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The Diabetic Teacher

3/19/2018

It's the end of Week 1 back after a half term, I am chronically knackered. This is compounded by having had a Student Teacher for 6 weeks before half term. This, teaching all the lessons thing, is hard work!

Cake and biscuits are the fuel of my staff room and as I am not known for being especially Pie Shy, I'm not backwards in coming forward for the biscuits at break. However, I am a Type 1 diabetic and have been now for almost 20 years. (So, I really should be more careful and self controlled, shouldn't I?)

This post was inspired when I realised I couldn't focus on my laptop, nor could I get my thoughts in a straight line. The Blood Glucose test told me 1.9mmol, normal is 4-7mmol, but I usually control at 6-9. In theory, with levels that low I should be unconscious and therefore is the reason I have just chugged quite a bit of Lucozade and am eating Haribo Minions.

It is something that as a Teacher I have to be acutely aware of at all times. My man-bag contains a few emergency supplies, there's Lucozade and sweet things in my cupboard and I need to be very careful to make sure that lunch times are sacred.

Over the course of the years, I haven't had many genuine issues, a few wobbles that haven't caused an issue. (There was that one time I collapsed while teaching a class and had to have an ambulance called as a precaution, but that's another story!)

I usually make sure that my class know about it. More often than not many of them have experience of the condition usually through Grandparents, but I figure if the people I spend the most time with know what to spot, then that can't be a bad thing - can it?

I haven't told this class. I have mentioned it in passing but never extended the discussion. I wonder if perhaps I should.
So, what's the point?

If you have read this far, you are probably wondering.

Diabetes is classified in the Disability Discrimination Act as a Hidden Disability, it is a life long condition which can have an impact on my ability to do everyday things (it can, I am not saying that it always does). It has a knock on effect on general well being. The issues that can occur when Blood Glucose levels drop below normal are obvious, the issues when they are too high less obvious. Feeling sluggish, irritable and needing to nip off to the loo far more than normal can be difficult if there is no other adult around.
When I am feeling tired and run down, this is one of the times that I find my levels can fluctuate. There's nothing like a high pressure, high stakes, long hour working job leave you tired and run down!

Pass the Minions...

ORIGINAL POST: June 2016

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Using iPads in the Outdoors

3/10/2018

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I confess that I'm not the most tech-experienced, but I'm getting more opportunities to up-skill myself. I'm going to share some apps that I've used when working with children outside.

The main premise of working with children outside is to reconnect them with nature and limit the screen-time they get, but it's impossible to get away from the great apps/features of an iPad that lend themselves to when you step outside the classroom.

iMovie (Free with eligible hardware)
Lots of application for recording/editing videos taken during outdoor explorations. Perhaps most powerful when back in the classroom. Musical trailer to represent a PE Lesson or developing a full scale 30-60 second evaluation of the school's environmental practices.

Pic Collage (FREE)
Other apps are available, like Moldiv, but I think PicCollage gives simple templates to collect and share photos from the children's adventures in turning over stones/logs and sharing the images taken during the woodland walk or school visit.

Flipagram (FREE)
Use this to create short picture montages after performances and educational visits. Children can quickly create videos for sharing on social media or the school website.

PhotoBooth (Built In)
I'm a fan of all the image distortions on this app. I've let the children in EYS/KS1 go on a walk watching through the 'Thermal' view. "It's really like another world!" John (5)
Taking photographs through the filter, can then lead to some wonderful Warhol-esque artwork.

http://thinkshareteach.blogspot.co.uk/2012_01_01_archive.html

TapMedia Voice Recorder (FREE) & Notes (Built In)
Record thoughts, observations, vocabulary, actions for use in writing later. Record shapes in the environment, using text or sound for younger or SEND children.

I-Beam Mag. Glass (FREE)
Great free app with infinite zoom. Fantastic for up-close photographs of leaves, bark, soil samples and mini-beasts.

Tim O's Compass (FREE)
Send the children on a treasure hunt like real pirates following the map. Develop awareness of direction.

Clock (Built In)
Use the clock, stopwatch or timer. I set it running as the children go out and then they know precisely when they should be back!

