#pedagooglasgow plenary number 8

[Fearghal]

Our final workshop on Saturday was a simple but important reflective task, allowing professional discussion focused on three questions:

1. From what we have seen and experienced on Saturday, what could we use in our classrooms on Monday?
2. What do we plan to be using a year from now?
3. What can Pedagoo do to support teachers?

Monday – short term caffeine hits….Several folks had grilled Fearghal and Sarah about their use of SOLO Taxonomy and were keen to use simple hexagon diagrams to check on the learning of some of their classes. All who had attended were keen to experiment with this simple but powerful way for pupils to discuss and display their learning, and for teachers to receive feedback on how much their pupils had *really* understood. We were also keen to use Aileen Kelly’s ideas on getting pupils to talk more in class, which one of our primary colleagues was very excited about.

Charlaine Simpson’s ideas on hooking pupils into learning had also created an immediate buzz about how to engage and motivate pupils with collaborative learning and entry/exit tickets. These were effective catches to push responsibility for learning back towards the pupils themselves, and could be used in either primary or secondary settings. And for professional learning,  there was Dr Carol Webb’s inspirational talk on extended writing.

June 2015 – the next frontier…SOLO was viewed as a tool and methodology which all were keen on trying out – sampling hexagons in different settings, using the different ‘levels’ to enable pupils to self-assess their progress, but also prepared as Preston Lodge has been for SOLO to be introduced on an individual classroom basis. Drop the pebble into the pond and watch the waves spread out. Talking in class could be enhanced in the longer term by using a ‘Wonder Table’ to really inspire pupils and fire their imaginations: we discussed using a sandpit to allow pupils to discover objects hidden there, as well as separate places on the table for insects, beans growing after being planted and nurtured…the possibilities are endless.

Being practical sorts, the group spent much less time on the third and final question. It could be used as a first point of contact (‘Anyone heard about or tried…’) but more generally, the group were keen to use Pedagoo to enhance their use of Twitter for CPD. It may seem cliched that this conversation between four previous strangers highlighted the successes and benefits of the day and could easily have gone on for longer…

Des Nelson

[Author]

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