Can teachers be replaced by technology in the future?

I believe this is possible for teachers to be replaced in the future because technology is so advanced and we are seeing further advances every day in artificial intelligence, over the past twenty years technology has started to replace: check-out cashiers, factory workers, furniture manufacturers, bridge toll collectors, railway station ticket seller along with many more vocations. It is difficult to think of jobs that are not in jeopardy of being replaced by technology and robots in the future, so what’s to say the same would not happen to teachers?

So many people today are reliant on technology and the media and this is also the case in schools especially in secondary schools and universities. So many resources and tasks are now posted online the amount of time spent in a school environment is declining. All the work done by teachers could be posted online for students to study at home. 

However, teachers will always be needed to manage the classroom environment and to give students the encouragement they need. Part of education for children is teaching them social-emotional skills. Students may be digital wizzes, but they still need help in locating and using digital resources in the correct way for learning. Teachers are there for support and help and can assess and track children’s development from seeing them on a daily basis.

The role of education technology is continuously expanding from projectors to smart boards and enabling the better interaction between teachers and students in the classroom, Fedena, 2019.  Teachers do more than just the one-way task of instructing a student. They help identify problems for students that might be more personal or emotional in nature, that a machine cannot pick up on. They help put lessons into context, which might not be possible for a piece of technology to do. Technology can be built to aid teachers, but not replace them.

References:

Fendena (2019) Teachers vs Technology. Online at:  https://fedena.com/blog/2018/05/teachers-vs-technology-can-technology-replace-teachers.html [Accessed 2/4/19]

Why is reading for pleasure important?

Reading is an essential skill part of everyday life and is not just a classroom activity. Reading is a skill that becomes better with practice. It is important to develop skills when reading for pleasure at a young age as it can have a distinct impact on your later educational pursuits. It is necessary to continue to develop reading skills, even when a child is beginning to read simple books it helps with their speech and language development.

Our research report specifically shows that the benefits of reading are more likely to be felt when reading takes place through free choice. The outcomes of reading will occur more often and more strongly if reading is enjoyable in the first instance.

What is reading for pleasure?

Reading for pleasure is choosing to read without being set a task of reading, it is making the choice independently because it is something you enjoy rather than something you need to do. Choosing to read, gives the child ownership and their own of direction and sense of achievement when they have finished a book. It encompasses a wide range of genres and publications, and includes both fiction and non-fiction. For example, gardening or cookery books can be read as instructional texts in order to carry out specific tasks, but can also be read purely for pleasure. Similarly, fiction is often considered to be read for pleasure – but may also be read for academic study. Skillswise, 2019

Benefits of reading for pleasure include: increased sense of emotion, improved relationships with others, becoming enthralled by a book, it widens horizons, you can do it anywhere it prevents boredom and promotes relaxation. A growing number of studies show that promoting reading can have a major impact on children and adults and their future. Upon reviewing the research literature, Clark and Rumbold (2006) identify several main areas of the benefits to reading for pleasure: Reading attainment and writing ability; Text comprehension and grammar; Breadth of vocabulary; Positive reading attitudes; Greater self-confidence as a reader; Pleasure in reading in later life; General knowledge; A better understanding of other cultures; Community participation; and A greater insight into human nature and decision-making.

Different authors all use ways of engaging their audience by using different methods. Dahl uses storytelling techniques that have been linked to traditional oral storytelling devices (Adams, 2016) He presents these devices under the acronym ‘HMMMM’ Here, Mind, Music, Magic, Mystery which are all ways of capturing the attention of children when storytelling.

How can you promote reading for pleasure in a classroom?

It is important within a primary school to have reading displayed on doors and in classrooms.  As a teacher you could introduce book of the month or have a reading wall that gets changed regularly, within most primary school classrooms teachers have an interactive book corner which is important for students to have the opportunity to go and have a quiet five minutes to calm down or relax. This can be taken as a reward so children want to enter the book corner and therefore then this promotes good behaviour as well as encouraging reading for pleasure. Within a school it is important to have a library that children have the option to attend on a regular basis and take out a book  that they find interesting and that they are intrigued to read.

References:

The reading agency (2015) Why is reading for pleasure important? online at: https://readingagency.org.uk/news/blog/why-is-reading-for-pleasure-important.html [Accessed 13/4/19]

Skillswise, (2019) Reading for pleasure to support the engagement and motivation of learners. Online at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/tutors/using-skillswise-as-a-tutor/reading-for-pleasure [Accessed:13/4/19] BBC

Clark, C. & Rumbold, K. (2006). Reading for Pleasure a research overview. The National Literacy Trust.

Is technology easily monitored and safe within primary education?

