The Big Red Ball of Wool

I came up with this idea a few weeks ago and recently tried it out with my 2 GCSE groups. The results were really encouraging, particularly in engaging the kids - and all you need is a big ball of red wool.
I got the students to sit in a big circle - I also sat in the circle. The aim was to get the students to think of links between different historical events and people and see how they influenced each other. I chose the topic. With my yr 11 group it was Votes for Women, my Yr 10 s had the Cold War. I started off by naming an event or idea. I then threw the big red ball of wool to a student across the circle whilst keeping tight hold of the end of the wool. The student had to then name another event/person/idea and explain how it was linked to my word. They then threw the ball on to another student, keeping hold of their end of the wool - the next student had to say something else and explain how it was linked. This was great fun - the students had to think quickly and, at times out of the box. By the time we reached the last student we had created a striking visual - a red web of wool linking each student together and each idea together. I knew it was a hit when several kids asked if they could get their phones out so they could take a photo of it because it looked so cool.
We then reversed the whole process with each student throwing the wool back and winding it up as we went, this time they asked each other quiz questions.
A really good revision exercise or plenary - but one which also encourages kids to make links, one of the higher order thinking skills which gets them a lot of marks in the exam - and more importantly had them talking about the lesson in the corridor afterwards.

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New job and new opportunities

The last week has proved just how little I know. In my last post I wrote about how I was not hopeful about getting a job I had just interviewed for. This week, to my delight and surprise I found out I had got the job and from September I will be an Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning.
I am really excited about this new opportunity and can't wait to get started. I have a 1,000 things I want to do and will spend a lot of time over the next few weeks deciding how to approach my new role. The key thing for me is that this job is about improving teaching and learning. I get to work with teachers and students to be at the forefront of new ideas and strategies. I want to encourage teachers to take risks and try out new things - especially when they are not sure if they will work.
I am also looking forward to watching lots of new teachers at work in their classrooms - and steal ideas from them as often as possible, as I have always done. Expect to see lots of those ideas on this blog in the future. I am sure I will make loads of mistakes and there will be some tough times ahead but I am absolutely convinced this is the right move for me - and that I am the right person for this school.


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