Had a very productive ASG meeting today. The booklets, including all of our case studies, are being put together and distributed in schools next month, including a DVD with pupil/teacher interviews. Going to ask my seniors if they are interested in being interviewed. Imagine they’ll jump at the opportunity. I’ll be very interested to hear how they reflect on their learning and my teaching in hindsight.
Something else that came up in conversation was the lack of an English subject co-ordinator for the Highland region. It seems bizarre that schools across the region do not have a forum to share materials. What this means is that teachers are spending vast amounts of time creating materials that have already been created in another school seven miles up the road. A phenomenal amount of time is being wasted! The position of co-ordinator is available at the moment but the time allowance is only one day per week. A teacher would have to be crazy to take on the position on top of their normal teaching load.
So, myself and a teacher from Millburn Academy have decided to try and create some kind of website or wiki or blog (not sure what would be best and how they differ exactly) where Highland English teachers can submit materials and ask colleagues for professional help. It wouldn’t solve the problem, but it might prevent us from continually reinventing the wheel.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 