Multiple Learning Solutions2012-05-20T20:25:52ZMLSCopyright 2012, MLSSPHPBLOGFor Invisible Children Everywhere
The Invisible Child
I am the invisible child More often than not I am not present
I am the quiet pause in the register between Price and Tate Not ‘she’s ill miss’ or ‘she’s gone to the dentist’, but silent acknowledgement That I won’t arrive, the red circles that mess up the neat black lines
Sometimes, once a term, when there’s forms to fill, they make my mum bring me all the way in She sulks at the cost of the cab and the extra fags we both need for the stress
I keep myself to myself with crafted style, In a space they normally stack with texts. Can you scratch a face in tippex and pretend to write all at once? I’m good at that – and unpicking the stitches on other people’s bags
They sent my report home once In a brown paper envelope marked ‘Private and Confidential’ What’s this? I don’t know? Is it bad? Have a look? What does it all mean?
It means they don’t know who I am
Fiona Ingram ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry120508-1531392012-05-08T00:00:00Z2012-05-08T00:00:00ZMLS Development Day: ‘Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures’ Our focus was to think about the achievement of girls and how leadership can benefit young people and adults alike. Improving the achievement of boys has long been on the list of teacher’s professional development courses – the pacifier for girls being, ‘everything that improves the achievement of boys also improves the achievement of girls’. Well, frankly, this is a bit of a platitude. It is one thing to acknowledge that girls’ GCSE and AS/A level results are better, but what about the big wide world?
‘There continue to be striking gender differences with regard to patterns of subject preference and choice (with implications for post-16 and occupational trajectories). Crucially, the role of educational institutions in perpetuating gender difference is largely ignored.’ (TES April 2010). In other words, girls are still encouraged to take hairdressing and health whilst boys move into wellpaid IT jobs. Numbers of women on boards of top companies are still small, although this is improving since the FTSE top 100 set themselves targets – though even in a more stereotypically female arena, The Arts, the mean average wage for men is £23,492 whilst for women it is £19,334 (The Guardian, 5th March, 2012). The number of women out of work is at its highest since 1988 – and cuts are biting hard on women, especially in the public sector. …and of course Middle class boys outperform working class girls.
A focus on leadership can really help here. At a young age, girls and boys can step up and learn the skills that will enable them to solve problems, find creative solutions, get the best out of others, set themselves up as role models, learn the language of achievement and self confidence. It’s a winner for teachers too – with positive, motivated, well-rounded students who look to gain the most out of every experience. The great work that has been done through P.E leadership programmes and Young Ambassadors should not fall by the wayside after London 2012 but be part of the great legacy that it leaves behind. Our vision is that young people have a real voice in our communities, about the environment, about health, nutrition, politics, relationships and that these things really matter.
So as 16 creative women share their great ideas and work together for a positive future for our young people at MLS, we also celebrate International Women’s Day this week, with their apt slogan ‘Connecting girls, Inspiring Futures’. ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry120313-1428492012-03-13T00:00:00Z2012-03-13T00:00:00ZTell me and I may forget, Show me and I might remember, Involve me and I understand I was pleased then when my daughter's first experience of learning about World War II was a much richer one. For years and years, teachers have been striving to harness kinaesthetic, visual and auditory learning styles - but still too often it's chalk and talk. So for the rest of this blog over to my 9 year old who has words to say about her first (very interactive) experience of learning about WW2.
When you were evacuated and you had to go off, they chose the ones they thought would be useful. Can you imagine! It was really interesting wearing the clothes from the 1940s and realising that the children had to have their gas mask and box with them at all times. Dressing up helped us in literacy too, we had to write a first person account actually thinking like you were a person in WW2.
We did lots of making too, in DT we had to make an Anderson shelter – I had pieces of wood and sawed them into the right measurements, 14cm etc, and gluing with PVA. We put goggles on because of the sawdust. I made some bunk beds to go in my Anderson shelter with a bit of woodwork help from my dad. We also made rag rugs because they had to use old scraps of material for everything.
All the parents came in and we sang them Songs, WW2 songs, Run Rabbit Run and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B, I saw some film of the Andrews sisters too. The parents could ask us questions about what we had learnt and we showed them our rag rugs and things we had made.
