Book Bo ook so some ome tim ttime me to o re rread eaad d This year’s year’s World Wo orld d Book Boo ok Day Dayy is being beeingg celebrated ceeleb braated d on 7 March March h with with h alll so sorts ortss off activities acctivvities designed dessign gned d to o encourage enc cou urage reading. reaadin ng. g Planned Plaann ned d events evven nts and d resources reeso ourccess include inc clud de The Thee Biggest Bigg ggestt Show Sh how w On On Earth, Earth h, which whicch is is a ffree reee online on nlin ne festival festivaal sstarring tarrrin ng nnine inee auth authors horrs aand nd illustrators; illu lustr trato torrs;; storycraft sto s orryyccraafft videos, v deo vid eoss, which which ch contain co con nttaain n tips t s o writing on writin wr t ng and nd illustrating illlus ustra rating i stories stor ories es from fro f om children’s ch child dre ren n’ss authors aut utho hors including inc nclud udiing Charlie Ch haarlie l e Higson, Higson g o Andy A dy Stanton, Stan antto on Malorie Malor oriee Bla Blackman lacckm man and n Michelle i e e Paver; a e and a d ann app a p for o teenagers e n g s that h contains o a s stories t ri byy nine nin ine young yo ou un ngg adult ad adu ultt authors au autth ho orss including in nclu c ud dingg Patrick PPattric r ck Ness, Neessss, Chris C i Ryan, Ryyan, R n, Alex Al Alex Scarrow SScarro r ow and nd Josephine Jo osseep ph hine ne Angelini. Ange A gellin ni. Lesson Leesson on plans, plan ans, games, gaam meess, downloads do ow wnlo n oaad ds aand n nd dm more o orre suggestions sug ugge gestions t o s ar are re available avvaailab labllee on on the th the website. web bsiite. e www.worldbookday.com. y
Countdown C Co ountdo own tto om maths aths m made ade eeasy asyy Maths M atths Made Maadee Easy Eaasyy (MME) (M MME) is is a new neew homework ho omeewo orkk service seervice from fro om Pearson Pearsson and an nd celebrity cele ebriityy mathematician maathem matiiciaan Carol Carrol Vorderman. Vordeerm man n. It’s Itt’s designed design gned d to o help heelp teachers teach herrs byy rreducing b educingg thee workload worrklo oad d as associated ssocciatted dw with ith h ho homework, omew workk, in including ncludingg se setting, etting, g marking, m arrkin ng, g assessing assesssingg prog progress p gresss and and d remedial reemeedial w work. ork. MM MME ME giv ggives vess pa p parents aren ntss ac access ccesss to the service serrvicce online onllinee so o they th heyy can caan track their theeir child’s chiild’ss progress, proggresss, seee what whatt ttasks aaskss hav have ave b been eeeen set et an aand nd even eve ven try try ry the th the tasks tas askks themselves. the hems mseelvveess Ev Every Eveerry h homework o om mewo ew workk ttask aask h has aas a video i o from f om the fro the former th fo orm me Cou Countdown ountd n down ow wn star s r explaining x a n g the h maths m t s required e d to o complete c m l e the he ta task. task. k. Th T They heeyy also a oh hav have ve a p practice rac actic t ce ssession eession io and n a test te t att the h end, e d so o teachers t c e and d parents p ar areentss ccan aan n monitor m mo on nito tor pupils’ pu up pils l progress. pr pro ogress. e www.themathsfactor.com/mathsmadeeasyy
Silent SSi illeent D Disco issco h hits itts p primary riim marry sschools choolss Now>Press>Play N ow>>Preess>>Play wa was as b born orn when wheen a theatre th heaatree director, direccto or, a banker baankker and an nd a tteacher eaacheer ggot ott to together ogeetheer to to think thin nk about abo outt a new neew kind kind of of resource reso ourrce for schools. sccho ools. Rather R atther th than han n learning leearn ningg by by reading read dingg or or writing, writtinggg,, children child dreen put putt onn wireless w irreleess headphones heaadp pho onees aand nd d are arre plunged plun nge ged into o their theiir subject. subjjecct. They T heey become beccom me characters ch haraacteers wh who ho aree immersed im mmerssed d iinto nto o th the he world wo orld d off their th heir to opic, op , whether wheeth her it’ss maths, m mat ths hs, histo history, s orryy, science sc scien ence ce or or English English. E g s The T he he experiences exxp peerrieen nccees are a e desig desi s gned n d for or KS2 KS KS2 and nd up up to o 30 30 children, ch hilld dreen plu p uss teaching tee ch c n staff, s ff ff can an ta take takke pa p part artt inn a worksh wo orksh shop hop. ho T There’s h heres e a minimum min m nim mum mu m booking boo ookin k ng of of two tw wo o workshops, wor orksh sho op ps but u five f e of the h one-hour n h u ssessions s n can an be be delivered deelivveerred in n a day daayy. y nowpressplay.co.uk p p y
14-18: A New Vision for Secondaryy Education By Kenneth Baker Bloomsbury £14.99
Author Kenneth Baker is a former Secretary of State for Education. In this book, he argues that secondary education has become a five-year programme with a single, narrow aim: to prepare pupils for highstakes GCSE exams at 16. He also argues that the National Curriculum should extend only to the age of 14 and that there should be four distinct pathways from 14-18 to take account of young people’s emerging interests, talents and ambitions: liberal arts, technical, sports and creative arts, and career. All pathways would also provide a broad education.
The Social Neuroscience of Education By Louis Cozolino Norton £27.50
Despite its serioussounding title, this book has the pace and readability of a popular science bestseller. Author Louis Cozolino, a US-based professor of psychology, explores successful classroom teaching from the perspectives of evolution, attachment theory, social and developmental psychology and neuroscience. His core message is that the brain is a social organ, and our ability to learn is dependent on the quality of our relationships with family, peers and teachers.
MARCH/APRIL 2013 ● LEADERSHIP FOCUS
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