Applying for funding to improve your school grounds is like joining a dating agency. Take a moment to compare the similarities:
1) You take a deep breath and decide you need to develop a relationship (school grounds) and make enquires about which dating agency (funding grant).
2) You create your profile (grant application form). For both you require a GSOH as you have to write it in ways which someone else will find appealing.
3) You wait, fingers crossed.
4) The first person (grant committee) decides you are not quite his “type” – no offence. In grant speak, phrases such as “lack of socio-economic deprivation” or another factor is given as the excuse.
5) You try again (go to a different funding grant).
6) Success! You have a date with a guy and it goes well (funding application approved, money on its way).
7) On no! Your date tells you about his children and how he must see them every other night. Strings are attached to getting involved! In school grant terms this means there are strict financial deadlines and a complex way of having to submit receipts.
8) The difficulties get ironed out. You go on several more dates and all is well. The grounds project gets going.
9) Publicity – the guy tells his mates. You tell the press.
10) You celebrate a successful outcome!
So, if you are a single teacher looking for a relationship, then why not undertake a school grounds development as practice for the dating game? For married teachers, regard it as the sensible equivalent to a fling (if you have a Not-so-GSOH).
As I mentioned in a previous entry, taking time to get to know your grounds all-year round pays dividends. This almost sounds like advice for going on a first date! Ahem!
Monday, 29 September 2008
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Scottish Learning Festival
I’ve just returned from an inspiring, exciting two days at the Scottish Learning Festival. It was my first visit and despite restraining myself and only signing up to a couple of seminars and workshops I found the event exhausting.
What amused me most was the motley collection of stalls in the main hall. One of the Grounds for Learning staff expressed her puzzled concern about the number of computer and software companies and activities. Luckily I was able to explain the history of the event which began as an education technology event in the days of SETT.
I enjoyed walking around and seeing the tricks of the trade show where the sales folk find novel ways of enticing people into their booth. Alas there was only bowls of sweets everywhere which, in the age of health promotion had me worrying as to whether the GTC Code of Conduct would kick into place and we’d all get our knuckles rapped should we be spotted on a GLOW webcam helping ourselves to more than 3 sweets.
Every now and then a moment of inspiration or sanity could be found. I sought refuge at the Real World Learning booth for significant amounts of time. It was the only place where natural materials could be found as part of the display which an art student had designed with care and attention to detail that was probably lost on a casual passer-by. The RWL is a partnership between many outdoor and environmental organisations, so every time I entered there was a new face and new discussions to be had.
Probably my main gripe was the lack of effort towards demonstrating the environmental impact of the event and measures to counteract this by the organisers. No recycling facilities, lots of sweet wrappers and not a carbon footprint index in sight. Tsk! Tsk!
What amused me most was the motley collection of stalls in the main hall. One of the Grounds for Learning staff expressed her puzzled concern about the number of computer and software companies and activities. Luckily I was able to explain the history of the event which began as an education technology event in the days of SETT.
I enjoyed walking around and seeing the tricks of the trade show where the sales folk find novel ways of enticing people into their booth. Alas there was only bowls of sweets everywhere which, in the age of health promotion had me worrying as to whether the GTC Code of Conduct would kick into place and we’d all get our knuckles rapped should we be spotted on a GLOW webcam helping ourselves to more than 3 sweets.
Every now and then a moment of inspiration or sanity could be found. I sought refuge at the Real World Learning booth for significant amounts of time. It was the only place where natural materials could be found as part of the display which an art student had designed with care and attention to detail that was probably lost on a casual passer-by. The RWL is a partnership between many outdoor and environmental organisations, so every time I entered there was a new face and new discussions to be had.
Probably my main gripe was the lack of effort towards demonstrating the environmental impact of the event and measures to counteract this by the organisers. No recycling facilities, lots of sweet wrappers and not a carbon footprint index in sight. Tsk! Tsk!
Sunday, 21 September 2008
A place for procrastination
When one takes up a new headship, there is usually a burning desire to fix everything as quickly as possible. This is especially true if your new school has not been inspected for a very long time and is waiting with baited breath for the dreaded brown box to arrive one Thursday morning.
