLC Dept) and Keith Varty (Biology/Science Department)
After watching a Horizon programme which focused on the theory that dogs evolved the way that they did in order to appeal to man and also studies linking the release of oxytocin in humans with working with dogs, Miss Wilson and Miss Quinn chose to do some professional reading of research describing the benefits of using pets in the classroom. Some of this research claimed that school pets have been found to:
- motivate pupils to think and to learn, as children have a high level of natural interest, enthusiasm and enjoyment of animals
- encourage a respect and reverence for life in pupils and thereby improve their relationships with other pupils, parents and teachers
- foster a sense of responsibility in children
- teach children to nurture and respect life
- improve academic achievement
Further research showing that teachers have also found therapeutic benefits for children with special needs and how pets in schools also have social benefits for the school community can be accessed here and here.
This professional reading led to Mrs Wilson and Mrs Quinn organising a day where Mr Varty would bring his well trained, placid dog Laika to the TLC to deliver a lesson focusing on the responsibilities of having a dog. This lesson provided pupils with the opportunity to ask questions observe and participate in obedience training whilst continually interacting with Laika.
After reflection pupils made the following quotes about having a dog in the TLC for the day:
“It was very well trained and it was a very good feeling to have a dog in the class because she was very friendly.”
“It was a cool dog and it made me happy.”
” If we had a dog regularly in class it would make us more motivated”
” if we had a dog regularly in class it would make us more peaceful”
Health and wellbeing – Values Workshop
Frank Quinn – Principal Teacher R.E. Department
This workshop combined several areas for development within the school: continuing work started by the Chaplaincy team on the school mission statement, highlighting some key values stressed in “This is our Faith” and the Experiences and Outcomes of Health & Wellbeing.
We wanted to raise awareness of the key values which lie at the heart of our School Mission Statement and which emanate through all areas of the school, especially the relationships between staff and the young people and between colleagues. The first part of the workshop, the scenario, was set up to encourage discussion over professional methods and the values which staff demonstrate. The second part of the workshop raised the awareness for all staff of the values expected of them as part of the St Margaret’s community.
The PowerPoint used in this workshop can be accessed here whilst the Mission Statement of St. Margaret’s Academy can be accessed here.
Active Learning using Tarsia cards in Science
Mr Varty’s S2 Science class have recently been learning about plastics as part of the Chemistry Compounds unit that they have been completing. One of the learning intentions from this lesson was that pupils should be able to identify the name of a plastic when provided with the name of the monomer. Pupils were formatively assessed using Tarsia cards that required pupils to work collaboratively with their peers to match the correct monomer to the polymer that it could form. If successful each side of every triangle would have a correct match. The following video shows two groups working on this activity.
Here is an example of one groups cards that were about to be formatively assessed.
Tarsia cards for any subject or activity can be made using the software from the following website that can be accessed by clicking here.
