News in brief
- Arts education has came under intense fire this week. Scottish author Ali Smith called the decline of arts teaching in state schools “horrific”, while a major report found creativity is being squeezed out of schools. Cultural opportunities are being closed off to youngsters, especially those from poor backgrounds, a Warwick University report said. It also found a decline in the number of state schools offering arts subjects taught by specialist teachers.
- Elsewhere, a report by the education select committee has said that all state primary and secondary schools in England should teach sex and relationships education (SRE).
- All too often schools are having to exclude students to benefit from special support such as therapy, research suggests. The study, by The Inclusion Trust and the think tank LKMco, called for more support to keep kids in mainstream education.
- Leading headteacher, Dame Sally Coates, has lifted the lid on the “underhand” tactics used by schools to get round curbs on pupil selection. She is demanding a national review of school admission policies.
- All singing all dancing biology teacher, Richard Spencer, is among 10 finalists in a world teaching contest.
Research of the week
What happens to teachers’ brains when they help students?
Scientists have looked into what goes on in a teacher’s brain when they help students learn. They have identified the part of the brain – the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) – that teachers use to detect when their pupils do not understand something. Their findings provide insight into the brain processes that allow a teacher to understand a pupil’s learning. The study was carried out by a team from Royal Holloway, University of London, and their findings are published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The report’s lead author, Matthew Apps, says the study identifies some of the key structures in the brain that are important for teaching.
Read more about teachers’ brains as they help students to learn here.
Weekly snapshot
It’s half term so we’ve been gathering pictures of you and your pets. If you’re spending the break with an animal, then let us know about it here. We’ve also put together a gallery based on submissions so far here.
@GuardianTeach my not so furry (or friendly) friend #teacherspets pic.twitter.com/Ne6CuBrIzC
— Jayne Corkhill (@JayneCorkhill) February 18, 2015
The week in numbers
- Scottish councils have accused the government of breaking the law after the Scottish finance secretary, John Swinney, warned he will withhold up to £51m in education funding unless all Scottish councils sign a deal to freeze the number of school teachers.
- An estimated 9.5 million people lack a minimum level of digital skills. A report published on Tuesday said urgent action is required to ensure no child leaves school without basic digital literacy. It suggests teaching digital skills in schools should be regarded as important as numeracy and literacy.
Dates to remember
Give your grey matter a real work out on Sunday 22 February for World Thinking Day, and it’s Eating Disorders Awareness Week from the Monday 24 February.
Teaching resources
- This guide looks at eating disorders and how they affect young people.
- Re-focus your students after lunch or a long lesson with this brain training exercise.
- Discover famous inventors and inventions starting with the letters x, y and z.
- Spring is on its way, why not make some edible pictures for birds?
Latest blogs and comments
- How school teachers could become the foot soldiers of education research
- Put arts at the heart of Britain
- Seven big myths about top-performing school systems
- Should academies and free schools be allowed to hire unqualified teachers?
