My timetable has been such that I have 3 whole days this half term with no teaching hours in the day. Rather than use this time to set up for the new academic year (new schemes mainly!) I decided it would be far more developmental to go and see an academy of the type we're becoming.
In September, we're due to become an LAET, a London branch of the Academies Enterprise Trust. Our sponsor is the LDA, and the Mayoral office - Boris Johnson's baby! It's been a little difficult to set up (in teaching you are always dealing with people who are often non-contactable due to being in the classroom most of the time!) but after an emergency phone call with me asking if I could visit an Academy THE NEXT DAY (!), I finally went on a visit.
The school itself was quite far away, in a very different part of town! The intake was completely different to ours, and their buildings looked old and dated. However, the meeting indeed was developmental. I realised just how far we had come as a school already under the guidance of our headteacher and how much we already do regarding AET expectations.
It has made me really positive regarding our future under the AET and I know that I, for one, will be embracing the change whole-heartedly.
3 Jul 2011
15 Jun 2011
Emergency INSET
My HoD is in charge of co-ordinating the trainee teacher INSET across the school. This is usually taken by AST's, SLT, etc, but yesterday he asked me if I'd do it! Today!! Don't give me much time, will you?
The topic was to be VLE's (Virtual Learning Environments) and luckily I already had a presentation prepared for a different audience so was quite happy to do it. I discussed what a VLE is, why use one and how we can use it to enhance our teaching.
MY PRESENTATION:
I made the point that the people in front of me were at the start of their careers and it was up to them to push technology as the future of learning.
I then handed out a document of all the things I could think of that a VLE could be used for:
An interesting question arose. "Is there a danger of VLE's making teachers obsolete?" Ultimately my answer is "no". Children will always need a teacher to guide their learning. But I pointed them to the work of Sugata Mitra and his "Hole in the Wall" experiment. His work is so very interesting because it shows what children can actually learn BY THEMSELVES if given the means to do it:
The topic was to be VLE's (Virtual Learning Environments) and luckily I already had a presentation prepared for a different audience so was quite happy to do it. I discussed what a VLE is, why use one and how we can use it to enhance our teaching.
I made the point that the people in front of me were at the start of their careers and it was up to them to push technology as the future of learning.
I then handed out a document of all the things I could think of that a VLE could be used for:
An interesting question arose. "Is there a danger of VLE's making teachers obsolete?" Ultimately my answer is "no". Children will always need a teacher to guide their learning. But I pointed them to the work of Sugata Mitra and his "Hole in the Wall" experiment. His work is so very interesting because it shows what children can actually learn BY THEMSELVES if given the means to do it:
Two quotes I must repeat from the second video (attributed to Arthur C. Clarke):
"A teacher that can be replaced by a machine, should be"
AND
"If children have interest, then education happens."
9 Jun 2011
Children's Shakespeare
A bit of a personal one this one.
My own child has shown an interest in reading some Shakespeare after looking at some works at school. She's 10. Now I know that if I hand her my copy of "The complete works of Shakespeare" it will frighten the life out of her and possibly put her off ever trying to read Shakespeare again!
So I put out a call for help to primary teachers on Twitter and got some replies. Apparently the BBC did a series of "Animated Tales" from Shakespeare plays so that looks pretty promising. I was also given the name of some book re-telling the stories in child-friendly speak so did plan to look them up.
But I also put out an equivalent call for help from English teaching colleagues I worked with at my previous school but am still very much in contact with. The response there was great. I immediately ordered two recommended books that tell the stories as comic strips an apparently are very popular with children. I'm yet to take delivery of them but will come back and offer my opinion of how exciting they are for young children.
My own child has shown an interest in reading some Shakespeare after looking at some works at school. She's 10. Now I know that if I hand her my copy of "The complete works of Shakespeare" it will frighten the life out of her and possibly put her off ever trying to read Shakespeare again!
So I put out a call for help to primary teachers on Twitter and got some replies. Apparently the BBC did a series of "Animated Tales" from Shakespeare plays so that looks pretty promising. I was also given the name of some book re-telling the stories in child-friendly speak so did plan to look them up.
But I also put out an equivalent call for help from English teaching colleagues I worked with at my previous school but am still very much in contact with. The response there was great. I immediately ordered two recommended books that tell the stories as comic strips an apparently are very popular with children. I'm yet to take delivery of them but will come back and offer my opinion of how exciting they are for young children.
