educators

"This is an amazing Google Docs add-on which allows you to make audio and other comments and feedback on students' work. It's a wonderfully easy way to mark homework and assignments. Students can also reply to feedback with audio comments."

Student happiness and motivation are so vitally important that without them, kids simply don't want to learn. If kids don't want to learn, then they won't learn. It's that simple.

"It's the end of the first week of term and it has been so positive. I have tried to spend most of my day being the leader I want to be, engaging the 'spirit energy' (see Peter Drucker). I spent summer reflecting on my values and vision, and I'm fortunate to have been handed the reins for the Curriculum in my school. To realise the vision, I've employed the help of a team of subject leaders, and today I met with them for the first time. I knew this was probably our most important discussion; my opportunity to engage them in the future (see Steve Radcliffe, Future Engage Deliver), and so I spent the week prior to this discussing and reflecting with SLT to ensure I was ready."

An online resource which puts players in the heart of the newsroom to explore sources and make journalistic decisions and attempt to discover what is real and what is fake news.

"Say what you like about Hogwarts but it's difficult to deny its 'old school' charm struck a chord with millions of avid readers both young and old. Amongst the many effects of Harry Potter in our education system was the revival, or re-emergence, in the state sector at least, of that gloriously stereotypical mainstay of public education: houses. Having been fortunate enough to spend a career working across a rich variety of settings, centres and schools - both private and state-led - I have seen many examples of the house system; and many examples of both the best - and the most pointless - systems and what they do or don't achieve."

"An interesting iOS and Android app where users can create virtual messages in a particular geo-location for others to find, and then share with others. Perfect for virtual treasure hunts and much more."

"We often tend to think about gender as the biological differences between women and men - however, this is incorrect. Gender is what actually gets expressed - how we look, how we act and how we feel. While sex is determined by what is dictated by our biology or what is written into the chromosomes, known as genotype, it is the interaction between the genes and the environment that determines gender. The amazing thing about gender is that it is completely created by society. It is a social construct that has been accepted by many, and from the moment a child is born, they are faced with gender stereotypes from clothing to how boys and girls are treated and expectations of behaviour. The question is, how do we as educators eliminate gender stereotypes?"

"Simple online timer where the user can add sequentially labelled timers which could be used to signal transition from one activity to another, or better yet, making sure you leave your staff meeting on time!"

"Sometimes, it is just necessary to stand in front a group of children and speak to them. It's not the strongest tool in a teacher's box of tricks, but speaking to groups of pupils is hinged with one notable problem - keeping their attention - especially if you are trying to get key points across to help their learning.  However, these ideas - adapted from spring.org.uk, can easily be amended for classroom situations, and are worth exploration in ensuring attention is kept by the majority of pupils"

"Creating music tracks used to be time consuming and expensive. But with sites like this, anyone can make their own synthesised tracks using virtual mixing desk. Click on launch to start the app. Choose your equipment or use the default desk to get you going. You can listen and even remix tracks from other members on the site."

"How does STEM education differ between these countries? Who is doing it 'best'? We've done our research and these are the findings"

"Young and inexperienced with rose-tinted goggles: I was mindful of my responsibilities as a new Science teacher. Expectations were high. When the Deputy Head of the school suddenly asked to observe one of my Year 9 Physics lessons I knew I had to perform well. As a thriving school with a great reputation, Denbigh definitely set the bar high. My Year 9 kids were typical 13 and 14-year-olds. Some days they were great and some days they'd just had enough. Keeping them on-task was a challenge for an unskilled teacher like me."

"Angry, threatening and highly critical parenting is more likely to result in children with defiant, noncompliant and revengeful behaviour that spills over to adulthood and impacts relationships with all authority figures. Now a study by researchers at UC San Francisco has confirmed this link and found that kindergarten may provide a unique opportunity for these harshly parented children to retool negative behaviour. The study is published in the journal Development and Psychopathology on Nov. 21, 2018. In the study, the researchers looked at 338 kindergartners in six public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. They found that 10 percent of the children met the criteria for the oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Among this group, 71 percent had been exposed to high levels of harsh parenting, versus 29 percent who had been raised with lower levels of harsh parenting."

"A great resource which helps users explores space and life. There are lots of activities, including making your own solar system."

"This is an amazing Windows, Mac and Raspberry Pi download which combines coding and composing music. Within a few minutes everyone can begin to make something tuneful and after a few lessons your students may even come up with a symphony or two."