When it comes to developing your school grounds there is a lot to be said for waiting at least a year and here’s why:
· You can spend time outdoors at break times observing the children in their play and the role of duty staff. It is worth doing this in all weathers and seasons.
· It allows you to monitor the grounds through the seasons. You can see the plants grow and the variety of animals which visit.
· The best way to find out what would be most helpful to have outside is to use the school grounds as much as possible for learning activities. Frequently schools decide on equipment and resources for outside such as a seating area without giving enough thought to the ideal place and the type of seating and layout needed. The more your staff use an outdoor area before a development project, the more you know what is needed.
· Time is needed to get to know staff and their interests. Passion creates possibility and by finding out what staff are like, the school grounds and activities can be improved to build upon their strengths.
· There may be other priorities!
In eduworld, correct choice of words and phrases is very important to some. If you can’t bring yourself to procrastinate try “monitoring current activity” in the school grounds instead!
When it comes to developing your school grounds there is a lot to be said for waiting at least a year and here’s why:
· You can spend time outdoors at break times observing the children in their play and the role of duty staff. It is worth doing this in all weathers and seasons.
· It allows you to monitor the grounds through the seasons. You can see the plants grow and the variety of animals which visit.
· The best way to find out what would be most helpful to have outside is to use the school grounds as much as possible for learning activities. Frequently schools decide on equipment and resources for outside such as a seating area without giving enough thought to the ideal place and the type of seating and layout needed. The more your staff use an outdoor area before a development project, the more you know what is needed.
· Time is needed to get to know staff and their interests. Passion creates possibility and by finding out what staff are like, the school grounds and activities can be improved to build upon their strengths.
· There may be other priorities!
In eduworld, correct choice of words and phrases is very important to some. If you can’t bring yourself to procrastinate try “monitoring current activity” in the school grounds instead!
Thursday, 18 September 2008
An outdoor strategy game
I am in a delightful mood. My son brought home his “maths challenge” questions and I have spent the last hour working them out. Alas the competition is serious. I may not share my ideas and solutions with him.
Earlier this week I was searching the internet and various maths books for multicultural maths games. I had several reasons for doing this:
1) In the majority world countries, many cultural activities take place outdoors. Thus a strategic game is more likely to be played outside.
2) Many mathematical developments have taken place in other countries: Arabia, Eygpt, China and India to name but a few.
3) One of my favourite games, Owari, can be played with stones and holes or circles drawn in sand or mud. In one cottage where we lived, my husband and I played this game using the patterns on a carpet and chickpeas for counters.
When creating a base on which to play, chalk can be used or stones to scratch a board pattern onto a paving slab. This is a tradition which has happened for thousands of years.
In terms of extending children’s strategic thinking, use questions such as:
1) From which positions on the board is it possible to make two / three/ four moves? Sketch a diagram of the board and record your findings.
2) Where are the best places to put your pieces on the board in order to make a good start? Why?
3) Is it an advantage to start? Explain.
A good quick reference place for strategy games is http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/ufa10/games.htm. It's worth remembering that time is needed to develop competency in any of these games. Thus by introducing them at the start of the year, they can be used as an interesting alternative to indoor board games.
A whole class challenge is to play one of the games as two teams with children acting as counters and some members being the key decision makers.
Oh yes and do challenge me at Owari - I'm out of practice these days!
Earlier this week I was searching the internet and various maths books for multicultural maths games. I had several reasons for doing this:
1) In the majority world countries, many cultural activities take place outdoors. Thus a strategic game is more likely to be played outside.
2) Many mathematical developments have taken place in other countries: Arabia, Eygpt, China and India to name but a few.
3) One of my favourite games, Owari, can be played with stones and holes or circles drawn in sand or mud. In one cottage where we lived, my husband and I played this game using the patterns on a carpet and chickpeas for counters.
When creating a base on which to play, chalk can be used or stones to scratch a board pattern onto a paving slab. This is a tradition which has happened for thousands of years.
In terms of extending children’s strategic thinking, use questions such as:
1) From which positions on the board is it possible to make two / three/ four moves? Sketch a diagram of the board and record your findings.
2) Where are the best places to put your pieces on the board in order to make a good start? Why?
