Coming soon New and improved and hopefully keeping up this year

Trying to do too much

I have just spent a fun hour or so writing on the class blog , but have really neglected this one.
I feel sometimes like I am writing for nobody, I know the children are looking at the class blog though and quite a few are now posting bits and pieces , its just a case of getting them into the habit. I guess that is why I need to keep up the habit on my own blog as well .Even if no one is reading .. yet ;-)

Having gone through a round of observations and facing the last week of term after a lovely week away with the children, I am thinking about what it is I need to work on as a teacher.
I think that my main obstacle is that I try to fit too much in, or I expect the children to complete more work than they are capable of in a session.
This leads to reams of unfinished work( the timetable is ridiculously tight at times and now PE is squeeezing out even more of that).This in turn leads to frustration both on mine and the children's part.I hate that feeling of incompletion( is that a word ha ha )
My current class are a bit slower to complete work than previous classes I have taught. They are pretty chatty and its sometimes hard to keep them on task ( another thing for me to work on ). I think I expect a lot of them, but often feel disappointed and I shouldn't do .

When I was a trainee teacher I used to fret over the unit plans for maths and worry that I hadn't covered what was on the plan( it was 2 years until someone told me that I didn't have to do everything!)

I think where I am now is that I still carry this fear of them not presenting it all in their books . Does that mean no learning is taking place? I don't think so . My ex pupils have all gone on to achieve just as much as their peers in the other class who had books stuffed to the brim full of written work and worksheets.

I'm not saying one is right and the other not, I am just sharing my own personal thoughts and trying to make sense of what is important to me as a teacher.
As a subject leader I still feel that I haven't been able to make a signifiant impact. I lack the confidence to just do it. I have lots of ideas , but again which to choose. Maybe I should just do something and then see what happens.

Ok that's got all that off my chest

Back from Sunny Bournemouth

I am back to the land of the living and back to school tomorrow!
So will hopefully be blogging on here properly again this week
In the meantime
check out our class blog! I am amazed at the amount one child has written about our trip

Residential reckoning

So tomorrow I head off for my first residential trip with my year 6 children.
We are off to Bournemouth for a week , which is both exciting and a little daunting. I haven't been involved in any planning or organsining so I don't know what to expect.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks , have had lesson observations last week .I was a little disappointed in how I did. Too ambitious i guess , tried to fit too much into one lesson! , but the powers that be think I am good, so that is ok.I am my own worst critic, ( like to get in there before anyone else does).

I really need to decide on my focus for my course , It is definitely writing , but just how to make it better! well that is the big question isn't it! I did deliver some staff training about working to small targets so I guess i will bring some of that in. Maybe I should work on that today.

One of my favourite things about last week was my MYSTery club. I handp[icked 6 boys ( low self esteem but with good potential) sent them a secret letter to meet in the ICT room on Friday lunchtime. I was waiting there in the darkened room with the Myst game ready to roll. We had a lot of fun and I look forward to continuing with this when i get back.

I realise this is just a series of slightly connected thoughts, but I am not sure anyone even reads this ;-) . It's good to get things off one's chest though and start the week clear headed and ready to face a new week.

So Bournemouth , I am looking forward to getting the kids to blog for a purpose. will be taking the laptop with me and hooking it up at night so we can communicate back home. They haven't quite got the hang of this blogging lark, but then neither have I ;-)

Shout of order

A hard day today.

Found it difficult to capture the classes full attention.Maybe I was just disorganised after being off for a couple of days. Maybe I'm still not well ( I know I'm not the face ache has started again)
But I shouted...
I hate shouting; yet I still did it...The class stopped and I got their full attention , but there has to be a better way! I have tied all the praise . but when you can't be heard by those you need to hear you I'm not sure what else to do..

I know there is not a quick fix and I know my class are not good at transitions, my uncertainty allows them to take advantage at times..

