All about today

I finally used the safety IWB lesson today. It worked really well, the students enjoyed the lesson and chatted so much! They remembered the bit we had covered yesterday, including the differences between mains electricity and that from a battery, wiring of plugs, overloading plugs, damp conditions and a few other hazards. Today, we worked through fuses, circuit breakers and RCDs. P talked more in this lesson than he has throughout the rest of the year, I think! The 3 students worked well together today, nominating each other to answer questions and complete the activities. P seems to have the role of completing gap-fill exercises, whilst D and M took turns at a hotspots activity and answering past exam questions.

They correctly worked out for themselves that a fuse should be chosen with a slightly higher rating than the normal current as well as deciding why that should be. I was impressed with their reasoning abilities and was able to give directed praise as a result, something else I've learned from the CLIL book. Being able to ask a student how he had come to a correct conclusion really does show how much their work is valued and as such is so much better than a bland "well done". I can see the effect on their faces, it does mean so much more to them.

These new lessons are sooooooooooooooo much better and much more enjoyable for all.

I had an added bonus today, after teaching a Foundation class. Since I've only taught them for 4 weeks, I've not been able to devote a great deal of time to the IWB for them, though I did at least type out what I wanted to present and tried to add questions, diagrams and pictures throughout. One student lingered at the end of the lesson and asked if I would show her how to use the IWB as she thought it looked intriguing. She then said that she thought it all looked so easy and natural in my lessons and made the lessons flow so well. She even said how good the lessons looked, that everything looked slick and professional.

Wow! Doesn't this show the power of the IWB in class? As well as showing the value of spending just a little time in preparation. I can't imagine ever wanting to walk into a class without an IWB again or ever thinking that I don't want to bother preparing a lesson beforehand. We have an amazing tool at our disposal to help us to motivate and inspire these young people. It doesn't always have to be complicated linked pages or animated objects, though these are fun to prepare. Some of the simplest ideas can still impress and more importantly, they can help students to think for themselves and gain so much more from a lesson.

That's all I have time for tonight. CLIL thoughts, ideas and my own learning will have to wait for another day.