There are ongoing arguments about whether or not technology should be fully implemented within primary education classrooms because of the vast array of positives and negatives. Positives include: huge databases with useful and up-to-date information, fun, interactive and educational games, bringing communities across the world closer together, creating real world scenarios within the comfort of a classroom, easy access, and many more. Negatives include: harmful material can easily be accessed, teachers can sometimes find it hard to monitor their student’s activity, risks of cyber bullying, people creating false personas, young children may find it difficult to keep on track becoming distracted and purchasing things which they should not.

Technology is beneficial within a classroom environment as it gives children the opportunity to broaden their knowledge far more than just the same old books that have been used before. Technology is becoming more common within classrooms with the likes of tablets, laptops and interactive boards being used.  There are however many reasons why practitioners and parents are concerned about the use of technology at a young age. The internet can be a dangerous place, especially for younger people as they are vulnerable and sometimes do not realise harmful material can be one click away. Government guidance across the UK highlights the importance of safeguarding pupils from harmful and inappropriate online material, NSPCC.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that technology is easily monitored and can be controlled with ease by a teacher within a learning environment. Teachers can have access to a linked profile so they can see their student’s screens on one main screen, this makes it easier for teachers to track their student’s activity and to keep them on track with the task at hand. Monitoring progress is also convenient as teachers can track student’s history and keep an electronic copy of student’s progress and grades on a single spreadsheet. Graphs can also be made in correlation to a student’s grade average, this may give some teachers a clearer vision on who may need more help and support whilst also showing how some student’s react to different teaching methods.

I have found an acronym for internet safety rules from the website ‘UK Safer Internet Centre’ which allows for a memorable way of keeping safe whilst using the internet. The acronym used is ‘SMART’ which stands for

Safe - Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information when you're chatting or posting online.

Meet - Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents' or carers' permission and even then, only when they can be present.

Accepting - Accepting emails, messages, or opening files, images or texts from people you don't know or trust can lead to problems — they may contain viruses or nasty messages!

Reliable - Someone online might lie about who they are and information on the internet may not be true.

Tell - Tell a parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone, or something, makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online.

It is a great way for young students to use this to cap risk and keep them safer whilst using technology within a classroom.

I think this acronym is a reliable and clever way to keep young internet users safe as it covers the main issues of internet safety.

References:

NSPCC (2019) E-safety for schools. Online at: https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/schools/e-safety-for-schools/ [Accessed: 12/4/19]

UK Safer Internet Centre. (2019) SMART Rules! Online at https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/young-people/resources-3-11s [Accessed: 12/4/19]

How can play promote learning in the primary school.?

Play is a key feature of any child’s development and learning. Bruce stated that, play is a spontaneous and active process where thinking, feeling and doing can thrive; when playing we are free to be inventive and creative. Play has a huge impact on a child’s fundamental skills of literacy, it helps to develop their speech development as well as their confidence and creative learning. Play affects a child’s development because holistically they will mature in all areas, this includes their physical, intellectual, emotional and social growth. Play influences the child to make independent, wise decisions and approaches to life. They will practice this and cooperate this into their learning. There are many different ways that play can benefit children, research suggests that play is vital for cognitive, creative, emotional, physical and social development and these developmental benefits last through adulthood (Brown & Patte, 2013). So many topics can be covered through play but some have a bigger impact than others, for example English and literacy. Within the primary school, children can develop their speaking and listening skills through all forms of play. These range from, outdoor play, arts and craft, construction play and role play. Through these examples, children can develop their social skills as well as their literacy and mathematics skills, when carrying out construction play children are estimating space awareness as well as measuring and science. Play provides opportunities to develop knowledge, understanding and skills through a range of contexts spanning all subjects in the curriculum it also develops natural curiosity and stimulates imagination.

References:

·         Bruce, T. (2011) Cultivating Creativity: for babies, Toddlers and Young Children. London: Hodder. 

·         Brown, F & Patte, M (2013) Rethinking Children’s Play. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Maths in the outdoors

I believe it is important to encourage maths and cross curricular subjects in the outdoors. This can be done in so many ways and is so easy to carry out as a practitioner.  We spent a seminar session looking at how you can teach maths in the outdoors. As a group we looked at the resources you can use and how you can also do it with limited resources and use natural materials.

What are benefits of doing maths in the outdoors?

-       By doing maths outside as a child you can physically see how maths works rather than in theory and on paper.

-       You can also use resources to interlink different topics like science and physical education.

-       Teaching outdoors keeps children engaged and by changing the environment you keep the children interested as well as excited which motivates them to listen to the practitioner.

-       It can bring out the confidence of some students as they are in a different environment and therefore may feel less pressure.