Early night I think and then awake to a new day and a fresh start

Raising boy's achievment

Have been recovering today so that has lent itself to lots of time to think.
I am wondering how to ensure that my class achieves their ful potential in all subjects , but particularly writing.
What I find really difficult is that there are so many initiatives and resources that I get distracted by them all and end up thinking too much and cosequently do nothing.
Now is the time to take action..
I definitely want to do something with Myst , but am wondering whether to fisrt introduce it to a small group of my boys who are really lacking confidence , giving them the heads up on the rest of the class.
I'd also like to feed in the use of the blog and some comic book creation ( wish we had comic life)

So I think I might invite a few of my boys along to a secret lunchtime club, with some treats ! and go from there . Any comments would be much appreciated

Twitter ye lots

I joined twitter a little while ago and at first didn't quite get it. I saw it as a version of facebook or instant messaging where you could chat or whatever. The main people I had on it were friends , who I generally communicated with using different means anyway. eg forums, or facebook.

Having been to the Bett show this weekend and more specifically Teachmeet2010 I have now realised a whole new world of possibilty for twitter as a tool to help me develop as a teacher.

I am now posting on twitter regularly. still not tons to offer myself , but having watched the presenters at Teachmeet I have now a whole list of people I am following who are posting up links, thoughts and ideas.

It's all quite exciting and rejuvenating in a way . An escape from the tedium of paperwork and assesment and the day to day thinks that can bog you down.

I am full of new enthusiasm for the class blog although I know that it will take time before the children take ownership.If I think about it,I didn't get twitter at first. The children will make their own discovery . I just have to keep it ticking over for when they do ;-)

Well I definitely didn't do much talking today as I was sent home in agony...
Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible

Very very sore gums and mouth today . It will be a miracle if i do any talking at all . Hoping the antibiotics kick in soon. Then I will be back to my sparky , genki old self...
Going to set up the materials for my ratio paint investigation first thing, so they can just get started on the activity ( they should have done yesterday). No talking I hope...



Now was that a freudian slip ha ha , I wrote pain investigation instead of paint! hmmm . What on earth would a pain ratio experiment look like. I am sure it wouldn't be allowed!

Monday done and dusted!

It was a hard day today.
I haven't been too well , so it was really hard to stick to my less talking idea.

I said to the children that I felt I talked too much and they disagreed, so maybe I don't after all ?

For PSHE we were looking at golas and how to achieve them so I had the children come up and explain some of the things people might do and if they were short term,or long term. It was a really good discussion.
After break we had to look though our reading papers that the children completed last week . There were some tears , but most children enjoyed sharing with others and making some notes about what they need to do to get better.

This afternoon was difficult. I am going to have to rethink my timetable as 2 core subjects on a Monday afternoon does not work!!
The video clip I was going to play didn't work as the new laptop, that I got to replace the one that died , doesn't have all the software that I need . It's very annoying when this happens during an afternoon when the children are already fractious
.
Oh well . Got antibiotics to fix my pain and tomorrow is a new day...
Good news is that one of my kids added a comment on the blog ...

gotta start somewhere

Monday morning

Well I am struck down with a hideous tootheache or gum infection .

Anyway this will undoubtably help my quest to speak less as I will be trembling in pain in the corner!
Lets hope the dentist is available this week !

Have just had a little play on https://voicethread.com
, I had trioed to use it befor woithout much success, but seems to be a lot easier to use today for some reason . Also pleased to have an email from a child asking for a password for the blog!

I talk too much

Tired of spending so much time waffling on and getting irritated when the children talk over me..Maybe I need to change tack?
So this week I am going to try and keep my mouth shut and get the children to discuss things as much as possible without me having to. I will keep you posted as to how this works out.
There ! that's given me a reason to blog regularly this week

Bett show 2010

So back from a very interesting weekend , taking in the Teach meet and the bett show.
Literally ran out of the door after school on Friday so I could catch the train,still didn't get there until 6.45 so the meet was well underway.
I was surprised and actually really excited to see such a large gathering of like-minded people. This was my first TeachMeet , but will definitely be coming again. I would like to share something, but first I've got to do it!

It felt great to be part of something that in my mind feels really important,this wasn't some training taking place on a school day . People had travelled from far and wide to hear and share ideas,opinions and to meet up with people previously only known as avatars in cyberspace.We all speak the same language and we all want the same things for our pupils.That is very powerful.

I feel enthused , excited and inspired after my weekend . I just need to get these ideas into my repertoire and let my kids run with them. On the day of the Teach Meet we had a conversation in class about the types of jobs they might find themselves doing in the future, we wondered what technology might look like for them.