8 Jun 2011
Maths Unit 3 non-calc paper 2011
So I'm assuming I'm quite safe to talk about the Maths paper my year 11 sat on Monday afternoon.
It was a bloomin' pig of an exam! It missed out so much and made the questions it did have into the hardest type possible! Surface area wasn't your 'right' prisms - it was comparing cones and hemispheres! Changing the subject wasn't your standard formula - it had the new subject as both numerator and denominator of a fraction! Ratio wasn't just 'shared in a given ratio' - it had a convoluted way of working out the ratios!
All I can say is I hope that the next (calculator) paper is reduced in difficulty to counteract the harshness of this one OR they seriously drop the grade boundary!
We'll know by Friday.......
It was a bloomin' pig of an exam! It missed out so much and made the questions it did have into the hardest type possible! Surface area wasn't your 'right' prisms - it was comparing cones and hemispheres! Changing the subject wasn't your standard formula - it had the new subject as both numerator and denominator of a fraction! Ratio wasn't just 'shared in a given ratio' - it had a convoluted way of working out the ratios!
All I can say is I hope that the next (calculator) paper is reduced in difficulty to counteract the harshness of this one OR they seriously drop the grade boundary!
We'll know by Friday.......
26 May 2011
There's already a discipline policy
In the course of work (setting a one hour detention for a shockingly poorly behaved pupil) it was pointed out to me that a discipline policy already exists at school. I was questioned as to whether I'd set a 10 minute, then 30 minute first!!
Now I'm all for doing the right thing and blending my policy to fit in with school's, BUT - this one is awful! It looks as though it was put together purely for our OfSTED inspection late last year. It doesn't seem to allow for major disruption to a lesson and setting a meaningful length detention. It states 10 minutes. If the pupils sits the 10 minutes, the matter is closed! If they fail to attend, 30 minutes, then one hour, etc!
So to my mind, effectively, this means that a pupil could mess up repeatedly and get 10 minutes every time. As long as they turn up for the 10 minutes (and let's face it, that's easy enough to factor into your day), they can continue to misbehave!
Well, I'm sorry. The system MUST allow for entry onto the structure at greater than 10 minutes for more serious behaviour! I'm quite happy with my version of a discipline structure and would prefer to run through mine than the school's one!
Now I'm all for doing the right thing and blending my policy to fit in with school's, BUT - this one is awful! It looks as though it was put together purely for our OfSTED inspection late last year. It doesn't seem to allow for major disruption to a lesson and setting a meaningful length detention. It states 10 minutes. If the pupils sits the 10 minutes, the matter is closed! If they fail to attend, 30 minutes, then one hour, etc!
So to my mind, effectively, this means that a pupil could mess up repeatedly and get 10 minutes every time. As long as they turn up for the 10 minutes (and let's face it, that's easy enough to factor into your day), they can continue to misbehave!Well, I'm sorry. The system MUST allow for entry onto the structure at greater than 10 minutes for more serious behaviour! I'm quite happy with my version of a discipline structure and would prefer to run through mine than the school's one!
25 May 2011
Year 11 leaving....
Our Year 11 are already long past the time they need to leave school and begin study leave. They are probably the last set of year 11 in the whole borough to be released from compulsory schooling.
To be fair, they've been really good so far. They've not complained about not leaving, attendance has been the best I've ever seen from a year 11, even at this point of the year, and they have attended all lessons as expected.
Today, however, I noticed a change. Particularly within my own tutor group. I've noticed the silliness start to emerge. The desire to maybe strart creating havoc - albeit a very muted version of havoc. They want to throw their bags around. They want to leave the classroom to find other yeaar 11's to talk to, to play with.
Who can blame them? They are 2 days away from leaving school. They've even finished their entire English course - exams and all! They know that their lives are about to take a huge turn.
For me, it's not the end of their schooling - it's the beginning of the rest of their lives!
To be fair, they've been really good so far. They've not complained about not leaving, attendance has been the best I've ever seen from a year 11, even at this point of the year, and they have attended all lessons as expected.
Today, however, I noticed a change. Particularly within my own tutor group. I've noticed the silliness start to emerge. The desire to maybe strart creating havoc - albeit a very muted version of havoc. They want to throw their bags around. They want to leave the classroom to find other yeaar 11's to talk to, to play with.
Who can blame them? They are 2 days away from leaving school. They've even finished their entire English course - exams and all! They know that their lives are about to take a huge turn.
For me, it's not the end of their schooling - it's the beginning of the rest of their lives!