3) Is it an advantage to start? Explain.
A good quick reference place for strategy games is http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/ufa10/games.htm. It's worth remembering that time is needed to develop competency in any of these games. Thus by introducing them at the start of the year, they can be used as an interesting alternative to indoor board games.
A whole class challenge is to play one of the games as two teams with children acting as counters and some members being the key decision makers.
Oh yes and do challenge me at Owari - I'm out of practice these days!
Thursday, 11 September 2008
The show goes on
My son MJ was considerably hacked off yesterday. He felt cheated that on the last day of the world’s existence children were expected to attend school.
As with the excitement of the Millennium dawning and the possibility of our society crumbling as the computer registered zero, the reality seemed ... well ... normal. Just another day.
Now the environmental hardcore have been muttering about the waste of money being poured into subatomic particle research when there are more urgent and pressing concerns such as global warming and climate change. They have a fair point, I do concede. I am naturally suspicious of any nuclear research owing to my pacifist Quaker upbringing and oodles of books I read about risks of low and high level radiation as a teenager.
As part of my Churchill Fellowship, I visited Fermilab, which undertakes a lot of shared projects with Cerne, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. I was interested in visiting the Lederman Science Education Centre, which is part of Fermilab. Their teacher training programmes are great and as the theme of my Fellowship is Outdoor Technologies the place appeared a natural fit. 15 000 students from local schools visit to learn about science and nature. 900 teachers participate in training provided by Fermilab staff. Most of the school visits focus on environmental programmes.
The Fermilab site is quite remarkable in terms of its prairie restoration work. There are more than 6000 acres of wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and tall-grass prairie as well as a herd of American bison. Being a science facility, the environmental changes have been closely monitored over many years and provide data on the growing diversity of flora and fauna becoming established. Science researchers mingle with environmental educators and grounds staff over lunch. The shared facilities and ethos of support and sharing enable all staff to learn and work together. Strangely the only organisation I’ve come across in the UK with a similar approach is the Wetlands Trust headquarters at Slimbridge. The common factor appears to be far-sighted founders who valued the natural environment and understood aesthetics and creativity in all its forms.
Arguably particle physics is a financial black hole...but Cerne brought us the technology that created the World Wide Web. Fermilab pioneered MRI machines through the Tetravon particle accelerator research. There are real-life applications to the disappearing-white-dot-on-the-screen visions which make the physicists "ooh and ah" whilst the rest of us blink and wonder.
As with the excitement of the Millennium dawning and the possibility of our society crumbling as the computer registered zero, the reality seemed ... well ... normal. Just another day.
Now the environmental hardcore have been muttering about the waste of money being poured into subatomic particle research when there are more urgent and pressing concerns such as global warming and climate change. They have a fair point, I do concede. I am naturally suspicious of any nuclear research owing to my pacifist Quaker upbringing and oodles of books I read about risks of low and high level radiation as a teenager.
As part of my Churchill Fellowship, I visited Fermilab, which undertakes a lot of shared projects with Cerne, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. I was interested in visiting the Lederman Science Education Centre, which is part of Fermilab. Their teacher training programmes are great and as the theme of my Fellowship is Outdoor Technologies the place appeared a natural fit. 15 000 students from local schools visit to learn about science and nature. 900 teachers participate in training provided by Fermilab staff. Most of the school visits focus on environmental programmes.
The Fermilab site is quite remarkable in terms of its prairie restoration work. There are more than 6000 acres of wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and tall-grass prairie as well as a herd of American bison. Being a science facility, the environmental changes have been closely monitored over many years and provide data on the growing diversity of flora and fauna becoming established. Science researchers mingle with environmental educators and grounds staff over lunch. The shared facilities and ethos of support and sharing enable all staff to learn and work together. Strangely the only organisation I’ve come across in the UK with a similar approach is the Wetlands Trust headquarters at Slimbridge. The common factor appears to be far-sighted founders who valued the natural environment and understood aesthetics and creativity in all its forms.
Arguably particle physics is a financial black hole...but Cerne brought us the technology that created the World Wide Web. Fermilab pioneered MRI machines through the Tetravon particle accelerator research. There are real-life applications to the disappearing-white-dot-on-the-screen visions which make the physicists "ooh and ah" whilst the rest of us blink and wonder.
