Hello, welcome back to the English and math Booth. I'm Hollie Barnes and I'm joined with my wonderful host Sammy. Hello, how are you? I'm good thank you. How are you? Yeah, I'm good thanks. It's been a busy busy week but here we have again. I know it seems like time flies doesn't it? Especially now we're all back to business. Yeah, I think that's the bit that's getting really weird. Now is like some people back, some people aren't back, some bubbles about some bubbles out back. I don't know what's going on. A lot of the time. And then we still got a lot of people online aren't there? You know we are adult courses are a remaining online throughout, so that's also another addition to the curriculum this year. Yeah, so my my adult classes still online, but still struggling with online, which makes me laugh every week. What do they? What do they find those challenging? Do you think? Is it that the tech or is it there trying to get on board with the tech on the content? I think that they're OK with everything separately. It's the combination together so they can come on through a call they can engage in the chat. They could go in a breakout room. They can do all those things, but as soon as I set them work to do as well, something gives. So last week at work last week last night I lost two of them in a break. At room oh gosh, and they missed the timer ending thing. And then my mistake, I did not realize did not come back, so I launched into the next part of the lesson and then was like where are they? I think we were on so many platforms at the minute, aren't we? You know we have teams Google and Zoom and they all work in different different ways. So some of us are doing CPD on Zoom or Google and and if you're sticking to teams or you know you've done vice versa, which on one platform they were. Another is so difficult to like locate everybody isn't it? Yeah, it's really hard and I tell you it's really challenging for me is I? We don't use teams so when I go into team spaces I'm always a guest and you get such limited. Functionality in teams like I can't see anymore anything other than the person who's speaking and it's it's so disorienting. If you're a guest in other Peoples teams, I tell you what I have found on the. On the flip side of that is the Google meets that I've been a part of. I've been really stable connection and I find that they're always very clear that the connections through there with around watching, or I've been invited to join, or whether I set something up. It's been quite reliable. Little addition to to that the online learning. Yeah I think so I think there's still flaws in Google and our services are Google Innovator and a Google quote like the breakout rooms ending, they should have been kicked out and should have been sent back to me in the main call, which is what would happen in a zoom in a zoom when a breakout room and you get kicked out and he pulled back into the main call. So there's this swings and roundabouts for all of them. But zoom is certainly the most. Cohesive wrap around. It's just a shame it doesn't do all the other bits that as teachers we need it to do. Yeah, I know what you mean teams when we use teams and the breakout rooms give you a 1010 second countdown when you going in so everyone's kind of just looking at each other before they move into the next room like what's going on. And even though the timer, there's almost still another pause and they say when you come out it's either you get dragged out or if you start to lose people and like mid conversation. That's the joy of a breakout room, isn't it? Being mid talk and then shifting things shifted away. Yeah, it is completely is that, is that not a giggle. But today when I come back in The Morning Call my oh God I have to behave like a human being now and not before was doing in that breakout room. Other people might be more professional in CPD, but that's generally how I behave and we we don't have that obviously in the classroom. Do we know people don't get shifted from space to space going back in, you know? Next week it's going to be very, very different, because you'll see that that physical interruption, or you know their voices will get louder over one another. There's no distorting each other out in the classroom, so that'll be that'll be interesting to be back in the classroom environment. I was asked a lot of been asked a lot and I was asked again today and it just reminded me about QR codes in the classroom. So wow and so they came to me. I came up with the idea of if I put stations around my classroom. But if they wanted help for anything I've been getting up and out of the desk, they could just scan that and then they could get the help that they needed. For example, that's a really cool idea actually. I like that. Yeah, and if they wanted the next task, they could get the next task without waiting for me as well, because I'm not going to be able to run around handing out paper. Let's let's pretend let's not pretend that I can still do that. So that came to me with the idea, and then I was telling someone else that had this idea. And I'm like, yeah, that's a really good idea. How do you do QR codes? And it's like. They just do it in Google and because they use Edge Edge that's it, isn't it? Yeah, they didn't have it in literally in Google you just click it