23 May 2011
Purpos/ed
What is the 'purpose of education'?
Sometimes it feels that its sole function is as a glorified baby-sitting service! Somewhere for parents to know their kids are safe, whilst they go to work, or indeed, anything else they feel like doing of a daytime.
Genuinely though, I think the purpose of SCHOOL is to equip youngsters with the knowledge to succeed in life, be it academically or socially.
But education is so much more than just school. I believe that we never stop learning just by living, and that some of us actively seek out new things to learn constantly. I learn every day. I learn from the children at school, I learn from the adults at school, I learn from my own child, my family, the TV, the computer. I learn from my Master's degree course.
I learn because I want to learn. I am hungry for knowledge, to KNOW. If I don't know something, I know how to find it out.
Maybe this leads us back to the purpose of education (albeit school education) - to learn the ability to KNOW how to find something out for oneself!
Yesterday, I recieved the book 'Purpos/ed' (pictured below). It's a crowd-sourced collection of short essays (500 words), written by people I admire in the world of education about their view of the purpose of education. People who are also hungry to learn, but also to teach. I am very much looking forward to reading it!
Sometimes it feels that its sole function is as a glorified baby-sitting service! Somewhere for parents to know their kids are safe, whilst they go to work, or indeed, anything else they feel like doing of a daytime.
Genuinely though, I think the purpose of SCHOOL is to equip youngsters with the knowledge to succeed in life, be it academically or socially.
But education is so much more than just school. I believe that we never stop learning just by living, and that some of us actively seek out new things to learn constantly. I learn every day. I learn from the children at school, I learn from the adults at school, I learn from my own child, my family, the TV, the computer. I learn from my Master's degree course.
I learn because I want to learn. I am hungry for knowledge, to KNOW. If I don't know something, I know how to find it out.
Maybe this leads us back to the purpose of education (albeit school education) - to learn the ability to KNOW how to find something out for oneself!
Yesterday, I recieved the book 'Purpos/ed' (pictured below). It's a crowd-sourced collection of short essays (500 words), written by people I admire in the world of education about their view of the purpose of education. People who are also hungry to learn, but also to teach. I am very much looking forward to reading it!
22 May 2011
Discipline Policy
On a whim (and still avoiding work) I have decided to create a formal discipline policy for my area of responsibility - Key Stage 3 Mathematics. Currently, we have only this: Whatever sanctions the class teacher decides to implement, and if they miss a detention, referred to me to do a follow-up detention. I created this extra level of formal detention when I became KS3 coordinator, and called it a 'coordinator's detention (10/10 for originality, right?)
Also, staff in my geographical area know they can send students to me if they have become too difficult to remain in the classroom (and I get to keep 'em in mine for the duration!).
None of this is formal, nothing has been written down.
So we definitely need something. Staff need to know what they should be doing at each stage of discipline. I am adamant that most sanctions should be applied by the class teacher themselves, ownership of the issue will be far more effective that passing it over and students thinking they can mess about in the classroom and only worry about me!
So I plan to list some example mis-demeanors, and what should happen at each stage; what happens if this is not effective; and what to do next.
Hopefully, this should empower staff to be clear about discipline and consistent in the application of any sanctions. It also should mean that only the more serious cases are referred upwards.
That way, I'll know who is determined to prevent teaching and learning from occurring in the classroom, and not be side-tracked by those simply having an 'off' day.
My draft flow diagram is as follows:
After taking advice from some Twitter colleagues, I now realise that I have completely forgotten to add the fact that I created an extra level of sanctions via a co-ordinators report; that it may not be wise to refer to 'time-outs' as my school doesn't really support putting children in the corridor, however brief the time; and that I may just have too many levels (do I really need Serious / Very Serious / Major Incidents?) I think I can remove one of these levels to make it a little clearer.
Also, staff in my geographical area know they can send students to me if they have become too difficult to remain in the classroom (and I get to keep 'em in mine for the duration!).
None of this is formal, nothing has been written down.
So we definitely need something. Staff need to know what they should be doing at each stage of discipline. I am adamant that most sanctions should be applied by the class teacher themselves, ownership of the issue will be far more effective that passing it over and students thinking they can mess about in the classroom and only worry about me!
So I plan to list some example mis-demeanors, and what should happen at each stage; what happens if this is not effective; and what to do next.
Hopefully, this should empower staff to be clear about discipline and consistent in the application of any sanctions. It also should mean that only the more serious cases are referred upwards.
