David Rogers

Simple starter idea

2012-01-09T21:00:00.001Z

Idea for a simple starter. First lesson on extreme environments. On entry the following slideshow from Flickr is running:

I also played the following. Loud:

The activity? For the students to identify the search terms that I had entered to produce the images. Worked well.

That was 2011……

2011-12-29T20:53:00.001Z

As 2011 ends with my family technically homeless and with me struggling to put together the CPD log required to retain my RGS(IBG) Chartered Geographer status, the timing seems right to look back over the year. This post is for myself and is a place for me to look back on, so I won’t be offended if you give it a miss!

As 2011 ends, I’m reminded of this post and the image below, taken near to Christmas 2004. The event linked to this image was the watershed of my teaching career. It’s when I decided to stop playing teacher an put a little effort into it. What a long way we’ve come since then! Looking back at the review of 2010 and some of the things I was looking forward to in 2011, I truly have no idea where the time went!

Most of this post will follow some sort of chronological order, but I’ll start with a the highlight of the year and a thank you:

I got married in August 2011 to the long suffering, some would say widow to teaching, Kelly. The day was perfect and it was great to be with so many friends and family. Henry, my 2 year old son, was the true star of the show though…. I know that I wouldn’t be anywhere near here at the moment without them so thank you.

Thank you to the team that I work with. Jo Debens, Alec Weaver and Sam Atkins have continued to make working at Priory something that I look forward to every single day (that aren’t the holidays….). They continue to go along with my madcap schemes and put up with my challenging behaviour. A big thank you also goes out to James Humphries and the Senior Leadership Team at Priory who have always been very supportive of myself and Geography, even in the face of what may seem quite demanding behaviour. I promise to stop making trouble in 2012.

I make no apologies for using a few gapingvoid.com cartoons. Their messages speak to me. 2011 is a year in which I have continued to weigh up remaining as a classroom teacher against roles that would reduce my interaction with young people and teachers. I haven’t made up my mind that, but then I would say that in public….. All I’ll say is that I feel ready for bigger challenges and then leave it at that

So, let’s get on with it, I’m going to stay kind of chronological as that’s how my diary works. I’ll also attempt to link to various posts that may be of use to others, and certainly myself.

January saw reflections on the Government’s White Paper on Education, and event that shaped most of the year including the work of the Geographical Association and it’s Secondary Phase Committee.

It was fairly quiet for a while, especially in February as a combination of Year 8’s Eco Challenge, my Brother in-law’s stag do and an epic winter climbing trip to Scotland took over. However, there was a little time to plod toward the completion of the Leadership Pathways programme and lead / support colleagues in setting up Enquiry Days. I was also the guest blogger at the Hodder Geography nest.

This year some would say that I’ve mainly been creating trouble. What they mean is that this year we have really pushed co-creation, pupil action, the acceptance of mobile learning and creativity. That all started in March and saw the development of a strong working relationship between priory geography and Creative Partnerships. This formed the bedrock for later work that saw the creation of a Mobile Device Policy that was co-constructed with students. Our main conclusion were shared at bMobLe and Northern Grid as well as other places. The conclusion was that chalk is far more naughty than mobile devices

2011 also saw the renewed importance of various networks such as Partners in Learning and our local face-to-face network. Jo Debens headed to Moscow as part of Microsoft’s Innovative Teachers Forum. I also continue to be an activist for The Geographical Association and have enjoyed heading to their conference in 2011, giving a number of sessions. I also took over the Chair of The Secondary Phase Committee and I continue to feed in to the editorial collective of the GA Magazine. This year I decided to take a step back from the Geography Collective, but I have enjoyed seeing them go from, strength to strength and am sure I’ll return to the fold. As a one of the founding members of the collective, this was a difficult decision, but it’s time to focus on my other plans…..

School visits form a vital and important part in Geography and it was with great pleasure that I managed to get a fairly incident free trip to Iceland arranged for pupils. The experience seen though young people’s eyes was incredible and we plan to return in 2013. Priory Geography continues to develop the curriculum with young people and this year became a GA Centre of Excellence. We had a fantastic time and continued the upward trend in GCSE results, although there is still much improvement to make. By March, we were already rocking! What I was most proud of is the commitment of every member of the team. The department has had a fantastic 2011, and I’m really itching to get going in 2012! Remember that this is still the mission:

April was just mental as I became a Dream Teacher. It must have been a strange month as I grappled with the idea of tools and boxes and tried to define what I was! Somehow, I also managed to produce this video:

In May a group of lovely people recognised this blog, naming it Teacher Blog of the Year. Many thanks! I also managed to complete the Leadership Pathways course.

The academic year closed with the creation of a mobile device policy, something that I am very proud of. The policy wording can be found here.

I’m sure that there are a few other bits and bobs in there also.

Since September, I’ve been laying the foundations of a number of projects, more of which coming in 2012…..

See you there?

Photo Credit Danni Beach Photography

What is learning? A personal reflection.

2011-12-28T14:44:00.001Z

A conversation between myself, Kevin, Nick and Mike this morning got me thinking about what learning is. This is a very important thing to reflect upon as many mantras put learning centre stage. Indeed, I’m in the habit of assessing the value of a project or action by asking the question ‘how does this make learning better?’

I think that every person involved in education should have a clear understanding of what learning is and means in their context.

The problem is, it’s very difficult to tie down what learning actually is. This got me thinking – do I know what learning actually is? The debate sometimes puts learning up against assessment, but I’m fairly sure that they are part of the same thing. The following is an attempt to pin down what I think learning is. It has been formed through my own personal journey through learning, my current role as a middle leader in a secondary school and as the father of a toddler (seen above learning not to look down a hose when his father is standing by the tap….) and my reading of learning theory (this is a great place to find an overview and links). I should say that I see no difference between school and adult learning, nor informal and formal learning. Having said this, my experience is limited to secondary school and above, because (apart from living with a 2 year old) I have little current experience of primary school contexts.

I’ve attempted to display my understanding as a Venn diagram, just because that’s how I like to think:

For me, learning is a blend of achievement, attainment and motivation all of which are influenced by the context in which one finds themselves. So learning in my context (a large, inner city secondary school in Portsmouth) is:

Achievement – Getting pupils to engage and enjoy learning. This is often seen during our department’s projects where groups of students gets to apply their skills, knowledge and/ or understanding. Examples would include BBC School Report, Digital Leaders, Student Curriculum Leaders, Olympic Geocaching. It’s important to remember though that sometimes, learning should sometimes be a beautiful struggle if it is to be rewarding. Not that Achievement is linked to both motivation and attainment. Teaching skills can help increase the sense of achievement, but all learning should have a context. In this area, I agree with the recent Expert Report on the National Curriculum:

We do not believe that these are either/or questions. Indeed, it is impossible to conceptualise ‘learning to learn’ independently of learning ‘something’ The Framework for the National Curriculum: A report by the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum Review, Dec 2011, Ch 2

Attainment: Let’s face it: assessment and external examinations are never going to go away. And nor should they. I agree that their format and structure should reflect the age in which we live, but they are important. Qualifications are important. Subjects and the knowledge required to understand them provide a powerful context in which to learn. Otherwise, how do I know that the gas boiler going into my new home isn’t going to kill me? How do I know whether the repair to my car, or my MOT is legitimate? In my context, our students need qualifications to progress. True, they can (but rarely do) leave with nothing and still go on to a happy life. But the truth is, when I speak to the young people I teach they tell me that they want qualifications. They know that qualifications probably mean they can go on to do what they want to. This means that learning has to take in to account the formal qualifications that young people are subject to. Our Key Stage 3 is informed by the teaching styles employed in Key Stage 2 but also the skills, knowledge and understanding that is required for success at GCSE. In turn, our GCSE course is informed by what students need at A’Level. That’s not to say that we don’t provide the means to explore vocational learning and learning that is ‘hand on.’ It’s a blend. Some argue that teaching to the test is bad, and I agree. But I do recognise the need for young people’s learning to be accredited. Would you want to complete 11 years of formal education with nothing to show for it?

Motivation – This is the most difficult to pin down for me. But, it’s clear in my institution that those pupils who know what they want to do when they leave school seem to do better. They are more engaged and they understand what they need to attain and achieve to progress. Of course, I’ve been involved in a few minor epics on the mountains. Not wanting to die is a good motivator to learn about navigation and mountain stuff. As an educator, once I understand what motivates an individual or class, it is often easier to help them to successfully engage in learning. I have seen young people work really hard at home to revise and as a result excel in Geography even when the computer predicts a poor grade.

I’ll probably come back to this post at some point, these are some reflections to return to and any feedback / ideas on what you think learning is would be useful.

YouTube edu

2011-12-23T15:34:00.001Z

OK, so I’ll get straight to the point: I don’t see the point of YouTube Education. That may be due to my own context or our way of going about things, but I’ll try to explain where I’m coming from and I’m happy to be proven wrong.

This sums it up for me, it’s the warning you get once signed up:

This statement is spot on, but, if it’s true, then why do we need YouTube Edu? This statement applies to YouTube and the whole entire galactic content of the web, doesn’t it? While we’re at it, it also applies to any educational resource – DVDs, Video, Cassettes, Radio, Pictures, News….

Before I go any further, I’d like to point out that I think YouTube content is great for the classroom. In fact, I use it often. But…

For me, there are a number of issues with this intro. Firstly, teachers have been safety using video in classrooms for years. Secondly, although you get access to all of the educational content on YouTube Edu for free, a) YouTube is free anyway and b) who decides what is educational content. Some examples:

After stealing an idea from good friend and great geographer Alan Parkinson, I’ve been using the clip above for years. Why? To point out the reliability of claims and data. Can a claim that only sampled 356 women be trusted? This lesson can be applied to data collection, presentation and analysis to great effect.

The clip above is great for exploring industrial change and helping young people to develop a sense of place, then encouraging them to write about it. I got the idea of using this sort of video from Noel Jenkins, and they are very effective at starting conversations.

The impact of an MEDC volcanic eruption? Would this be seen as educational content by YouTube edu?

The earthquake in New Zealand happening now – pupils could create a narration for example. How quickly can YouTube Edu respond? Although, with this example I am more likely to use sites like the BBC, use radio and other newspaper sites.

Sorry, just had to put this bad boy in here Couldn’t find it on YouTube Edu despite it (and another other 6 videos) winning a prize from Google in an educational video competition. (this could be on there, so do feel free to shoot me down if it is or there are plan to include such teacher generated content)

YouTube Edu currently offers this as geographical content:

My point? While I admire Google for trying, the only real people that should be making decisions on what is useful educational content is teachers. Teachers who understand their own educational context, the learning styles of young people and their classroom.

I think that it’s the wrong argument to have, but admit that it is a start.

How do we access YouTube in the classroom (with a classic Muppets tune):

That and having persuasive, learning focuses conversations with the right people to move toward unblocking or filtered access. From the short experience on the mobile device adventure, we’ve found that young people on the whole can be trusted. It’s the staff you have to worry about….

This post is based upon a quick exploration of YouTube Edu and I know that content and features will be added. However, YouTube is an excellent resource for teachers, YouTube Edu?……..

What we need? Teachers to be trusted to identify and use useful content available on the internet.

TeachMeet @BETT 2012

2011-12-14T19:40:00.001Z

I went along to BETT and the attached TeachMeet two years ago. It’s a good opportunity to catch up with familiar people and meet new teachers and contacts. Maybe see you there?

Digital Leaders coming to Priory

2011-12-13T10:58:00.001Z

The photosynth above was created last weekend, half way up a cold and snowy mountain. It’s here as we hope to slowly incorporate mobile devices in fieldwork. One of the ways we wish to do this is by exploring and establishing the concept of Digital Leaders at Priory School. Much has been written about Digital Leaders and there is a useful gathering of links below.
The project here will be supported though our work with Creative Partnerships, and in particular James Byford. Taking the lead from the excellent work of Kristian Still and Dan Stucke, the recruitment process is due to go live in the New Year and will ask for digital applications. We intend to follow this up with an emersion event where we will explore the role of the group.
In order to get things started, we have created a set of overall missions that we’d like to work on that include:

Identifying curriculum opportunities for mobile devices (esp BYOD)
Undertaking a digital audit of the school and presenting it in a cool way
Developing a range of workshops on social media and other topics for parents and community
Helping drive the Olympic geocaching project
Evaluating the student access to WiFi project.

These aren’t original ideas and I am grateful for the information on Digital Leaders programmes from around the UK.
We are also looking for support with the project in order to make it sustainable. This could be (if you’re in the Portsmouth area) a venue to meet at, or help in any other way. If you think you could contribute it would be great to hear from you. Email me at geography@priory.portsmouth.sch.uk or send me a Tweet.
Links that have been useful:

Mobile @PriorySouthsea Update

2011-12-12T19:47:00.001Z

Mobile at Priory Update

View more presentations from David Rogers

Gave a presentation to the whole governing body today about the mobile device policy. All seemed to go well, and I have a few useful action points related to the WiFi access project. Any questions, please feel free to get in touch. I hope that my main points are clear, the first few slides deal with the overall vision of the project.

Sometimes, it’s got to be about the slog. Reflections of the term.

2011-12-07T19:43:00.001Z

Today, I spotted the cartoon above over at gapingvoid.com. With almost perfect timing, it seems to sum up and a handful of words this term. It hasn’t been pretty, but the stuff we are doing is essential. It’s been a term in which we’ve laid some foundations for the stuff to come. It’s been a slog, mundane, a mission. But essential. There hasn’t been a lot of cool stuff.

Yet.

Sometimes, the cool stuff can get in the way.

On reflection, this has been a tough term. As always, the team have delivered and I am very happy with the team around me. So, let’s have a look back and forward.

The term started with the department being awarded Centre of Excellence status. At the same time we spearheaded the drive toward a BYOD policy with the launch of the Mobile @ Priory policy. A big part of the slog has been getting our collective heads around the idea of using mobile devices within the classroom. There is much more to come on this.

We’ve also set up some missions on the Mission:Explore website. This term, we have flirted with facebook, Twitter and BYOD access to WiFi. There’s a lot to get sorted if the change is to be embedded and sustainable.

But. The foundations are there. Sometimes, the slog is needed.

Next term, look out for:

Further developments with the BYOD WiFi policy
Raise results in the GCSE Controlled Assessment and Sustainable Decision Making elements of the course.
Geocaching and QR codes around the school – creating resources for Geography, MFL, EAL, DTRM, Music and Induction
A project linking geocaching, the Olympic Games and the teaching of traditional skills
We are going to nail live blogging from mobile devices in the field, as well as data collection.
We are going to plant hundreds of flags around the University of Portsmouth in an attempt to engage the higher education population with our students’ sense of place.
Our contribution to BBC School report (which is bound to include some form of naughty madness)
Students creating the curriculum and helping the school to embrace change.

