So Much to Learn...So Little Time

It's over

They've gone
the inspectors have left the building...and they never came into my classroom. This is a shame because I think I had some of my best lessons for ages this week. Simple lessons too. Low tech was the name of the game.
2 lessons with individual mini whiteboards testing knowledge of perfect tense in French and German. Students were engaged, excited and noisy, but most of them didn't realise they were learning or using what they had already learnt. Everyone in the class was active the whole lesson...and I was knackered after.

I've also been using what I learned at SCILT Outreach.
I've been reading stories to my S1 and S2 classes. At first it was "What! a story in French/German" but as I read, they all listened, for once, some even got the story once I'd explained very briefly at the beginning.

Now I only have about 5 things in the pipeline. I am going to experiment with my S3 class and produce a piece of collaborative writing on a wiki.
I am preparing for "Les Rencontres Theatrales" which we are hosting in March and then on 17th March I have to give a presentation at Communicate 07. So not much to do then.

Elgin Outreach

Here's the notes I took during SCILT's recent outreach in Elgin.

Download scilt_conf.pdf

A new week...HMI still in

HMIe are still in the house but as yet I have not been visited...shame. But there is still time.

tried something new today with S4 Class. Had them working in groups to study a particular element of adjectival endings in German. One group was after the definite article, one after the indefinite and the last with no preceding article. some students seemed to benefit from the experience but I think I am going to have to over it whole class with them to try to help them "get" all the bits.
They evaluated it after which was reasonably positive but you often wonder whether, as we all have been guilty of, just filling in positively because its easier. I tried to counteract this by having them back up their observations with a comment. That worked. Many really enjoyed the group work aspect but some identified what I had observed that some groups didn't function collaboratively.

Quite pleased then. My next project is to set up a wiki for my S3 French lot who I would like to collaboratively produce and edit an account of their ideal holidays. First I have to delete my current wikispaces account cos I've basically made a bugger of my account. I will then set a new one.

SCILT Outreach

As mentioned in previous post I attended one of the SCILT Outreach conferences in Elgin yesterday. On the whole these conferences are an excellent idea enabling us teachers fortunate enough not to work in the central belt to find out what is going on in the development of teaching and learning. You also usually get a great lunch..the salmon was fantastic.

In an appropriately reflective manner I would like to consider one or two point that cropped up. I will at a later date post cleaned up copies of my notes.

The first presetation was that of Alan Ogg of HMIe on Improving Scottish Education. I have to take issue with the fact that we were informed that we should always look at our strengths as teachers and then we were presented with a table showing that HMIe believe that almost 60% of teaching and learning in those schools inspected in 2006 - 06 was weak or adequate (which really means not all that good.) What a way to boost teachers on a Saturday. I often find that in these situations it is a case of do as I say not as I do. Imagine if an inspector came into the classrom whilst you were in the middle of explaining to all your students that 60% were really only adequate...
One colleague asked why she should stay in the profession if this was the encouragement we were getting for all the work we do.

Part 2 looked at CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) or put simply content dictates the language taught. I like the idea as it would involve lots of x-curricular stuff and despite some comments to the contrary I don't really think current SG syllabus is set up like this. It will also enable language teachers to get their teeth stuck into global issues such as the environment and citizenship.

part 3 was the now usual update on A Curricuclum for Excellence. Main point was that it will be behind schedule...bloody politicians as per usual who don't know their arse from their elbow.

Robert McKinstry indicated that the curriculum will need to drive (and indeed overtake) the exam syllabus. But can this really hapen if the hallowed SQA are not taking part in the discussions on what is potentially the most groundbreaking development in education for years. If they are not there will be no point in all of this because we will still end up having to conduct the same old exams. I like the idea of student shaving to achieve a min imum level of language competency by S3 and the idea of a language passport recognised europewide is a welcome development.

The last part of the day was a presentation by Robert McKinstry on developing Listening skills. I enjoyed this as it really gave me food for though about what I do in my classroom. Prattling on in TL was recommended...I can do that. The point being that babies learn their language by their parents wittering on all the time...must be something in it. Another point was the idea of developing the skill not just by "doing listenings" but by setting some time aside to maybe read a story or listen to a piece of music in the TL. It doesn't matter that it is relevant to the topic being studied as you would be developing a skill. I am going to try it... watch this space to see what happens.

So much food for thought. Allow me time to digest. Cognac anyone.

CPD on a Saturday

Off to Elgin tomorrow for a SCILT Outreach conference. Lets see if I can predict what I'm going to find interesting and what might just bore me...am I allowed to say that:
-Improving Scottish Education, by HMI - should be interesting with our impending inspection
- Content and Language Integrated Learning - I hope this isn't rebranding and reinventing a wheel that has been turing along quite happily for many a year.
- Listening - could be interesting as this is often atricky area to develop
- ACE - couldn't have a conference without a mention of what could just be the most exciting development in education for years.

Here's a copy of the programme:
Download Elgin_Programme.pdf

Welcome to the wonderful world of broadband

Great Joy and amazement.

A whole new world has just opened up before my eyes. I've got broadband at last. As I'm writing this I'm downloading swathes of linguistically minded podcasts. I've already updated the missing album covers on iTunes and I took my first peek at Google Earth.

To paraphrase The Fast Show "I'nt broadband great".

More seriously, as befits a reflective log (use a grave tone of voice), I can now really start to research all this web 2.0 technology to help with my continued drive for improving my teaching...does that sound good? Good, HMIe are in next week.