Just after half term I had great pleasure of visiting three schools in the South West. Ostensibly, I was escorting my colleague Victoria Yegorenkova during her induction training, but it was a great excuse to get in some classroom observation and meet several teachers I knew previously only by reputation.
First up was Horndean TC. Horndean are using both Paperless School and Yacapaca, so it was a good chance to compare the two systems.
Highlights of the visit for me:
- Sarah Wood’s classroom. All four walls and even the ceiling were covered in stimulus material.
- The high-energy intensity of Sarah’s lessons, and the enthusiasm with which her students moved from task to task.
- Patrick Sheppard’s creative use of a Yacapaca test as a whiteboard tool. We had designed the test as an individual learning tool and it wasn’t completely legible from the back of the room, but nonetheless it made a great exercise for a closing plenary.
My thanks to Sarah and Patrick for an absolutely fascinating visit.
Yacapaca 