Calculator (Built In)
Work out maths problems while out and about!

EcoExplorer (FREE)
Designed by a Science Leader Steven Lewis-Neill, the app has 100s of web based activities and tasks for KS1/2 Sc2 Topics - easy login for children and will track their progress (Needs a subscription).

Warblr (iPhone app) £3.99
Great app at a reasonable price - the microphone identifies bird songs and brings up a fact-file on the bird it picks up. Makes for a great survey of wildlife, outside of insects/bugs!

Birds of Britain Pro (Lite Version FREE / Pro Version £2.29)
Similar to Warblr, but fact-files on birds and sound files of songs. Free version has 30 birds, Pro version has 199 birds. I like the quality of the information texts on the go.

BBC Weather (FREE)
Using the app to develop the children's awareness of symbols and make predictions of the weather over time, can be used in conjunction with cloud identification apps (Cloud Types £0.79 or Coton £1.49).

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Take a running jump...

3/10/2018

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I have left myself under an hour to write this and get it out...

I started this post about a week ago and then left it to brew... I hope it hasn't stewed.

I was talking to a colleague of mine a short while ago and we were talking about things that schools had banned, because they 'weren't safe'... Good grief!

I won't list all them, but here's a list I can remember:

Triangular Flapjacks - because children had a fight. Square ones are still allowed, despite having more corners!

Swimming Goggles - Many UK authorities, have banned children from wearing goggles when in swimming lessons because they could be “snapped and pulled against a child’s face” and cause them to “bump into each other”.

Running in the Playground - Yes, you heard me right. A school banned it as dangerous. Seriously. I am writing blogs about getting children to climb up piles of pallets and tyres and schools are banning running!

Loom Bands - Apparently, one school decided that loom bands were a tripping hazard. What precisely is the sense here? Unless of course they were creating some sort of escape rope. Perhaps this ingenuity should be commended!

Conkers - 1/6 schools have banned conkers, although it may not through fear of injury, but through fear of allergies. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents claim that increasing numbers of children are allergic to conkers because less children are playing outdoors, doing stuff like, well, playing conkers.

And this (tenuously) is where I get to the point...

OK, so I like the outdoor learning thing, but unless we let children take risks, how will they learn what is and isn't safe. As teachers we can monitor risk, but I honestly think that we should not be responsible for removing it from children's lives. (There are enough overprotective parents doing that already and despite these words, I fear that sometimes I might be one of them!)

I won't go down the "when we were children we..." line because that path is well trodden. Children do need to know that nettles sting but not forever, that a grazed knee or elbow gets sore but is OK and that getting a splinter, while quite unpleasant, is not the End of Days!

We care for our children and for the children in our care, but do we overprotect them?

In my school, the school council are very active in terms of promoting pupil safety, but I haven't yet heard them request a ban, just that people be considerate, respectful and careful towards each other.

Children are children and they need to get a bit dirty and jump off high things... we want children to be risk takers, mover and shakers as adults, but we want them to sit quietly and be careful as youngsters. I am not promoting dangerous activity, but children need to learn to be safe, by occasionally not being!

How about this?

In New Zealand, "The School With No Rules..."

(Oh, and his shoes are very risky!)

ORIGINALLY POSTED: 2015

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The A - Z of Learning Outside

3/8/2018

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Today's post is brought to you by Me and Poppy (5), thought I'd get a play expert on the case today!

Today's post is an A-Z of Learning Outside, just, well, because. Sometime alliteration will happen, sometimes it won't, but either way perhaps there's an idea in here somewhere, if not, then just a nice list!

The A - Z Of Learning Outside

A - Any Art at all!

B - Bug Hunting

C - Climbing

D - Digging Holes

E - Exploring Everywhere

F - Flower Pressing

G - Greenhouses and Growing Things

H - Hedgerow Ferreting

I - Independence

J - Jumping in Puddles

K - King (or Queen) of the Castle!

L - Leaf Rubbing

M - Marbles

N - Number Work

O - Observational Drawing

P - Photography

Q - Quietly Listening

R - Running! (See previous #29daysofwriting Blog)

S - Secret Messages and Trails

T - Tracking Animals: Real or Imagined.