and you get a QR code for whatever page you're on. I didn't even know that myself. And yeah, he's a QR code creator. Yeah, so that was the work around that we came up with was a QR code creator and you paste it in. But if you're in Google Chrome, if you just click the address bar at the top so where the web address is, you get a little cute. You get a square within a square and it worked. Yeah, and that makes a QR code, so I was having this conversation again and then someone else today said to me she had. The idea was well and she said wouldn't it be great if you could have a QR code or with all the bits and pieces so you don't have to go through it every lesson like the COVID protocols and stuff like that. And I went. Yeah, that's a really good idea and so she's now going around all our classrooms today. Sticking up QR codes and it's taking them to a Google site. With all the this is what was required for your testing and all. You know the reminders that you need to give them, but their mind is there going to be there all the time and then I said, Oh well, I thought about doing it for my teaching as well, so she's also gone round and she's put. She's put up a project that she wants him to do as an extension, so these are electricians and she wanted them to start thinking about creating their own. I don't know the technical term, but whatever it is and so she's got around and put this competition as a QR code around the classroom as well. And then someone else on the call is like, oh, I think I could do that for this project. I'm thinking there's gonna be no wall space left in a minute. We're going to go from handing out worksheet after worksheet. Just walls covered in Curacao. And you got to find the right one that about some kind of itself. But I certainly think the scope bar in in my classroom. I can certainly see that anything any useful website that I've been using on line with them if they can't remember what the name of that is, I'm going to put that off. I'm going to put all of those up so they can go back to that familiarity, 'cause they've had a long time with those websites now. So for us in math is math Kitchen, or it's Mars maths? You know transum and they use our study math and they used to those websites now for different topics that I don't want them to lose that familiar. So I wanted to go. I want that purple website that you gave me. That's the one that works for me. Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna put those up and then I'm probably going to put off the the extension task every lesson and just have that all ready to go. And obviously that will change a bit less than like it would anyway. But then I'm just thinking I would have to go around the room and perhaps they could. Last night tell me a finished. I think I've got them all right and I'll go. Yeah, right. And then I could say that you're ready to go on the extension tag and so they can either self director I can direct what brilliant idea. I love. QR codes. I use them a lot for starter activities because I find that they were. If they just see the QR code on the desk you can just sit down and it's in the process of light almost putting the phone away that I already rather than jump into a text message or a Snapchat they can just scan the QR code and get on with it and that you know they'll find all the instructions on there. Same for like you know, if I want to link them to a paddler Oracle who or anything like that, I put the QR code from the desk, give us a bit of blue tack, so I think that's that's a really nice idea what you were saying about putting all the familiar websites on. We could even do that with, you know if your product links always going to be the same in your refreshing that padlock page and its designated that group, and you're not necessarily collecting that information or you're you're going to be using cohu, then have them on there on the wall as a poster that they can just quickly link to all of that. We have them around college as well, actually an hour. Team averted to learning team. They have all their kind like monthly blogs and their monthly training sessions and takeaways, starter activities and they just have. They wanna post around the college so you know if you're thinking, I can't think of what star activity to jump into it. You can just sell QR code that starters and it all whiskey you into a whole page full of them. Which is great because you never kind of stuck for ideas on the spot. Yeah, no, I think that's great. I think someone put on Twitter yesterday. And I think this is what started. My head was welcome to the Year of the QR Code and you become so important, but I think that's where it came from. So thinking about you, your starters, then what are you? What's your? What should go to start a holly? What's going to get people excited and engaged as we go back? Oh there's so many to choose from. Well, you do you want to have a think and I'll pick some. Yeah gone, you go first yeah so I I I'm pushing and anyone who's listening and you know I'm pushing the use