It was fun trying out being an evacuee, experiencing it yourself makes you think ‘ hang on a minute’, it’s not quite as simple as you thought, you get a bit more information, you get the feelings – when you read about it it’s not enough, when you experience it it gets you thinking a bit more. When we were doing a dance based on listening to the air raid sirens, it made me realise that it was a horrible experience for people at the time, like a howling wail.... it was real, it's real fear, not just pretend.
Mr Gove, please take note. ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry120125-0940272012-01-25T00:00:00Z2012-01-25T00:00:00ZCherry picking is OK as long as the conditions are fair With cherry picking from the world’s ‘best’ education systems being part of the current curriculum review – are we really looking at Finland’s success through a smudgy lens?
Let’s look at a few of the reasons Finland does so well educationally. For starters, full time education doesn’t start until a child is seven years old, with free childcare available for all who need it. Stop and think about that for a moment… it’s a colossal difference to the way our society, schools and families are set up.
In Finland, all full time students get a free school lunch that provides 1/3rd of a child’s daily nutritional value. Jamie – imagine how chuffed you’d be if we could say the same about our school lunches? Schools in Finland are comprehensive, free, local and class sizes rarely rise above 20.
At the chalk face, Finland enjoys a very small national curriculum and teachers are trained in school by specially skilled professionals, nicely linking theory and practice on the job.
The Finnish national curriculum is not small because of some desire to remove state intervention but because teachers are trusted and respected to do their own thing where appropriate. Alas, this level of autonomy is not afforded to our teachers, either in terms of financial reward or freedom to teach what it is that works best. Why? Because education provision became the political tool of choice several decades ago and we let it happen. Result? It’s too dangerous to trust teachers to do their jobs.
Until we begin to raise the level of respect we have for our teachers - which requires the recruitment of excellent candidates who can look forward to a high salary and good working conditions - tinkering at the level of national curriculum minutiae will not change a thing – except make teachers feel even more sharply the increasing burden of change. It certainly won’t transform us into Finland. ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111231-0938552011-12-31T00:00:00Z2011-12-31T00:00:00ZMLS advert for new writersh.mason@multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk
]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111214-1012082011-12-14T00:00:00Z2011-12-14T00:00:00ZFair Shares … the ethical investment challenge is launched! We were keen to produce a dynamic, interactive resource about how to invest money ethically –and indeed to explore with teenagers if such a thing was possible. Approaching the Co-operative bank to work with us on this seemed the obvious first choice. We were delighted when they said yes.
Fair Shares is a fast-paced, competitive team game based on the concept of responsible or values-based investing. Students aged 14–16 work in small teams and take on the role of investment managers with a brief to buy shares in ethical companies which they believe will also make a profit. They begin by learning what is meant by ‘ethical investment’ before selecting three fictitious but realistic companies in which to invest. ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111202-1056572011-12-02T00:00:00Z2011-12-02T00:00:00ZMLS resources on show at the UN Assembly in New York! As part of our work for London 2012, MLS worked with the film production company on the film script, designed and delivered a series of workshops for students about how the ideals of the Olympic Truce can apply to their own lives and communities and wrote a suite of teaching and learning resources to support practical, student-led activities http://getset.london2012.com/en/get-set ... mpic-truce
For the first time in Olympic history, all 193 member states have signed the Truce Resolution which aims to use the power and inspiration of sport and the Olympic Games to help build a better, more peaceful world. We’re proud to have played the tiniest part in that. ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111201-1154362011-12-01T00:00:00Z2011-12-01T00:00:00ZGruffalo Crumble Setting out her stall as children’s laureate, Julia Donaldson says that to make the role her own, she will be championing libraries (and campaigning against their closure) as well as celebrating children’s literature through music and drama.
In timely fashion, the National Literacy Trust has published some important research into the relationship between home life and literacy, especially the number of books at home in relation to aspiration, choice and literacy skills. It reiterates the fact (that we all instinctively know) that children with no books at home are much less likely to succeed in our education system. The NLT are champions at getting children, right from birth, interested in reading and picture books and our family will never forget the treasure chest we were given through pre-school, containing carefully selected picture books ‘You Choose’ and ‘I’m So Cute’, book plates and posters to inspire too.