We are looking forward to January. Our first department meeting will be in a tea room

The power of networks: the case of the Tashtastic Geographers

2011-12-01T14:53:00.001Z

Last month was Movember. It’s the second time that I’ve taken part, this time as part of a team of geography teachers.

On reflection, this is a great use of a network (personal learning or otherwise). If networks are all about individuals, then their activities must reflect the range of interests and personalities if it is to become sustainable. Personally, I have joined many networks and the either left or failed to engage fully because the community doesn’t reflect interests. In other words, a network needs to have a personality.

Check out the Hodder Geography Nest for a rouges gallery.

You can still sponsor the team here.

What networks do you engage with the most? Mine are:

The team at work – crazy bunch of geographers, but we share similar interests and socialise.
Local RGS(IBG) Geography network – we help run these at Priory, but face-to-face is always better than over the net.
Twitter – I usually take it seriously, but not always. Two of my first contacts, Ollie Bray and Alan Parkinson, actually encourage banter via Twitter. People who don’t take themselves too seriously in my view, rock.
Partners in Learning – it’s difficult to describe why I like PiL so much, but a lot of it is to do with Stuart Ball. What could be a corporate, grey suited mare-fest, is actually an encouraging, go-to-for-help and supportive community. I’m looking forward to seeing what the new website (currently in BETA) will be like.
Subject Associations (Geographical Association and Royal Geographical Society) – like minded people and all that. Which reminds me, it must be approaching #gaconf12beermeet time?
The Geography Collective – because it’s not ALL about National Curriculum and OFSTED.

@priorygeography supporting #Movember

2011-11-30T09:48:00.001Z

Sam Atkins and myself joined a team of geographers this month to raise money and awareness of men’s cancers. Alec Weaver is just normally hairy. There is still time to donate to the team here.

Would you employ these people?

Priory Geography Action Plan

2011-11-29T19:38:00.001Z

I work with a great team of people. And I like to plan. In fact, I consider the annual action plan to be a vital document. That’s providing that it becomes a living document and not filed away somewhere and forgotten. The Wordle.net image above shows what our priorities over the next twelve months are. I’m not going to share the full detail of the plan, but the main aims and objectives are at the bottom of the post.

I would offer a handful of tips for completing an action plan:

ensure that as many points as possible link to the Headteacher’s vision and whole school plan;
base actions upon measurable outcomes and data from last year (including lesson observations, pupil option numbers, GCSE results etc)
Write the plan with the team, make sure they are happy with what they are responsible for (or at least let them look at it and agree before you stich them up )
Share the load. It’s apart of the teaching standards to take a team view of the curriculum, for example. Personally, I don’t think it’s acceptable for anyone not to be involved in making learning better and leading projects.
Keep it simple and short. It’s just not possible to hit a billion targets
Include some stuff that you have already done. Some stuff that you need to do, but maybe mundane. Most importantly, include some really wacky cool stuff (appropriately linked to the school development plan)
Cost it all up, including CPD opportunities (such as curriculum development away days for example)

I won’t give away all the secrets – my Head may be reading this

Geography @ Priory Plan 2011-2012 (Headlines)

A strategy to make Geography a leading department at Priory School by:

Aims

1. Leading Learning

· Creating Inspiring Lessons and an inspiring environment.

2. Leading Improvement

· Focus on progress for all pupils

3. Leading Innovation

· Developing Independent learners.

4. Leading Enrichment

· Creating actively engaged pupils in an actively engaged school.

5. Leading Support

· Socially and emotionally aware staff and pupils

Objectives

Geography @ Priory should:

1. Further developing a co-constructed curriculum that motivates and inspires pupils.

2. Improve the quality of teacher interventions linked to progress and attainment data.

3. Develop a pedagogy that supports the use of mobile devices in learning.

4. Provide opportunities for young people to engage with curriculum and whole school change.

5. Embedding the language of Rights, Respects and Responsibilities

Hodder Digital Ideas Day

2011-11-28T10:53:00.001Z

Was invited to London today to speak at the Hodder Digital Ideas Day. The brief was to talk about some of the challenges and opportunities available around technology in schools. The only thing I would add to this is that in 5 years time, I can see a lot of educational content and textbooks being published by young people, co-constructed with teachers, maybe using ePub.

The slides below cover what I spoke about:

Hodder Digital Ideas Day

View more presentations from David Rogers.

Mobile devices: pupil WiFi access project

2011-11-25T21:46:00.001Z

Mobile devices have been around for a while. I remember using one of these back in the early 1990s so that my parents could pick me up from Air Cadets. I remember that even back then the buzz around mobile devices was phenomenal. Ever since I started teaching, the educational world has been awash with claims that the latest mobile technology is going to revolutionise learning. To me, no single device has lived up to this.

I think it’s about behaviour and not devices. Of course, we need stuff that’s portable, light, easy to use, affordable, compatible…… But none of that is going to revolutionise learning. Our approach, or behaviour, to using devices could.

‘Two roads diverged in a wood – I took the road less travelled, And that made all the difference’ Robert Frost

We’ve already taken the first step, and thanks to a very supportive Leadership team and staff, we have a policy in place. The policy aims to inform behaviour toward and when using mobile devices.

The next step is to allow pupils to connect to the WiFi network. This makes sense. It’s morally wrong to depend on parents paying for 3G data plans for students to learn in schools. School WiFi can also be filtered. The bottom line is that if we are going to use mobile devices, and in particular pupils own devices, then we’ve got to provide the connectivity. By the way, I have no clue about the tecnicals behind WiFi connectivity!

‘But there are men for whom the unattainable has a special attraction. Usually they are not experts: the ambitions and fantasies are strong enough o brush aside the doubts which more cautious men might have.’ Bear Grylls on climbing Everst, but I think that this is applicable to any seemingly insurmountable challenge. (I would, however, add ‘and women.’)

After some great discussions with the IT team, we are very excited to be in a position to start trialling student WiFi access. Below is an extract (modified)from my original proposal. The main focus in on developing pedagogy, and in taking small steps.

Bring Your Own device (BYOD) access to school WiFi – Pilot proposal.

Aims:

· To build upon the success of the Mobile @ Priory policy

· To embed the use of pupils’ personal mobile devices within the geography and wider curriculum.

· To model best practice and safe behaviour when using mobile devices

· To identify the technical specification and support required to allow pupil access to the school WiFi network.

· To further develop the lesson protocols and best practice needed when encouraging the use of pupils’ own mobile devices.

· To increase the range of tools that our learners have available as they prepare for external examinations, ultimately raising achievement.

Phase 1 – Now until December

Pupils who attend Geography workshops will be given access to the pupil WiFi and shown how a wide range of Geography related Apps and mobile websites can help them prepare for the January SDME examination. This will not only encourage more of our pupils to attend after school workshops with the incentive of access to WiFi but allow us to test the hardware and develop protocols for using devices in class.

If successful:

Phase 2 – Jan 2012 – Half term Feb 2012

Access will be extended to Year 11 students studying Geography. Digital Leaders (pupil leaders of technology) will observe these lessons and pupil feedback sought. This will enable us to test the feasibility of having whole classes access a single WiFi point. Activities will be built in to lessons, helping students to prepare for the January SDME. For example, simple, free, apps and the BBC Bitesize mobile site provide a wealth of resources.

Image Credit with thanks

Microsoft Partners in Learning Innovative Teachers Meeting

2011-11-24T14:58:00.001Z

Yesterday evening I journeyed to Reading for a meeting of innovative teachers. The event was relaxed, and the Indian street food provided was amazing!

I spoke about our mobile learning adventure. I’ve included the slides below and narrated the key points.

Mapping inequality: geographies of difference

2011-11-22T20:17:00.001Z

Next year’s GA conference is all about the geographies of difference. Priory’s Geography curriculum allows pupils to explore how places and spaces can affect the experiences of different groups of people and it’s something that I believe strongly about.

Today, I saw a Tweet sent out by James Ball with a link to the tube map for those who can’t climb stairs. The map is below, compare it with the full tube map above.

This provides an excellent context for geographical enquiry. How does the experience of London differ?

This area of personal geography also provides an excellent source of on-site fieldwork investigation. For example, our pupils often explore the school as ‘different’ people to see how far they would get. This is the map of our school if you can’t use steps:

Scotland Unplug’d

2011-11-21T09:45:00.001Z

Very excited to open an email today from Jen Deyenberg this morning confirmed a place at the Scotland Unplug’d event in April next year. The whole thing appeals to me greatly:

“Unplug’d Scotland is a Retreat to go to the beautiful Loch Tay to get away, write, collaborate, be active, and build relationships with Educators from all aspects and levels of learning. A natural setting away from pressures, technology, and conference tables will allow us to get a chance to share, grow, relax, and reflect as educators and learners.”

There are still places available, so if this sounds like your thing then head over here.

Getting grant money

2011-11-20T19:49:00.001Z

The photo above shows a bunch of our GCSE students undertaking their Controlled Assessment fieldwork at Hengistbury Head in Dorset. This opportunity was possible through a Frederick Soddy grant through the Geographical Association. In the current funding climate, I think that it’s essential to seek, apply for and get external funding. There are a couple of reasons for this: it makes learning better and it gives a little independence to the department. This financial year we have been successful in securing nearly £20k of external funding. This figure is closer to £30k since I joined the department in January 2008. This post aims to set out our approach to securing funding as many colleagues often ask what’s our secret.

Before going into any detail, some principles:

Any funding opportunity is always linked to development in pedagogy across our curriculum. In the event of pilot projects, we aim to expand them within the academic year. We are not about gimmicks or one off activities.
Funding should be linked to a CPD opportunity for the team. There should be the chance to get out of the comfort zone, take part in some action research or lead a project.
It’s always worth putting a grant application in. The worst that can happen is getting a no.

Example of funding and the associated projects, in the last couple of years include:

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Innovative Geography Teaching Grants.

We have secured a number of these that have supported out work in developing international school links and developing student voice,

Geographical Association Frederick Soddy Award.

This award allowed our Year 10 geographers to access a fieldwork location that was otherwise inaccessible due to cost.

21st Century Learning Alliance Fellowship.

This award allowed us to develop students as decision makers during the ill-fated BSF adventure.

Ernest Cook Trust Grant

This grant is going to provide bursaries to young people attending a residential weekend focused on conservation. It will also support live blogging from the field through the use of iPads.

Creative Partnerships Legacy Project.

Developing the Mobile @ Priory co-constructed policy and associated support materials. Allowed us to carry out the infamous chalk graffiti exercise.

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Innovation Grant.

Will help support out geocaching project linked to the Olympic games.

The important thing to note is that although these are all ‘stand alone’ projects they link to and stretch existing practice. It also helps to have an open mind!

How do we go about it?

First, find the right grant.

The main activity is to spend an hour or more using a site like Grants for Schools. I use the free trial. There is a lot of content on there that just isn’t appropriate. However, it’s usually possible to identify at least 5-10 potential grant giving bodies. The main thing is to have a good idea of what you want to do before looking for funding. Doing so makes it a much easier process. There are also great links through Twitter. It’s an important point to note that many grants, especially the smaller ones, won’t support you in buying stuff. They want to see development of teaching.

Second, write the bid.

We don’t make up bid applications for the sake of it. We will have a project, probably have undertaken a trial with a class or two, and then identified what we need to take the project forward. This is very important as we have an obligation to our students to make learning better. We are also accountable for the money and we strongly believe that we should deliver on our promises. The bid writing is often the tricky part, but our main tip is to read the application criteria; the aims of the grant giving body and the conditions carefully. For example, one organisation only wanted to support work in conservation and the development of traditional skills. As our Eco Challenge residential already does this the grant was appropriate to what we aimed to do.

I should add, make sure that you have the backing of your team. I am very lucky as I have an excellent team of teachers around me who are willing to lead on curriculum projects. This develops them, and spreads the load.

Finally, be prepared for rejections. We probably have a 50% success rate each year, so have a back up plan.

10 days left of Movember

2011-11-20T13:33:00.001Z

There are 10 days left of Movember, the facial hair growing marathon that aims to raise awareness of, and fund for, men’s health issues.

This year, after securing permission from Mrs Rogers, I’ve gone for the feral look. It’s coming along but I can’t wait for it to come off!

So, if you’d be so kind, please support our team of Geographers by donating here. I'm also hoping to be at the Partners in Learning Teachers meet this week, so all spare change gratefully received

Discover the World Volcano Study Aid

2011-11-19T14:40:00.001Z

Over the summer, Discover the World sent me off to Iceland. The main purpose was to put together a Key Stage 3 Study Aid surrounding the Eyjafjalljokull Volcanic eruption in 2010. There are also GCSE and A’Level links. You will need to register to be able to access the pack.

There are a 6 lesson ideas together with various worksheets, videos, photographs and other resources. I’d be interested to know what you think.

I’ll be speaking about how the pack can be used in lessons as well as some of the other Iceland fieldpack notes at the GA’s Annual Conference in Manchester in April 2012.

EdComs Teacher site

2011-11-19T14:31:00.001Z

I’m getting through that ‘must blog about’ list while we wait to head off for a second viewing on a house. I must be trying to avoid spending that much money!

Over the summer, I was involved on the periphery of the new EdComs teacher site. The site is now available in Beta and I would recommend a look. There are a range of very useful resources (including some brilliant Geography related stuff including the BP Carbon Footprint resources) as well as a range of opportunities.

We’ve used some of the resources before, but it’s nice to see them and many others all in one place.

At the moment, those who register for the site could end up winning a ticket to the Learning Without Frontiers conference.

Mobile Learning Update

2011-11-19T14:23:00.001Z

It’s an exciting time at Priory geography at the moment with some incredible mobile learning curriculum projects lined up. This post is a quick reflection and update on the pedagogic adventures since the introduction of our Mobile @ Priory policy.

Firstly, why do I consider the use of mobile devices for learning important? Many others have put the arguments better than I can, but:

1. The photos above show my two year old son taking part in some analogue activities. This will never stop. The video below shows him interacting with an iPad. Mobile devices are just a tool, but his expectations and access to knowledge is already larger than mine. Technology is already a pervasive force in his life. In two years time he’ll be starting school….

2. Computers are costly. If this money was spent instead on providing first class WiFi, students can use their own devices in class, saving money. Spare money could be used to help those without access to technology at home. After all, shouldn’t learning be happening anywhere? Do we really care where or how learning happens?