U - Upside Down: Change the viewpoint.

V - Vision: Use binoculars, telescopes, mirrors and magnifiers.

W - Water Fights: Summer Fun! You know it makes sense!

X - eXperience the weather: Wind, Rain, Fog, Sleet, Snow and Sunshine

Y - YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU COULD'VE DONE INSIDE!!

Z - Zoology! (Z is hard)

So there you go.
An A-Z List

What do you think? There were lots of options for some letters, Orienteering, Bark Rubbing, Birdwatching, Data Handling...

Feel free to add any more of your own activities...

(Originally posted in 2016)

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The Crazy Professor Reading Game

3/6/2018

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I leave this here for you to look at and consider.
I wonder what you think…

A while ago, I was in a Twitter chat that was discussing ways to teach/encourage reading.

Several ideas came up:

Extreme Reading,
Read Around the World,
Reading Races and so on.

It reminded me of this:

I first came across the Crazy Professor Reading Game (Chris Biffle), when trying out some Power Teaching ideas in 2007.

If you haven’t come across Power Teaching it is a Elementary School teaching style from America relies heavily on Learning Styles.
(Please don’t hit me! **Ducking for cover** I was younger and impressionable at the time!)
Look up Chris Biffle & Chris Rekstad.

I tried it out a few times and did have some success with it. Children certainly enjoyed it and they did want to play.
I have tried it a few times since, and it does, genuinely engage children in the reading activity.
I am not sure I would use the format used by Rekstad in the video, but I would go along with the core principles.

THE 4 STAGES OF THE CRAZY PROFESSOR GAME:

STAGE 1:   Read your text using as much expression as possible

STAGE 2:   Read again using lots of expression and physical gesture

STAGE 3:   Teach Your Neighbour – Summarise your reading to your partner, show you understand what you have read.

STAGE 4:   Crazy Professor vs Eager Student:
The ‘professor’ gives an excitable summary, being expressive and asking the ‘student’ questions. Meanwhile, the ‘student’ listens attentively, answers the questions and encourages the ‘professor’ to give more and more feedback.

PROS AND CONS OF THE CRAZY PROFESSOR GAME.
PROS:

I can see how this might aid children’s comprehension skills.
I can see how the use of expression and gesture might encourage enjoyment.
I can see how the paired feedback and questioning would support mutual understanding of the text.
I can see how this might be one way of teaching a whole class reading lesson. (Not THE way.)
It allows for differentiation of a text to higher and lower levels.
It would allow the teacher to join in and work with whichever group of children were the focus for that session.
It would quickly show those children who might need help, or are being 'passive'. (Not my favourite word).
Could be great for reading comics, including speech, then lead to drama and performance.

CONS:

How sustainable would playing the game be?
Could it lead to genuine and significant progress in children’s reading?
Would this just lead to children shouting out stories?
Would it be a technique leading to measurable progress?
Could it 'put off' those children who are less 'boisterous'?
If it was that awesome wouldn’t we all be doing it?

I really would like to know your thoughts.
I am not selling the idea, but I have tried it on and off over a few years and while not in any way sold on it, I remain curious.

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Beachball Baffler - A Learning Review Game

3/6/2018

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All you need to play BeachBall Baffler (adapted from another Power Teaching idea) is a balloon or beachball.

This is a really simple game I have used, that my classes have loved.
I use it as a reward for good work or behaviour, or during a wet playtime to keep spirits up!
Handy for Multiplication Tables, Mental Maths, Lesson Reviews, On the Spot Quizzes... whatever you like.

Here’s how to play:
1. Throw the ball toward the class. One (or more people) bounce it into the air.
2. While the ball is in the air, ask a short question, “What is 4 times 4?”, or “What is the capital of Brazil?” … any question you wish.
(It can be helpful to have a list in front of you so you don’t have to think them up)
3. The class must answer the question in chorus before the ball comes down.
4. Then the ball is batted into the air again by the next person … you ask another question … and so forth.
The goal is to see how many times the ball can be batted into the air before either the ball hits the ground or a fair number of the class aren’t answering or are giving a wrong answer.

