Active learning
Cast the spell:
The small group of pupils in the drama are exploring ideas and being creative. They are also working together in a group and learning performance skills. After listening to the clip, think of a lesson where you could use drama in small groups to help your pupils explore an idea.
Cast the spell - Audio [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
Seven rivers in Africa:
Do you give your pupils a variety of different ways to learn in your classroom? Do you use songs and poems in Science? In Geography? In other subjects?
Seven rivers in Africa - Audio
The maths game:
Using different types of activities can help to engage your pupils and make them more interested in the lesson. How does teacher Titus learn this in this classroom incident? Are there any games and songs that you could use in your classroom to help pupils learn more easily? Could you use them in Mathematics? Science?
The open day drama:
Like most teachers, you probably have a lot of children in your class. Often, it probably seems like your class is far too big for you to teach properly. How does working in groups help pupils to learn? Think about what the pupils are learning in this incident at the school open day. In this drama, Major encourages his fellow pupils to think that they are special and that their teacher has high expectations for their group. What other ways could you use to encourage pupils to work together effectively in small groups?
The town meeting:
Being creative can help solve discipline problems in the classroom. Why do you think Njideka is so successful with the children at the town meeting? Understanding your pupils enables you to capture their interest and engage them more fully with learning activities. What sort of activities and strategies could you try with noisy or disruptive pupils?
Let me do the cooking mama!:
As you listen to this drama consider what learning is taking place in Madam Fati's kitchen. Note both the knowledge and skills that are being learnt. What kinds of evidence could you use in your classroom to assess what children understand and do? Think back to how Madam Fati was assessing the children as they cooked; did she just taste the final dish? What else did she look at and comment on? You may find it helpful to listen to the drama again.
Let me do the cooking mama! - Audio