3. While I wouldn’t agree with those that wish to stop handwriting etc etc, it’s clear that business and learning takes places online through electronic devices and on the move. Why wouldn’t we want to allow young people to become proficient in mobile technology?

4. I don’t agree with the view that all young people know how to use their devices proficiently, especially in the creation and collaboration with others.

During the Pilot phase of our mobile policy, we made it clear that mobile devices needed to be away for lessons. The default position should be an expectation that mobile devices won’t be used in the lesson. However, the policy allows teachers to use mobile devices in their lessons if they wish.

I have to admit to being very pleasantly surprised at some of the pedagogical changes taken place. Instead of waiting to be led, some teachers are leading. For example:

Mobile phones being used in MFL lessons to teach numbers. Pupils had to dial the number and see if their classmate’s phone rang.
Phones being used to allow students to research during lessons.
EAL students using web based translators to access their existing learning and therefore engage with the lesson.
Phones being used in PHSE to access YouTube clips to spark discussion around the London riots.
A student handed in homework as an animation on her Nintendo 3DS.

Apart from helping to create the policy, I’ve done very little to encourage this. What is surprising is that some teachers I would have classed as either anti-technology or anti-mobile phones. It gets me thinking ‘what if.’ Behaviour incidents involving mobile devices account for just under 3% of the total and most teachers that have dabbled report that students, and this is goose bumpy amazing, could be trusted to use them for learning and not ‘evil.’ In other words, by taking control of the behaviour around mobile devices, learning is better.

So, what is next?

The creation of cross-curricular learning trails around the school using QR codes and other goodies.
Getting students access to high quality WiFi. If students families are supplying the devices, I don’t think it’s morally right to expect them to pay for the 3G data too (unless the GSMA provided some very good deals for students)
We have a number of 3 3G MiFi dongles to allow live blogging and data collection in the field using handheld devices.
The creation of geocaches to be placed at Box Hill, the location for the Olympic Road Race. These will communicate messages from our students to spectators and residents
The creation of CPD resources – videos and other media designed to help other teachers unlock the potential of mobile devices.
Set up of Digital Leaders at Priory with the primary purpose of driving forward the Mobile @ Priory manifesto.

And we’re only just getting warmed up.

Partners in Learning Facebook Page

2011-11-19T13:47:00.001Z

Linked to my previous post, A Facebook page that’s worth having a look is Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Page. Another example of how Microsoft are engaging with teachers.

Using Facebook to support learning

2011-11-19T13:41:00.001Z

I’m rubbish at keeping track of what’s interesting on the internet. I’m fairly OK using Google’s Reader, but I’m not a fan of Forums or having to look in multiple places. It’s a trait that is shared with many of our young people. We’ve been using a Facebook page since September. It’s more or less a static page: it doesn’t allow a lot of interaction. However, what it does do is show up in young people’s Facebook feeds. Most of our students are engaged with the social networking site, and it makes sense to be engaged in it. Here is a little but of information about the page and how we are using it.

The set up:

Chat is turned off. This is unmoderated and difficult to record. I can’t see it ever being a good idea to use Facebook chat to communicate with young people.
All security settings are ramped up to maximum. This means comments are turned off.
The page has been set up using an alternative Facebook profile so there are no links to teachers’ personal pages.
The ‘Wall’ feed is also linked to our teacher Twitter account (@prorygeoggraphy)

What we use it for:

Links to take students back to our Google Site. As this sits behind a password, pupils can interact with it like a VLE. The Facebook feed acts as a reminder of activities.
News – especially about fieldtrips and other activities coming up.
Revision and homework links.
Links to Slideshare versions of lesson content and material
Placing photo examples of excellent work on the site, with names etc removed.

Worth it?

At the moment, early indications suggest yes it is. The number of interactions is growing and lesson materials are being downloaded more often than this time last year. Setting up a closed Facebook group to allow collaboration spaces could be another step forward in the future.

PGCE Enquiry session

2011-11-12T11:42:00.001Z

After teaching young people, working with new teachers is my favourite thing to do. I enjoyed meeting the Secondary Geography PGCE cohort yesterday at the University of Portsmouth. The slides used are below. Please do remember, that the activities reviewed are a small selection. No teaching activity is effective if it is over done.

Getting to Grips with enquiry 2011

View more presentations from David Rogers

Furthermore, remember why you decided to become a geography teacher. Don’t be afraid to develop your own style of teaching and geography, and always feel free to get in touch.

If you do want to get connected, this is what I recommend:

1. Set up your own blog. Even if it’s private. Reflecting on your experiences and practice is very powerful. Share your ideas with others, like you did yesterday. Don’t underestimate your own ideas. I gained some new ones from you yesterday and the reason we like working with PGCE students at Priory is they bring new perspectives and ideas to us.

2. Follow other blogs. Maybe use a feed reader like Google’s Reader.

3. Use Google Alerts to keep up to date with geographical issues (and what is being written about yourself…)

4. Attend face-to-face sessions such as the Portsmouth Geography meetings that are run at Priory school. Get to the GA Conference and RGS(IBG) training events. Make contacts and share.

5. Consider joining Twitter. It takes a while to get used to (and to be honest I still don’t really ‘get it’) but follow others, respond to their questions and slowly but surely others will get in touch with you. Just remember to fill in your profile – say that you’re a PGCE’er, otherwise you will be ignored.

Finally, if there is anything that you’d like more help with, or for me to run another session (Maybe on Google Earth tricks for example) do let me know.

[de] Oceans Teacher Academy and why we should be teaching about our oceans.

2011-10-30T20:04:00.001Z

'The more you learn about the oceans, the more you realise how important it is to know more about it'

A week or so ago I was just getting back from the first Oceans Academy run by Digital Explorer. The aim of this post is to share some reflections on the weekend and about the oceans in general.

After the weekend, it became very clear to me that our team need to be teaching about oceans. In fact, they should be embedded throughout the curriculum.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Jamie and Sarah at Digital Explorer for putting together such an inspirational weekend. Also a huge thanks to Helen, Ceri and Mark – real polar scientists who were enthusiastic about their subjects and, more importantly, willing to share and reach out. There should be more opportunities for teachers to meet and work with scientists.

Many CPD events have me clock watching, ‘locked’ in a basement, talked to continually or wondering why. This weekend balanced the need for training, a campaign message and the desire to reflect. No need to watch the clock and it’s brilliant to have been involved in something that was truly a multi-direction exchange of information.

I’ve recently written about the need for teachers to talk about and decide on the ‘what’ of the curriculum. After this weekend, I have been left wondering and more than slightly embarrassed about the oversight of not teaching about oceans and how people are affecting them. The current curriculum upheaval is an ideal opportunity to introduce and embed oceans within and throughout the Geography curriculum.

Why do I think this?:

The oceans account for 71% of our planet’s surface.
They are an important store of carbon.
The ocean circulation affects our climate.
Our activity affects the oceans.
Scientists care about this topic and many aspects are emerging and uncertain – this is an opportunity to close the gap between secondary teaching and higher education. This is a chance to remove some of the fossilisation of Geography. Young people need to be exposed to scientific uncertainty and the fact that no one really knows what effect the changing ocean system will have on people.
As the oceans are changing they will have an effect on future generations. Therefore, surely our students have an interest in knowing about them.
There are lots of very cool stuff living in the ocean.

From the weekend, participants took away a resource booklet. The materials are excellent (my only gripe being that some lessons are worksheet intensive but that is easy to adapt) and the accompanying media player containing photos and videos are a superb resource. At the moment, these have been delayed a little but will be available on the [de] Oceans pages soon.

What we plan to teach about.

Key stage three is the natural location for Ocean studies and the forthcoming curriculum change won’t stand in the way as just because it isn’t written down, doesn’t mean that we can’t teach about it. There are three main areas that we plan to explore:

Ocean acidification – lots of interesting research in this area and a topic that has many misconceptions. While exploring this topic there is an ideal opportunity to explore the role on the media versus scientific evidence.
A more in depth look at the Thermohaline Conveyor. I have often included the basics, especially at GCSE when studying the climate system, but an excellent talk by Mark Brandon and a simple practical experiment opened my mind to further possibilities. I am guilty of not including too many practical demonstrations in the classroom. This will change as a result of the weekend. The topic would also link to some ‘real’ research going on now. I loved the talk as it hammered home that, with a small amount of tweaking, this is real science, with lots of data, that is accessible to students. For example, the wonderful data images would be very useful for GCSE students when teaching to interpret graphs and describe patterns. This is an essential exam and controlled assessment skill. While we’re at it, we could be doing some real geography. There are also lots of opportunities to explore the scientific process – Mark shared some great insights into how ocean currents were discovered that involved sea battles.
Ocean pollution – the problem of plastics. This is going to end our current unit on the Geography of Stuff (Am I an Eco-Saint or an Eco-Sinner).

Overfishing – an ideal opportunity to link to high profile media campaigns here by exploring the science behind it. Also providing an excellent example of how positive action can lead to change at EU level.
Local habitats. I teach in Portsmouth which is next to the sea. But I’m guilty of not exploring the habitats on the doorstep but moving on to places further afield. This is similar to an idea given to me by Jeff Stanfield where students consider native forests before moving on to the tropical rainforest. Digging for worms and hunting for creatures (imaginatively called mudwrestling for invertebrates during the weekend). These tiny creatures and worms are the basis for a food chain.
Ocean research, and Polar ocean research in particular, is hard work. It’s in some crazy temperatures, in some crazy but beautiful places. I often cover Polar Explorations that involved getting to the Poles, but what about the scientific exploration?

This is (erm) the top of the iceberg. I plan to share more detailed thoughts and plans as they are developed.

Still not convinced? This may provide some food for thought:

Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum 2011

2011-10-17T19:35:00.001+01:00

I have a lot of time for Stuart Ball and those involved with Microsoft Partners in Learning. Having been involved with them for the past two years, I love their philosophy and approach to providing recognition and training for teachers. I like the way that they don’t pretend to be experts in learning, but defer to teachers that are active in the classroom. Finally, I like the way that they encourage teachers to make the most of what they have.

I’m also a great believer in using the best tool for the job, why is why I would recommend heading to the annual Forum in Reading. Full details on the event are below:

The 8th Microsoft UK Partners in Learning Forum is a one-day conference, free of charge to all teachers and educators who wish to attend. The workshops and keynotes this year have a STEM ‘flavour’ and address the theme of ‘Teach more, learn more, inspire more.’

This year the Forum is being held at the Microsoft Headquarters, Thames Valley Park in Reading on the 24^th Nov 2011.

We have a rich agenda that includes as Keynote speakers, the world renowned Ian Livingstone OBE, Life President of Eidos , Alex Bellos, the author of the popular science bookAlex's Adventures in Numberland and Ollie Bray, the National Adviser for Emerging Technologies at Education Scotland

In addition, delegates will be able to choose from a range of workshops. I would suggest that you sign up as soon as possible as places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Using the Kinect SDK/Kodu in the classroom

Classroom Teachers Ray Chambers from Lodge Park Technology College & Nicki Maddams from Hartsdown College, give hands-on practical guidance on how to programme and create games in the classroom

Everyone is a Maths genius, can computer science/technology prove it?

Dr Chris Imafidon – is one of the “World’s foremost scholars on leveraging informatics for learning and exceptional achievement. This workshop will discuss how computer science/technology exposed the myths of natural Intelligence, genes, gender, IQ, age, background, post-code.

Computing: The Science of Nearly Everything?

Dr Tom Crick, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), looks at the big question: How are we developing and encouraging the next generation of technology innovators in the UK?

Be a Maker: learn to build gadgets with .NET Gadgeteer

Dr Scarlet Schwiderski-Grosche from Microsoft Research.Do you like computer gadgets? Would you like to learn how to build and program gadgets to your own design? Then this workshop is for you!

Medicines and innovation – the missing link

Kandarp Thakkar - STEM Ambassador Programme - This workshop will introduce the STEM programme and give some ‘real-life’ case studies of successful use of this programme in delivering high quality university admissions.

Guerrilla Teaching & Learning

Daniel Raven-Ellison is a guerrilla educator, co-founder of The Geography Collective and creative director of Mission:Explore. Join this workshop to receive initial training in how to be a guerrilla teacher and learner.

Who’s afraid of the big bad ‘network’

Dan Roberts from saltash.net community school, presents light-hearted perspective and interactive & engaging discussion which considers the challenges & issues of schools using social networking, how these can be overcome?

Also, find out who are the recipients of this year’s Microsoft UK Partners in Learning Teacher Awards.The awards will be presented to Teachers who have submitted projects that illustrate the innovative use of technology to enhance teaching and learning. Not only will they receive award recognition, but have the chance to be invited to the next Partners in Learning Forum and win a Xbox 360 and Kinect package for their school. These projects will be on display at the event.

Don’t miss out, register today – Registration now open

Mission:Explore reloaded–time for some naughty learning.

2011-10-17T19:24:00.001+01:00

I’m a big fan of naughty learning and regular readers will remember my involvement with Mission:Explore. Although I’m taking a back seat at the moment, I thought that I’s share how we are using the new look website.

Firstly, we are one of the Challengers on the site:

This allows us to create missions that are tailored for our pupils and location, although the missions can be completed anywhere. For example, one of our missions is all about creating inspiring ceilings. You can complete it by visiting our profile! (After registering with the site).

We have had Mission:Explore missions embedded into our geography curriculum for a couple of years now, within mini-units called ‘Guerrilla Geography.’ However, the new site has added another dimension to our work. For example,

Using the site to create a special Open Evening mini-exploration mission.
Setting homework – giving pupils a target of completing one or two missions in their local area.

If you’re thinking of becoming a Challenger, the mission creation system is very easy to use once your logos are set up, and the lovely people at the Geography Collective even created a lovely badge for us!

One of those resources to use occasionally for maximum impact!

Digital Explorer: Oceans Teacher weekend

2011-10-17T19:14:00.001+01:00

I am very excited to be one of those attending the first Digital Explorer Oceans Teacher Training events this weekend down on the South Coast. Stay tuned for details of what we got up to and the changes to our curriculum as a result.

Vital Geography Portal

2011-10-17T19:10:00.001+01:00

It’s easy to get weary and lose track of the many sources of information that are available on the internet these days. However, the new Geography Portal from the people at Vital promises to be a useful stop. The layout makes it easy to see what’s useful, and Alan Parkinson’s video guides to useful geography web sites are a good addition.

You’ll also find links to other useful resources and CPD events. There is also the opportunity be get involved in the webchats – which I missed last week, but knowing Alan will be useful and informative.