To increase the tension:
- The class only gets three tries (their goal is to break their previous best class record)
- Increase the difficulty and interest in the game by posing harder questions
- Wait until the ball is drifting down before posing a question (and thus your students have a shorter time to answer)
- Have half the class volley the ball to the other half of the class, etc.
- Introduce the idea of levels and keep making the game harder and harder.
Beach Ball Baffler could last for months!

One final note:
If anyone complains about anything, your score keeping, a classmate’s failure to hit the ball, anything (and we know someone always does!) … it automatically reduces the number of hits earned.
So, for example, the class kept the ball in the air for 10 hits … but Rick complained about Carl’s miss-hit, Glen said that Maggie never answers a question and Carole complained that the ref, you, wasn’t throwing the 'ball' properly… those three complaints reduce the score to 7 …”
This one can be a lot of fun!
It can be used effectively in nearly any subject area, with any age group and can be a great way to reinforce learning, vocabulary or key points of a lesson.
For additional change ups you might substitute a large balloon if you are in a smaller or younger classroom
Make sure you have spares for either a balloon or a beach ball! (Lose 50 points if you pop it!)
It is so easy that children could run it themselves, or even as a small group task with a balloon.

So, there you are ‘Beachball Baffler’.
Have fun!

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Memory Football - Another Review Game

3/6/2018

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Purpose:
Memory Football is played between two teams.
Goals are scored by quickly answering questions posed by the referee.

Rules:
There is only one rule in Memory Football. Keep The Referee Happy. You’re the Referee!

Equipment:
An IWB/WipeBoard, a marker and quick review questions. Arrange questions in groups from easiest to hardest.

Set Up:
Draw a line and mark off the line in 11 vertical marks. The line is the pitch; each end is the goal; the vertical marks divide the pitch.
Place a marker under the centre. (Easy to create in SMART.)

How To Play:
Divide the class into two teams. Each team chooses the other’s captain.
Captains stand face to face at the front. You pose a questions and like “Family Fortunes”, the captains slap hands down on a desk as quickly as possible if they know the answer.
Quickest captain gets to answer.

If right, they get the ball. Otherwise, the opposition do.

Picking one player at a time, ask questions.
If correct, that's a “strong kick.” Advance the ball, almost a full mark toward the goal.
If correct but too slow, that's is a “weak kick.” Advance the ball a short distance toward the goal.
If wrong, “Possession Lost!” and the other team gets a chance.

Tackle!
Whenever you want to reverse the direction, “Tackle!” The other team has suddenly got control. Shout “Tackle!” whenever you want, like when one team is close to the goal.

Foul!
Whenever one team misbehaves, complains about the ref’s call, anything, shout “Foul!” You have three choices. Award control of the ball; move the ball up or down the field or you can declare a Penalty.

Penalty Kick!
Move the ball to the first mark. Attackers chooses a kicker/Defenders a keeper, usually the team captains. Keeper and kicker face off, like the initial kickoff. Ask a question; the player who slaps a hand down first gets first try at the question. If the Keeper is first and correct, the penalty is saved. If the Keeper is wrong, the penalty scores. If the captain is first and correct, the penalty scores. If the captain is first and wrong, the penalty is blocked.

If a goal is scored, the team shouts “Gooooooaaaaalll!!!” like Andres Cantor, the famous announcer.

Free Kick!
When you shout “Free Kick!”, anyone can answer.
Fire questions; when one side gets several questions in a row correct say, “You won the Free Kick and possession!"

Your strategy:
You will need LOTS of questions. Have a list so you can keep the game moving.
You can use any question, addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, national capitals, key concepts from science, names of characters in stories, anything.
Never let one team get more than one goal ahead of the other.
If you use it infrequently and briefly, it can be a great motivator.

Your class is working hard to earn the right to recall what you wanted them to learn!

Hope it’s useful.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/09/pierluigi-collina-referee-david-beckham-unicef-match-manchester

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The Diabetic Teacher

Using iPads in the Outdoors

Take a running jump...

The A - Z of Learning Outside

The Crazy Professor Reading Game

Beachball Baffler - A Learning Review Game

Memory Football - Another Review Game

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