Friday, 5 September 2008
Confessions of a worm worrier
I have to admit my gentleness with worms is borne out of guilt. In the past I have established wormeries and during the trial and error stages more than a few worms were lost through my ignorance.
The trouble stemmed from being conned by the blurb on the instruction sheets. It all sounded fun, straightforward and hunky-dory:
1) Set up equipment
2) Bung in the compost
3) Place in the worms
4) Feed worms a little leftover food
5) Hey presto! A flourishing worm colony!
Alas, it was never quite that simple. If you are planning to establish a school wormery, here’s some top tips to prevent wormslaughter charges being levied against you:
1) Buy the book Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Applehof and Mary Fenton. When strange bugs and beasties appear in the container the authors know what you are worried about!
2) Find a fishing expert and seek their support and advice. Anglers have been nurturing worms for decades before they became right-on environmental “must haves”. They know all the tricks of the trade. It may also be possible to set up an enterprise of supply the local angling club with worms!
3) If you live in a cooler part of the UK, then accept the worms may slow down their productivity if kept outside. If possible, keep them in a shed in winter and insulated with bubble wrap.
4) Worms are fussy eaters. Curry, onion and citrus fruit are no-no’s and create a too acidic environment indicated by the sudden appearance of thin white worms which are NOT baby composting worms, as I mistakenly thought.
5) Worms are pernickety about their living conditions. But think about it. The worm casts are their excrement. How long could you live in a house where everyone’s excrement was left lying around? Their soil needs changing and topped up frequently so that they have a clean place to live.
6) Drain the worm water away from the base of the wormery every few days. It can be smelly and if it builds up, the worms may drown.
7) Wormeries are not a substitute for food cones and compost heaps. These methods cope with much greater quantities of waste than wormeries. However the worm compost is rich and quickly produced.
Worms are worth it! Of all the sustainability measures introduced, worms can really engage children. Even the kids who aren’t into handling worms cannot resist learning about worms world-wide. If you don’t believe me, get them to find out about the Guinea worm.
The trouble stemmed from being conned by the blurb on the instruction sheets. It all sounded fun, straightforward and hunky-dory:
1) Set up equipment
2) Bung in the compost
3) Place in the worms
4) Feed worms a little leftover food
5) Hey presto! A flourishing worm colony!
Alas, it was never quite that simple. If you are planning to establish a school wormery, here’s some top tips to prevent wormslaughter charges being levied against you:
1) Buy the book Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Applehof and Mary Fenton. When strange bugs and beasties appear in the container the authors know what you are worried about!
2) Find a fishing expert and seek their support and advice. Anglers have been nurturing worms for decades before they became right-on environmental “must haves”. They know all the tricks of the trade. It may also be possible to set up an enterprise of supply the local angling club with worms!
3) If you live in a cooler part of the UK, then accept the worms may slow down their productivity if kept outside. If possible, keep them in a shed in winter and insulated with bubble wrap.
4) Worms are fussy eaters. Curry, onion and citrus fruit are no-no’s and create a too acidic environment indicated by the sudden appearance of thin white worms which are NOT baby composting worms, as I mistakenly thought.
5) Worms are pernickety about their living conditions. But think about it. The worm casts are their excrement. How long could you live in a house where everyone’s excrement was left lying around? Their soil needs changing and topped up frequently so that they have a clean place to live.
6) Drain the worm water away from the base of the wormery every few days. It can be smelly and if it builds up, the worms may drown.
7) Wormeries are not a substitute for food cones and compost heaps. These methods cope with much greater quantities of waste than wormeries. However the worm compost is rich and quickly produced.
Worms are worth it! Of all the sustainability measures introduced, worms can really engage children. Even the kids who aren’t into handling worms cannot resist learning about worms world-wide. If you don’t believe me, get them to find out about the Guinea worm.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Woozy wasps - a few stinging comments
The merciless side of my personality is revealed at this time of year. It always tickles me to see sane people develop ticks and twitches as well as irrational behaviour when they try to shoo away a wasp.
