Ellie Overland
I'm a Senior Lecturer in Education and have been teaching more years than I care to remember!
I love all things in education technology and trying to predict how teaching will develop in the future.
Location Manchester, UK
Activity
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Ellie Overland replied to Dwayne Roberts
Asking questions is definitely important - sometimes colleagues can forget and use acronyms or terminology you have never heard before!
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Ellie Overland made a comment
Welcome to everyone joining us this week on the course. Please introduce yourself
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Applying scores to mutiple choice questions can be quite a useful way to do some straightforward analysis although it can be viwed as quite simplistic. A standard research methods textbook will provide more information on approaches to using multiple choice questions and subsequent analysis.
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Are you planning to interview all the students or a sample?
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Is this to focus on transition between KS2 and KS3 or different age groups?
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Ellie Overland replied to Amy Welsh
Transition is going to be a real challenge. Will you want to do some assessment first and then focus on IT skills?
It may be that IT skills are better than in usual years after all the online learning? -
Is there a particular section of the K-12 curriculum you would like to focus on?
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This is a really important research project. For the scope of this course you may want to focus on a small section of the 2 year curriculum to keep it manageable.
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This is really clear Claudia and it is evident you already have a hypothesis that will act as a suitable starting point for your final research plan.
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@AllenTsui I remember our conversation! I hope you are well and you find this course useful for your ongoing work
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As the week goes on I think more people will join this group and join the conversation with Janine. Potentially it is quite broad so please outline what you are thinking about your curriculum planning.
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It is good to be a trailblazer in research! Once you have some plans as to what form your research will take, it will be worth having the conversation in school as to what you would like to do and what ethical considerations you need to make.
There will be exmples of research policies online and you may be able to adapt one for your own setting from another... -
Parental permission may be required but it may already be covered under a pre-existing home-school agreement. It is certainly something to check.
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Ellie Overland replied to Kathryn Monk
I like your thinking here - it will be interesting to perhaps consider this again in week 2 when you explore some of the more specific research tools and plans.
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A literature review can take a long time but it will be useful to find a small number of key papers to keep it manageable and provide a basis to allow you to move to the next stages of your research.
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You are right - finding the appropriate questions to ask is a challenge. Reading research others have already carried out can be a useful starting point. It can also be useful to test your questions on a small scale to start with.
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This sounds like an interesting project to research. Potentially it could be quite broad, do you have a specific focus in mind?
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This is an interesting question - how do we know, and most importantly what we then do with the information? Do you ave any ideas for AFL you would like to explore?
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Ellie Overland replied to Suparna Roy
Do you have a focus for your communication in mind? Is it linked to assessment and feedback?
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Ellie Overland replied to Sharifa Khatun
Yes. Although sometimes it doesn't lead to solutions - you may just discover more questions!
It is important to be open to ideas that your research may not always find suitable new practices. -
It is great you ave already engaged in some research and have ideas for continuing yur journey. I think there is great scope for exploring creativity in computing classrooms.
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Ellie Overland made a comment
You have developed some great ideas here for creating a positive classroom.
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You should have a range of placements during your training and you will work with many different teachers so hopefully you will find a style that will suit you.
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Ellie Overland made a comment
It is great to hear so many examples of classroom practice and the wide range of approaches. Lots of you have identified an engaging start is a real positive. What are some of the best starts to lessons you have seen?
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Time can be a difficult aspect to predict in a lesson - do you think it's more difficult to manage time in an online lesson than in the 'real classroom'?
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Creating groups can be a real challenge in the classroom. What different ways could teachers structure groups or encourage collaboration?
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Ellie Overland replied to R S
What sort of activities would you have prepared for those particular children?
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Routine and structure can be a really important aspect of lessons and is often taken for granted.
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Ellie Overland replied to Rozz Vargas
Welcome Rozz - I hope you find the course useful to share with your own trainee teachers.
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Ellie Overland replied to Rebecca Wright
Don't worry at all - we have had trainee teachers much older and they have been great. Your prior experience will prove invaluable in the classroom.
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Ellie Overland replied to Rosie Bibi
Try not to be scared Rosie - TAs have the best classroom experience to move forward into teaching
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Ellie Overland replied to Corina T
Welcome Corina - I think you will find week 2 really useful
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Ellie Overland replied to Ellie Overland
TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language
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Ellie Overland made a comment
There are already a few different acronyms appearing that you might not be familiar with:
PGCE - Postgraduate Certificate in Education - a one year course taken after an undergraduate degree to qualify as a teacher
SCITT - School Centred Initial Teacher Training - a post graduate course to qualify as a teacher, primarily based in school
BA in Education -... -
Ellie Overland made a comment
Hi Everyone
Welcome to the course - it is interesting to hear your different motivations for starting the course and I am delighted so many people are interested in teaching. It really is the most rewarding profession :)
We are looking forward to working with you all
Best Wishes
Ellie -
Ellie Overland replied to Gemma Bishop
Hi Delicia - a PGCE is a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. In the UK it is a one year course that can be taken after a degree to qualify as a teacher.
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Ellie Overland made a comment
Welcome to all those joining the course. It is great to have such a range of experiences and countries represented and this will make the discussions really interesting.
