criticalthinking

Beyond Copy/Paste

Introduction One of my major concerns is helping my students improve at research: facile as it seems, they need to be able to not only find and copy/paste information: they need to be able to filter and apply information to synthesise their own work. I have tried to engage students with research work in variousContinue reading “Beyond Copy/Paste”

Computer Games

A teaching activity designed to give just-in-time knowledge can keep learning relevant to a problem being tackled and the sandbox in the early stages of learning can give students the confidence to experiment…and that is essentially the type of learning games provide. Hence, I like to introduce students to a topic via a game. OftenContinue reading “Computer Games”

Using Padlet

Introduction Some months ago, I decided to use a Padlet-based discussion for a Year 11 topic tackling the effects of computers on society. I expected this to be a topic on which all students had points to share and focussed on creating a discussion where all students had the possibility of sharing their points. PadletContinue reading “Using Padlet”

You made it!

One awesome thing about having internet-enabled devices at hand is that it is so easy (and affordable!) to implement a ‘take your own route to making it’ approach to assessment, allowing students to work their way towards correct answers without being penalised for their mistakes on the way. Of course the element of trial-and-error necessitatesContinue reading “You made it!”

Blog 4 Coding

Teaching coding to a mixed-ability group can be very challenging. However our blog allowed me increased flexibility as outlined here. Providing resources for self-learning Self-learning is not only a 21st century skill but a particularly key skill for any programming. This lesson structure allowed me to encourage self-learning in my students, started from the veryContinue reading “Blog 4 Coding”

Trivial Pursuit

In ‘A New Culture of Learning‘ the authors highlight how play is not only key to childhood but can be central to adults thriving in the twenty first century: and this is just one of a myriad arguments for a gamified approach to learning. A sense of continuity and purpose to students’ work is aContinue reading “Trivial Pursuit”

Kahoot vs Plickers

Kahoot and Plickers offer excellent means of assessing understanding and progress…and students love them. This means they pay more attention to their work, and because they get immediate feedback on their answers they are more likely to note and remember the correct reply. Hence in this respect they are both key to helping students grow.Continue reading “Kahoot vs Plickers”

Beyond exam marks

This exercise aims to increase the learning value of Half-Yearly Exams/tests etc, and is generally carried out in the first lesson after the exam/test session or as close to it as possible. Part 1: Paper Review Students are given a blog link with the marking scheme for the exam as well as a hardcopy exam-reviewContinue reading “Beyond exam marks”

A City for the eAges

Introduction In 2018 the theme for our school exhibition was Valletta ’18. The Computing Department’s exhibit involved our Year 9 and 10 students. Our main aim was to encourage students to reflect on how technology can help improve our experience of a 500 year old city in our 21st century realities of traffic issues in particular. Research MethodContinue reading “A City for the eAges”

Who dreamt my tech?

Introduction In 2017, as Malta was hosting the CHOGM, our school chose the Commonwealth and CHOGM as the theme for its annual exhibition. The Computing department focussed on one of the major themes of this meeting, namely: human rights, diversity and migration. Phase 1: Researching ‘Major Inventions’ Students were asked to list things they considerContinue reading “Who dreamt my tech?”