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of countdown just some number work love it. Love it for them. For letters in English as well, and then I love putting the sound on and I love when I'm in like an open space and I have it on quite loud And you know, I'm in a big Art Room if you like the split for and I can see tutors and kids will connect me like 1 earth. Is she doing? Thank you. Carol Vorderman. The music just has to have the music, otherwise it's not an official countdown. Yeah, yeah, in math in math we've got some in Max Bar and we've got some in transom. And they just randomly generate. You can make them easy, you can make them hard so you know in your group and I think. Just that just that getting back to basics of playing with numbers and probably for you playing with letters. Again, definitely I am my favorite one when we're not in a non COVID environment where we can move round is like a almost like a treasure hunt so you'll give it Group A letter and I'll say find as many nouns as you can beginning with the letter S for example and I'll add. I'll bring in like a box of random stuff and I've hidden it around the classroom so. No find. I mean someone, shoes or another group might have like a pair of socks like hidden or they'll be like some random new plant in the classroom. I see them or looking at me. I'm like looking around the room thinking this looks like a jumble sale but it gets them up and about and moving. And yeah, we really miss I missed the movement in their liveliness in the classroom in there like sharing of flipchart paper in the sharing of of worksheets together I really missed that element. I know it can be done online but. You know it's sometimes it's just not the same as it, no. And sometimes it's just not the same. I think there's been. There's been wonderful things that have come out that we would never have tried. I don't. I don't know how many teachers have tried flip grid for the first time, but you know, that's that's been, you know, wonderful to see in that. Effectively, the sharing of the whiteboard paper isn't it, and they're they're making something new. And things like that. But you know, there is nothing beating the sitting around a table. The big piece which I'm checking the market that they were going right? Solve this for me. Yeah, definitely. I think it's that. Or is that collaboration? Isn't it of them sat together figuring something out, problem solving, and even you know I'm a big fan of project based learning and we you know we don't necessarily do a lot of it, but where where it works. It can work really, really well and I think that when we're energizing them in the starter activity or setting them up for a fabulous lesson because we have to energize and quick because we lose 5 minutes of what could only be an hour's lesson. After you know which time we caught 5 minutes off the end of the lesson, we've only got 50 minutes of real core learning time before they might need to, you know, jump off or before their brain. You know, dips into another world. Think about having for dinner, or if you're going to meet after college, or what time buses they gonna get. Yeah, I think I think one of the biggest things that ever shocked trainee teacher that had with me. She was planning an hour an hour and a half lesson for some low grade learners for grades on unclassified to two and she she was. So I've got an hour and a half and I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this and said right OK that's brilliant. Looks wonderful. I just want you to actually plan for 15 minute episodes. That what is that just? That's literally, honestly, that's what you're going to get. So because you lose like you say you lose that 5 minutes the beginning you lose that 5 minutes at the end and they reach that saturation point and. I think something something got lost in translation somewhere where we look at the time of the lesson. They are great at problem for an hour. I can hit them with this and actually we need to remember and go back to the basic sometimes that. A 15 minute episode is enough for anyone. Yeah, definitely. And you know, in this in this Cove environment that we're in what I think what we have to remember next week as well is that they're probably really excited to be back in the classroom. There probably looking forward to being round human interaction. You know where humans were made to interact were made to connect, and they're still not able to fully do that while still in the classroom. But again, it's about easing back into the classroom, isn't it? You know there's still used to that online learning where they've been staring at screens so it could be overwhelming for some of them. On on the other side, I do really like. Checking out like a language feature or like a word, and then took another paddler and saying can you find the best gift that matches this world or the best gift that matches this this language feature so it could be, you know zoo morphism for example and you know they're just gonna put up an animal, but like you know what's the best gift that's out there within paddler that you can that you can find so you know. Especially like my my games and animation they love gifts are all about your memes. It's what they, their life is all revolves around sometimes and learn a new gift every lesson or a new meme. Every lesson. Some new mean person. I like the name of a frog that was in a meeting the other day and he's called Pepe and I was like I didn't even know this guy had a name. That's what makes lessons fun, and that's what makes lessons