Oakham School enjoyed the first ever Oakham Festival of Learning on Tuesday 4th June. A series of events ran throughout the day with workshops for pupils and staff alike hosted by members of the staff Teaching and Learning team and other colleagues. Pupils were invited to participate in a creative writing ‘microstories’ workshop over breakfast, …
Author: jmgandrews
Reading for pleasure : making time, making a difference
Creating a reading culture at Oakham School Written by Bernadette O'Hanlon (Operations and Reader Development Librarian) It has long been acknowledged that reading for pleasure is linked to improving a child’s vocabulary. This knowledge alone should be sufficient in championing dedicated time for reading, for a limited vocabulary can be a barrier to understanding and …
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The value of MOOCs
Many students in Oakham's Upper School have partaken in the study of a MOOC this academic year. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) allow individuals to learn through video tutorials, activities and discussions. Participants are not constrained by time or physical location, and these courses are available to anyone, usually for free, regardless of their software set-up, …
Teaching for metacognitive development
Today's TeachMeet brings a discussion on the principles behind metacognition, its role within the learning process and how we might go about developing it through our teaching. Julie and I will present some ideas, examples and classroom strategies. These are set out in the attached PowerPoint - which also contains some recommended reading at the …
FOSIL and inquiry learning
Thanks to Jenny Toerien for delivering a brilliant twilight TeachMeet on inquiry learning and the use of Oakham School's FOSIL model to support its implementation in the curriculum. Based on the research of Carol Kuhlthau and other preeminent thinkers in this area, plus evidence from the New York State Education Department, Oakham's Framework of Skills …
The Trivium
Written by Henry Deane “It appears to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most sceptical scrutiny of all hypothesis that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas. If you are only sceptical, then no new ideas make it …
Office365 & OneNote: a student’s early experience
The following thoughts come from George in Form 4 who, along with his friends, has been making use of OneNote for learning outside of the classroom. At the beginning of this year, as well as starting my new GCSE courses, I began to use Office 365 and OneNote, software introduced to the school for staff …
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Providing feedback for mutual observations
Research has demonstrated that feedback when debriefing a lesson observation will be most effective when undertaken in an atmosphere of trust and security, and with a developmental intent (Hitchins and Pashley, 2000). Here are a few 'Top Tips' when discussing what you see in your colleagues' classrooms... Begin by asking ‘what did you think of the …
Adopting a specific focus for mutual observations
Before entering into any peer-to-peer observation, the focal point of the observation needs to be crystal clear so that both the observer and the observed are benefiting from the process. Are you looking at teacher actions, student behavior, or both? Are you trying to understand instructional practices or student engagement? Are you watching all students …
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The benefits of mutual observation
Ahead of Observing Learning Week, here are a some thoughts on the benefits of observing colleagues' practice... Why bother with observation? Some people panic at the thought of being ‘judged’ or feel they need to spend hours planning a dazzling lesson, whilst others relish the opportunity to show off their skills. But why should we …