People like to copy each other. That’s why wasps can play havoc in the school grounds and indoors. It just takes one child to scream and ....you can imagine the scene!
Thankfully children can be trained to behave properly around wasps. It’s very much like teaching good manners:
1) Keep your mouth shut. The moment it opens, a wasp can fly right in. Practice breathing through your nose.
2) Politely cover your mouth and nose if a wasp is buzzing around these orifices. Having experienced a wasp clean up my lips at a wedding when I’d just eaten a meringue, it is scary. (NB Admittedly I can scream quite loudly with my lips shut tight).
3) Stand or sit still. Close your eyes if you need to but remind children this does not make a wasp magically disappear.
4) Never run away. Running creates a vacuum effect causing a wasp to follow in your wake.
5) Flapping your arms frightens the wasp. Frightened wasps are more likely to sting.
6) Avoid eating sweet foods and fruit outside on sunny days.
I like to hold “wasp practice” drills. These work just the same way as fire drills, except you fake a buzzing wasp sound instead of the fire alarm and encourage children stay still and quiet, whether inside or out.
Wasps and bees make a great project. The British Bee Keeping Association has various education packs and information. I love getting young children to do a writing activity about what to do if you are stung and how to stop this from happening. I usually end up telling them the Very True Story of how my grandmother accidentally swallowed a wasp when eating Kendal Mint Cake and got stung in her throat. She saved her own life by eating lots of raw onions to reduce the swelling. I do, of course, advise children to seek medical help as soon as possible should this happen to them or someone they know.
I have also stumbled upon an ingenious, environmentally friendly device for keeping wasps away. No nasty sprays. No swatters. No cups of jam and washing up liquid. No more slaughter of these helpful insects which munch up garden pests like greenfly. No. No. No! Instead I’d like to introduce the ....WASPINATOR
This amazing device is a fake wasps’ nest which you hang up in your garden. The very sight of it keeps the wasps away. The website is worth a visit, not least because it contains all sorts of information about wasps written in a friendly style. Read and enjoy!
People like to copy each other. That’s why wasps can play havoc in the school grounds and indoors. It just takes one child to scream and ....you can imagine the scene!
Thankfully children can be trained to behave properly around wasps. It’s very much like teaching good manners:
1) Keep your mouth shut. The moment it opens, a wasp can fly right in. Practice breathing through your nose.
2) Politely cover your mouth and nose if a wasp is buzzing around these orifices. Having experienced a wasp clean up my lips at a wedding when I’d just eaten a meringue, it is scary. (NB Admittedly I can scream quite loudly with my lips shut tight).
3) Stand or sit still. Close your eyes if you need to but remind children this does not make a wasp magically disappear.
4) Never run away. Running creates a vacuum effect causing a wasp to follow in your wake.
5) Flapping your arms frightens the wasp. Frightened wasps are more likely to sting.
6) Avoid eating sweet foods and fruit outside on sunny days.
I like to hold “wasp practice” drills. These work just the same way as fire drills, except you fake a buzzing wasp sound instead of the fire alarm and encourage children stay still and quiet, whether inside or out.
Wasps and bees make a great project. The British Bee Keeping Association has various education packs and information. I love getting young children to do a writing activity about what to do if you are stung and how to stop this from happening. I usually end up telling them the Very True Story of how my grandmother accidentally swallowed a wasp when eating Kendal Mint Cake and got stung in her throat. She saved her own life by eating lots of raw onions to reduce the swelling. I do, of course, advise children to seek medical help as soon as possible should this happen to them or someone they know.
I have also stumbled upon an ingenious, environmentally friendly device for keeping wasps away. No nasty sprays. No swatters. No cups of jam and washing up liquid. No more slaughter of these helpful insects which munch up garden pests like greenfly. No. No. No! Instead I’d like to introduce the ....WASPINATOR
This amazing device is a fake wasps’ nest which you hang up in your garden. The very sight of it keeps the wasps away. The website is worth a visit, not least because it contains all sorts of information about wasps written in a friendly style. Read and enjoy!
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Worms with attitude
In this day and age a few folk may find it hard to believe that worms outrank teenagers and yobs on the attitude front. It’s true. Some worms have a BIG attitude problem and I have developed a simple test to check out this out.