Well worth a look as there is a free trial on offer, although the full subscription rate of £5 certainly seems worth the gain in time spent looking for those links and websites elsewhere!

It’s time for Movember

2011-10-09T19:29:00.001+01:00

Last year, November saw my son’s christening, Microsoft’s Innovative Education Forum and a number of other events. At each one, I was sporting a moustache grown in support of Movember. See my progress last year here:

Movember supports:

The Movember Effect: Awareness & Education, Survivorship, Research
The funds raised in the UK support the number one and two male specific cancers - prostate and testicular cancer. The funds raised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together, these channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.
For more information on the programmes we are funding please visit the following:
The Prostate Cancer Charity
The Institute of Cancer Research
Awareness & Education
Global Action Plan

I will be starting November 1st with a clean top lip and rasing the money. As I am a practicing teacher, there are boundless opportunbities for embarrasement as I’ll bve going for something truly special this year.

I will also be part of a team of geographers.

Thank you to my wife for giving me the important permission.

You can DONATE HERE.

Thank you.

Coastal Fieldwork–some resources

2011-10-01T14:38:00.001+01:00

A very hot day down on the coast yesterday. We managed to create a few resources which may be of some use to others.

1. Photosynths

Created using the Photosynth iPhone app. These are great when back in the classroom as the 360 degree images really do help our students remember what they saw.

Chewton Bunny:

Hurst Castle Spit:

It’s still confusing to view them on Bing Maps as the two don’t seem to have a simple link between the two, however, both of these are Geotagged.

2. Flickr images

The pupils also created a series of 2 minute revision clips on location. As these contain images of young people, they won’t be shared.

The aim of the trip was to expose the class to a wide range of data collection techniques in preparation for their Controlled Assessment fieldtrip in April. The visit is essential to orientate students to the area (for most of our pupils, these were the biggest waves they’d seen EVER!). Also, as our main Controlled Assessment project is based on Hengistbury Head, it’s important to be able to understand the coastline as a whole.

Creating a mobile policy

2011-10-01T14:10:00.001+01:00

Another resource designed to tell the story of how we created a mobile learning policy. I say ‘we’ – the pupils themselves designed and implemented it!

Curriculum changes–some reflections

2011-09-28T20:14:00.001+01:00

Even through my short career, there has been constant change. It sometimes seems that the road ahead is sometimes more of a roundabout. Is the curriculum stuck in a continual cycle? This post will be of interest to teachers of geography, although the points could be applied to the profession as a whole. It promises to be a messy post this one!

Through involvement in the Geographical Association, I’ve come across the Standish proposals. (Download here as a PDF). Here are some of my own reflections on the changes:

1. Conversations about WHAT we teach are as important as HOW we teach.

I believe that we should always be talking about pedagogy and content. The National Curriculum for England and Wales has always allowed time for teaching addition topics (admittedly, the first incarnation had far too much content to allow this!). I’ve always engaged in the what and tried to encourage debate within the department around this. As a result, we have chosen which perspectives we teach from, which content we cover, for example. The current changes and consultations challenge us as a profession to engage in WHAT should be included and I believe that we should be engaged in that debate.

2. We must move beyond the ‘it’s boring’ argument.

To me, the Standish curriculum is morally wrong. It presents one viewpoint, that of Regional Geography, which in turn presents one version of the ‘truth.’ I believe that the curriculum should encourage young people to engage critically with their surroundings. To actively question, find problems, solve them and find out about the interactions between their environment and the people around them. This curriculum is based upon a US higher education system, not the one we have in the UK. We need to urge the UK academic community to engage with the debate. There is no personal geography in there and those that chose which countries to focus on will create the ‘truth.’

To me, the Standish curriculum is far too prescriptive and has far too much repetition. As a ‘part’ curriculum it would take far too much time to cover the content. It does not reflect current school geography, nor the time it would take to change things (having said that, neither do the alternatives…)

What it is not, is boring. A curriculum document will never be inspiring. To me, it’s not a valid argument to simple say ‘It would be boring to teach.’ It’s our interpretation of a curriculum that is creative, inspiring and imaginative for students. No GSCE or A’Level specification has ever set my world alight. Come to think of it, only the ‘Importance of Geography’ statement in the existing National Curriculum is that interesting. Does that mean that students find geography and geography teaching at our school boring?

3. It’s really hard to create a curriculum.

I wouldn’t have a clue where to start in deciding what every person in England should be learning about in geography. I’ll leave the politics to the politicians, but I will ensure that I engage in every opportunity to ‘have my say.’

Personally, I’m not in a position to decide what geography is needed, especially if it is to tie in to higher education. I can only provide part of the picture.

4. Head teachers need to put as much trust in the professionalism of their teachers as the coalition promise to do. (I know that promises can be broken.)

This comment is still in formation, and I admit that it is naive and idealistic

I’ve always had a issue with the argument that a curriculum doesn’t mention X, Y and Z. I suppose, fieldwork may be an exception to the rule, but technology, for me is an issue. If we are striving toward a situation where the use of technology is not the main focus of learning (in geography) but a pervasive presence, then why does it need to be mentioned? Maybe this is putting too much faith in the argumentative talents of school middle leaders? I know that my argument is linked to learning, not the curriculum. The exception is fieldwork, which is justified by its inclusion in Exam Specifications and the National Curriculum.

5. There is always some positive

Standish is highly respected by the DfE. They asked him to produce the curriculum. It mentions a lot and clearly sets out earth sciences (physical geography) as a clear part of geography. Science’s curriculum gets agreed a long time before geography’s. Science also have a claim to earth sciences…..

Anyhow, if you’re a geography teacher, and even if you’re not. I would strongly urge you to engage with the debate.

Geography @ Priory officially a Centre of Excellence

2011-09-28T19:31:00.001+01:00

As part of my role as Chair of the GA’s Secondary Phase Committee, I found myself in a basement near Euston Station on Saturday taking part in discussions with the rest of the Education Committee.

As part of proceedings, the department was officially given the GA’s Secondary Geography Quality Mark Centre of Excellence status.

Thanks again to all of those that made that possible. As mentioned before, this is just a stage on the journey and we are all looking forward to this year’s adventures.

The moderators said:

“The geography department at Priory has already been on a journey that has involved staff and students in extending the opportunities for teaching and learning, and the ‘vision’ and support for the departmental team is strong. The subject leader has boundless energy, and the department is supportive, and looks to overcome the physical restrictions of the school’s site wherever possible. We are delighted to award Priory School the SGQM with Centre of Excellence in recognition of this and the work in the wider geographical community which includes RGS-IBG networks and support for the Geographical Association.’

World maps from memory

2011-09-20T19:17:00.001+01:00

On the spur of the moment today, I asked Year 7 to sketch a world map from memory and add continents. I wanted to see what would happen.

Nice

SMS Poll test

2011-09-18T20:08:00.001+01:00

This post is to enable me to test the functionality of the SMS Poll system.

You need the Flash Player to view this page.

Transforming learning–enabling change

2011-09-17T11:29:00.001+01:00

I’ve always maintained that innovation in teaching and learning is not really about using technology. It’s about taking a different approach. Taking risks. Being willing to upset the apple cart. In the words of Stuart Ball over at Partners in Learning, it’s about using existing tools better, rather than using new tools.

Having said this, this post will explore how a sequence of events has allowed us to use pupils’ own mobile devices as well as our own set of iPad 2s.

Firstly, we have developed an environment in which taking pedagogic risk and, more importantly, sharing learning is encouraged. Department meetings start by us sharing these adventures and challenge us all to use new tools. This collaboration within the department is mirrored by collaboration outside of the department. Talking to other practitioners, using and sharing ideas freely.

Within the department, we are encouraged to watch each other, even if it’s for 10-15 minutes. I certainly felt that my own learning dipped after my NQT year, as the time and (more accurately) the priority, to watch other teachers dissipated. On become Head of Geography, I was routinely in lessons again and as a result have gained insights and ideas that I wouldn’t have been exposed to in any other way. For example, I’m stealing a great teaching idea developed by our own Sam Atkins for use in teaching Longshore Drift. I’ve also gained fantastic ideas and methods of teaching from working with PGCE students.

We think that a system of peer observation, support and conversation is central to raising the standard of teaching and outcomes for students.

We have also collaborated with other agencies, such as The Geography Collective, Alan Parkinson, Partners in Learning and a number of creative people through Creative Partnerships.

Central to our ability to develop new ways of learning is securing funding. Funding allows us to free up teaching staff for research, get the partners mentioned above and purchase equipment. During the 2010/11 academic year we were able to secure funding from the GA, RGS, Creative Partnerships and the SSAT amongst others.

These factors combined have resulted in some profound learning sequences with our brand of naughty learning.

The final piece is to develop collaboration between staff and students. We have used Student Curriculum Leaders to rewrite Schemes of Work. Before we could unlock the potential of using mobile devices, we had to develop an environment and a set of expectations and behaviour that allowed us to use them. This resulted in staff, students and external partners working together to create their mobile learning ‘policy’. It’s a simple document, and linked in to existing behaviour policies and practices. Remember, it’s not about the device, it’s about behaviour. The policy is currently in pilot phase. We’d like to recognise here the huge amount of support and encouragement that our Senior Leadership Team has given for this project. The simple statements represent many hours of pupil time on research, drafting, talking, collaborating, challenging…. It is also linked to our school’s ambition of adopting the UN’s Rights Respecting Schools approach.

I’m sharing the ‘policy’ below (we think of it as more of a manifesto in development). It’s not finished yet….

Mobile @ Priory

Pilot Mobile device acceptable use policy

Co-constructed between staff, partners and pupils of Priory School

Statement:

Members of the Priory School community have the right to use their mobile devices outside of lesson time provided that each individual accepts their responsibility to respect the rights of privacy and education of others and that their use of mobile devices is within the law.

Outside of lesson time means you can use your mobile device:

· Before morning registration

· During break times

· After school.

Research has shown that existing acceptable uses of mobile devices include:

Playing games
Listening to music through headphones
Social / family communication

Acceptable use means that you have the responsibility to ensure that:

1. Mobile devices are ‘on silent’ at all times.

2. Images, both moving and still, are not taken of any person.

3. Mobile devices, including headphones, are put away before arriving at a lesson.

4. No mobile device is used during a lesson without the express permission of the teacher leading that lesson.

5. Your use of your mobile device is within the law.

6. Using your device is not used to bully other members of the community, though any media.

Failure to meet any of these responsibilities will be dealt with using the school’s behaviour policy.

The policy allows us to justify the use of mobile devices for learning. It gives clear expectations of responsible use. What do you think?

Geography @ Priory Achieves the Secondary Quality Mark

2011-09-17T09:14:00.001+01:00

January 2008 marked the beginning of the most challenging professional years of my life. Looking back, it’s hard to believe how we got through the Ofsted Subject Inspection that occurred just four weeks after taking up the post.

The outcome was inadequate.

The challenge was set.

We are not fans of badges and hoops. There are enough in education without volunteering for more. However, we felt that we needed some closure. This has partly been provided by an improvement in results. Geography is now on par with History in the school, however, there is still improvement to be made an our focus this year is to improve student achievement. Not because we have to, but because we have the responsibility to help our students achieve what they want and need.

It is in this context that the award of the GA’s Secondary Quality Geography Mark has been made to reflect the excellence in teaching and learning in the department. This is great news for us and marks the end of one journey and the beginning of the next.

I’d like to pay tribute to some truly wonderful people. I know that my expectations can sometimes be a little challenging…..

Jo Debens – for always accepting the challenge with grace.
Alec Weaver – for being reliable, caring. Your passion for working with young people is evident.
Lisa Whiting – for your perseverance. We really couldn’t have done it without you.
Samuel Atkins – for reigniting the spark and reminding us why we should be doing what we do.

We have a great geography team. However, the award feels a little bittersweet as one of the most brilliant teachers, who was there to start the journey, sadly passed away last week. Mo Baren was always open to change. Indeed, she was often the driving force. We’d like to dedicate the award to her memory.

iPads, Evernote and Coastal Erosion

2011-09-16T13:19:00.001+01:00

Today, Year 10 students demonstrated their understanding of coastal erosion processes and landforms. This is the description of what happened.

Set-up

The web-version of John Davitt’s Learning Event Generator was set up and ready to go. The department has an Evernote account. All of the iPads were signed in to the account and my own iPad was ready to be connected to the digital projector.

This was the first time that this group had used the devices. Before the lesson, a separate Notebook was created containing two notes: the task and an example. The task is at the top of this post and follows our school’s Assertive Discipline PRINT guidelines. The image below shoes the demonstration note.

The keen eyed amongst you will have spotted the spelling error. This sparked a nice discussion about the accuracy and quality of work…..

Lesson

It is very important that GCSE students get used to being productive in groups. This is so they can collect primary fieldwork data quickly and effectively. It’s also because we belie that young people learn better when they can collaborate with each other.

Once the class were settled and in groups of three, I introduced the task. The challenge was to create and share an Evernote ‘Note’ that demonstrated their learning so far. The options available were:

An opera
A clay sculpture with a voice over or annotation
A song.

I talked through the creation of a Note and the task using an iPad connected to a projector. Each group created their own Note, using their first names as a title. I demonstrated that these were then visible to the whole class. This feature is excellent as, not only can students collaborate within their group, they can also collaborate with the whole class and myself. Without promoting, students began to look at other work and take inspiration. Some groups headed outside, or to another part of the school to work. I had no problem with this as I could still see their progress.

At the end of the lesson, we created an ‘Evaluation’ note and these were the thoughts of the group:

This is one of our favourite creations of the day, a video shot using a mobile device:

What is Urban Earth all about?

2011-09-12T20:28:00.001+01:00

Daniel Raven-Ellison is someone who I greatly admire. I remember walking through Bristol with him on an Urban Earth adventure.

A friend of mine came along (later he became my best man). Even to this day, he doesn’t understand the concept behind Urban Earth. Well, he is an engineer….

I also found out that my future wife was pregnant during that walk.

Anyhow, it’s great to see this stunning video that explains and introduces the idea of Urban Earth. Some excellent camera work. Remember to keep an eye on the Geography Collective’s blog for upcoming Urban Earth adventures.

Geography @ Priory development plan.

2011-09-11T22:07:00.001+01:00

It’s a new school year, which means revisiting the development plan. The last one finished in July. The term development plan strikes fear and loathing in many people, but I feel it’s important to have shared aims and objectives.

My personal aims and philosophy are shared with the team, however, I can’t ask them to subscribe to them!

