Choosing and Managing Resources

Starter – The Paper Kettle

• Work in your group to try and make a paper kettle form the instructions on the worksheet provided

• You have a maximum of ten minutes

Session objectives

• You will think about the importance of human , media-based and physical resources

• You will analyse texts and other written resources for their suitability in achieving learning outcomes

• You will learn about matching resources to lesson objectives

• You will consider the financial costs of delivering secondary lessons

A school’s resources

• Working in your group, make a list of the resources a typical science department might possesses

• Have you got items from the following categories on your list:– Buildings and grounds?– People?– Equipment and materials?– Text resources?

The most important resource?

• Look again at your list of resources• In your group’s opinion:

– Which resource is the most important? Why?

• Do you agree with me that teachers are the most important?

Human Resources: You!

• If YOU are the most important resource then it makes sense to look after yourself, particularly your voice

• Teachers have been described as ‘professional voice users’

• Effective use of your voice is probably the most important ‘teaching aid’ you possess – like a musical instrument, if you ‘play’ it well then your pupils will be an appreciative audience

• You will use your voice to instruct, inform, enthuse, motivate and control the pupils in their classes

• Certain voice qualities are fixed, but you can practice to alter your voice

• Clear communication is the key to effective teaching

What happens next?……

• You have a good strong voice and you tend to shout a lot in your lessons …

• You have quite a high pitched voice which doesn’t project to the back of the classroom very well …

• You talk to the board and the teacher’s desk a lot of the time …

So, look after your voice!

• Your voice is a tool needs to be kept in good condition

• Poor posture, tension and stress can have negative effects on your voice – so relax!

• Teachers who get painful throats can also relieve this with practical exercises

• Speak slowly , concisely create the moods with the tone of voice.

• Remember to let the silence work

Human Resources: Other Teachers and Technicians• Working collaboratively is the key to success

here• Be prepared to listen carefully to advice from

teaching colleagues and act on it - you may have to be diplomatic here!

• Make sure that you adhere religiously to the technicians’ equipment ordering system

• Buy cake…

Media-Based Resources:Terrific Text Books review

• In your group, use the following criteria to review and score the textbook you have been given.

• Score as follows:-1 = poor

0 = some concerns

1 = o.k.

2 = good

3 = excellent

1. Are the illustrations of good size, clarity, quality and use?2. Is the content accurate, accessible and well-structured3. Is the reading age appropriate? 4. Does the book encourage active reading?5. Would you as a teacher find the book useful?6. Will the book ‘wear well’?

Media-Based Resources: Wicked worksheets

• In your group formulate 3 criteria by which you will analyse and judge the quality of any worksheet

• Use these criteria to analyse the worksheets that will be circulated

• Be prepared to briefly feedback to the whole class about which was the best worksheet in your opinion

Main types of worksheet

• An instruction sheet e.g. how to carry out a particular activity or process

• An information sheet about a particular topic• An interactive sheet which requires pupils to

actively complete something on the worksheet itself (this covers a very wide variety of different types of activity, such as cloze; label the diagram; complete the table; rearrange the sequence etc.)

Markerboards/Chalkboards

• Traditionally the chalkboard/blackboard and now increasingly the markerboard has been used in every situation in the classroom where visual material needed to be displayed to the class

• However, it is now generally acknowledged that the most effective way of using the board is for displaying material that develops through interaction in the lesson and cannot be planned beforehand

• Start the lesson with a clean board• Try to develop a neat printing style and don’t

stretch-up/bend down to reach that extra little bit of space

• The role of displaying pre-planned material is now usually undertaken by data projectors and IWBs

Data projectors and IWBs

• These facilitate interactivity and not just passive reception of information (teacher and pupils can write on it, view and manipulate images and video, drag and drop, insert etc.

• Their size facilitates whole class/group working

• They are accessible for all ages and abilities• Information recorded on them can be saved

and used again

The increasing importance of web-based resources

• The document on Learning Edge has some suggestions from us

• However, for homework email the hyperlinks of any good resource sites that you know to liversia@edgehill.ac.uk and Tony will collate these and add them to this document

PowerPoint is evil!

• Think about your frustration at seeing too many presentations where PowerPoint or other visual aids obscure rather than enhance the point and DON’T inflict this on your pupils!

• If you are going to use it then get help to make a good job of it e.g. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/templates/presentations.ppt

• But always remember - PowerPoint is evil! http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html

Physical Resources:Your teaching laboratory

• In your group look at the handouts showing different types of layout

• Jot down some ideas about what your group thinks is the best layout

• Be prepared to feedback your answers to the rest of the class

Choosing your resources – a planning sequence

1. What are your learning objectives and outcomes?2. What is the ability of the class? What are the

room facilities? What day/time is it?3. Which activities are suitable/possible (these

should match your objectives and outcomes)?4. What grouping arrangements will you use? (whole

class; groups; pairs; individual)5. What resources and how many do I need?

(posters; text books; worksheets; OHTs; computer-mediated)

6. Are these already prepared and available or do I need to prepare them?

Equipment and materials:how much does it cost? (1)

• How much do you think is available per pupil per lesson for equipment and materials in a typical 11-16 high school? The tutor will record your prediction.

• Now work it out:– A typical 11-16 comprehensive has 650 pupils. The school year is

39 weeks.– Your department has:

• 5xYr7 classes with 2 lessons pw in your subject• 5xYr8 classes with 2 lessons pw in your subject• 5xYr9 classes with 3 lessons pw in your subject• 5xYr10 classes with 4 lessons pw in your subject• 5xYr11 classes with 4 lessons pw in your subject

– Your departmental capitation is £5500– First work out how much money is available for each lesson– Then if the average class size is 28 work out how much is

available per pupil per lesson

How much does it cost? (2)

• Your department has £5500/39 = £141 pw• You have 10 year 7 lessons; 10 year 8

lessons; 15 year 9 lessons; 20 year 10 lessons and 20 year 11 lessons = 75 lessons per week

• You have £141/75 = £1.88 per lesson• You have £1.88/28 = 7p per pupil per lesson

Plenary – What Would You Do?

• You have got Year 9 set 5 (bottom set) last lesson tomorrow (Friday) and haven’t prepared your lesson yet. It is 8.30 p.m. and you have had a hell of a week so far - you are tired and have a cold coming on

• What would you do?

And finally, something for the weekend…

• Bernie swallowed a bottle of Tippex the other day by mistake

• He actually thought it was his bottle of Viagra

• He woke up the next morning with an enormous correction…