That way, I'll know who is determined to prevent teaching and learning from occurring in the classroom, and not be side-tracked by those simply having an 'off' day.
My draft flow diagram is as follows:
After taking advice from some Twitter colleagues, I now realise that I have completely forgotten to add the fact that I created an extra level of sanctions via a co-ordinators report; that it may not be wise to refer to 'time-outs' as my school doesn't really support putting children in the corridor, however brief the time; and that I may just have too many levels (do I really need Serious / Very Serious / Major Incidents?) I think I can remove one of these levels to make it a little clearer.
Decided....
... that I need to open this blog at the same time as I open FB and Twitter pages. I open both of those every day as I turn on the laptop! That way, I won't be neglecting it as I do now (and missing out on posting so much of importance, or things that have happened in work and my wider educational life....)
Let's see how that one goes.......
Let's see how that one goes.......
Avoiding work
I've come on here to post in an attempt to deflect from schoolwork I should be doing. Having said that, perhaps I've done too much already this weekend and my brain is begging for a rest!
Since leaving school on Friday I've virtually attended a teachmeet (online), spent practically the entire Saturday adding to my fabulous Schemes of Work (nay, curriculum!), marked a mental test, and added scores from three mental tests to a spreadsheet (whilst considering my next MA assignment: Studies in the Mathematics Classroom).
I still MUST mark a piece I've set for my year 9 - an old GCSE coursework task 'Opposite Corners', and mark my year 9 books, which have been seriously neglected for quite some time.
(cont......)
Since leaving school on Friday I've virtually attended a teachmeet (online), spent practically the entire Saturday adding to my fabulous Schemes of Work (nay, curriculum!), marked a mental test, and added scores from three mental tests to a spreadsheet (whilst considering my next MA assignment: Studies in the Mathematics Classroom).
I still MUST mark a piece I've set for my year 9 - an old GCSE coursework task 'Opposite Corners', and mark my year 9 books, which have been seriously neglected for quite some time.
(cont......)
8 May 2011
Problem Solving
I've just had an email from my HOD to say that we're going to be looking at 'Problem Solving' at least once a week for the remainder of this half term.
Perfect!
Due to my first MA module, I've read (probably) everything there possibly is to read on problem solving! Gardner, Polya, Mason, Boaler, Wells, to name but a few problem solving advocates. But do we agree on what actually constitutes problem solving in mathematics?
I don't like the kind of maths where you dress it up in a context (or as Dan Meyer calls it - pseudocontext). But I DO like the investigative task, just like the Chessboard Problem I dissected for my first MA assignment.
I'm going to have a little think about what is appropriate at KS3 (all of them, I hear you cry?) I think I mean what is appropriate for the teachers in my school - they are the ones who need to deliver it - and if few have given problem solving tasks before, it is they who will need to be supported through it.
I'm going to suggest tasks like "The staircase problem". This one comes from Nrich - but is a familiar task, and one that produces familiar results.
The Staircase Problem
Perfect!
Due to my first MA module, I've read (probably) everything there possibly is to read on problem solving! Gardner, Polya, Mason, Boaler, Wells, to name but a few problem solving advocates. But do we agree on what actually constitutes problem solving in mathematics?
I don't like the kind of maths where you dress it up in a context (or as Dan Meyer calls it - pseudocontext). But I DO like the investigative task, just like the Chessboard Problem I dissected for my first MA assignment.
I'm going to have a little think about what is appropriate at KS3 (all of them, I hear you cry?) I think I mean what is appropriate for the teachers in my school - they are the ones who need to deliver it - and if few have given problem solving tasks before, it is they who will need to be supported through it.
I'm going to suggest tasks like "The staircase problem". This one comes from Nrich - but is a familiar task, and one that produces familiar results.
The Staircase Problem
13 Mar 2011
Pi Day tomorrow
March 14th. Or as they write in America, 3/14, hence Pi Day. Going to do a few activities with my classes and try to incorporate the Activexpression handsets too.
Here's the rough outline of what I hope to do:
Entry to some Music of Pi, possibly this one. Each note represents one of the digits 0-9, and the resulting music is played. This particular musician has created a whole symphony, by playing different instruments and putting it all together.
Pi dingbats. No, I wasn't sure what a dingbat was either, but think the old TV show, Catchphrase. "Say what you see." Here's an example:
Pupils can send their answers to the board via the handsets. It won't be a right or wrong type answer, but hopefully will be fun.
