Personal Learning Journey

Personal Learning Journey

The whole of education is underpinned by the relationship between the teacher and pupil. As the quote above from Sidney Hook states, you don't remember how you were taught but you do remember who taught you and what an inspiration they were. You remember the relationship that you formed with your teacher - the personal connection between you that remains with you to this day. Every pupil has their own personal learning journey. Teachers have the power to inspire and encourage. Every step of the way, the pupil learns something new - guided and instructed by their teacher and so learn what motivates them, what inspires them and what they want to become as they become older. Over time, they will grow in knowledge, confidence and learn so much about themselves and the world around them. Remember these wonderful and true words from Ross Crockett.. “If there’s anyone who is in a position to bring positive change into the world...
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Never Stop Learning

Never Stop Learning

In these new and uncertain times, pupils will have spent many months away from school due to the closures put in place as a result of Covid-19. Last year, schools in England were closed to all pupils except those of key-workers and vulnerable children on the 20th March. For the majority of the summer, most learning took part remotely. Huge strides in online education were made in months that perhaps previously would have taken years. Teachers created learning packs, online lessons and updated communication systems – rising to the challenge of how to educate their pupils without the the essential face-to-face contact and personal interaction. Then September arrived and the clamour for the reopening of schools returned. Pressure was on for schools to serve their communities once more. Parents were expecting pupils to return to "normal" schooling despite the Covid-19 procedures that needed to be followed... Now, in 2021, we sit once again in a lockdown with remote learning and home...
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Marginal Gains

Marginal Gains

Back in 2012, at the heart of London Olympics, Sir Dave Brailsford repeatedly told people of his belief in the marginal gains principle. Speaking to the BBC, he said “The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of, that goes into riding a bike, and then improved it by 1%, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together.  There’s fitness and conditioning, of course, but there are other things that might seem on the periphery, like sleeping in the right position, having the same pillow when you are away and training in different places. They’re tiny things but if you clump them together it makes a big difference.” Brailsford believed that if it were possible to make a 1% improvement in a whole host of areas, the cumulative gains would end up being hugely significant. This principle has guided and driven the cycling team to great heights and Brailsford’s...
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Every child deserves a Champion

Every child deserves a Champion

When you visit a supermarket, you will often find a seconds aisle or money-off promotion. Buy-one- get-one-free or “money-saving” offers will entice you in and always make you buy that extra chocolate bar or that second beer you don’t need. You don’t look at the individual price anymore, just what you think you can gain. You usually end up spending more but feeling weirdly better off. The individual price has been removed, the label takes over. The power of a label is immense. We look at people differently because we label them as something else. Rumours, gossip.. “I didn’t know that!!” dominate social media and public culture. A politician or public figure’s career can be brought down to a shuddering halt by a label being attached. The individual has been removed, the label takes over. Are we in danger of doing the same thing within education regarding our reaction to COVID-19? Lockdown Lockdown has brought many difficulties and challenges. Pupils will have spend many months away...
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Put the Personal back

Put the Personal back

Lockdown has brought many difficulties and challenges in education. Huge strides in online education have been made in months that perhaps previously would have taken years. Teachers have created learning packs, online lessons and updated communication systems - rising to the challenge of how to educate their pupils without the the essential face-to-face contact and personal interaction. Children have spent weeks and months away from the support bubble of a school, from their friends, from their safe place. Some will have thrived in a new family bubble – building new self-esteem and confidence. Others will have found it a challenge. Learning will have been lost but more importantly, their circumstances could have changed. They may have learned a deeper understanding of what it means to live in poverty, or encountered this for the first time. They may have learned to hide, to become invisible, to protect themselves from adults who are not safe, without the respite that school can provide. Many...
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Learning Loss – A Discussion

In these new and uncertain times, pupils will have spent many months away from school due to the closures put in place as a result of Covid-19. Learning has been disrupted and will have been lost. In this video, presented by our Senior Principal Analyst - Phillip Burton, we look at the context of school closures, some of the studies regarding learning loss and how it can be measured, and offer a resource to enable you to measure what has taken place. https://youtu.be/-zOum1ew_GU Read our Blog exploring Learning Loss here.. https://daisi.education/learning-loss/ DAISI Education is committed to supporting schools and pupils and we are working hard to find ways of handling learning loss through our Question Level Analysis both for Primary and Secondary Schools. Having an early analysis can put your teachers in control and able to help your pupils realise their potential over time. Click here for more information.. https://youtu.be/IckMyRvpMZw DAISI Education Question Level Analysis Thank you for reading this blog and watching...
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Learning Loss

In these new and uncertain times, pupils will have spent many months away from school due to the closures put in place as a result of Covid-19. Schools in England were closed to all pupils except those of key-workers and vulnerable children on the 20th March 2019 and have only reopened to certain pupils in the last few weeks. Learning has been disrupted and will have been lost. As this is an unprecedented situation in the UK, there is no previous research that can show us what the educational impact of COVID-19 school closures might be. Never in our lifetimes have so many schools been closed for so many children. We prize attendance in our schools and often use posters like this to make children and parents aware of why time at school is so important. But what happens if the whole school is closed and everyone stops attending? Has this happened before..? Closed Schools Studies of previous school closures abroad show a...
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