Learning curves

A lot of us will be going trough steep learning curves this week. New classes, new teachers, new classrooms, new subjects. No wonder there are so many yawns going round!

We are no different here at EKT. Teachers never stop learning. Some of the best lessons come from our students. They are on the coal face and their insights can be eye-opening. Some lessons come via Continued Professional Development sessions - not sure if writing essays for the MA can be considered CPD but it is giving me insight into the frustrations a lot of pupils feel when faced with a Big Write. And some come through sheer necessity. The website needs updating and we will be looking at doing that ourselves soon, and I personally am revisiting study sessions on Language for Thinking and discovering something completely new to me Colourful Semantics, which we will use to build on existing experience of Read Write Inc, as both teaching and assessment tools.

Assessment is crucial - although tests are probably not the best way of achieving accurate assessments. Remember that we offer a free half an hour assessment for new students.

Teachers love feedback too.

So look out for an updated website and news of our study progress.

Test Day

Apologies to those who read this from outside the Kent Test area but this week many of us in this corner of our green and pleasant land are preoccupied with just one thing. The Test.

Now, I know I have only just posted about the first day back at school - if this was handwriting the ink wouldn't have dried on the previous post - but that's pretty much how things are right now. We have barely drawn breath after dropping the off at the school gates before our minds - and the children's  and indeed the teacher's minds - switch into Kent Test mode. It's this week. No time for them to ease themselves back into the swing of things, straight into testing.

Now those of you who know me personally will be able to imagine the expression of exasperation and disgust on my face as I type this. It's too soon. Half the children will have been in bed till lunchtime over the last 6 weeks, the other half outdoors, or on game consuls. It's a shock to the system getting back into routine as it is but to add to the joy we schedule an important test on day 4 (and in all probability a practice test on day 3). Oh for the days when the first week was a gentle process of class and teacher getting to know each other.

Still that's by the by. We have the system we have. so what can we do to make things easier for the children? A few of my top tips.

 Parents:

• Make sure they get to bed nice and early this week.
• Provide a good breakfast before they go - it's proven that nutrition really does make a difference.
• Make sure they have water bottles - hydration is vital.
• Reassure them that whatever the outcome you are proud of them for trying - never use the F word...'failure' is banned in this household. All the test does is provide an indicator of where they will learn best, not how' clever' they have the potential to be.
• Remind them that of the test seems hard to them it will seem just as hard to everyone else, so no panicking. It's not a fixed pass mark so if everyone struggles the pass mark will be lower.

Children:

• Remember them to fill in an answer for every question . Apart from there being a 20% chance of it being the right one, the mark will act as a 'place holder' to ensure the following answers don't get shunted across into the wrong box.
• Circle questions you want to come back to. Take another look if you have time at the end of the test.
• Don't spend too long on any 1 question. You might not want to let a question 'beat you' but if you spend 5 minutes on 1 question when you could have answered 10 easier ones then it really has beat you. Go for the easy marks and get as many as possible.
• Use every single minute. If you finish early, check, check and recheck!
• If you start to feel panicky close your eyes for 10 seconds and breath slowly. This will help control those feelings...oh and don't forget to remind yourself that you are a star and your parents and teachers are enormously proud of you for doing this - for giving it your best shot.                                                                

  

  For all our stars

   

Back to school

 Well today's the day for most of our munchkins. Back to school, back to routine, back to homework. The first week is usually exhausting as we (yes teachers too) get used to new expectations, workload, classmates and topics. It's pretty exhausting for us parents prising our nearest and dearest out of bed for the early starts, making sure they have everything they need and keeping an eye out for homework. But it settles down; for most of us this time next week it will be like there's never been a break.

For a substantial number of children it will be a bit more challenging as they start new schools. Transitions can be tough, with so many new things to remember: a whole new staff, new classmates, a new, and possibly far bigger, building to find your way around, a longer day - especially for those who are having longer journeys to get to school... trains, buses, long walks.  And MORE homework. I still remember my first day at secondary school. We had comprehensive schooling in Essex - no selection - and the journey to the local comp wasn't too bad but the school was huge and there was so much moving around. At the end of the day I wasn't sure that I'd make it through the rest of the week, let alone another 7 years. It's no wonder that sometimes our children get a little emotional at the start of term.

We have a number of our old students starting new school's today. Good luck to each and every one of them. You are stars.