Then we're going to write the numbers of pie on to paper plates, starting at the centre and working our way out. The result should be a little like this:
Finally, a multiple choice quiz on various pi related topics. Again, just a bit of fun, but this time, using the Activexpression handsets, we can track right answers.
Throughout the lesson, I'll have some posters up, maybe play some silly songs about pi, even encourage pupils to learn as many digits of pi as possible! Here's a favourite song I usually play when teaching circles:
I'm also having two different visitors to my lessons tomorrow. One to shadow a pupil. to look at his interactions during various subjects, the other is an English PGCE student who is interested in the use of ICT in the classroom.
I'll update on how the activities went, but first to create the relevant ActivExpression flipchart.
Here's the rough outline of what I hope to do:
Entry to some Music of Pi, possibly this one. Each note represents one of the digits 0-9, and the resulting music is played. This particular musician has created a whole symphony, by playing different instruments and putting it all together.
Pi dingbats. No, I wasn't sure what a dingbat was either, but think the old TV show, Catchphrase. "Say what you see." Here's an example:
Pupils can send their answers to the board via the handsets. It won't be a right or wrong type answer, but hopefully will be fun.
Then we're going to write the numbers of pie on to paper plates, starting at the centre and working our way out. The result should be a little like this:
Finally, a multiple choice quiz on various pi related topics. Again, just a bit of fun, but this time, using the Activexpression handsets, we can track right answers.Throughout the lesson, I'll have some posters up, maybe play some silly songs about pi, even encourage pupils to learn as many digits of pi as possible! Here's a favourite song I usually play when teaching circles:
I'm also having two different visitors to my lessons tomorrow. One to shadow a pupil. to look at his interactions during various subjects, the other is an English PGCE student who is interested in the use of ICT in the classroom.
I'll update on how the activities went, but first to create the relevant ActivExpression flipchart.
21 Feb 2011
I GOT A FREAKING B!
Oh my God! I've just signed in to the online results service and found I've got a B!! Amazed, astounded, proud, you name it, I'm it!!!!
22 Jan 2011
Desperate to get my head around what I want from a good KS3 scheme of work
Key Elements (Secondary): Curriculum and Lesson Planning - NCETM
The above link has become my starting point. I'm hugely interested in the 'Curriculum vs Syllabus' debate and am acutely aware that what I have produced so far is most definitely just a syllabus.
How do I create a curriculum? What needs to be included? What gives the greatest support for teachers in the department at all stages of their career? Apart from actually finding things to include, how do I stop myself from going the other way and including too much?
I read a quote on Twitter from @TonyParkin last night, which has awakened my interest:
which I then entered in to an small exchange which resulted in Tony sending me the following link: curriculum theory and practice. I shall read with interest.
Another consideration is the format of my schemes. What do staff actually need to plan and deliver lessons effectively? Minimum? Maximum?
I've bookmarked lots of web pages to refer back to, but as ever, I'll probably forget I stored them, so I'll share them here : my bookmarks on curriculum change.
What I'm going to do now is make a start. I'm often guilty of looking into and around things so much that I don't make a start. So, here goes.....
I read a quote on Twitter from @TonyParkin last night, which has awakened my interest:
Where people equate curriculum with syllabus they limit planning to consideration of content or body of knowledge to be transmitted #ncr11
which I then entered in to an small exchange which resulted in Tony sending me the following link: curriculum theory and practice. I shall read with interest.
Another consideration is the format of my schemes. What do staff actually need to plan and deliver lessons effectively? Minimum? Maximum?
I've bookmarked lots of web pages to refer back to, but as ever, I'll probably forget I stored them, so I'll share them here : my bookmarks on curriculum change.
What I'm going to do now is make a start. I'm often guilty of looking into and around things so much that I don't make a start. So, here goes.....
21 Jan 2011
The year of the blog
Great Maths Teaching Ideas
I've read so many blogs over the past few months, and it think it's set to be huge in 2011.
They were doing it for themselves, they were doing it for others, They did it anonymously, they did it by declaring themselves to the world. They did it for information sharing, they did it for profit. They did it to educate, they did it to sell something. Many even got their classes doing it.
BLOGGING!
Hell, even I on here doing it! Every thought, every purchase, every event I attend, I'm blogging it. (Regarding my MA and a little about school of course!)
At the moment, I know no-one's reading because I've not told anyone about it. But one day, when I'm good at blogging, and have something worthwhile to say I might pass on the link. I might even post it to my twitter, but there's some serious blogging individuals out there, the likes of which I am no match for!