If I think back to the Christmas my dad had bought me an acorn electron( because he thought it was important, but didn't understand computers himself)that's where it all started .From the first time I unpicked the code of a game to make amusing phrases appear on the screen,through to my 2 years living in Japan seeing technologies in Akihabara that are only just appearing on shelves here,

I am well and truly hooked on technology.

Morphological matrix

I have been thinking about all the different ways a child might be required to write and rembered a handy tool from the Mind Gym book called a morphological matrix
basically you complete a grid with lists of attributes and then to choose different combinations from each list
so here it is anyway , unfinished as yet , but hopefully a handy tool when thinking of a different way to set a written task

Format of writing	Audience or in character as	Purpose
Diary	Teacher	entertain
letter	Young child	describe
email	Best friend	Make someone apologise
Web page	MP	Make someone feel bad
text	Pop star	Make someone feel sad
Encyclopaedia page	Police	Make someone laugh
blog	Head of school	Inform
website	Character from book	instruct
Twitter entry	Famous person from history	Explain
Shopping list	Alien	Thrill
Memo	TV star	Warn
Witness statement	Film star	Remember
Factfile	Children’s laureate	Reminisce
Questions	The queen	Predict
Instructions	An animal	scare
Page from a book	An inanimate object	Say sorry
Leaflet	Spaceman	Persuade
Story	Doctor	Give choices
report	scientist	Ask for help
Story ending	A puppet	Get more information
Story opener	Chef	Justify a decision
Character description	Yourself	Show you understand
Questionnaire	The rest of the school	Show you care
Song	An imaginary creature	sympathise
Poem	An author	disagree
Rap	Someone you dislike	debate
Limerick	Someone you love	Say thankyou
Acrostic	Parent
Chart	Grandparent
Poster	Great grandparent
Series of notes
News report
Advertisement
Invitation
menu
playscript
Interview questions
prayer

Homework

I had this idea to make homework a bit more self directed for my year 6's
Not sure if it will work,but will share here in case anyone wants to comment. the idea is that the children would be given this at the start of term and then complete as many pieces as possible throughout the term at their own pace, bringing their work in to share every Monday

M Complete a multiplication grid and time yourself to see how quick you are .	T Draw a picture of the animal your class is named after and surround with interesting facts	L List all the connectives in the first chapter of a favourite book. Do the same with another type of book and compare.	L Write 10 sentences using your weekly spelling words.	F Compile a factfile about France include food, weather,music ,TV and any other things you think will be interesting
T Take photos,print out,draw pictures of as many types of footwear as possible make a display/poster of it.	M Complete a sheet of addition facts as quickly and accurately as you can. See your teacher	M Complete a survey about the different types of electricity used in your home, batteries, solar, mains Show as a bar chart.	T Invent a new game to be played with 2 bats a ball and a net. Write the rules and instructions as clearly as you can.	T Investigate the types of instruments used in the Far East and choose at least one to write an explanation about.
T Choose one of our community code words and write an acrostic poem to show its meaning.	T Read aloud to somebody for 15 minutes once a week. Note who, what and when in your book please.	T Play a board game with someone for at least 20 minutes. Note who, what and when please.	M Complete the mathsphere puzzle time 12-15 sheet . you could even make one of your own	L Create a word cloud with better words than “said”.
T Choose a piece of art that you like and copy it in your own style using any medium you like.	T Sew something from a pattern ( or make up your own )and bring it in to share.	T Cut out a picture of a favourite person and design a hat for them . label it with which materials you will use and explain why.	L Write a survey to find out what types of text people like to read. Then carry it out and record the results.	T Bake some cakes or cookies(with an adult please!) and write and illustrate how you did it.
M Find a selection of numbers ( receipts, adverts, catalogues) cut out, stick on a page and label their place value.	L Write a paragraph about each of the members of your favourite group.	L Describe ( in as much detail as possible) what you had for dinner last night . You will be successful if you make someone’s mouth water when you read it to them	T Create a mind map to show everything you have learned about electricity, Add to it after each science lesson.	M Make a mini book with the topic “How to Do Addition and Subtraction.”
M Complete calculator addition of decimals sheet.	T Play your favourite song on a musical instrument .If you don’t have one, make one , or sing the song instead.	L Find out the meaning of your name and copy it down as neatly as possible with decoration. Do you agree?	T Choose a piece of art you like and try to describe what it is and why you like it.	M Complete a place value worksheet ( see your teacher