Author: Asher

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The Children’s Commissioner wants your views

The Children’s Commissioner would like to hear from children and young people on what they think are the best things about being a child or young person and what could be better.

Please help us promote this short survey to the children and young people you know and work with. We have three questions and it should only take a couple of minutes to complete. It will help us to understand what is important to children and young people in England and help to improve lives.

The survey is open for 7-21 year olds, time is crucial we want to start this debate now and will be pulling together first findings on TUESDAY 30 JUNE MIDDAY!

https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=143499061448

This survey is just one of the many ways that the Children’s Commissioner will be encouraging us all to think about, talk about and share what childhood means to children and young people today. Children and young people can be helped and supported by peers and adults to ensure accessibility with this quick straw poll and look out for our other engagement methods on this topic over the year.

Anne Longfield signature

Anne Longfield

Children’s Commissioner for England

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involver blog

What’s the purpose of schools?

My wife is going to the ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders) conference later this month and been asked what question she would like to ask the keynote speakers:

Friday 20 March

  • Tristram Hunt MP
  • David Laws MP
  • Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI

Saturday 21 March

  • Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP

She was interested to find out what I would ask. I think it’s really interesting to try to ask something that would get them to reveal what they think the purpose of schools and education is and to try to get them to show up some clear policy differences.

These are the first things that came to my mind. What would you ask?

  1. What plans do you have that will increase stability for pupils and schools to allow them to focus on their core function, learning and teaching, rather than being distracted by the constantly moving goal posts of curriculum, assessment, inspection, school structures and funding formulas?
  2. Without using a cliché, a political sound bite or educational jargon can you say one concrete thing that your policies will do that will help a child to enjoy learning?
  3. In fact, can you say anything without using a cliché, a political sound bite or educational jargon?
  4. How will your policies ensure that Citizenship is well-taught in all schools? (Could do background on votes at 16, Prevent, etc. – evidence suggests this has to be as discrete subject with well-trained, specialist teachers.)
  5. If you had to make a choice, would you prefer to raise a child’s attainment or raise their love of learning?
  6. What role should the future economy of a country play in how it structures its schools?
  7. What role should the well-being of pupils play in how schools are structured?
  8. Can you say why attainment is important without reference to economics?
  9. Can you say why attainment is important without reference to future prospects (in which attainment may realistically only play a minor role)?
  10. Do you believe there should be more secondary moderns?
  11. When everyone has to stay in education until 18 why have high-stakes exams at 16?

Obviously these questions reveal a lot about my own views on education and frustration with how our current crop of politicians view it and talk about it.

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involver blog

Student-led institutions: an academic workshop

We’ve been asked to promote this very interesting looking event to “schools, colleges, educational charities, policy forums, trade unions”. I’m intending on going.

Theme: Autonomy and Freedom in schools and universities: a focus on pedagogy and curriculum

Date:     Thursday 12 March 2015

Time:     12noon-5pm

Venue:  Executive Meeting Room JHB 128, Oxford Brookes University, (Headington, Gipsy Lane site), Oxford

We have confirmed two keynotes speakers who will share experiences of working in innovative student-led institutions in Denmark. These are Prof Martin Bayer (Roskilde University) and Mr Jørn West Larsen (Hellerup School). There will also be opportunities for smaller discussions and workshops which will be confirmed nearer the time.

A website (www.freedomtolearnproject.com) and a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/freedomtolearnproject) are also available to view. These include information about a new PhD scholarship which is currently being advertised at the University of Hull. This is attached to the Freedom to Learn Project and will focus on exploring autonomy and freedom in the tertiary sector. Please help us by passing on the details of this scholarship to any potential applicants. The deadline is 2 February 2015.

Please do email Clare McKinlay (c.m.mckinlay@hull.ac.uk) if you would like to reserve a place at this or future project events.

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involver blog

Time for a new look

involver has been running for 5 years now, in which time we’ve worked with fantastic organisations in the UK and overseas as well as hundreds of schools.

We thought it was time for a refresh of our image and website. Partly this reflects a change in how we are working and what we’re working on, but we’ll explain that in more detail soon (once we’re clearer about it ourselves).

What do you think of the new look?

Let us know if there’s anything you have trouble finding anything on the site.

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Get ready for a Takeover

The Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day is a fantastic way of giving the young people you work with a say in your organisation. We’ve been big supporters ever since we first heard about it, so we’re very proud to announce that we’ve been commissioned by the Children’s Commissioner (how appropriate) to organise the scheme this year.

Get the date in your diaries now, it’s the biggest national youth voice event in England and you should be part of it. We’ll be here to help you every step of the way, so feel free to call (020 3411 3294), email (info@involver.org.uk) or Tweet (@TakoverDay) if you want some help organising your Takeover.

