This Week:

 

• Trainees – Home study through University of Cumbria and CPD through our CPD Schedule.
• Change of Date! NQTs – Meetings arranged for Thursdays now through Teams.
• Walton Connects – date for next meeting is 10.30am and the main agenda item will ‘how do we ensure consistency across subjects without straight-jacketing and de-professionalising staff?’ This was something that emerged from the School Improvement Conference…

 

Reflect…

 

The EEF has published some useful Coronavirus support materials for schools and parents.  As you will know, there is much to read at the moment about planning the most useful REMOTE learning.  Reassuringly – and somewhat unsurprisingly -  the EEF has found that ‘Teaching quality is more important than how lessons are delivered Pupils can learn through remote teaching. Ensuring the elements of effective teaching are present – for example clear explanations, scaffolding and feedback – is more important than how or when they are provided. There was no clear difference between teaching in real time (“synchronous teaching”) and alternatives (“asynchronous teaching”). For example, teachers might explain a new idea live or in a prerecorded video. But what matters most is whether the explanation builds clearly on pupils’ prior learning or how pupils’ understanding is subsequently assessed.’

 

Having read the EEF guidance and other resources regarding best practice during closure (and in fact in the classroom), I have created the acronym REMOTE to help guide us in our practice over the duration of remote teaching.  I have also attached a planning proforma, created by the EEF for you to discuss within departments.  I hope that you find it useful:

R – retrieval and recap activities. Low-stakes. Quick feedback. Self-marking.

E – Engage students – stimulus (use the planning template from EEF – attached if it is useful), questions, ‘chat’, feedback etc.

M – motivate through peer interaction (peer marking, sharing WAGOLLs, prompt live discussion through ‘chat’ function of Teams)

O – Outcomes – make explicit using check lists, success criteria, weekly plan/big picture etc. INTENT.

T – Teaching quality – this is more important than how it is delivered.  Think about how you assess what students have learnt.

E – Expectations – be realistic but aspirational.

 

Top Tips

REMOTE LEARNING – TEACHING RESOURCES

 

Continue to make use of:

• Oak National Academy
• British Council
• BBC Bitesize

They publish timetables in advance to aid planning and to offer variety for the students.

REMOTE LEARNING – CPD CASCADE

 

NB: Please refer to the previous ‘TLD’ for already publicised CPD activities.

Please make use of the newly updated CPD calendar saved in WLD Teachers Team (also saved in WLD Staff Team under CPD). There are lots of free webinars and other courses to look at, if you feel that you have the time or circumstances allow you to do so.

 

Continue to make use of the video CPD sessions stored in the same Team here. 

CPD Cascaded by Our Staff

 

Microsoft Educator Community

 

AHA has kindly produced a PPT to explain how to access the course material, accessible here.

 

Teams CPD from LCH

Below is a link to a YouTube video that shows useful formatting tips when messaging students and staff or announcing new work/important events within a channel. 

https://youtu.be/3g79NrBYHlw

 

Subject Knowledge Enhancement

https://www.subjectassociations.org.uk/the-cfsa-directory/

 

Society for Education and Training

They are offering a wide range of free CPD webinars on a range of topics, from behaviour to well-being.  Have a look here if you are interested…

 

CPD Sharing from JMJ 

All webinars completing saved here.  Please make use of this shared resource.

ALY – shared these useful webinars…

 

• ‘This much I know about mind over matter…. improving mental health In our schools’ by John Tomsett.
• ‘Closing the Reading Gap’ by Alex Quigley
• ‘Just Great Teaching’ by Ross Morrison McGill
• ‘Rosenshine Masterclass’ by Tom Sherrington
• ‘Teaching Walkthrus’ by Oliver Caviglioli and Sherrington
• ‘Seven Myths About Teaching’ by Daisy Christodoulou