Therefore, shared and agreed (hopefully) goals are important. The timing of this post coincides with the establishment of reflective blogs by the team. I’ve, erm, ‘encouraged’ this.

Check out Jo Debens and Sam Atkins blogs. Both are at different stages of teaching, and I;m very much looking forward to reading about their adventures.

Now, about that development plan. A few details have been omitted, and the detail i am sure will be added. Geography @ Priory aims to be:

Leading Learning

WHAT should be taught?
A KS3 that prepares pupils for success at GCSE and beyond.
Student Curriculum Leaders that co-construct the curriculum and Digital Leaders that drive forward innovation.
Learning as professionals - peer observation and coaching
Taking control of own CPD through reflective weblogs and collaboration with others.

Leading Improvement

Ensuring that marking supports pupils’ learning and achievement
Assessment tasks that provide a full range of results across the whole ability range and prepares students for later challenges.
Use of simple techniques like Banned Words.
Results improvement.

Leading Innovation

HOW we teach and learn.
Not necessarily ICT and technology, but using creativity and innovation.
Using a Range of teaching and learning approaches
Being the lead department in adopting the whole school R³ journey.
Teachers providing KS4 blogs to support learning and provide information to parents.
The use of social media to improve communication and share success.

Leading Enrichment

Out of classroom learning, both within and beyond the school site.
Educational visits to places that create awe and wonder and provide opportunities for the development of geographical skills.
Geography will lead the provision of DofE opportunities.
Projects - geocaching / BBC School Report and beyond
Staff social time
Continue to secure external funding.

FSC Hack Day

2011-09-11T12:11:00.001+01:00

Our department has been heading to the Field Studies Council Juniper Hall centre for a while now. This year we are planning to combine a geocaching project with the Olympic Road Race passing through the area. So, it was with great excitement that I received an email from the people behind the FSC Hack Day

The aim of the day is to bring the outdoors and technology together, and I’m really excited to have the chance to help shape some of the challenges and agenda of the day. A Hack Day:

“is a 48-hour-all-night event that brings together an array of people, from scientists to developers (and anyone with good ideas) in the same physical space for a brief but intense period of collaboration, hacking, and building 'cool stuff'. A hack is a quick solution to a problem - maybe not the most elegant solution, but often the cleverest.”

This all sounds very exciting, and I’m very much looking forward to being involved. I would recommend getting involved yourself by heading over to the website, joining the lanyrd page and contacting the team.

Hope to see you there!

Digital Explorer: Oceans

2011-09-11T11:45:00.001+01:00

The team at Digital Explorer have just launched a new site: de:oceans. Looks like a great resource. After years of teaching what happens at the battleground between the ocean and land, I have to admit that I know little about the ocean. I can see that this site, with its Teaching Training, Ambassadors scheme and resources, will change that.

I urge you to have a look, and apply for the teacher training competition and explore the resources.

My online spaces.

2011-08-30T12:05:00.001+01:00

This is the third in a mini-series of posts that aim to share my preparations for the new academic year. If there’s something in particular that you’d like to know about, contact me using the button found at the top-right.

As a geographer, I am interested in space. In particular, how different spaces can make you feel and act differently. There have been a few blog posts over the summer that have either shared ‘thinking spaces’ or argued for one on-line space. I know that I’m often asked about the difference between my use of Twitter, Facebook, blogs and the like.

This post aims to share my use of three online spaces and the way in which they have different uses. Dividing my space like this allows me to ‘shut out’ work if I want to and allows me more time to reflect / do what I want / create. I would disagree with those who argue that all you need is a blog as it’s important to consider different audiences. My online presence is different (at least that is my aim!) in different spaces.

Although I admit that this is what works for me, my advice to any teacher starting out would be to compartmentalise

I intend to write a second post about my thinking spaces.

Facebook is my ‘personal’ online space. I can control who can see the information. I also have friends and family spread all over the place, so it’s a great way to share news with those who are interested. I also like the way in which I can stay in touch with old friends and know what they are up to. I am friends with people in work, but very rarely talk / post about work. I am not friends with those that are above me in the school hierarchy.

As someone who is very unorganised, Facebook allows me to (re)connect and maintain the connections that are important to me. For me, I have more contact with mates and family because of Facebook.

For me, Facebook is a personal space. I have friends who work for the Police who are now off Facebook, and I would urge any person new to the teaching profession to think very carefully over their use of the site. For example, are your potential future employers / parents / pupils able to view your profile? If they can, would they be impressed?

This blog is has a foot in both my professional and personal space. It’s my reflective space. Because it is online, I think carefully about what I write (most of the time ). It’s a place to direct people to and a record of what I’ve been up to.

There are fewer posts about personal adventures recently and this is something to address soon.

I would encourage any teacher to create a Blog in order to reflect upon and share your triumphs, risks, failures and ideas. Looking back and reading past posts is an incredible thing to do!

It’s also useful as a place to file ideas and lessons. Having a blog also allows you to take control of your online identity, something that is very important as a teacher.

Twitter is mainly my professional space. It’s a space to connect and share. I don’t see twitter as a reflective space because of the pace and restrictive character count. It is a gold mine of resources, links, opinions and knowledge with which to inform practice and reflection.

It’s also a great place for professional banter. For me, Twitter has helped to break down the barriers between myself and those whose work I admire. How was this possible? Banter.

I have to admit that it did take me a while to figure out what it was all about. It took a fair amount of interaction before I started to really see the benefit. The investment was worth it though. The connections that have been created feel like an equal playing field. For me, Twitter has taken over spaces like forums, where cliques can develop.

I do inhabit other online spaces – I like the fact that most of what I need is online and accessible from a multitude of devices. Details can be found on my about.me page.

In conclusion, separating the three main online spaces that I use is important to me. It keeps work where it should be ( I also keep work emails separate and not accessible easily via my phone). The real benefit of this approach became evident over the summer. I reduced my use of Twitter, but maintained my connections through Facebook. It’s for this reason that I have never linked my Facebook and Twitter accounts. As mentioned above, they have different audiences.

Sometimes, you just need to switch off.

New year, new promises?

2011-08-30T11:25:00.001+01:00

This is the second in a mini-series of posts linked to the start of the academic year.

Image used with permission from Danni Beach Photography

Regular readers and Twitter followers will know that a couple of weeks ago I got married. Mrs Rogers is awesome and, together with our little Henry, we make up a perfect family. We also have an extended family and, as well as our day, the last two weeks have seen the engagement of my little, big sister and best friend of almost 20 years. My little, big brother has also gotten into university after leaving the RAF. If anything, the past two weeks and previous four weeks with my son have served to put teaching into context.

Trust me – I’m going somewhere with this .

It seems to me that I may have lost a little direction and sense of purpose.

Couple this with the ‘tradition’ of teachers making ‘new academic year’ resolutions I began thinking. Thinking about vows and their importance. While I admire those that make resolutions twice a year, I’ve never been one for making them. Instead, I prefer to revisit my key principles. I won;t share my personal principles here, but I will talk about those that refer to teaching. It’s at this time of year that I re-examine them. Are they still relevant? Do they need adjusting? One could look at these principles as vows. Renewing vows can have a powerful effect.

In April this year I published a manifesto:

Notice that I see my core purpose as education and not politics.

Is this still relevant? Is it enough to move forward? I think so. Although a little vague, the above sums up my approach. Naive? Maybe. But what about career progression I hear you ask? I am driven, but I like the challenge more than the position. In particular, I am less willing to mess with the balance between work and life since becoming a father. Having said this………

I’d encourage you to visit the original post for an expansion of each point.

This manifesto comes from an earlier source though. Schools are complicated, political beasts and extremely frustrating. I can’t remember where I picked up the following questions, but they are the only ones with which I make decisions:

How does this make learning better?
How does this help my team make learning better?

If our core purpose is education, are these the only questions that we need to ask? I think so.

I strive to ensure that everything I do in school is linked to these questions. I say strive as it’s a difficult road. Professionally, the last three and a half years have been the most difficult and the most rewarding. Throughout, I’ve kept these questions and the manifesto (since April this year) at the front of my mind.

Why am I a teacher? To make learning better.

I’ll let others judge the success.

My Teacher Toolkit

2011-08-29T13:37:00.001+01:00

Recently quite a few bloggers have been writing to their younger selves. Their intention is to impart some advice in order to tackle the challenges ahead. This is the first in a mini-series of posts related to getting ready for the new academic year. I’m hoping that some will find these tips useful. I’m starting with revisiting my toolkit. As I begin to get ready for my 9th year in the classroom, I’ve reflected upon the tools that are really useful to me on a day to day basis. There are also a few thrown in from a Curriculum Leader perspective that my NQT self at 24 years would have found useful. I’ve tried to add in a short explanation from a personal perspective.

The list is not exhaustive, and I’ve only included those that I use on pretty much a daily basis. Also bear in mind that my commute to work consists of a 45 minutes train journey with some walks on each side.

In no particular order:

Good Coffee.

A good friend and all round inspirational bod Ollie Bray passed on the following pearl of wisdom: ‘Life is too short for bad coffee.’ I’m not a coffee addict, but decent coffee is a morale booster! Instant coffee is not quite evil, but it’s just not the same.

3G Dongle

Attitudes to blocking excellent sites that help learning is frustrating. This helps get around it, mainly when planning lessons in PPA time. Also very useful for clearing my work inbox during the morning commute – I rarely check school email outside of school.

Moleskin

Although I may move in digital worlds, I’m an analogue thinker. I like writing down stuff and plan lessons for the first time in long hand / random doodles / arrows. I like Moleskin notebooks as they have a handy pocket in the back and an elastic type fixy thing to stop stuff falling out.

Leads and stuff

My school bag is full of leads:

Kensington PC remote – great for allowing me to be anywhere in the room and still control my school machine. I also love using a Mac, Keynote and the Keynote Remote for iPhone. I don’t have a teacher desk, and getting anywhere I like in the room allows subtle classroom management and ensures that I ‘own’ the space.
Good quality headphones – Good for the commute and great for creating a little space to think in a noisy school when on PPA.
VGA lead – and all sorts of stuff to ensure I can connect my technology with a projector and speakers – basically a little IT tool kit
Chargers – for everything
4 way extension lead – you can never have enough power..
Card Reader – very, very handy

Colleagues

I work with a great bunch of people. I try to get into the staff room as much as possible in order to share experiences – both good and bad. If you’re not careful, teaching can isolate the teacher. This sometimes means that a mindset develops where everything is going wrong / is your fault. Talking to people in the staff room, not working through every lunch and break time and having a laugh are important.

As a Curriculum Leader, looking after people are important. We hold meetings in cafe’s, tea rooms and the occasional pub. Productivity and creativity goes up. Teachers can leave a school and still be professional.

Finally, look after the following people: caretakers, reprographics technician, IT technicians, all Office staff, the Head’s PA, the Minibus trainer. It’s these people that make the school work and who are the most useful when you need help.

Friends, family and Plans

They will always be there for you when school is getting you down. Always support your mad cap schemes and always provide the tea, ale and malt. Don’t forget to take the time to maintain the relationships that you’ll need throughout your career.

Also have plans. Climb a mountain, go skiing, go running, zorb, jump off a cliff, cycle the length of Wales. Life really isn’t all about school or the classroom. Taking a break will result in more ideas, inspiration and opportunities for good ale.

Always have a Plan B for when things don’t go exactly right in the classroom.

Kindle

I force myself to read for pleasure, even during term time. My reading rate may decline, but I read on the way home. This forces me to switch off and is a source for many lesson ideas.

iPhone

Especially Evernote, Dropbox, calendar and Geocaching.

Connect with others

Read blogs. Connect through Twitter to other teachers. Learn. I wish that I knew that during my NQT year. Banter, support, laughs, ideas, motivation, recognition, banter……. You lot are great!

Also, if I had my time again, I would have this reflective blog from the start. It’s a great space to hammer out ideas and the process of writing, drafting and publishing is rather quite cleansing.

And last but not least, a sense of adventure, humour and some comfy shoes

What are your must have tools?

GSMA Mobile Education

2011-08-18T16:28:00.001+01:00

A little while ago, I attended a meeting at the GSMA offices in London to talk about the use of mobile technology in education. They have just published their report in to this emerging sector which is available here.

I’d be interested to know what you think.

How to use a teacher’s phone to support learning: some ideas

2011-08-17T09:27:00.001+01:00

Phones have come a long way since I first used one many years ago. Then, they came attached to a huge battery box and were only partially successful in making calls. Today, we carry around powerful mini-computers.

This is the first in a series of posts that will consider issues around the creation of an ‘acceptable use policy’ for mobile phones in students’ social time. I use the term as it best describes to readers what it is we did.

The main feature of the policy is that students wrote it. One areas in which students felt strongly about is that it should apply equally to all members of the school community. This meant that the responsibilities of bringing a mobile device to school should apply equally to students and teachers. I plan to share the policy widely once it has gone through the trial period, but the introductory statement is as follows:

Members of the Priory School community have the right to use their mobile devices during non-learning time provided that each individual accepts their responsibility to respect the rights of privacy and education of others and that their use of mobile devices is within the law.

(This is the draft wording)

This approach begs the question: how do we use our own mobile devices to support learning? Here are a few ideas, all methods that I have used within the classroom. I use an iPhone.

1. Use the phone’s camera and DropBox to share students work via a data projector. I picked up this idea from a blog that I can’t remember – if it was you please let me know so I can link to the original post. The iPhone Dropbox App allows you to upload photographs. At the same time, display the Dropbox folder via a data projector and you can instantly share examples of good work, inviting students to comment. Instructions are here. We use this to start discussion when students are making tourist adverts for Thailand and to share the results from Mission:Explore work.

2. Use Evernote to record assessment evidence. I love Evernote, and if it’s not inside Evernote then the likelihood is that I won’t remember it! Of course, in secondary schools, we need to be mindful of the written assessment regime. However, we think that it;s good practice to allow students to be assessed in a multitude of ways. Evernote allows us to capture written and oral evidence. Create a folder for each class (one of my team has 19 classes each year) and add in assessment evidence during normal lessons. This allows judgments to be made about each pupil and builds up a better picture as well as creating a portfolio of work.

3. Use Evernote to set student challenges / tasks / missions; monitor their progress and allow them to communicate with each other. This works best when students are using their own mobile devices or have access to Evernote. See this post using iPads.

4. Use Twitter to communicate the the ‘real’ world in real time, to share student work (as photographs), gain questions and provide an audience. For example see this post on Cheese and Toast.

