Children in playground
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5 Active Learning Ideas

Active learning is about far more than just getting pupils to be physically active in the classroom. Lots of research suggests that regular active learning activities can have huge benefits to the effectiveness of student’s learning but the strategy only has a significant impact if the learners are given the opportunity to actively engage with material so that they retain the learning.

Three primary schools that took part in the annual National School Sport Week run by the Youth Sport Trust found that using active learning helped students to develop specific skills and explore concepts in a different way.

Here are 5 ideas for introducing active learning:

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What Is CENTURY?
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The Number One Platform You Should Be Using

With each passing year and greater breakthroughs in technology, schools and colleges explore different ways to make life easier for teachers and students. While some educators have already moved on to using artificial intelligence, not all are up for it. Of the several reasons, two stand out as most common—shortage of technical infrastructure and lack of proper understanding.

In this article, we will discuss how technology can better the lives of teachers and students.

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Extending School Day
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Extending School Day From 8 AM to 6 PM

It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and in that time, children have barely set foot in school. Concerns over time away from school, academics, and activities are high, and many debates over the undesirable effect on children and their future. While theories are being tossed around and solutions are being sought, the UK Government has a proposal—to increase school timings from 8 AM-6 PM.

But the question is, is it worth it?

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Support Children's Mental Health
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How Can Schools Provide Physical Learning to Support Children’s Mental Health?

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, all of us have been forced to somehow juggle work and life in lockdown alongside our mental and physical health. But one thing’s for certain; regular exercise is of the utmost importance, especially for young people.

The research supports this. Schools that enable children to participate in physical activity have a track record of providing opportunities for students to find their niche and develop skills beyond the classroom.

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Exams Increase Anxiety and Affect Performance
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Do Exams Increase Anxiety and Affect Student Performance?

A recent study by Silah et al from the University of California has looked into the relationship between test anxiety and metacognition. The researchers’ main aim was to assess “how the quantity and relative weight of assessments contribute to the effects of test anxiety on performance and metacognitive accuracy.”

In other words, do tests with high and low stakes affect student performance when it comes to increasing or reducing anxiety and the ability to recall information?

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Balance Between Curriculum and Assessment
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Striking the Right Balance Between Curriculum and Assessment

The changes and uncertainty of the past 12 months have put an incredible strain on everyone, not least teachers. From delivering lessons remotely to supporting pupils with both their studies and their mental health, it’s been an enduring challenge that continues to this day.

In order to help teachers cope with constantly moving goalposts alongside their usual workload, a number of solutions have been designed and implemented with varying degrees of effectiveness.

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Cognitive Load Theory
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What You Need to Know About Cognitive Load Theory

In 1988, Australian educational psychologist and academic John Sweller, published the piece Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning. Thirty years later and it’s the go-to resource for teachers wanting to know more about retrieval practice, how memory is shaped and of course, cognitive load theory.

In the opening page of his paper, Sweller writes, “that contrary to current practice and many cognitive theories, some forms of problem-solving interfere with learning.”

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Should school start later?
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Should school start later to benefit students?

The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the way we live, work, socialise and learn. Even though it’s been a challenge for many people, others have welcomed the flexibility and freedom that comes with ‘remote life’.

But what about the world of education? It goes without saying that teachers, parents and students have struggled more than most during lockdown. So how can we learn from what they’ve gone through and make their lives better moving forward?

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Recovering from the pandemic
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Let’s put the curriculum centre stage post-pandemic

Ask any teacher what the foundation of schooling is and chances are they’ll say the curriculum. It underpins nearly everything a teacher does – structuring lessons, delivering content and assessing how well students are performing.

So when schools and the wider education world emerges from the pandemic, will the curriculum save the day in terms of the attainment gap and accountability?

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pupil outcomes and reduce their workload
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Can teachers raise pupil outcomes and reduce their workload at the same time?

Ask any teacher whether it is possible to raise pupil outcomes while reducing their workload and most will probably answer the same – no.

However, a new book by Robert Powell called Live Feedback explores strategies that promise to engage learners, raise attainment, and reduce the time spent on detailed marking of students’ work.

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