At some point when undertaking a gardening or composting activity, a worm will be discovered to the delight of many and the disgust of several children. When such an event happens, as teachers we immediately think “Aha! A learning opportunity!”
At this point timing is crucial...if you are not quick enough, the chances are that the wee kid called Innit will have squashed the poor worm or hurled it into the face of the class bully, creating mayhem and that dreaded feeling of being out of control. When this happens we ruefully accept that the main learning was for the teacher, not the children, and that’s sharing learning intentions in its purest sense.
So, with prompt decisiveness, request that a worm attitude test is administered. This involves placing the worm on the palm of your hand. A worm with an attitude score of 10 will jump right off and you will need both hands to stop it. This worm is king of the compost. A worm which moves a little friskily gets a score of 5 out of 10. A worm which moves gently, has little attitude and scores 1 point. A worm which does not move may be dead.
Now, this test gives you, the teacher, a little breathing space. As the children decide whether they want to hold the worm and check out its attitude, you can do the reminders about being gentle and how to hold and treat the creature. What I have never understood is why worms behave in such different ways when picked up. Interesting thought, innit?
At some point when undertaking a gardening or composting activity, a worm will be discovered to the delight of many and the disgust of several children. When such an event happens, as teachers we immediately think “Aha! A learning opportunity!”
At this point timing is crucial...if you are not quick enough, the chances are that the wee kid called Innit will have squashed the poor worm or hurled it into the face of the class bully, creating mayhem and that dreaded feeling of being out of control. When this happens we ruefully accept that the main learning was for the teacher, not the children, and that’s sharing learning intentions in its purest sense.
So, with prompt decisiveness, request that a worm attitude test is administered. This involves placing the worm on the palm of your hand. A worm with an attitude score of 10 will jump right off and you will need both hands to stop it. This worm is king of the compost. A worm which moves a little friskily gets a score of 5 out of 10. A worm which moves gently, has little attitude and scores 1 point. A worm which does not move may be dead.
Now, this test gives you, the teacher, a little breathing space. As the children decide whether they want to hold the worm and check out its attitude, you can do the reminders about being gentle and how to hold and treat the creature. What I have never understood is why worms behave in such different ways when picked up. Interesting thought, innit?
Monday, 1 September 2008
A FUN-damental truth
A couple of days ago, a good friend of mine, Deremiah CPE*, blogged about the Get Em Outside video I had put on my Facebook profile. Here’s the link: http://www.deremiahcpe.blogspot.com/
He talks about the human need to have fun and how outdoor learning can contribute to this for children and adults. This has been recognised for many years. Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), author of How to Win Friends and Influence People and a pioneer in self-improvement stated “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing”.
Yet, I believe the new Scottish A Curriculum for Excellence draft experiences and guidelines do not mention “fun” at all. Not once. Occasionally children are permitted to “enjoy” the learning experience. I think this is a sad and significant omission.
In the kingdom of Bhutan, the king rates his country’s success by using “Gross Domestic Happiness” as a measure. Perhaps a similar consideration needs to be given to our curriculum.
However, all is not lost. I am raising my glass and toasting teachers everywhere who interpret curriculum guidelines in so many creative, interesting and fun ways. Cheers!
Now let’s all go outside and apply the same principles to our outdoor activities!
He talks about the human need to have fun and how outdoor learning can contribute to this for children and adults. This has been recognised for many years. Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), author of How to Win Friends and Influence People and a pioneer in self-improvement stated “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing”.
Yet, I believe the new Scottish A Curriculum for Excellence draft experiences and guidelines do not mention “fun” at all. Not once. Occasionally children are permitted to “enjoy” the learning experience. I think this is a sad and significant omission.
In the kingdom of Bhutan, the king rates his country’s success by using “Gross Domestic Happiness” as a measure. Perhaps a similar consideration needs to be given to our curriculum.
However, all is not lost. I am raising my glass and toasting teachers everywhere who interpret curriculum guidelines in so many creative, interesting and fun ways. Cheers!
Now let’s all go outside and apply the same principles to our outdoor activities!
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