5. Use Keynote through a MacBook / iMac / iPad and control it using the Keynote Remote app. One of my observations of teachers is that they are often tethered to the desk. Using this, you are able to roam around the room. One of the benefits of this is that the teacher is able to use subtle classroom management techniques, such as simply standing next to an off-task pupil. What I like about the iPhone remote is that I can glance at my teacher notes. this is helpful as I limit the amount of words on each slide. It also allows me to make a note of which pupils will need extra support / challenge at each stage of the lesson.

6. Model the use of mobile phones for good. This could include using news websites and the internet to access information.

How would / do you use your mobile device to support learning?

Iceland

2011-08-16T14:33:00.001+01:00

Just looking over some recent photos taken in Iceland in preparation for a visit out there in a couple of weeks.

What do I plan to ‘do’ about the 'riots’?

2011-08-15T13:34:00.001+01:00

Image credit

A tricky post this one, let alone which word to use to describe the events of last week. It aims to share some ideas of how to explore the events. I am not going to pretend to explain why. I have no clue and I won’t pretend to have an extensive knowledge of the areas affected nor their issues. What is interesting is that there is a lot of geography to explore.

My personal view is that these events should be explored during tutor time. In addition, as our geography curriculum has floating topicality (I think that it’s a myth that every second of the secondary curriculum has to come from the National Curriculum, but that’s a different story). These are opportunities to explore events that matter. One condition though is that we explore some of the geography of the events. This controversial issue will result in a wide range of opinions and issues. They will have also created questions in young people’s minds.

It’s also important not to consider the events in isolation. For example, a consideration of the events and issues would fit well within a Geography of Crime or Geography of Conflict unit of work.

I also think that it’s important to avoid the guess work going on. I have to admit that what follows is an initial brainstorm of what I could do as an individual. The activities are aimed at getting young people to explore their own opinions and geographies linked to the events. The students will have undoubtedly formed opinions already and I don’t believe that its the role of education to tell anyone what to think, but to give frameworks and to model responses and to challenge the opinions of others.

What follows is the result of thinking out loud and I’m placing ideas here mainly to find them again and adapt after reflection.

1. Compare a range of news reports from different newspapers. What are their opinions?

2. What do the political leaders think? We could explore the speeches of David Cameron and Ed Milliband given on the 15th August. Pupils could spot the differences. One way to start an exploration may be to compare the key words using Wordle as a tool. Are there any differences? Can these be explained? Are there any voices that haven’t been considered?

Created using Wordle.net

3. Explore thoughts and feelings

Use a slideshow from Flickr. Ask students to describe the thoughts and feelings from different points of view. Local resident, a looter, the police, a business owner, a child, a baby, a parent, a homeowner. What would they be thinking, feeling, saying, doing, touching, smelling, hearing? This is an attempt to establish empathy between young people and the events.

What point of view does flickr represent? Who is missing?

4. Rank world headlines and news stories from last week.

Were the events in the UK the most important event happening? Cut out a variety of headlines and news stories and ask students to rank them. Are the continued events in Libya, Sirya, Egypt, Somalia more or less important? Why is this? Is the economy a bigger story?

5. Was there a geographical pattern to the riots?

Using maps of the riots, deprivation index data from neighbourhood statistics, the number of arrests, population size etc, get students to explore the geographical pattern of the disturbances. By handling and processing data, it is then possible to pose some hard hitting questions. Why were there no disturbances in poor rural areas? Why were there no disturbances in Wales or Scotland? Why were there no disturbances in Portsmouth? Critical reflection and asking questions , in my view, are vital.

Riots mapped against poverty

Map showing the location of riots and those arrested in connection

6. Ask students to select an image and add a caption that defines the events. Why?

7. Explore the use of social media for good.

Why is it that a man from Worthing, where there were no disturbances, end up helping to coordinate the clean up? Why not ask him a question?

8. How did the world view change of the UK?

Explore international newspapers, front pages and headlines. Why did South Africa issue a travel warning?

9. Who has been arrested?

It may be worth showing students that those people convicted are in the public domain. What effect may that have on their lives?

Many of these ideas need fleshing out and more reflection, but it’s a starting point.

Iceland 2013–planning an overseas trip

2011-08-14T12:47:00.001+01:00

One of the jobs to do in September is launch the department’s 2013 Iceland trip. A few people have asked about what they need to consider when planning an overseas adventure. This post aims to provide an outline of the way we do it. It works for our context, and I’ll try to tease that out below.

Timescale

We like to take around 18 months from launching the visit. This gives our parents enough time to pay. From experience, it’s possible to fill any trip at almost any price if the payment plan is realistic. We set up a monthly payment plan, and avoid the Christmas / New Year. It also gives us enough time to monitor the behaviour of the young people (an overseas visit is a privilege). The downside of this is that staff are often locked in to committing. This can be avoided by setting the visit up so that anyone can step in and pick up the planning.

Provider

In relation to Iceland, we go for Discover the World. This is for a number of reasons:

We like their staff and have built up a good relationship with them.
They offer free pre-visit trips to schools that have committed to a visit.
We like their Silver scheme and from past visits the hotels, guides and backup is excellent.
They provide good value for money.

Staffing

The success to any overseas visit lays in the staff, and the work starts well before the visit. We split up the roles pre-visit with an individual staff member taking responsibility for:

Parent communications and liaison with Discover the World.
Finance
Passports and behaviour

During the visit, it’s really important to have staff that take part in all of the activities and can cope with the 24/7 nature of residential visits. They also need to be comfortable with moving away from their classroom personas.

Wherever possible, we try to take one additional staff member to allow a rota of downtime.

During the visit, it’s very important to have clear staff roles. As the party leader, I usually take on the role of ‘bad guy’ deciding on lights out times and dealing with any discipline issues. Then it’s always good to have someone looking after medicine and medical issues.

Meetings

We hold a number of meetings:

A ‘sales’ meeting open to everyone. We offer the visit to all year groups. This is usually attended by a Discover the World representative also. We cover costs, the behaviour contract, costs, equipment and activities.
A ‘drop in’ session about 2 months before the visit. We insist on seeing the parents of every student during a 2-3 hour session. Information on the final programme, passport checks, money etc. This is also when we order the all important hoodies. We take time to speak to each parent and child going on the trip. This drop in approach has proven to be more successful at getting full attendance than a rigid time.

Activities

When it comes to Iceland we go for a strict ‘no clipboard’ trip. Our students are there for an awe inspiring holiday with their peers first. Of course, we’d like them to leave with an appreciation of the geography, culture and place, but this comes with getting stuck in!

You can imagine the type of activities available, but the most important thing is to have evening activities. Most issues arise during free time. It’s also worth ensuring that the accommodation has a common room area where young people can gather. This removes any excuse for them to meet in bedrooms.

It’s also worth setting up a few competition such as ‘best packed’ and we usually hold a photo competition.

On top of that, a pre-visit is a must for at least on member of staff. Many people always mention the drudgery of risk assessment and paperwork involved. All we’d say is that this is a myth and that careful risk assessment are part of the planning process. Indeed, many of the companies and places visited already have the generic risk assessments in place and available.

I hope that’s useful to you. I have to say that I find the organisation of overseas trips to be not that much of a hassle and very rewarding. Feel free to contact me using the link at the top-right if you’d like to know any other details.

Working on that list.

2011-08-08T12:53:00.001+01:00

It’s been quiet recently. And it’ll be quite for a short while more.

Let’s just say I’m working on that to-do list.

See you soon.

In the meantime…….

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Geocaching in 2011/12

2011-07-24T17:17:00.001+01:00

I’ve been in to geocaching for a little while now and the plan has always been to create some. It’s there fore very exciting that the department have so far been awarded two grants to help us with this work. More details throughout the year.

A Creative Partnerships Legacy Grant – one of only a handful of schools to grab one of these. We will be working in partnership with a number of Creative Practitioners. Part of the brief is to develop a range of cross-curricular on-site geocaching trails.

The second is a SSAT Innovation Grant. This will help us develop a range of caches linked to the 2012 Olympics – more on this later.

One of the important roles that I play as a middle leader is to get in funding. In times of ever tightening budgets, if we are to truly transform parts of the curriculum, we need investment in order to do it.

Using iPads for learning

2011-07-22T20:22:00.001+01:00

We don’t believe in waiting. And we do believe in taking pedagogic risks. This resulted in a group of young people being handed iPads and asked to complete a task. Many thanks to James Byford, who through Creative Partnerships has provided real inspiration on this.

The brief was to create and share with the Headteacher an evaluation of our off timetable days.

The iPads were set up with Evernote, with the brief below (set up by James):

The great thing about Evernote is that the teams of students could work independently to each other, but at the same time see what the others were up to. In addition, I could track and see what was going on and add in ideas / suggestions / extra tasks. This could be shared with the rest of the class. Evernote captures audio, video, images and text.

This is a whole new way of working – with a co-constructed question and open task. All I wanted was a video of less than 2 minutes. The how, what, where, when was negotiated and created together giving young people control of their learning.

All of the media captured was exported into iMovie and the brief was met. I can’t show the video in the public forum.

I can see Evernote being used to ‘push’ out activities and tasks for individual teams to get on with. This will prove invaluable during GCSE controlled assessment.

Setting up iPads for learning

2011-07-22T20:11:00.001+01:00

This post has two aims. The first is to act as a record of how we set these devices up and the second is to provide a guide to others. It promises to be quite a long post! The department received a number of iPad 2 devices thanks to the funding secured through winning the Jamie Oliver Dream Teachers competition. We thought long and hard about what to do with the funding and whether the iPads would just be some shiny kit. It’s central to use that we move beyond Substitution and Productivity in the models below.

We went for them because:

Our pupils do not have equal access to their own technology. Generally, older students have better access to smartphone technology. If we are to encourage the use of personal devices, we need to avoid a two tier system where those without technology can’t access learning in the same way. That would be unacceptable.
We sat down and wrote activities that are already embedded into our fieldwork and curriculum plans for next year. It’s so important to plan the learning before getting the shiny stuff. That's why IWBs and learning platforms failed from my experience. We also asked the students what they could use them for – beyond Substitution and Productivity.
As geographers we get out in to the field. We need devices that can come with us. iPads can do that, although if Apple are reading this I would like a tough, waterproof version please

We have the WIFI non 3G models with no onward cost. We will use 3G MIFI WIFI dongles in the field. This is how I went about setting them up. I won’t go in to too much detail on the Apps as learning is about changing behaviours and expectations rather than providing shiny shiny goodness.

1. Get an iTunes account

We went for an account with no credit card details that will use the top up cards available in most supermarkets. This system seems to work well with our school purchasing systems. A dedicated MacBook is being used to access the account (mainly because I have Admin rights on it).

2. Register the shiny shiny goodness

This was a mission beyond belief for the first device. I hope that when iOS5 comes along, the need to go through this process will go away…. The main issue is that it’s likely that the iOS will need updating. Thsi took around 2.5 hours for the first iPad, including getting the Apps in place etc. Each additional device took around 5-10 minutes. We will have a sync / docking / charging portable Fort Knox at some point, but that hasn’t been delivered yet….

3. Get Apps

This is the fun bit.

IOn the bottom bit, we went for:

Evernote – I think Evernote is great. We are set up with a common department account and this will be used to allow students to collaborate in real time with each other when in different locations. It will also be used to push out challenges, missions or lesson objectives as you prefer. Evernote is far more elegant that Google Docs when used on a tablet device in my own opinion.

Camera – Geotagged photographs and videos easily accessible

Dropbox – Again with a common department account. The free version will allow students to immediately share their creations.

Safari -

Google - Mainly for the search function

Google Earth – Well, we are geographers, and getting a GPS pin point in GE is far far cooler than the maps app

The folder structure is a work in progress, and it will evolve as students use the devices:

Create – all the apps to allow students to create stuff (like Keynote, I can Animate)

Research & Explore – Apps that allow secondary information to be found and displayed.

Wow! – for Apps that develop a sense of awe, wonder or are bonkers / cool / exciting / provide inspiration, for example the excellent Eyewitness photo app from the Guardian

TV, Video and Radio – straightforward really, includes iPlayer, 4oD, TuneIn Radio

Fieldwork & Data - these are apps that allow the collection of primary data or have an added greatness with location services, iGeology would be a good example.

QR Codes – straightforward

Photography – everything to take, find and edit photographs.

There are three other Apps available from the homescreen. ShowMe is a neat little App, Facetime as I’m sure it has potential. I have no idea how to use this yet to support learning, but it’s on the front so that pupils can start playing with it and so that I don’t forget about it! Notes just so that we can demonstrate how much better Evernote is.

5. Set Restrictions

Very important. When you give the devices to students, they’ll change the background. In fact it’ll be the first thing they do! But massive changes are bad. The set up:

You’ll notice that Facetime is off.

6. Connect to the school wifi and get learning

Not much to it really! The next post will be how they have been used already.

O2 Learn - an uncomfortable post

2011-07-18T07:28:00.001+01:00

Over the weekend the department and I created and uploaded a video to the O2 Learn site. This was an uncomfortable action but, in the current climate of funding cuts, I really believe that it's worth entering even when the chance of winning is slim. During filming, HMS Illustrious steamed into Portsmouth Harbour - making for some interesting filming conditions!

I'm also uncomfortable at promoting myself / doing the whole 'vote for me' thing. However, look at the site and consider the site's strap line:

"Welcome to Britain's biggest classroom. A library of revision lessons from the best teachers in the country"

I'm not saying that our video deserves to win, but I'd like you to consider supporting it, if you think that it's good enough. The problem is that you need to be a registered user. I have some reservations with this and would understand if readers didn't want to do so. The video with the highest rating / number if views will win the fortnightly prize and progress to the judged round. There are some very useful videos within the archives, but I'll let you form your own opinion ;-)

I'm hoping that regular readers of this blog will support this rare request.

If you'd like to help (and think the video is any good) then please follow these instructions:

1. Head to O2 Learn: https://www.o2learn.co.uk/index.php and register using the link at the top right of the screen.

2. Once registered, log in and view this video https://www.o2learn.co.uk/o2_video.php?vid=1435 Apologies for the funky head dance half way through!

3. If you think that it's any good, rate it.

4. Pass on the link to others.

Alternatively, upload a video and let me know so I can be promoting it! If you already have a video uploaded, contact me with the link and I'll help promote it.

I should add that in the slim chance that the video wins, I will be donating the fortnightly personal prize to Help for Heroes.