Performance and exploring the oral tradition are great ways to get children involved in the magic of storytelling, the Gruffalo itself is based on a Chinese folk tale - and of course libraries are a key resource for those with fewer books at home – so well done Julia – we think you’ve got your priorities just right and we look forward to your laureateship almost as much as the children who will benefit. ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry110624-1336032011-06-24T00:00:00Z2011-06-24T00:00:00ZQuondam returns with too many cooks… One day, an advisor came to him and said that the army had tried their hardest, but that they were unable to cope with teaching the children. They simply didn’t know anything about the curriculum and anyway, they were needed abroad.
‘My Lord, whispered the advisor timidly, have you watched ‘Jamie’s Dream School?’
Quondam watched. All at once, his heart did a little somersault (for he only had a little heart). He stared at his chicken liver pate. If Chefs can make good teachers, why not let them run our schools! Even by his own standards, this was genius. The children would eat well too, and if the teachers could cook he would slash the dinner ladies’ budget at a stroke!
‘Get me Jamie of Essex, Sir Oliver…on the double. I need him to lead my brand new scheme, ‘A Recipe for Success!’
As he fleshed out his new proposal, Quondam skipped excitedly up and down the castle halls. Cooks would compete with their greatest recipes against the teachers and on the merits of these, they would takeover control of the classrooms – their food would encompass the whole curriculum: creativity (English), knowledge of the great wine vintages (History), shopping (Maths), what happens when you heat things up? (Science)…he almost exploded with excitement.
The chefs of the land and a selection of tired looking teachers were ordered to come before a panel of judges to present their finest dishes. On the insistence of Jamie of Essex and much to Quondam’s dismay, the children would have a hand in judging the food too.
The dishes were all laid out in large silver platters with domed lids that sparkled in the sunshine. The judging panel sat together, Jamie of Essex and a number of eager faced children held their breath. The tastings began. Dishes were transported too and fro and the judges scribbled furiously. After several hours and to fit in with the television companies, it was time to announce the winning dish – and the winning chef.
A great fanfare played herald to the chef with the winning dish. Quondam thought about veloutes and exquisite parfaits, roasted goose and chestnut puree and how civilized all this great fare would make the children. They will be so full up, they will have to behave, he thought fiendishly.
And behold the winning dish…..a small, wise looking woman stepped forward in front of the panel and the television cameras.
On the drum roll, she would have to lift the lid on her culinary masterpiece….
‘…and the winning dish is…..marmite on toast!’
The woman stared at the cameras – ‘Do you know why I have won,’ she said, ‘because I have been a teacher for twenty five years – and I know what children like to eat…’
Quondam’s face contorted into an enormous pouty sulk. Foiled again by those insolent children and know it all teachers!
Perhaps teaching wasn’t quite so easy after all – and perhaps the people who worked in schools really did know what they were doing? ‘No,’ he muttered under his breath, ‘Impossible’. ]]>http://www.multiplelearningsolutions.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry110509-0956122011-05-09T00:00:00Z2011-05-09T00:00:00ZStarting the ball rolling…… So how has this initiative and the resource in particular been received by a country whose education is rooted in academic learning and study? Come with me to a classroom in a school in New Delhi. As you enter you will soon be drawn in by the frenetic activity and excitement of the participants in the games and activities. Rolled up pieces of newspaper provide ‘cues’ for the competition, ‘how many balls can you pot’. A pile of stones in the centre of the floor make a target for the game ‘Seven Stones’ and small pebbles have been collected from the flower beds and are now being counted busily as the improvised game of ‘jacks’ is played with skill and excited involvement. Screams, shouts and squeals are almost contagious as players go head to head with each other to win the games and score the points.
Primary PE has taken hold in India, the ball has begun to roll and the momentum is gathering. Its curriculum body has learned from other countries, like our own, that there are positive health and well being benefits to be had from engagement in enjoyable, regular physical activity. A ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’ is as true today as it has always been and it is great to see schools in India using the PEC resource to encourage their young children to develop a lifelong enjoyment and interest in activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.