memorable, right? So, well, that's it isn't it? You know you've got it. You've got a windows, but I think that's fabulous. Yes, proper wording, veterans find auramine that go with it, but I'm not sure I could do that for numbers. I don't know what the gift the gift level of players for numbers. I bet there is one. There's well, that's our mission. We need to find like gifts or means there is. There's definitely a lack of old vine. When Vine was a thing. Now, Tik T.O.K is definitely a few ones around numbers for that. But I do know that it made him into a GIF right now. But I'm gonna have to think of how I can replicate this in a math classroom. But this sounds like a great idea and a great activity. Something that I like to do with its English related in my lessons. And it's just it's not got language features in or anything like that is that I asked him to start a story. And then pass on to the next person. I just think that's a great way to break the ice with them and sell them back in and I'm really looking forward to starting that next week with them. Oh, you know what I love? I love him. He's not doing that myself as a kid. Where, like you know he could be given a story in a piece of paper and then would fold it over right? And they would write it in or like you would draw a picture and then you keep folding it. That's Brill. Yeah, and I think I think, well, the spot in their isolated desks with a bit of space around them. I think it's just going to be grateful for me to check out the start of a story and then then pass it around each other. I just, you know, it's not. It's not going to develop their math skills, but will develop their critical thinking, the communication and the collaboration and the you know the connection with each other really and I think that's what we're all after it in a moment. And you know that that's really just showing about how easy it is to. To link skills across curriculum, you know how how you link in English in with maths, but also you know a bit like we're talking about with a few other English colleagues is how can we link those skills outside of the English and the math classroom? You know, we're always talking about how can vacation areas or let's say for example, mass embed English into lessons, but how can we bed their curriculum analysis to show the learners something really, really visual? So you know if they're analyzing in one area? You know they're actually probably analyzing in in many different areas across many different. Their major piece of their coursework, so it's about bringing all the curriculum together, isn't it? Yeah, I joined up approach one of my favorite things that I've ever like you. I used to be creative and with games design was that they had to do. I'm going to get it wrong, but I'm going to describe it in really simple terms and that they had to do the size and the aspect ratio of things as they were building it and layering up their designs and things like that. And so I started talking about how that in that in my math lesson and the joy on their faces that they weren't having to do math and they were able to talk about that project and they were. It was talk about this. We will talk about that and then at the end of it right, great hit some exam questions on what you just talked about. I never liked what it might do that yeah, mine plain and we to be fair, we we've done something similar games this year which doesn't cooperate. Start activities. So I watched a fantastic piece of CPD by Jennifer Webb who's also known as funky pedagogy and she was talking about short stories and how we can how we should really give them a character that they can hold hands with her words and how they can you know. For for creative writing they can really get on board with them so. We had some luck talks with the, you know like games, animation and we thought how can we put that? Make this work and then you know we we came up with like profile of character design using Dungeons and Dragons. We got them to build a character for Dungeons and Dragons website and then we started to ask them questions about their character at the start of every lesson. So there would be a starter activity but then another star activity would be how does your character react to seeing Boris Johnson in Tesco? How does your character react? They just want you know a million pounds on the lottery. What would they do with it? And we've tried to like build a character of the years and seeing each of the end of each half term, how their characters developed has been so fascinating but so valuable to ask those questions in a starter activity into a build that kind of communication. Some of them have been able to use some characters in their in their games, but also in their reflective writing, because they've been able to have linked those two things together again. So you know, the so many possibilities, isn't there? I think we're always finding new new ways of engaging learners, not just within lesson as right the starter lesson you know, and that that's the important part, I think right at the start. Yeah, completely, and I think that's a perfect place to end this conversation, I think definitely. I'm sure we'll be back soon with some more starter activities and more muscle English chap. Yeah, thank you. That was great. Holly love it. Have a great week.