-       Children have a higher level of motivation

-       There is the opportunity to see maths as cross-curricular.

-       Learning outdoors gives you a meaningful application of problem solving strategies and thinking skills and a heightened sense of purpose and relevance.

-       By teaching outside you gain a realisation that our environment offerers opportunities for learning and enjoyment

Maths can make some people feel anxious, leading them to avoid situations where they may have to use mathematics (Chinn, 2012). Doing maths in the outdoors can distract them from this fear and often when lessons are taught outdoors children forget they're learning and just enjoy what is happening.

       What are the challenges of teaching in the outdoors?

As well as the many benefits there are also some weaknesses of working with children outdoors such as;

-       There is an increase of risk due to unsteady environments.

-       Children can become excited and therefore distracted as it is not their normal environment, this can cause interruption from others education and disruption for the teacher.

-       There are limited resources in the outdoors whereas inside, classrooms are tailored to teach so therefore equipped with appropriate materials to meet the curriculum.

References: 
Chinn, S., 2012. Beliefs, Anxiety and Avoiding Fear in Mathematics. Child Development Research 2012.

How can a classroom benefit the learning of a child?

Being in a classroom as apposed to any other environment is beneficial for a child as it can be extremely influential and motivational for a child to work hard and find it an easier environment to concentrate and participate in learning.

What makes a good classroom environment?

A good classroom is made up of beneficial resources such as posters, interactive activities, display boards, fun shapes and relevant characters that children can relate to.  Posters are great to have up in classrooms because they are cost efficient and will last a long time especially those which are laminated and water resistant will last for years and can be changed around when different classes move up.

It is important to change round classrooms often that children spend a lot of their time in, children look around and acknowledge things around them if they are the same displays and features in a classroom, children are looking at the same things and not learning anything new.

Wall display boards are key in a classroom and they ensure as a teacher that your walls are stimulating and beneficial because they can show parents what their child is learning as well as giving information for the pupils.

Often, teachers display their students work when they have completed an activity. This gives children a positive self-esteem and confidence in themselves, as well as motivation to do well in tasks and get their work displayed.

What is good to include on wall displays?

Any effective wall display includes;

* Bold catchy titles and it is important to include the title of the topic such as Mr Alligators Algebra, this

* A variation of different boarders and backgrounds.

* Colourful and vibrant images.

* Using bold writing, quotes or alliteration gives a stronger impact and draws attention to the topic title.

In conclusion a good classroom requires practical activities, children’s work presented across the room and bold text and information to aid learning.

Why is it important to incorporate outdoor learning into primary school education?

In an Areas of Learning and Experience seminar we worked in groups to create a 'Fairy house' which we then created a story based on this to tell to the other groups. We then each gave a pitch as to why ours was bets to live in. It is important to incorporate outdoor learning into children’s education because children are given the opportunities to build shelters, learn about cooking on and lighting fires, learning some tool skills, and be taught basic outdoor health and safety skills. Children can get involved with collecting wood and resources and therefore do things more hands on which makes it more fun and interactive. Forest school within school links with nature play which is children exploring and enjoying the natural environment through their freely chosen play. (Brown, & Patte, 2013) This gives children the chance to build on their personal skills as well as their intellectual skills and develop both their self-confidence and self-esteem, understanding and respect of nature Rigg Farm, (2011). Children have the opportunity to play in environments that aren’t as common now as they were years ago, due to safety and technology children are now restricted to stay indoors and not be as adventurous and unstructured as play is now. The natural world will be seen and experienced from season to season given the children a true Brown, F & Patte, M (2013) Rethinking Children’s Play. Bloomsbury Publishing.

When teaching numeracy, it is important to remember that maths needs to be fun, use a variety of teaching styles, be exciting and rewarding, you need to make it memorable, you need to challenge the children and keep the tasks active. Teaching in the outdoors will meet all these objectives and be effective for all students. It is essential that the outside learning area is an extension of the classroom, therefore there must be opportunities for the children to develop and extend their mathematical thinking and understanding. By creating stimulating mathematical resources, pupils will have the opportunity to consolidate their learning and see maths as part of their everyday life and not something that happens for an hour a day in a classroom. When outside children are less restricted and have the freedom to sing, talk and shout, making it possible to engage in lively play, conversation and debate. Sargent, M.

References:

Rigg Farm (2011) Rigg farm Montessori nursery. Online at: www.riggfarmmontessori.com/index2.html. [Accessed: 02/12/18]

Sargent, M. Developing Early Maths Skills Outdoors. Online at: https://learn.cardiffmet.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/941644/mod_resource/content/1/Developing%20Early%20Maths%20Skills%20Outdoors.pdf