New school year, that is.

1. Less writing.
I was going to make the big leap of saying one lesson per timetable cycle (1 in 3 for KS3; 1 in 5 for KS4/5) was going to be an active, non-traditional lesson. I will keep that in mind, but it won’t be easy. I learn by writing things down and it’s extraordinarily difficult for me to let go of that, especially at KS4. Yet, every year, more and more precious KS4 exercise books remain in my cupboard after the exams are all finished, which should be enough to get me binning off the pens.

2. AGT parent communication online
I am going to sack off my usual parent meeting in October, in favour of a blog post about the year’s events, and an online feedback form. I do the parent questionnaire every year and get roughly 30 responses so I would hope to see more through an online form.
I can then feed this back to the Wilts AGT group at the end of term 1. Parental contact is a big thing for AGT this coming year.

3. Do some TeachMeets
I’m off to a flying start with this one, having met with a helpful lady from Vital and selected a date/venue for TM Bristol. Thanks to this, I think I’ll be speaking at another, and maybe attending TM Cheltenham, if it works out to be convenient.

4. 20% time
I liked this about Google more than anything else. Employees who are up together with their work are allowed 20% of their time to pursue their own projects. I want to do this with my Y10 class this year. Since the syllabus changed we are one coursework assignment down, with the same amount of time; I could teach the exam stuff in more detail but having done this last year and watched the enthusiasm slowly wither and die in the eyes of my Y10 class, I’d rather do something else.
I don’t know what 20% time for Y10 will look like yet. I think first, I need to meet them and see what they are like. However, I have come up with some ideas, among them a visit to the local library for research skills, and some presentations from them on topics of their choice.

5. Share the learning at school
Another non-tech Google thing I liked: Learning on the Loo. I think this would be a great way to share ideas with other staff at work, although I will be prusuing some slightly less outlandish methods, including the staff bulletin. However, I am trying to think about how Learning on the Loo could be extended to pupils. It seems like it might be a good project for AGT students.