cont…
ranging and thought-
provoking (from Middle Eastern
social change to the scourge of
Avocado related injuries) with
the reflections being thoughtful
and honest.
!
I have been particularly struck by
the amount of sincere “I realise
how lucky I am” responses from
a generation that is unfairly
labelled as self-obsessed! The
level of empathy, and its release
into the atmosphere of my
classroom, has been a revelation!
!
Confidence has risen too, with
students eager to share their
findings, question or respond to
those of their peers, and even to
gently request an “uplifting
story” before we move on!
!
!
TRANSITION YEAR ?
It is a truth universally accepted
among TY teachers that TY
students are blessedly busy and
that sometimes it can be difficult
to gain traction with them in
class. The ‘Scoop’ may offer a
solution! Weekly engagement
with the news and the
submission of their reflections
could keep them focused,
reading, writing, and thinking
critically so that the skills they
will need to tackle a poem, novel,
play, or film in a thoughtful way
will be near the surface when
needed.
!
A teacher’s feedback (either oral,
written, or digital) can be seen as
formative assessment, and thus
hugely beneficial.
!
!
THE FUTURE ?
“Pobody’s Nerfect” and over the
course of the last few months I
have realised that the ‘Scoop’ will
be changing next year. Some of
the sources being referenced can
be sketchy at best, so I will be
adding another question to the
‘Scoop’. This one will call for
evaluation of the source itself
which will hopefully assist my
students in the identification of
“Fake News” and its purveyors.
!
Also, while I love the idea of their
ruminations on the news being
plastered on the wall for all to
engage with, this wall will
become digital next year due to
the amount of paper involved.
Google Forms will replace the
Scoop Sheet and the results can
then be shared via Google
Classroom, Twitter, and maybe
even Facebook!
!
As the news media itself seems to
have acknowledged, I need to
move with the times!
WWW.T YIRELAND.COM