I learn a lot from my colleagues and I’m sharing that here on Substack through my newsletter, How to be a Teacher.
But Substack - wonderful place that it is - is also something my practice takes inspiration from.
Therefore, I’d like to share what I’ve been reading because there’s a lot more for you to gain from it too.
📖Here are my favourite reads this week.
Five Ways Google Forms Help Teach Writing (+Template) by
() - Don’t be alarmed, we are reliably informed on his page that Adam doesn’t eat paste. What he does do, though, is share research and practical ideas that you can use in the classroom right away. I love this idea of using Google forms to encourage collaboration and tech use and have set myself up a few lessons to use it after the half term. I’ll be able to report back later on how it went but I love the idea anyway and think you should all know about it so here it is.Teacher Frustration with Classroom AI Escalates by
( ) - I’m so with Nick on this: teachers would rather forget something new and scary even exists than begin to try and learn and implement it. It frustrates me to see it happen when, in the case of AI, it’s something that we could use to enrich our students’ education and give them tools to excel in the modern world, particularly those who find academia a struggle. This post delves into the problem and describes how Nick has applied it himself. () - I absolutely loved this piece by Dr Naomi, a love letter to libraries and a general plea for more choice and freedom in schools. I like to use the occasional opportunity for my children to make choices on the school day but there’s no hiding the fact that, in Dr Naomi’s words, ‘school insists’ while libraries and other learning spaces ‘offer’. This has made me literally Think Again about what I can do to give my students more choice and power and it should do the same for you too. Please read this.🕰️ Retro-shoutout
In my most recent BABTWS post (which you can find here), I highlighted Laura Spargo’s carousel lessons as a fun way to deliver learning. I applied it this week in maths and I’m not exaggerating when I say it transformed the energy of the lesson from what I’m used to. I typically feel very confident with maths but it was such a joy to have a new idea and one that built a remarkable buzz.
It also helped all my students learn concepts relating to fractions.
Thank you
.Know anyone else who might benefit from these talented writers? Click share below.
🤓 I love reading widely and learning more so don’t be afraid to make recommendations in the comments below on what I should take a look at too!
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Thanks, Jack!!! I really appreciate the feature.
I am so pleased to hear this Jack :) An energy-shifter is always welcome in a busy classroom - especially so close to the half term break!