Virtual Learning UK
Teaching and Learning Newsletter - Edition Two
Welcome!
This edition will hopefully point you in the right direction with some curriculum planning ideas that are useful at this time of year. You will also find some messages from the admin team and some information on the all important UCAS applications.
As always, we welcome contributions to the newsletter as well as feedback. Thank you to those that have been in touch already. If your ideas are not in this edition, they will certainly feature in the newsletter very soon!
Ideas and feedback to: tom.jones@vluk.org
Focus on Teaching & Learning
Learning walks & observations
The idea of these visits is to get a clear picture of what is happening in classrooms across the country and to highlight the excellent work demonstrated by our teachers. They are also there to support teachers and to identify where we might be able to support each other. We hope to use the newsletter to showcase some of the excellent work we see and to also offer some suggestions as to how we can demonstrate outstanding teaching and learning in our classrooms.
Learning walks and observations will continue throughout the academic year and will be completed by VLUK and EFP staff.
Remember, these procedures are there to develop us as practitioners and should not therefore cause worry or distraction from your usual teaching practice.
Questioning Techniques
The image below is an example of how Bloom's taxonomy could be used to develop questioning techniques.
Educreations
Useful uses for Educreations are:
- Recap sessions
- Stretch and challenge tasks
- Homework reminders
- 2 minute topic snapshots.
Have a look at the video and download the app to see how it could work for you.
Scheme of Work
Note: Some sites might be delivering the SOW in a slightly different order. Remember, this should be amended on your SOW document and agreed with your VLUK lead.
Unit 3 - Assessing Risk in Sport
This is designed to develop their research skills and time management but it is advisable to use part of each week as a catch up session where learners could use an open forum to ask questions or perhaps discuss topics in small groups.
It is worth considering the work done in other units when looking at unit 3. It might be that you have covered some of the grading criteria in other units. For example, Unit 5 Sports Coaching asks the learners to plan a sports coaching session. This would then produce evidence for some of the unit 3 criteria.
Checkpoint 1
Now is an excellent time to highlight any under performers and put early interventions in place. The earlier the intervention, the easier it will be to get learners back on track, meeting the minimum standards and ultimately exceeding their target grades. Please speak to your VLUK lead for support and it is important to record learning interventions to allow a review and action process.
Internal Reminders
This is for both professionalism and safeguarding purposes.
Reminders have been sent out via email with instructions of how to set up the accounts. If you are still unsure or have any questions, please contact Gemma Halsey.
UCAS
Remember that all learners should be applying through EFP that you are linked to. For the 'buzzword' of your EFP please contact your VLUK lead.
We will be featuring some UCAS hints and tips int he next edition of the newsletter. In the meantime, take a look at this youtube playlist that covers each and every section of the process.
Finally...
Something for nothing
Thank you to Danny Laws from AFC Sudbury who has highlighted these excellent workshops being delivered by the University of Essex. They are run by the schools outreach team at the university and although they are only covering a local area, it is certainly worth contacting your local universities to see if their outreach teams are doing something similar.
These particular sessions are all free and the Sports Science team at the university are travelling to school, colleges and sites across the county to engage FE learners.