UNLEASH

ED

Tag: focus

  • Happy New Year: 2020 Vision

    At the end of last year (2019), the most searched term that lead to this website was ‘teaching portfolios” followed by “examples of teaching portfolios”. It prompted me to think about and reflect on how this website is being used, and the direction it could (or should) take.

    Don’t worry, it will continue to raise issues with current practise, policy, and politics, just as it did in the past, but I also want it to be a source of information, help, tips, tricks, and experience sharing with the people that use it – those being predominantly teachers.

    I have now been teaching for ten years, and I’m beginning to realise that not only do I have a lot of skills (especially in technology) that could be shared with other teachers to make their lives easier, but I also have a lot of experience that might also be useful for others to hear from.

    To that end, I want to begin providing not just my opinion on certain topics, but also some more “How-to” based articles along with tutorials and “Here’s what I do” posts.

    If there are any other topics you’d like to be covered more on this site, please leave a comment and I’ll consider it.

    Here’s hoping 2020 is a great year for you, whatever it might hold for you!

  • A New Direction

    Hi All,

    After several personal attacks, I’ve come to realise two things:

    1. People are happy to dish things out but can’t take it (myself included)
    2. I’ve become far to critical, cynical, and political in my posts.

    Because of this I’m re-focussing my efforts as to what Unleash Education is about.

    I realise that there are a number of people who agree with my posts and political views, and with that, there are probably a few who disagree as well. In addition to that, I have been encouraged in the past to keep going, because those that follow my posts generally support the posts and are following for that reason.

    However, the reason behind setting up Unleash Education was for a completely different reason than for what it has become.

    Ultimately, it was to engage and encourage people in becoming better teachers through providing thoughts, ideas, pedagogy and resources. This also included being a part of the Twitter PLN that I’ve come to know and love and receive ongoing support and encourage from myself.

    Lately I have been posting solely on the political landscape that Education in this country has become, and the negativity that can happen when you begin to complain about all the things that don’t go your way.

    Instead, what I’ve come to realise is that what I should be doing instead is changing it from within; showing the positivity that can be a career in teaching, helpful pointers and suggestions from my own classroom experience, and encouragement to all teachers to be the best. I should be sharing the things that have worked for me, the resources I’ve made to engage and inspire students, and begin to be something to strive for, rather than as a vehicle for slander and criticism.

    To those I’ve offended, I apologise.

    To those that have found my political views great and have followed me because of it, I hope that you’ll continue to follow and support me as I shift the direction of it all.

  • Mini Lessons – Keep them Small

    There has been an increased awareness of the ‘Mini-Lesson’. We’re using them in Maths – otherwise known as ‘hotspots’; we’re using them in reading, and more commonly in writing. They are great ways of quickly conveying information, getting student buy in, addressing noticeable gaps in knowledge, and moving on.

    What Are Mini Lessons?

    A while back I noticed that students had an issue in writing where their sentences went on and on and on without a full stop or a comma and often including more than one idea and the never ending storytelling that never allowed me to breathe while reading it. Much like that.

    So I addressed it. We discussed sentences over the course of a week, spending 10 minutes at the start of the lesson each day discussing ideas, and including one idea at a time. Students helped me edit examples and decide where full stops should go. We even got into how to combine two ideas together. Student buy-in was high, and there was a noticeable improvement almost immediately.

    An example of what to cover in a mini-lesson
    An example of what to cover in a mini-lesson

    The problem

    The common issue with the Mini Lesson lies in the teacher. As a method, they are great, because student attention isn’t overworked, and they focus on one point.

    However, being the great orators many of us are, and our passion for the act of ‘teaching’, Teachers often make the mini lesson less mini, and more lecture. Student interest wains, and their attention wanders elsewhere. It can go from a snappy, quick, and invigorating lesson, to a morbid affair with boredom, purely because of the length of time focussed on one thing.

    The reality is, a good Mini lesson should have one key point that is the focus, and should be limited to 10 minutes. 15 at a push. But certainly no longer.

    The solution

    There are a number of things that you can do to avoid going overtime.

    1. Make sure you only have one focus for the lesson. Additional points, or sidetracks will only add to the length of time, and can potentially confuse the point of the Mini lesson for the students. If other issues come up that don’t fit into your key focus, but need to be a focus in the future, then put it in the plan for tomorrow. There is always another day.
    2. Set a timer. Let the student’s know what it’s for and they’ll keep you accountable to it. Believe me. As soon as the buzzer sounds, then that’s time up. Eventually however, this can become tedious, and may become a distraction for students. But it’s a viable solution if you’re learning how long you have in 10 minutes, and how much you can cover in the allotted time for the Mini lesson.
    3. Watch other teachers perform mini lessons can not only give you inspiration, but can also allow you to see for yourself how much they get through, and what time they allow for it. You can monitor the clock and see when ten minutes is up.