Exploring the use of mobile devices with Creative Partnerships

2011-07-17T12:56:00.001+01:00

Regular readers will have come across the Mobile Devices policy stuff. This project (still on-going) was developed in collaboration with Creative Partnerships. Although the kibosh has been put on the organisation, it’s very exciting that our school have been selected to receive a legacy grant in order to continue the work started this year. This post aims to give a brief summary of the project so far, and our ambitions for the 2011/12 academic year.

What was the project about?

This year, our aim was to design and implement a policy that allows students to use their own mobile devices in their own time in school. We wanted this to be co-constructed, and in the end the student council produced most of the wording. The idea is that the general acceptance and responsible use of mobile devices opens the door to unlocking their potential within the classroom.

A strong feature of our Creative Partnership project has been the co-planning and co-construction of learning with all those involved. James Byford has provided some brilliant insights and ways of working. We particularly like the way in which James introduces non-tech but hugely creative ways of collaborating. This really links in well with our overall approach where technology is not innovation in itself. In all we have:

Worked with the student council for around 10 hours as they explored the use of mobile devices in their own time. This group of students have consulted the views of most school stakeholders and drafted the main principles on which the policy will be based.
Used chalk graffiti to communicate what young people did with their mobile devices.
Experimented with the use of mobile devices within lessons, basing our work on the pedagogy below.
Created a visual inventory of mobile devices and what they could be used for.

Our work next year will aim to extend and embed the use of mobile devices across the curriculum. The first phase of this will be to explore geocaching from a different perspective – I won’t give many details out at the moment as it will spoil the surprise! Part of the project will deploy students as Digital Leaders, developing on an idea used successfully by other schools.

The main barrier, as always, is staff confidence and knowledge of devices and what they can do. Personally, I think that it’s not about the device but about behaviour. It would be very simple to invest in many of the same device, roll them out to pupils and train staff. My view is that this is an unsustainable approach (along with large capital investments in kit like IWB, Learning Platforms and ICT suites). A better approach would be to harness the power of pupils’ own mobile devices and use funding in a way that widens participation by providing equipment for those that don’t have access. In addition, a change of behaviour needs to come from teachers. We need to move away from being in control of HOW students learn, but instead focus on the WHAT. This would allow students to become more independent, collaborative and creative as they figure out how best to solve a problem. For example, in one of my colleagues geography lessons this year, a group of young people created an animation using one of their mobile devices. Neither the teacher or myself knows HOW they did this, but we do know that the geographical concepts explored were understood and communicated brilliantly.

The bonus of using Creative Partnerships is that it exposes the school to different ways of doing stuff. Working with James has also highlighted the fact that huge, multinational corporations experience the same issues. If they can do it, so can we!

I’ll be sharing more of our journey though this blog as well as at various speaking workshops when given the opportunity. Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to know more.

Coastal Defences in Portsmouth

2011-07-16T13:45:00.002+01:00

Thank you to Alan Parkinson for helping me to turn off the autoplay!

We have put together another little coastal video to help GCSE students remember some of the coastal defences that are used in Portsmouth. It was a bit challenging as it was a very sunny day yesterday so HMS Illustrious and sunbathing truants provided some challenging filming conditions!

You'll notice that the video is uploaded to O2 Learn which runs a fortnightly competition. In times of tight funding, schools need as much funding opportunities as possible. The main motivation for the video is to provide a resource for learning. If the slim chance of winning takes place, I will give any personal prize money from the fortnightly competition to Help for Heroes, a charity which has is close to one of my brother's heart. Anyway, let me know what you think, and I hope that someone finds it useful!

View and rate the video here.

TeachMeet @ Priory

2011-07-14T19:40:00.001+01:00

Priory School hosted its first TeachMeet yesterday evening. The event went as planned with some very useful networking afterwards. The event was rather small scale, but we think that’s what a TeachMeet should be. It should be a regular meeting of teachers, cross phase and curriculum, that get together to chat, eat cake and share ideas.

It was great that no one really focused on just one product, which has become a feature of some presentations in the past.

Jo Debens (@GeoDebs) spoke about naughty learning and Guerrilla Geography. I enjoyed this as it really does mean that the ideas and direction set by the department really is being shared with all. I am very lucky to work with Jo and I know that very soon she will be a fantastic head of geography.

I shared our department vision. You can watch the video here. This video format was really quite challenging to make as it forced us to focus and narrow down what we wanted to do. We added ‘challenge’ and ‘awetastic’ this year. It’s important to note that it is a living statement and basically is our development plan. We revisit it regularly, and sit through the 2 minute cheese fest to inspire ourselves, our students and ask ourselves whether we really are still making teaching and learning better. I would urge any team to have a go at this approach.

I also spoke about the development of our co-constructed mobile device policy. I plan to post about this over the summer once all is in place.

Ian Addison demonstrated a few website and even broke Prezi, quite a feat! We were also subjected to his poor musical ability and some rather quite random websites. This to me was very useful. As a secondary teacher it is very easy to lose touch with Key Stages 1 and 2. This shouldn't happen, and being able to see what younger children are using and up to is great. I’ve never seen Ian speak before, so it was good to finally see him in action.

After Ian’s 7 and a bit minutes it was time for Gideon Williams. He spoke about Digital Leaders. I loved the way that Year 5 and 6 students were being used to train up older, secondary age children and it’s definitely something to aim for.

All in all, I like the relaxed, small room. It quite fits my style. With smaller, local get togethers, relationships can be forged that are sustainable and local.

Finally, a huge thanks to Rich Allaway, Helen and Anthony at Espresso / ClipBank, Chjris at Scholastic and Andrea at Rising Stars. your support of the event gave us all confidence, supplied some fantastic cake, wine and prizes.

#tmhants at Priory tomorrow. Hope to see you there!

2011-07-12T07:38:00.001+01:00

I’m very much looking forward to the first TeachMeet held at Priory School tomorrow (Wednesday 13th July). It promises to be a great event. It will be smaller in scale to many TeachMeets as we wanted it to reflect the desire to allow genuine conversation and collaboration between those that come along.

It’s not too late to join in. Head here to sign up either to present or come along.

We aim to get started at 5pm for some refreshments and a chat, with the presentations starting at around 5:30pm. We are located in central Portsmouth, right next to Fratton train station. If you’re driving we are at PO4 0DL. Please note that we can have limited parking available – even though there are 3 car parks! There is plenty of free on-street parking surrounding the school though.

If you need further directions either tweet me (@daviderogers) or contact me using the button on the right.

My thanks go out to:

For providing some raffle prizes, support and money toward the running costs.

This is our geography 2011

2011-07-07T19:42:00.002+01:00

#ngconf : And you go dancing through doorways just to see what you may find, leaving nothing to interfere with the crazy balance of your mind

2011-06-26T15:11:00.001+01:00

I know that it’s a random title for a blog post, but I urge you to stick with me! I grew up with Mint Sauce, the mountain biking sheep. The cartoon strip was published each month in Mountain Biking UK. Most months, the strip was thought provoking.

The strip above sums up some frustrations that many have with education: many stand around and talk but very little actually gets done. In other words:

It’s about behaviour, not devices.
It’s about learning, not tools.

There’s also quite a depressing message developing at many events: Teachers are rubbish at their jobs and are failing our pupils. There seems to be some mileage in saying how out of touch teachers are. Now, we all know that in some cases this is true. But, we need to start recognising that change is happening….

With this context, I’m pleased to say that the conference organised by Northern Grid was full of educators sharing what they are doing to support learning. In addition, both keynote addresses were thought provoking and orientated toward the future.

The format of the day was something slightly new – with short 30 minute sessions with two speakers sharing the topic.

The talk I delivered is below:

#tmhants @ Priory

2011-06-17T13:11:00.001+01:00

The first TeachMeet that we have organised here at Priory School is taking place on the 13th July between 5pm and 7pm. We are happy for this to be fairly small in scale, but it would be great to get as many teachers as possible along.

You can see who is coming already here.

You can sign up using the Google Form here.

We are using Google Docs so that we can encourage as many people as possible to come along : they are slightly easier than the wiki.

The other exciting news is that some lovely sponsors have agreed to help toward some refreshments and presenter / attendee raffle prizes. So, apart from getting lots of great teaching and learning ideas, there’s even more reason to come along!

More details of these to come but thank you so far to the following:

Naughty Learning in Geography at #bmoble2011

2011-06-17T06:44:00.001+01:00

Here are some of the session details as promised. The screencast below is not of the best quality, so expect it to be replaced as soon as I can get around to it. I’ve posted it here now though so that readers can get the general gist.

The session explored a number of naughty learning strategies within a secondary school context. All of these can be scaled according to your location. You could take the risky, whole school approach or create micro-naughtiness in your own classroom.

1. Matching music to locations / photographs or creating a soundtrack for a walk.

This activity allows young people to explore how they feel about spaces and places. Their descriptive and persuasive writing can be extended. It’s about the conversations around the selection of music rather than the act of listening that’s important.

2. Little Notices

This is all about getting young people to communicate their feelings about space to wider audiences. Mobile devices could be used to capture the location. For example, an audioboo justifying and explaining both the notice and location, or a simple photograph.

3. Take 5 (photos)

Use mobile devices to capture five photographs of a place. These could be focused. For example, 5 features of the school that you love / hate / are proud of. You could collage these (maybe using Microsoft’s free AutoCollage) and use them to analyse the images for patterns.

4. Photosynth

Not necessarily naughty this one, and blogged about here and here.

5. Chalk Graffiti

We wanted to map what young people got up to in their social time (breaks) in school. The tool we decided to use was chalk. See the images in the presentation for examples. This is linked to a wider project that is still on going. Update to follow at the appropriate moment.

6. Mission Explore

My friends at the Geography Collective provide a wealth of mini-missions that could provide a springboard to developing children’s understanding of their spaces. At our school, we have embedded some of these opportunities into the curriculum.

If you’d like to know more, feel free to get in touch using the Contact Me button.

Naughty Learning in Geography at #bmoble2011

View more presentations from David Rogers

Useful Links:

Mission Explore

The Geography Collective

My Walks Project

Noel Jenkins’ Wellington Planning Project

TeachMeet Hants

2011-06-14T20:54:00.003+01:00

Big thanks to Ian Addison on this one!

TeachMeet Hants is coming to Portsmouth. For those of you not familiar with the TeachMeet format, the following video should help:

The main thing is to come along to tell a story about learning adventures! This could just be by listening to those doing the talking, or chatting to the others that turn up.

It would be great to see new (and old!) faces. There’s no need to talk about technology, you could just tell a story about how you’ve used your school grounds, a new group activity, something slightly naughty even…

The details that you need:

When and Where?

Priory School Specialist Sports College, Fawcett Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO4 0DL.

Wednesday 13th July

5pm to 7pm.

If you’d like to come along, whether it’s to listen or talk, there’s a Google Form for you to fill out. It’s also embedded below. Sign up closes on the 1st July so that we can get out heads around the exact venue etc!

All tweets etc about the get together should use the hashtag #tmhants

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I don’t want a plan. I want to be inspired.

2011-06-14T08:36:00.001+01:00

This is one of those messy, reflective posts….

I’m no stranger to looking into the abyss. It sounds like a clichéd No Fear t-shirt slogan, but life on the edge really is quite fun. This week has been a particular roller coaster ride and one in which my core values have been challenged and my motivation for being ‘in’ education. As well as a chance for me to reflect on the week (which is far from over!), I guess this is a message to leaders of education.

I understand the need for long term plans, development plans, strategic visions, schemes of work and the like. However, sometimes these constructions create well trodden paths. Paths which sometimes mask well trodden routes and result in cultures where deviation from the norm aren’t encouraged. Not because they are seen as evil, but because that’s what has always been done.

Having no path is scary. It is also stressful, lonely and hard work. From outdoor and school adventures I know that having no plan at all is not really that good an idea! Therefore, it’s clear that having a position somewhere along the no plan – plan continuum is beneficial to successful projects and learning.

Having a rough idea of the big picture while allowing room for deviation often leads to deep learning. In the example illustrated above, we had a rough plan to climb a few hills in the Cairngorms. We were self sufficient – equipped with everything we would need for three days. We has a vision (for want of a better word), we were prepared for almost anything but the detail was fuzzy.

But how does this translate to the school setting?

Let’s take the idea of mobile learning. This week, I have discovered (not surprisingly) that this is a messy, ill defined path. It’s also personally and professionally scary, risky, lonely and fun. We wanted to involve students in the process of writing a mobile device usage manifesto. We knew where we wanted to go to, but not the details (these are still being put together as I type this!).

The basic idea is contained in the presentation below. This was shared with the school community. Notice that we are aiming high and into the future. That doesn’t mean that we know how to get there yet!

Mobile Learning Vision

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We hope to elaborate on each stage of this fast moving project, but it’s important to keep certain elements under wraps until we have consulted with the entire school community.

I’ll be speaking about some of this at the bMobLe conference and Northern Grid for Learning Conference over the next couple of weeks, when we hope to have more detail to share!

Year 10 Hengistbury Head Data Collection Grid and Data Presentation resources

2011-06-02T20:02:00.001+01:00

This post is aimed at Year 10 students at Priory School. Please remember that comments are moderated and student comments will not be published.

Here are two resources that you would have seen in class. Use them to plan at home.

Data Collection Grid

Data Collection Grid Guidance

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Data Presentation

Data presentation Help

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Hengistbury Head Photographs

2011-06-02T15:18:00.001+01:00

This post is aimed at Year 10 students at Priory School undertaking their Controlled Assessment project. Please remember that comments are moderated and none that appear to be from students will be published.

The Flickr set below contains a wide range of photographs taken in and around the study area. Remember that you will gain more marks if you use your own images. If you decide to use these images (or any others that are not your own) remember:

Include a link / reference to the original location and credit the photographer.
There are many images in the set. Not all of them will be relevant to your key questions or hypothesis. Quite frankly, some of them are not much use at all. Remember that you gain marks for being able to select the best data for your work.
The images have a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence. Your teacher will explain to you what this means – but essentially you should acknowledge the source image (see above)

So, if you haven’t got your own images, visit here. There is also a slideshow embedded below.

All of me in one place. Kind of….

2011-05-31T14:50:00.001+01:00

I’ve been aware for a while now that my profiles are spread all over the internet. So here’s an attempt to rationalise them into one place:

Rambling recognised

2011-05-31T13:44:00.001+01:00

In my professional life I am first and foremost a teacher. I then perform the Curriculum Leader role and occasionally get involved in the odd whole school adventure. In order to help me clarify thoughts and to share with the wider world, I started this blog. It provides me with a reflective platform and I always find it amazing, yet encouraging, that others read and take note.

