Presentation to Parents Jane Williams BA Hons PGCE LPSH

British Education What determines a British Education? Pedagogy, the language of delivery and the curriculum content. the steps we take to educate children the way we teach and learn

Blooms Taxonomy

Blooms Taxonomy was originally created Benjamin Bloom for categorizing and classifying the levels of intellectual learning that commonly occur in the classroom setting. It is important that teachers do not just teach lower order thinking skills at the bottom of B looms Taxonomy such as knowledge and comprehension, but also teach higher order thinking skills at the top of Blooms taxonomy such as evaluating and evaluation. When students are using the higher order thinking skills they are more likely to retain information, perform better on standardized tests, and most importantly, achieve the ultimate goal of becoming lifelong learners.

Handout sheets

What does this mean? This shows the process through which learning takes place. British Schools pedagogy reflect this taxonomy and so too the British Examinations such as GCSE or IGCSE and other benchmark assessments through the Schooling process such as Year 6 Standard assessment tests or the Cambridge Progression tests.

The curriculum has built in balance between knowledge and application of skills which allows the pedagogy of a school to enable thinking skills, practical skills and knowledge acquisition to characterize the school approach. What does this look like as students?

Mathematics We learn to make graphs. We learn to make various types of graphs We use graphs to record data. We make data for use with graphs. We analyse data from graphs to form outcomes.

Using and applying knowledge in maths at year 8-11 Pie graphs In an examination questions…. Use the data and decide which graph is best suited to show the data graphically, explain why you used this graph.

Reading In reading, students are asked not just to answer the literal but to analyse and form opinions about the text and the authors intention For example: When using a story that we all know, the children are not just asked simple questions they are asked a series of challenging questions and as you can see they come from the Taxonomy skills set./thinking process. How are they able to answer and think like this? By using a story to do drama, make puppets,draw pictures,work on new endings to a story,identify characters and role play. Therefore in a classroom within the FOUNDATION STAGE AND Year 1-6 SUCH ACTIVITIES ARE IMPORTANT AND VERY MUCH PART OF LEARNING ….

Knowledge: 1.What are some of the things that Goldilocks did in the bear's house?. Comprehension: 1.Why did Goldilocks like the little bear's chair best?. Application: 1.If Goldilocks had come into your house, what are some of the things she might have used?. Analysis:1.What parts of the story could not have actually happened? Synthesis: 1.How might the story have been different if Goldilocks had visited the three fish? Evaluation1.Do you think Goldilocks was good or bad? Why do you think so?

Science In many education systems there is an emphasis on learning knowledge, completing an exam and then possibly forgetting this information but this is not how examinations work within the British system. The British Curriculum requires students to undertake continuous assessment so that they and parents and teachers know how to improve. We call this assessment formative and end of Key stage exams are summative when the result is the most important aspect.

Why Things change!!!!! I had to learn a rhyme to remember the planets Now how long will it take you to go online and find the names. So science requires thinking skills and application of knowledge to enable students to predict, research and hypothesise. We dont need to remember so much now because of technology…. Gravity ………apply particle theory knowledge and answer the question Why is there less gravity on the moon?

My Role As the consultant for O Castro school and in all the schools I work with it is not just ensuring that paperwork is in place and classrooms are well equipped. I look for the methodology of British style teaching and ensure that the schools aims reflect this. A Teaching and Learning Policy is the main document that defines the school approach. When inspecting schools for accreditation this is the most important document and schools are required to develop their work and monitor their work in order to achieve high expectations for the students through approach determined within the teaching and learning policy. I also work with schools to develop a coherent and systematic approach to school development using a strategic approach and completing a school development document. Finally schools must self reflect, know their own strengths and weaknesses and have regular self evaluations that feed into the SDP Governors are part of this process and should understand and have knowledge of the main school policies and documents.

Children have one chance at education and we as adults must work together to ensure that it is the best chance……