The Sixty-Sixth Republic - Who will be the medal winners on Results Day? Grade inflation predicted again

[Staffholidayclubrep]

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@noblegiraffe

I am trying to give people strategies for the vocabulary teaching

We've paid a lot of money for PIXL and they have all this literacy stuff where you have to write the word in the middle, then define it, then use it in a sentence, then draw a picture of the word, then look at it's roots.

And it does seem like a waste of time tbh. Like circle vocabulary, I need them to learn v quickly words like arc/sector/segment/tangent because we're going to be using them all the time in circle theorems, and I don't have time to do elaborate worksheets for each word. Science must have the same issue.

Absolutely - I remember when training someone claiming there was as much new vocabulary in KS3 science as in MFL lessons. The literacy level needed to fully access some GCSE science papers is a significant barrier for lots of students.

I suspect I get through more board pens than maths as well - they use a lot of IWB stuff. I love the huge whiteboards I have in my rooms.

@noblegiraffe

Yep, never express an interest in anything unless you want to find yourself either in charge of it or running an INSET on it.

The best advice that a mentor can give their NQT.

Our maths dept don’t have iwb. We used to, back when the fad was for every classroom to have one, but then they got old and broke and we unanimously said we didn’t want them replaced and wanted a whiteboard that was projected onto instead.

No one ever used them interactively. Remember all the ‘get the kids up to move stuff around’ crap that ended up with a couple of kids at the board and the rest of the class totally disengaged?

Unless the mentor has a shit job and wants to get rid of it and that’s what the ‘newbies’ are for.

In 21 years I have never used an IWB as an IWB. I don’t think my pupils have been disadvantaged.

Exactly, they’re a waste of money!

Ppts for maths are mostly a waste of time unless they have questions on.

Absolutely. I used only use them for quizzes, when the animation/timing features were useful, and provided a focus. I love writing and drawing on boards.

I’ll type a long worded question on a PowerPoint to project up because writing questions on the board takes ages and I have shit handwriting.

Sometimes I’ll type the question during the lesson. The kids don’t like that I can type and still look at them.

And can on occasion draw (almost) perfect circles freehand. Performative teaching has been my standby for the last few years.

I’ll type a long worded question on a PowerPoint to project up because writing questions on the board takes ages and I have shit handwriting.

Same.

For stats it's especially useful. Also have starter stuff projected but that's about it.

I remember when training someone claiming there was as much new vocabulary in KS3 science as in MFL lessons.

And of course, the Science vocab refers to unfamiliar things and abstruse concepts, whereas the MFL vocabulary refers to generally familiar items and situations, so the learner has a number of layers of potential confusion to deal with.
People are fascinated to realise that you can recognise an equation by the equals sign it contains.

I mean, confusion in Science vocab, I didn’t express that well.

When I did my NASENCo award-the trainer said, the only reason any of you are here on this course today, is that you didn’t say, ‘no!’ quickly enough!

Yes, same at my first NASENCO session too.

I'm actually a bit nervous about assemblies. I've tried quite hard to avoid massive crowds of people this summer, while also having a relatively normal life. I just don't want to be in a small room with 600 mostly unvaccinated people who have just been flying in and out of the country all summer.

We're on holiday with a GP. He has said two things of note on the covid thing. 1. He'd be happy to be just in his boxer shorts in an ICU so long as he has a FFP2or N95 mask on. 2. As soon as there are cases in 2 different bubbles at his childrens' school, he's taking them out of school.

Does he not know there aren’t bubbles anymore and he won’t know if there are cases?

The kids don’t like that I can type and still look at them.

Mine neither. I type into powerpoint and edit etc when doing a modelled write - while looking at them the whole time and taking ideas. It's much quicker than hand writing the whole thing, and I don't have to turn my back on them. I can type it in double spaced, then display it as a slideshow and 'edit' over the top using my note pen thingy.

Sensible reporting by The Guardian

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/aug/19/english-schools-told-to-delay-seeking-help-with-small-covid-outbreaks?fbclid=IwAR3f90qp3AcHHbApixeLjNA6wZH0OsDRqOPspAY8rBaHWaARC-0utPJC61U

Does he not know there aren’t bubbles anymore and he won’t know if there are cases?

I pointed that out. He said 'parents have whatsapp groups for reasons though, don't they'. He's right - I mean, we worked out in about 5 minutes who the positive LFT was in my child's closed bubble last term.

But you knew there was a case because of the closed bubble.

No closed bubble - are you going to know about every child in the school who is off sick and be able to work out it is covid? Their families won’t be isolating so it could be no one has a clue.

Maybe he is a knower of all? Dunno. We're all trying not to talk about covid too much, so I won't go down that rabbit hole with him.

Interesting, Jan that the Guardian have interpreted the 10% as 10% of the school, ignoring the fact that they need to have mixed closely.

No one knows what that threshold actually means!

Had forgotten that the framework also applies to unis. Wonder what they think about holding classes outside.

I don’t blame you, Rule but it is interesting that parents assume they will know about cases and be able to make safety assessments on that basis.

I think some may be in for a shock.

Think of all those posters who swore blind last year that there were no cases at all in their child's school.
If they didn't know then, then they sure as hell won't now.

@CallmeHendricks

Think of all those posters who swore blind last year that there were no cases at all in their child's school. If they didn't know then, then they sure as hell won't now.

Yes I thought that too. Loads of people had no clue what was going on - either didn't read communication, or didn't register it. I found out via whatsapp before 'official' sources. It was a Friday night at 9pm, I wouldn't have checked my email until Sunday night.

Michael Rosen interview for piggy

inews.co.uk/culture/books/michael-rosen-covid-nhs-many-different-kinds-of-love-on-the-move-1158330

Whatsapp not always helpful. With the cases in our school noone talked about who it was and obviously the positive family didnt say. I wanted to know as they had dc1 isolation wrong but couldnt find out when let alone who. Thats where anonymity is great. I did find out eventually who but not when. (And it was staff parents and their 2 kids. Presumably picked up from the burst bubble they worked).

The more important q is why does the gp not want his kids to get covid- or is it to protect the adults?
Imo with assemblies it will be wildfire (although our school was doing lunch together in the hall)
Will parents not send siblings to out of school activities if their sib is positive?
Oncecovid is in aclass/school with no isolation except positives would there even be a point removing kids as it wont stop until burnt through, presuming that the odd outside lesson doesnt help stop it.