As well as teaching Spanish one of my other ‘hats’ is being a ‘Massage in Schools Instructor’.
Having attended the recent MISA two day conference with newly found inspiration and in light of languages becoming compulsory in Primary schools from September it is the perfect timing to come up with some Positive Touch ideas to use in the classroom at the same time as practising a second…
Learning languages is finally getting some recognition in primary schools with the introduction of compulsory languages at Key Stage 2 from September.
However, this is a very lose arrangement and the specifications of what this means are left very open for schools to interpret. The new framework for languages mentions being able to communicate and write, understand the grammar, speaking with good…
I don’t usually like reviewing apps as I don’t believe in using too much technology to learn elementary maths and grammar. However, I will make an exception because I have found a great new grammar app that helps primary school children to love and learn spellings and writing. A full-time teacher, Mr Christopher Thorne, crazily passionate about improving kids reading, writing, spelling and…
Every year on 23 April, England celebrates Saint George’s Day. But do we really know who Saint George was? Recent research shows almost quarter of primary school kids don’t know who England’s patron saint is. Let’s get some facts right about this venerable hero and martyr.
On St George’s Day, a study by Fun Kids Radio has found that almost a quarter of primary school age children [21…
You may have seen in the papers a couple of months ago, David Cameron announced a new language plan for UK schools which focuses on ditching French and Spanish in favour of Mandarin classes. On the China tour with Mr Cameron at the time was author, ShaoLan, who has devised a revolutionary new way to read Chinese in our new book Chineasy: The New Way to Read Chinese.
Recently I was talking about…
Most of us have heard about the Mozart Effect; the idea that playing Mozart to our children improves their IQ. However, studies have long since disproven this media-hyped phenomenon. Listening to a genius does not make your child a genius, no more than watching world-class athletes compete on television will make us fitter.
But there’s something intuitively appealing about the idea that…
MINDDRIVE is fast becoming a familiar name in the world of education, and cars, though not everyone knows why these two different sectors of society are so closely linked with this name. MINDRIVE is a non-profit organisation set up and run in Kansas City, designed to help young, at risk teens to think about their future, and how they can use their vision to shape and develop the urban work force.
A recent survey by charity BeatBullying shows that children starting secondary school are the most concerned about being bullied.
The research showed that 56% of primary children feared they might be bullied for being too clever, or not clever enough, and 48% feared that they would be bullied for not being good at activities like sports or not having the latest phones or games.
As parents it…
With discussions on media this week on proposals to lower the school age to two years old, I wonder whether we are really looking into our children’s wellbeing…. Childhood is meant to be fun and filled with lots of playtime. Playing and even silly games are important part of healthy living no matter what people say. Children also need time to chill out and relax not just learning.
A recent…
Even though half the UK’s students are right brain learners many schools today are still catering primarily for left brain learners. If your child is struggling to learn it may be that their learning style is not being catered for. Recognising that there are different ways of thinking and understanding helps us to realise that children who are struggling are not necessarily academically…