Teach Secondary - Issue 13.2

Two years ago, Young Vic Theatre and Royal Holloway, University of London began work on INNOVATE – a collaborative research project aimed at exploring how creativity and arts disciplines could help bring about new approaches to teaching across various curriculum subjects. With the research findings now in, the Royal Holloway teamhas announced that embedding arts practice and activities rooted in creativity across subjects such as maths and science was indeed able to boost student confidence and rates of participation, while also encouraging deeper levels of reflection andmaking students’ learning experiences more enjoyable. The project sawY7 and Y8 teachers at two partner schools – South Bank University Academy and Dunraven School in Lambeth and Southwark –work with 12multi-disciplinary artists and an advisory panel of educational and cultural experts throughout the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years. Some examples of the practice that emerged included using basketball to teach film skills, teaching numeracy with the aid of cookery, and improving English-speaking skills via activities that saw students create video game characters. The project’s final report (see bit.ly/ts132-LL4 ) states that teachers observed increased confidence among previously reticent students, and that adopting amore creative approach to the teaching of non-arts subjects produced deeper levels of reflection from students regarding the topics at hand. According to Nicholas Hargreaves, assistant head at Dunraven School, “After the dark, insular days of COVID-19, INNOVATE got teachers talking and working together again and provided themwith the opportunity to step back and look at their practice through the eyes of an expert in a different field. This brought new perspectives, new ideas and the opportunity to create together.” Got a great learning idea? Email editor@teachsecondary.com or tweet us at @teachsecondary STUDENT STUDY TIPS ZEPH BENNETT IS A PE TEACHER AND SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT LEADERWITH 25 YEARS’ TEACHING EXPERIENCE; YOU CAN FIND MORE OF HIS EDUCATIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY FOLLOWING @PEGEEKSCORNER TRENDING Our pick of the recent resources and launches teachers might find useful... STUDYWITHBRIAN TheRoyal Societyhas uploaded some newentries in its ‘Brian Cox School Experiment’video series.The latest batch tackles three topics – genome editing, machine learning and ocean acidification –via a trio of videos for each, examining the area’s research trends, industry applications and a relevant classroomexperiment. bit.ly/ts132-LL2 POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP TheNSPCChas partneredwith theUS-basedparental media advice organisationCommon SenseMedia,with aviewto rolling out education programmes aimed at improving schools’digital literacyprovision and developing children andyoung people’s awareness of harms enabled through technologies such as generativeAI.The partnershipwill commence in the comingweekswith the piloting ofdigital citizenship and literacyclasses at schools across SouthWales. Innovative thinking On the radar STRUCTURING REVISION SOME POINTERS TO PASS ON AS EXAMS SEASON LOOMS... 5 SNACKING IS ALLOWED Snacking whilst revising is allowed, though if that’s not your thing, be sure to have some food and drink during your scheduled breaks.We all need energy for revision. 4 THE EARLY BIRD Commencing your revision timetable early will enable you to cover areas multiple times before the examination. Start sooner, get more done. 3 RECALL, RECALL Don’t forget that one of the most effective ways of embedding learning into long termmemory is through regular testing – what teachers call ‘retrieval practice’ 2 MIX IT UP Your revision session should use different forms of media. The more you mix it up, the more stimulated and responsive you’ll remain. Try switching between, for example, working at a computer, listening to podcasts, reading physical books and creating revision cards. 1 STAY ON TIME Each revision session you plan needs to run to time. Stick to your timings and set a timer for each session so you don’t waste a minute of your timetable. L E A R N I N G L A B 79 teachwire.net/secondary