TLA e-bulletin
For all things teaching, learning and assessment
Issue 14
Welcome to this month's newsletter.
There's nothing like a bank of go-to ideas and resources to help you plan and teach consistently good lessons. This issue we're looking at the kind of resources that teachers discover and want to keep hold of - you know, the handful that, among the hundreds you discard, are genuinely useful and so end up dog-eared in a plastic wallet or laminated lest they mistakenly end up lost or recycled.
Of course, we won't know all the hidden gems out there, so if you have a resource or two matching the above description that you'd like to share with all the other hardworking teachers at Central, please drop the team a line at TLC@centralnottingham.ac.uk. We'd love to hear from you!
There's nothing like a bank of go-to ideas and resources to help you plan and teach consistently good lessons. This issue we're looking at the kind of resources that teachers discover and want to keep hold of - you know, the handful that, among the hundreds you discard, are genuinely useful and so end up dog-eared in a plastic wallet or laminated lest they mistakenly end up lost or recycled.
Of course, we won't know all the hidden gems out there, so if you have a resource or two matching the above description that you'd like to share with all the other hardworking teachers at Central, please drop the team a line at TLC@centralnottingham.ac.uk. We'd love to hear from you!
1. Planning for differentiation (resource #1)
On 3 March, Sean Errington hosted a TLA webinar called Planning for Individual Learning. With more than 20 years' teaching and management experience in Further Education and Higher Education, commercial training and schools, he has worked with a wide range of organisations, designing and delivering learning practitioner CPD workshops, and helping to implement improvements in teaching and learning, and quality system processes.
To access the key points from the webinar, including strategies and practical teaching ideas for differentiating your lessons, please click here: http://tiny.cc/dc1pay
To access the key points from the webinar, including strategies and practical teaching ideas for differentiating your lessons, please click here: http://tiny.cc/dc1pay
(NB: You'll need to log in via the Staff Dev homepage page first).
2. Planning for differentiation (Resource #2)
Sometimes someone creates an incredibly handy resource on one side of A4 which puts all other imitations to shame and so takes up its rightful place in your planning folder. This is one of those resources: key verbs that enable you to plan differentiated lesson objectives and outcomes clearly? Check. Ready-made Bloom's Taxonomy-inspired questions which create stretch and challenge in one fell swoop? Check. Thanks, jam2804 (tes.com)
3. The multi-purpose 'prompting' planner
Andy Griffith and Mark Burns, the dynamic duo at Malit (http://www.malit.org.uk/) have come up with a topic planner that would lend itself equally well to a lesson or an entire topic. Split into logical sections, its invaluable prompts walk you through your lesson from start to finish. And they've thrown in a blank template, too. To access both, just follow this link: _______________
You can also follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OTeaching
You can also follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OTeaching
4. Stretch and challenge online training -NEW
Looking for some training on how to stretch and challenge your students? Look no further. This online package is designed with your busy lives in mind. It can be done at work or at home and, if you find yourself short of time to complete it, you can return to it whenever you like! Designed for all teachers, this training includes a reflective section, a section about how to set up a Socratic Circle as well as coverage of Mike Gershon's Challenge Toolkit. Find it here:
https://sd.centralnottingham.ac.uk/staff/mod/scorm/view.php?id=2862
5. All mapped out: resources to improve English skills
Giving a clear structure to extended writing tasks can be a challenge for learners who don't know what language or phrases to include in a report or a piece of persuasive writing. Fortunately, these resources, based around maps of the London underground, break it down easily and invitingly - and there's even a blank template for you to tailor the vocabulary to your own subject. Why not ask you learners to map something out for themselves?
To access the maps, click here ---------------------------------
To access the maps, click here ---------------------------------
Image: https://jamieleeclark85.wordpress.com/tag/connectives/
6. The Plenary Producer
One of two fantastic resources courtesy of Mike Gershon, who describes The Plenary Producer as "130 plenaries all in one place! Easy to navigate, the plenaries can be used in almost any subject and contain ideas for developing them as well as examples of their use. It will aid lesson planning and offer you and the students lots of variety. Enjoy!"
http://mikegershon.com/resources/
http://mikegershon.com/resources/
7. Assessment for Learning made easy
The second of a host of great resources from Mike Gershon, this one is "70 different activities, ideas or tools based around assessment for learning. Each comes with a description and a pretty picture to liven up your day. The toolkit is easy to navigate and the ideas are transferable across key stages and subjects. Become an AfL master with the AfL toolkit!"
For other top-notch resources, such as The Starter Generator or The Challenge Toolkit, just follow this link:
http://mikegershon.com/resources/
For other top-notch resources, such as The Starter Generator or The Challenge Toolkit, just follow this link:
http://mikegershon.com/resources/
Interactive teaching and learning tools
8. Kahoot and Socrative
Tools to create interactive quizzes - great for a starter or mini-plenary.
Find out more here: http://tiny.cc/dc1pay
Find out more here: http://tiny.cc/dc1pay
9. Class Dojo - PD Central/behaviour management tool
Struggling to manage behaviour or to inspire truly great behaviour for learning? This could be the answer. Better suited to younger learners or small groups. For a tutorial, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f23bnZaWHNE
10. Padlet - your interactive pinboard
For everything from research or revision notes for a final exam, to a mood board of ideas for a runway show, Padlets help bring your best ideas into focus. For a tutorial, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuzciL8qCYM