#TwitteratiChallenge

I have to be honest here, my first reaction to Rachel Jones’ post was less than positive. I’m not really a fitting in sort of person. I’m not the cool kid. I’m what would be considered a square teacher in a round classroom. However, that would be both unfair and unkind to Rachel, who is someone that I respect hugely. And she said nice things about me and so therefore, here is this post. I actually remember Rachel’s first TeachMeet presentation and it was fantastic. I began to like her even more when I got to know her and understand her.

The negative feeling I had was compounded when I looked at this from the Urban Dictionary:

And then Google came to the rescue with this:

Which seemed OK, although I was disappointed to learn that there exists no direct Welsh translation. Nor does it exist in Iceland. Bugger. The truth is, I have no idea whey people follow me on Twitter. It started, (kind of as I have no idea what happened to number 1,3 or 3) with tweeting about Cheese on Toast in 2009. Truth is, I don’t care what people think of me, or my Tweets and I feel a little bit of an imposter to be included in the ‘club’ (of which I’m not sure I want membership) as all I do is share stories and for that reason, I’m probably not included in many other lists.

Anyhow, to be mentioned by Rachel really made me smile as really, it’s all about being recognised by people that I admire and respect. The fact that Rachel is one of the few people whose opinion actually matters to me, is very important so I’m going to stop being a brat and tell you about five people that I would add to my hall of fame. Oh, and being included with some other very cool people whose work I admire was truly very humbling. I’ve ignored the rules, so here are some people that inspire me everyday, not necessarily because I interact with them every day, but because their opinions matter and they are changing to world:

@GeoDebs

Jo Debens is simply awe inspiring. She captured my imagination with an interview lesson on fish in the Spinaker Tower and still took the job when I told her that the job was going to be a gruelling and thankless task. She helped create Priory Geography and is my go-to-geographer. Has given me many reality checks. She tells me how it is, creates and shares many simple and effective ideas and always gives me an alternative point of view. She doesn’t believe it, but she’ll run one of the best schools in the country one day. She needs to know how good she is.

@AndyKnill

There are so so many geographers that I could list but Andy is amazing. He’s honest, practices what he preaches in a world where people are less than honest about their own impact. I love his energy, enthusiasm and wide knowledge. One day I hope we’ll have a very long walk, a beer and a catch up proper. He deserves a mention purely for my remarks about Global Solo (which actually is a bloody great idea)

@mrlockyer

There are a million reasons why I should hate Stephen. We haven’t really ever spoken and all things tell me I should think he’s a cock. But, all things aside, he makes me laugh, think and occasionally jump up and down in anger. As my default status is one of quiet contemplation and professional nonchalance, this is a good thing. Also cares and listens a lot. An old soul if there ever was one. The person who got me involved with the @staffrm crew.

@leah_moo

Pointed out that Primary rocks, not be preaching but by demonstrating. Lots of energy and up for the challenge of making links between the primary and secondary classrooms. Frustrated at the moment, but will go far.

@staffrm

Not a person, but a developing mindset. My faith ebbs and flows and I do wonder if it will be a unique space or get filled with those who wish to promote their own causes. The place is seriously filled with lots of new bloggers and untapped gems. Nuggets of information that inspire me every day. Really is allowing me to think at the moment.

There are a set of rules here, find them if you like. My intention here was to highlight some people who make life easier and who help me to remember the main thing: young people and learning. There are many, many others that I could list, including a huge range of geographers who I know through The GA or RGS.

Otherwise, if you tweet, keep doing so and do so without caring what others think and say. You can always ignore them. That’s the beauty of Twitter.

High Impact, Low effort

This month is the start of the #29daysofwriting challenge. I enjoyed this last year and will be using my Staffrm account to post. I'll also be reporting here, both to give a little more detail and to keep a log of what I have written. The challenge developed a great sense of community last year, which is why I'm choosing to write on Staffrm. What I would say to those who are new to writing or don't want to run out of ideas is: Write for yourself. Clarify an idea, write something out loud. The process of distilling thoughts into writing is immensely beneficial to your practice. If other read, comment and respond, that's a bonus. Ignore the muppets who know nothing of your context, style or students. Mix it up - I like to read about real stuff from real classrooms and schools and also about other stuff. If we always write about school, how does that work for workload? If you've nothing nice to say, don't say it. So, the following has been ...

What makes a learning experience profound? Personal reflections and possible implications for classroom practice.

I have recently begun a Leadership Pathways journey. As part of the first core day, we were asked to reflect on a profound learning experience. This got me thinking about how many profound learning experiences I have both been involved in, and how many I have been able to give to others. Our group came up with a huge long list, but these are my five. Emotional Connected Demanding Reflective Collaborative As always, these are personal thoughts and quite mixed up. I put them here so that I can look back on them (plus they’d get lost inside my world-cup-free brain) 1. Emotional I can’t think of a time where deep learning hasn’t engaged my emotions. From being awe inspired to that tingle feeling when a student gets a light bulb moment. From this-is-the-happiest-day-ever, to I-think-I’m-about-to die. How often do we engage the emotions of those we teach? Here, I would argue that having a safe learning environment i...

Banned Word Board

Today I want to share some simple ideas that I have found to be very effective in the classroom. I can't say that they are my own original ideas, although I have played around with them. The first is the Banned word Board. This is a simple display in the classroom that lists a number of words that are not allowed to be used by pupils in their written or oral answers. The effect has been an increase in the quality of written work, and I have almost made comments such as 'Sir it's simple, the stuff just affects the thing and causes people problems'. Pupils are now more able to use specific language, something that is vital especially at GCSE. I have had to make a few modifications, such as the introduction of 'Heavenly Words' This is an additional display placed on the ceiling. I found this necessary as pupils needed some stimulus in finding replacement words. After advice received after posting the idea on the SLN forum , I have also introduced semi-banned words...

David Rogers

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