Ofsted chief warns that one-size-fits-all system lets down less academic pupils
What’s the best way to deal with disruptive children?
If you were teaching a class of children, then one child disrupted the entire lesson, how would you deal with it? In this article on the Guardian website, an Oxfordshire school teacher makes the point that sometimes it might be necessary to exclude disruptive children for the benefit of the other students.
‘If my goal is overall learning, perhaps exclusion of children with disruptive behaviour is an answer,’ says Caitlin Prentice.
Photograph: Martin Godwin
Should Schools Allow Googling in Exams?
An article in The Guardian asks the question: should Googling in exams be allowed? They present two opposing views from two different people:
- Lola Okolosie thinks this approach may work better in some subjects than others, such as geography and history. She also makes the point that students will still need a solid knowledge foundation in order to quickly find what they are looking for on Google.
- Chris McGovern thinks that this would be a step backwards, and that it undermines the importance of subject knowledge.
What do you think? You can read the full article at theguardian.com here:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/30/googling-in-exams-allowed-google-searches-gcse-a-level
Gadgets make learning easier, but nothing beats real knowledge
As children return to school from their Christmas break, many of them will be equipped with fancy new gadgets such as tablets, e-readers and laptops. Although these devices are useful in the education environment, they cannot be a substitute for knowledge.
Theguardian.com: Forest schools: fires, trees and mud pies
Outdoor nurseries are sweeping the UK, their focus on fresh air and child-centred learning rather than testing. But can they prepare children for our technology-obsessed world?
Standardised testing suppresses intellectual leadership and lets some students coast
“Teacher Carl Rosin discusses his alternative assessment model and why he wishes his school wasn’t top of state rankings in Pennsylvania”