Teach Secondary Issue 13.6

57.8% The proportion of schools participating the 2023/24 National Tutoring Programme – down from 76% at the same point during the 2022/23 programme Source: DfEh Discussing complex and sensitive subjects and events with young people can be difficult – particularly when it comes to some of the opinions shared on social media, and the rapid spread of online misinformation. As educators, we have a responsibility – alongside parents – to help students discern fact from fiction, while providing them with a platform for sharing their views and expressing themselves in a way that’s safe, supported and respectful. It’s for this reason that we at Judgemeadow Community College wanted to go beyond our classroom discussions, by creating something new that could both help students better understand the world around them, and empower them through meaningful social action. These efforts commenced in 2021, coinciding with an outbreak of violence between Israel and Palestine and the initial imposition of COVID-19 restrictions. Our students were expressing feelings of confusion, frustration and angst – and while these issues wouldn’t ordinarily be topics we would cover in the curriculum, we wanted to provide a safe space for them to explore and talk about them. These discussions would need to take place in a controlled environment, with fidelity to the facts against a well-informed context, while also ensuring that WHYWE CREATED... THE ‘GLOBAL ISSUES’ CURRICULUM DILAN SAVJANI IS DIRECTOR OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENTAT JUDGEMEADOWCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE, PARTOF LIONHEART EDUCATIONALTRUST Maths teachers can take comfort froma report recently produced by themaths tutoring and intervention specialist Axiom Maths, which would seem to upend the widespread perception that a general antipathy towards maths exists among the wider population. Drawing on survey data gathered by Public First inMarch of this year, the report notes that 45%of respondents stated that they actively enjoyedmaths, compared to 26% who said they didn’t and 28%who felt indifferent towards the subject. One telling finding was that 46%of the respondents believed themselves to be ‘better than average’ at mental arithmetic, versus 17%who happily admitted to being worse than average. Irrespective of their own perceived abilities, however, there was broad consensus regarding the importance of maths, with 76%of those polled agreeing that maths was ‘an essential part of everyday life’. Nor does the popular stereotype of the ‘maths geek’ seemquite as entrenched as it once was, with only 15%agreeing with the statement that ‘mathematical people tend to be antisocial’ and 51%disagreeing. And maths teachers may bemore heartened still to hear that respondents weremore likely (58%) than unlikely (20%) to go on a date with someone they knewwas ‘really interested inmaths’. Though one interesting statistical anomaly was that thosemost likely to perceive mathematicians as being anti-social were also thosemost likely to want to date one... Axiom’s ‘Maths education in England 2023-24’ report can be downloaded in full via bit.ly/ts136-LL3 exchanges would be largely non-partisan and de-politicised. In doing so, we quickly recognised just how passionate our students were about making an impact on causes that mattered to them. Alongside staff from across the Trust, we therefore developed our own ‘Global Issues Curriculum’. As part of our personal development curriculum, we dedicate one lesson per term to a series of topics and themes. Since being implemented, these topics have included the refugee crisis, women’s rights, the conflict in Ukraine and climate change. The lessons involve 30 minutes of teacher input, followed by questions intended to spark classroom debate and further explorations. We then decide on what social action to take, thus giving young people opportunities to make their voices heard. Past examples have included silent vigils, penning letters of hope, visiting food hubs and taking part in an eco-rally (pictured above). We want to help students achieve academically, of course – but it’s also our mission to support them in developing socio-emotional skills. We want them to have the knowledge and skills needed to identify facts, as well as a sense of confidence that their actions can positively impact upon wider society and the world around them. L E A R N I N G L A B 85 teachwire.net/secondary