Charity Insights

My time being based at the Collegiate Academy Trust is now over. The resources I have created will hopefully assist lessons and revising students for years to come!

The resources I have created cover some of the trickier areas of geography, such as rivers, exam questions and volcanism, topics that even the most talented geographer can find testing at times! Working with these areas created an extra challenge, not only to create the resources in the first place, but make them as interesting and enjoyable as possible.

As you can see I’m only on part 3, so, what’s to come in the final chapter?

My spare summer time will be spent creating, what I hope to be, an all-inclusive guide on my rock loaning scheme. I intend to have a page for every specimen, describing the specimen itself, describing and explaining where it is relevant in the curriculum and suggesting how it could be taught in order to fully utilise the specimen. I have completed my ‘wish list’ for the local geology museum and so should be going there any time soon to photograph and log the available specimens for my guide.

 

I also intend to reflect on my time working for the charity.

 

Read Part 3 (at the CAT) in full

Spending time on the other side of a school is something I cannot recommend enough. As strange as it may sound, I have begun to appreciate that teachers and staff are human – sounds like an obvious statement but up until the age of 9 I assumed they lived in their classrooms! Not only are they human, but some of the most hard working and dedicated people.

I digress. The resources I have produced are now seeping into lessons. My regenerated school rock collection, along with factsheets, has been used in several science lessons with great feedback – supporting students (and staff) who lack complete understanding and appreciation of rocks.

 

I also had the chance to teach my own lesson, allowing me to test drive the resources I have created. From this I gained not only fantastic expirence but also valuable feedback  from the people who will ultimately benefit from my work.

My grand plan to create a rock loaning scheme is now in full flow. I have met with the curator of a local geology museum who is willing to lend rocks, fossils and other specimens to the school. I am now spending my time creating a ‘wish list’ of specimens which is tailor-made for the school’s specifications.

I am looking forward to working with and overseeing the lending of world-class specimens and seeing them in lessons.

Read Part 2 (at the CAT) in full

I came into the CAT (Collegiate Academy Trust) wanting to inspire young minds and show them that there is a world behind the geography and geology they study, and I have left everyday with the same urge. My time at the CAT, based at their flagship school, is to be spent creating resources and developing connections with the geological community; as well as getting a feel for teaching on a day to day basis.

I spent my first few days being introduced to the latest resource creating software and settling into life in a school. Once I got over the novelty of seeing a school (and teachers) from the other side, its a place I felt right at home. With everything set up, I began work on creating resources for GCSE and A-level students. A week later and my first couple are finished; polished revision tools and tests which I am (and my department are) proud of. Many skills are being called into play, from graphics and coding to simply remembering my GCSE geography – I feel like its a fantastic consolidator for what I’ve learnt over the past few years.

My plan for a rock loaning scheme has just begun. I soon found that GCSE and A-level students have barely enough time to cover the specification, never mind diverting to look at rocks. However, I am currently in talks with teachers of lower years (7&8), and hopefully from here the scheme will begin to take shape.

I have spent some time immersing myself in the school. I have been put in charge of the rock collection, which is in desperate need of sorting, with which I will also produce and provide resources. I have been assigned a group of gifted and talented students with the task of ‘stretching their minds’ next week – a chance to trial run my resources, as well as getting my first taste of solo teaching. Had a fantastic experience so far – roll on the next few weeks.

 

Read Week 1&2 at the Collegiate Academy Trust in full