The point of this post is to declare one blog that I do enjoy. It's informative, which I like. It does sometimes try to sell you something but I ignore those posts. It gives me good ideas for classroom resources for mathematics. And the name says it all. "Great Maths Teaching Ideas".
19 Jan 2011
Before the first seminar
Tomorrow is the first day of our new module: Leading and Managing the Mathematics Curriculum. We've been set the task of encapsulating the vision for the maths department.
I've just filled out a page of how I see the department at the moment - and it makes for quite sad reading.
I've just filled out a page of how I see the department at the moment - and it makes for quite sad reading.
More new books
I ordered a few more books this week, and here's what I got:
This one, I bought as it seems to be related to our next MA module: Leading and Managing the Mathematics Curriculum. However, Having a flick through (no, I've not got to reading it yet!), it seems to be more about leading people.
This one, I bought as it seems to be related to our next MA module: Leading and Managing the Mathematics Curriculum. However, Having a flick through (no, I've not got to reading it yet!), it seems to be more about leading people.
This next one I reall should have bought for the last module, but it's still going to be an enlightening read, rather than just relevant extracts:
And finally, nothing enlightening, but a practical book for lesson starter ideas (I'm not an ideas person, you know):
14 Jan 2011
Meeting about Schemes of Work
I had a meeting today about improving my KS3 Schemes of Work with our LA advisor.
I read a wonderful passage in my new book 'Managing Mathematics' about the distinction between SYLLABUS and CURRICULUM.
It explains syllabus the be the list of content to be covered, whilst curriculum is the whole mathematical experience of the child.
I need to adopt this approach. I need to consider the experience of the child when adding to, and developing further, my KS3 Schemes of Work. They need to support all members of staff in their planning, no matter what stage of their career they are at.
Our department has the whole breadth of experience, from those about to start a PGCE, to those nearing retirement. I need to consider this in my development.
I have already written the 'syllabus'. The list of content is there, with some tentative teaching hours allocated (the dept. consider the hours absolute, but in reality, I just put in how long I thought they should take, with little consideration for the number of teaching hours in a year). There's also a tiny amount of suggested material, but nothing 'good', in the OfSTED sense of the word.
But in order to create the 'experience', I need so much more. I need rich activity, suggested teaching models, useful links, hooks, probing questions, assessment opportunities, etc.
I've planned to put aside some of my weekend to work on them - little and often may be the way to go for me - otherwise little will get done. On that note, I'm reminded of a quote I read today about never starting with an empty page. The implication is, leave a task unfinished when you are on a roll, so you have something to go back to next time, rather than complete the part of the task you are working on, then have to start the next part of the task from the beginning.
I'm not sure if I agree - I like to complete one task, so I can start afresh on the next.
(I've just found it - it was a tweet by @timharford, quoting others linking to a website quoting Roald Dahl quoting Hemingway!)
I read a wonderful passage in my new book 'Managing Mathematics' about the distinction between SYLLABUS and CURRICULUM.
It explains syllabus the be the list of content to be covered, whilst curriculum is the whole mathematical experience of the child.
I need to adopt this approach. I need to consider the experience of the child when adding to, and developing further, my KS3 Schemes of Work. They need to support all members of staff in their planning, no matter what stage of their career they are at.
Our department has the whole breadth of experience, from those about to start a PGCE, to those nearing retirement. I need to consider this in my development.
I have already written the 'syllabus'. The list of content is there, with some tentative teaching hours allocated (the dept. consider the hours absolute, but in reality, I just put in how long I thought they should take, with little consideration for the number of teaching hours in a year). There's also a tiny amount of suggested material, but nothing 'good', in the OfSTED sense of the word.
But in order to create the 'experience', I need so much more. I need rich activity, suggested teaching models, useful links, hooks, probing questions, assessment opportunities, etc.
I've planned to put aside some of my weekend to work on them - little and often may be the way to go for me - otherwise little will get done. On that note, I'm reminded of a quote I read today about never starting with an empty page. The implication is, leave a task unfinished when you are on a roll, so you have something to go back to next time, rather than complete the part of the task you are working on, then have to start the next part of the task from the beginning.
I'm not sure if I agree - I like to complete one task, so I can start afresh on the next.
(I've just found it - it was a tweet by @timharford, quoting others linking to a website quoting Roald Dahl quoting Hemingway!)
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