If you have taken part in Takeover Day in the past, you’ll know what a great event it is and so we want your help to get more children, young people and organisations involved. Drop us an email if you think you might like to become an ambassador for Takeover Day or have your Takeover Day featured in our publicity material and guides.

Welbourne Primary School pupils taking over involver
Welbourne Primary School pupils taking over involver
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Competitive games to promote collaboration and teamwork

Competition is seen by some people in education, youth work and team building as a dirty word, but it definitely has its uses. With many groups and individuals it is a great motivating factor and can help you break down some people’s reluctance to join in. As long as you don’t dwell on the winners and losers and instead try to pull out the learning it can be very effective.

Many of the games I posted previously can also be used in this way if you just split the group into two or more teams, but these I feel work especially well with a competitive element.

Remember to get the most out of all of these activities …

Before the activity

  • Explain the rules as simply as possible.
  • Don’t give tips on how to complete the task.
  • Don’t explain what you want them to get out of it.

During the activity

  • Unless a judge is needed, you should take full part in the activity.
  • If everyone is struggling, pause the game and ask people what is going wrong; ask them what they could do to change it.
  • Stop the games while people are still excited, don’t wait for them to start dragging.

After the activity

  • Don’t make a big deal out of winners and losers – a quick cheer or round of applause is enough.
  • Draw out the learning through asking them to reflect on the activity, don’t tell them what you think the learning should be.
    • Ask those who succeeded: What worked well in your team? What did you do that allowed you to succeed?
    • Ask those who struggled: What would you differently next time?
    • Ask those who struggled but managed in the end: What do you change? Why? Did that work?
    • Finally, ask them what they learned through the activity – they may well come up with far more than you intended!

Shark infested water

Useful for

Co-ordination; helping each other out; playing to strengths; talking to one another; lateral thinking.

Method

  1. Split the groups into teams of at least 4.
  2. Give each team fewer pieces of paper than there are people (make it harder by giving fewer pieces of paper).
  3. Explain that this room is actually shark infested water. The paper is little moveable islands.
  4. They have to get their whole team from one side of the room to the other before the other team.
  5. If anyone steps in the water they have to start again.

Resources

  • Pieces of paper just big enough for two people to stand on
  • You can use chairs instead of paper, but be careful

Move the cups

Useful for

Co-ordination; taking things slowly; talking to one another; lateral thinking.

Method

  1. Place the hula hoops on the ground.
  2. Place three cups in the centre of each hula hoop.
  3. Place one elastic band/string contraption with each hula hoop.
  4. Split the groups into teams of three.
  5. Send each team to one of the hula hoops.
  6. Explain the rules:
    • Their hands can’t go into the hula hoop.
    • They can’t touch the cups.
    • They can only hold one piece of string each.
  7. Explain that they have to lift the three cups out of the hoop and stack them in a pyramid (two next to each other and one balancing on top).

Resources

  • Hula hoops
  • Plastic cups
  • Elastic bands with three pieces of 50cm long string tied to them.

See, run, do

Useful for

Communication; seeing things from others’ perspective; importance of everyone playing their role well.

Method

  1. Split the groups into teams of three.
  2. Get the teams to decide on one of them to be a ‘Seer’, one to be a ‘Runner’ and the other a ‘Doer’.
  3. Send all the ‘Doers’ to one end of the room and tell them each to grab a pen and piece of paper. They cannot move from there.
  4. Send all the ‘Seers’ to the other end of the room. They cannot move from there.
  5. The ‘Runners’ can go anywhere, but they can’t touch the pen or paper and they can’t see the picture.
  6. You are going to show a picture to the ‘Seer’.
  7. They have to get a copy of that picture across the room.
  8. After they’ve had a few minutes get them to stop and compare the picture to your original. Choose the one that’s most like a photocopy of your image. Concentrate on details like size, orientation, neatness, what’s coloured in, etc.
  9. Ask them what went well and what they could have done differently or better.
  10. Get them to stay in the same groups, but change roles.
  11. Repeat and then change roles one last time.
  12. Ask them which role was the hardest and which was most important.

Variation (without the ‘Runners’)

  • Try in pairs, with people sitting back to back – the one has to explain the picture to the other, who can’t see it.
  • In the first round show the picture very briefly.
  • In the second, give the ‘Seer’ the picture to study whilst she explains it.
  • In the third round allow the ‘Seer’ to see and comment on what the ‘Doer’ is drawing, but don’t allow the ‘Doer’ to see the original picture.

Resources

  • Blank paper
  • Pens
  • 3 simple pictures