So, I must say a very humble thank you as I seem to have been awarded the Teacher Blog of the Year 2011 crown by the kind people over at the Education Blog Awards. I’ve been lucky recently to be on the receiving end of a few awards recently, but this one means the most. This is because this blog was nominated by readers in the first place and then judged by a panel of professionals that I admire and respect deeply. I’m also humbled by finishing ahead (although only slightly I’d bet) of two other stunning teacher blogs.

So thank you all. I’m pleased to find that there is something of use in these pages

And to those who haven’t already – please head over to the Education Blog Awards pages to discover some excellent sources of CPD.

Here’s what the judges had to say:

Judges were looking for:

A willingness to share resources and ideas
Responsiveness to the blog’s audience
Regular and timely updates
Posts that provoke comment

The winning blog in this category is David Rogers who invited a lot of comment from the judges. “David Rogers encapsulates what edublogging should be about – A documentation of your own professional and personal learning through a blend of thinking, ideas, sharing, collaboration and challenge”. Another judge said “Loved this blog for many reasons but the main one was because David introduced me to Dream Teachers YouTube. Will definitely be visiting again.”

Technostories pushed David to the limit here with one judge commenting “a wonderful resource sharing blog full of practical advice and tips for teachers – I must read for all those interend in primary education”.

Third in this category was Mister Connor – judges said that this was “a great example of a teachers blog to support the learners at their school” and “there’s some excellent accessible content on Mr Connor’s Blog”.

Mission:Explore voted one of the National Trust’s outdoor books of the year.

2011-05-31T13:28:00.001+01:00

We at the Geography Collective were very happy to find out that Mission:Explore has been voted one of the top Outdoor Books of the year. This really is good news and we hope that many more people decide to get exploring as a result. This means a huge amount as the top eight books were voted for by the public.

If you’re a teacher and want to see how Mission:Explore can be used in schools, then I’ll be speaking this month at bMobLe and the Northern Grid for Learning conferences – come along and say hello!

The irony of winning the YouTube Dream Teachers Award

2011-05-26T19:30:00.001+01:00

Today I had the honour of visiting Google’s UK HQ in London for the second time. The first being for the Google Teacher Academy last year. I was there to pick up an award for the video embedded below. Thank you to all of those who have used the video with young people and let me know.

It’s been a funny day, having been interviewed by Julian Clegg on BBC Radio Solent’s breakfast show this morning. You can listen to the interview here for the next 7 days (from 26th May). The interview starts around 57 minutes in.

I’m left with a feeling of familiar frustration though. The fact that these resources (let alone the thousands of others that are useful to learning) are blocked in around 85% of schools. At the presentation, the MD of Google UK Matt Brittin, hinted that there may be a role for those gathered in tackling this issue. I genuinely hope that this will turn in to a real opportunity.

It was also great to meet and talk briefly to the other winners, and to view some of the other videos available. I’d recommend you heading over to the Dream Teachers YouTube channel for more useful videos.

My learning on Leadership Pathways

2011-05-18T21:17:00.001+01:00

Leadership Pathways is a programme run by the National College that aims to develop the skills needed for school leadership. I am not going to comment on the programme itself, but am going to reflect upon the main lessons I have learned about leading a whole school change.

Firstly, the change aimed to create co-constructed off-timetable enquiry days. We wanted staff and pupils to learn together without the barriers normally associated with the curriculum. There are spin offs from the change, but this isn’t the appropriate place to announce them

This wordle.net cloud summarises my learning.

The diagram shows that people, learning, stakeholders and vision are at the heart of any whole school change.

My own learning can be summarised with two cartoons and two images. I have used these before, and I have tried to note the original source.

The first learning point is that most conversations need to be planned and that when events don’t follow their planned trajectory, it’s important to adapt quickly. There were a couple of instances where last minute changes had to be made. the balance between coaching and mentoring was important in such times – knowing that some people want to be coached into making decisions while others just need and want leading. Knowing the strengths of each team member is vital, as is ensuring that roles are clearly set out.

Most people in education are aware that we need to have a vision. I’m uncomfortable with the terminology but agree that having a clear goal is essential. However, what is more important is sharing some ideas of how to get there. There is also a clear need to be able to measure the impact of any changes which usually requires some form of baseline picture.

I really like this cartoon from gapingvoid. Co-construction and having no guidelines is scary. It was interesting to find out that when given no rules at all, both the students and staff I worked with started off by being ultra conservative. Any change needs careful support. A fantastic outcome of the change was the fantastic professional development that the staff involved with it experienced.

Finally, although I’ve always been aware of the need to prioritise, this project really tested the balance between driving up standards and innovation within a curriculum area and whole school innovation.

What makes an effective annotated map?

2011-05-16T19:15:00.001+01:00

This post is one in a series aimed at Year 10 Priory Geographers. Remember, all comments are moderated and no pupil comments will be published.

Here are two resources to help you plan the two annotated maps that should accompany your introduction.

Download the first presentation to access a selected of photographs. You can use these if you like, but remember to acknowledge the source. It’s better if you use your own shots though! You’ll also find the criteria for what makes up a good annotated map. Also remember that a sketch map is worth more marks.

What so I include on an annotated map

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This second presentation is a partially completed annotated OS map. Remember that your finished maps should have at least 5-6 detailed annotations. You may want to plan at home what you will add onto your maps during the controlled conditions.

What is vitally important is that you remember that once handed in, you will not be able to edit or change you work.

Example of an annotated map

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Year 10 Controlled Assessment Support

2011-05-14T12:32:00.001+01:00

This post is aimed at Year 10 Priory Geographers to support their Controlled Assessment. Please note that all comments that appear to be made by students will not be published.

1. The General Study area

Hengistbury Head Location Maps

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2. The follow up lesson

Hengistbury Head Follow up Lesson

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Images by David Rogers, thanks to wordle.net for the word cloud.

3. Introduction support – remember that examples are from last years work which was a different subject

Introduction Materials for Fieldwork Focus Introduction

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Also – remember to explore the views of other people by viewing the comments on this post. You will explore these with your teacher in class.

Hengistbury Head Photosynth Resources

2011-05-12T20:43:00.000+01:00

I have been playing around with the Photosynth App for iPhone while bimbling around Hengistbury Head with Year 10 on fieldwork. The app allows the user to upload the photosynths to Bing Maps. You can view the ones created this week here. Hopefully the resource will be useful for others out there.

This will be used to recap the visit with each class. The geographers amongst you will notice some classic learning points such as the amount of beach material either side of groynes etc. The panoramas are not perfect, but good enough for the purpose. Each took around 2-3 minutes to shoot, which isn’t a huge amount of time considering that the iPhone app then stitches the results automatically.

These will be used as part of a lesson that I hope to share tomorrow, but so far I like the photosynth app as:

It’s quick to use in the field
Produces acceptable results – we don’t want to win prizes, just create teaching resources
Free (if you already have access to an iPhone)

You can still help Year 10 with their GCSE Controlled Assessment!

Year 10 need your help! Can we get Twitter and Facebook in to a GCSE project?

2011-05-10T20:23:00.001+01:00

I’ve been told that social media has no place in the classroom. Now, this post is not to battle that argument head on. Let’s smash it.

This week, Year 10 are visiting Hengistbury Head. They are investigating whether this piece of coastline should be protected. They are wondering what you think?

You may know the location well, you may not know it at all. But we’d like to hear from you all the same. This will either result in some usable data and comments, or not. Either way, we'll know and I’m sure that your comments will help spark discussion in class!

What would Year 10 like me to do?

Just simply comment on this post or tweet me, with an answer to this question:

‘Should Hengistubury Head be protected from the Sea?

Just answer Yes or No and give a brief reason. It would also be useful if you could tell us whether you know the area or not.

Many thanks in anticipation……

Image – my own.

Are you an advocate of ‘Fat’ or ‘Thin’ GCSEs? Frederick Soddy Award to support fieldwork.

2011-05-10T20:13:00.001+01:00

Geography without fieldwork is unthinkable. Getting GCSE students out to collect primary fieldwork data is a minefield, but thanks to a Frederick Soddy Award, we were able to take our students a little further afield this year. I’d recommend putting in a bid!

So, over the next three days (starting this morning!) Year 10 headed to Hengistbury Head to collect data. Getting out to an inspiring location and one that contrasts with their own, means that young people not only meet the conditions of the Specification, the also develop as people. This is what I call the ‘fat GCSE’ that we try to give. Let me explain:

‘Thin’ GCSEs do not develop independent learning or personal qualities (Like collaboration above). This could be caused by spoon feeding. ‘Thin’ GCSEs may allow lots of resists, (personally I’m not a fan of modular GCSEs) redrafts………
‘Fat’ GCSEs develop independent learning and personal qualities. One way to do this is to get young people outside and working together on a common problem. We may have given them some data sheets (with added flaws!) but they had to decide the question.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t teach exam technique or help students succeed, just that, well, learning should be hard every now and again! Do you agree? What are the barriers in giving ‘Fat’ GCSEs?

Fieldtrips are also good times for ice cream and coffee :

Geography @ Priory heads to the GA Conference

2011-05-10T19:43:00.001+01:00

I recently attended the GA Conference in Guildford. I love this event, so it was with pleasure that all of the department decided to join me this year. You can read about our adventures in the latest copy of the GA Magazine, which is available from the website if you are a member for free!

Like Mission Explore? Then help it become a book of the year.

2011-05-05T09:11:00.001+01:00

The National Trust and Hay Festival are asking you to vote on your favourite ‘outdoors’ books of the year… We are asking you to vote for Mission:Explore.

Mission:Explore has been created to encourage more children and families to enjoy and learn from exploring outdoors. The books not only include lots of illustrated activities, but lots of advice on how to explore in sensitive, curious and (reasonably) safe ways.

They are looking to name six books in total and we would love Mission:Explore to be one of them. If you think our books should be named please take 30 seconds and vote here.

http://bit.ly/voteMissionExplore

Mission:Explore wins Geovation for a second year

2011-05-05T07:46:00.001+01:00

Received some excellent and very exiting news today from The Geography Collective’s chief explorer Daniel Raven-Ellsion. Geovation, organised by the Ordnance Survey, have decided to fund Mission:Explore’s idea to get more young people using the National Cycle Network. This is great news and watch this space for more developments.

This means that The Geography Collective projects are growing!

Head over the the Ordnance Survey Blog for more details.

Thank you.

2011-05-03T20:49:00.001+01:00

A cryptic tweet from Alan Parkinson this evening alerted me to the exciting news that this blog has been shortlisted for the Education Blog Awards 2011.

A big thank you to all those who have voted for these ramblings. Really quite humbling. When I started publishing my thoughts and ideas, I did so to provide a reflective space and a filing cabinet for ideas.

It still amazes me that people read and find useful what's on here, but it’s great that there is something of use amongst the many photographs of me on holiday!

So, nice and smiley regardless of what happens next! Check out the other great blogs shortlisted and best of luck to all.

MemoryMap iPhone App

2011-05-03T20:10:00.001+01:00

As an outdoor instructor, I am a big fan of paper maps and a compass. Recent news stories have highlighted the danger of relying on smartphones for navigation in the hills. To me, nothing beats the ability to use a map and compass where ever you are.

Having said this, I am also a sucker for gadgets. There are many many pieces of mapping software available for the iPhone. MemoryMap has been around for a while, and I’ve recently discovered their iPhone App.

I recently had the chance to have a real play with the App in the field. the main use I can think of at the moment is that the map can be easily annotated and place marks created while outside. Although there are other appsthat allow this, there is something fitter about using a proper OS map!

The screen size of an iPhone is too small for any proper navigation, but I liked the logging function, speed etc. Top marks are available to anyone who spots which campsite we were using

Another aspect that I like about this app is the ability to purchase the exact area you need through the app itself in the field. This is very useful especially as it’s possible to sync maps from the iPhone to a PC running the full MemoryMap software.

Microsoft Photosynth iPhone App

2011-05-03T19:46:00.001+01:00

I’ve always maintained that I don’t have a preference for WHO provides the technology that we use. Just that it works. Photosynth is something that I cam across thanks to the Partners in Learning Network and my colleague Jo Debens demonstrated its power when exploring school spaces as part of her award winning project.

I’ve always found the software a little limiting in that you have to take a shed load of photographs to make it work really well. I also wanted to be able to take it mobile. Step in the new Photosynth iPhone App. This to me is the way forward for technology in education: everyone making great tools available on everyone’s devices. We can already see the potential with this for the Geography classroom and, more importantly, out in the field. For example we could:

Create digital panoramas with students showing the places they like to most and least, analysing them for common features and describing space.
Capture a record of a change in places.
Use panoramas in class when teaching about a particular case study or topic (similar to to Noel Jenkins’ excellent work)

The process is really easy once the app is downloaded. Simply explore until you find something worth capturing and then tap and snap.

A handy green rectangle and beep automatically takes a new shot, although every so often an annoying red box shows up, but this is easily avoided. This process really is quite simple.

Once you have taken enough pictures to complete the 360, it’s time to stitch. This didn’t take too long on the 3GS device out in the field. Although there are better iPhone Apps for stitching and creating panoramas, Photosynth is free

One of my favourite features is that it is possible to share the creation in the field. As you can see from the screen shot, I have a very poor data signal in my location, but I was still able to upload to Facebook, Photosynth.net and Bing Maps. It’s create that the panoramas is automatically geotagged, allowing teachers to share the location easily. It also means that the image is easily accessible for teaching with access to an internet connected machine and data projector.

Shared on Facebook ( I had by this time moved location!)

And on Bing Maps.

By uploading the panorama to Photosynth.net it is also possible to access an embeddable, interactive panorama. the camera on the 3GS doesn’t do this location justice here, but the better iPhone 4 camera would produce a better image. Still, for a free app and for students, I think that the results are passable. View it here (I couldn’t get the embed code to work)

And just in case you wanted to know what my classroom looks like, here it is

Iceland Days 3,4 and 5

2011-04-26T07:34:00.001+01:00

We mainly got up to:

Waterfalls:

Glaciers:

Beaches:

Making sand angels:

Popping by to see the President:

Thank you to the awesome staff team of Jo Debens and Paula Withers!

Iceland 2011 signing off.

Iceland Days 1 and 2

2011-04-21T22:31:00.001+01:00

All is well – the pupils are fantastic and are coping very well with the very Icelandic weather!

A few shots of what we’ve been up to so far:

Floating in the Blue Lagoon after the long journey:

Investigating the fissures between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates

Getting soaked by Geysers!

Getting acquainted with geography in action:

Scrambling around an extinct volcano:

Roll on Day 3!