I am here to support you throughout the next weeks and I am looking forward to working with you all. -
Ellie Overland replied to Simon Palmer
This is an interesting response to the quiz. Obviously it is difficult to reduce the complexities of lesson observation to a multiple choice activity so there is some level of generalisation.
I am interested in your use of the term 'blind eye' - this does still suggest that you feel some sense that you are observing a lesson in order to make judgments. At... -
Ellie Overland replied to Elliott Waters
I totally agree with many of your comments Elliott. In addition to funding issues I think there is a certain level of fear in schools, not only in staff confidence in using technology but also in keeping children safe. By not engaging with technology in education in some ways we could be in danger of making the online world more unsafe as we are not modelling...
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Thank you Paul and Becki - you have pulled out some key features here. The countdown is a useful technique - we often talk about trainee teachers developing a 'tool box' of strategies they can use to manage their lessons. Has anyone seen other techniques they think would be useful?
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It is interesting thinking about different behaviour issues with different ages of children. At what age do we think behavior changes most? Does it ever improve?
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Definitely staying calm is important. An emotional response is rarely productive and this is when teachers can start to feel stressed.
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This is an interesting question - do we learn from people we don't like. I can certainly think of some teachers who I disliked but not sure how it impacted my learning. Do other people have views on this?
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This is a really interesting approach to take in thinking about behaviour. Have you come across the work of Carol Dweck and mindsets? I think this would resonate with your thinking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Dweck -
Your experience in this regard is important here Simon. Having the balance between nurture and support and not accepting excuses is important. This can be hard when you do not know the students well. How did you balance this when you were first getting to know the students?
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A thoughtful response here Sally - the idea that children feel safe to make mistakes is an important part of learning.
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This is a really good question. In a lot of primary classrooms the children are in the same room all day. Has anyone got any good suggestions for Alice?
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This sounds like you will strive to have a really positive and motivational classroom environment which is great.
Think carefully about the friendship aspect - do you think being friendly and approachable is the same as having a friendship? How friendly do you think teachers should be? -
This is a thoughtful response, I like the balance of having time for self expression and time for listening.
The books rewards are a great idea! -
Ellie Overland replied to Elliott Waters
This is a great response to the first week - I am so glad it has inspired you to be proactive.
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Thank you for all your thoughtful comments on this. It is useful to engage with the standards and think about what they will actually mean for you in the classroom.
It is interesting to note that many of you have chosen similar priorities including setting high expectations, adapting for all learners and behaviour management. Many of you have also noted...
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Thank you Nathan.
You have touched on an interesting debate here around assessment. Some teachers feel there is too much reliance on testing and find they are required to 'teach to the test' but then pupils want to leave school with qualifications so they can move to the next stage of education and employment.
Is it possible to have effective teaching with... -
Thank you Anne-Marie - it is interesting to hear the standards form New Zealand, they sound very similar.
I am not sure that 'empathy' appears in the teaching standards in the UK but it is such an important quality to have. -
Ellie Overland replied to Wajeeha Hussain
I think parents can have a great insight into how difficult teaching is. Children are all so different, even in the same family, so when you have a large class it is difficult to meet the different needs. We will think about that more in week 2.
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Ellie Overland replied to Elliott Waters
It is a tricky one - and not one we have the answers to yet. Education always seems to be a bit behind technological development in industry.
I think education is very reliant on the new teachers coming in to have the latest skills and ideas on using technology in schools.
What ideas do you have about technology in the classroom? -
Ellie Overland replied to Anne-Marie Menzies
Talking to other teachers is certainly where I get some of my best ideas. Social media can be useful too, although it is important to find supportive groups and useful people to follow.
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Wow, that is certainly a change! Perhaps sometimes contortion skills could be useful in a classroom - it would certainly gain the attention of the class!
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Ellie Overland replied to Becki Dawson
That's great to hear! So many teenagers are not enjoying Shakespeare so any ideas to enthuse them will be welcome.
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Ellie Overland replied to Katy Pegg
Welcome Katy! You will find your TA experience invaluable in helping you develop your teaching.
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Ellie Overland replied to Angelos Kostopoulos
Welcome from Greece!
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Ellie Overland replied to Claudia Aquino
Welcome from Brazil!
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Ellie Overland replied to John Talbot
Welcome John. Physics teachers are certainly in demand so I think you have made a great decision to train to teach.
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Ellie Overland replied to Kerry Martin
Lots of people change careers into teaching - it can be a daunting step to take but a highly rewarding one.
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Ellie Overland replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
A special welcome to our International students Justeene - it is so useful to consider education in different countries - lots of different experiences to share.
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Ellie Overland replied to Rebecca Clarke
You will find your swimming teaching experience will really help - making yourself heard at the pool is not an easy thing to do!
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Ellie Overland replied to Megan Hughes
We look forward to welcoming you in September!
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Ellie Overland made a comment
It is an absolute pleasure to welcome you all to the course and to already hear such a range of experiences in schools.
It is great to hear some of you have definite plans for training to teach, some of you are exploring it as an option and others are already working in schools. Whatever stage you are at we really value your contributions and we're sure you... -
Ellie Overland replied to Jen G
This is an interesting observation. I visit a lot of schools and find behaviour can vary from one school to the next, even though they may have a very similar intake of pupils. It can be down to the 'culture' of the school so don't let one setting put you off - you may find it different elsewhere.
You teacher training should have a least two placements in... -
Ellie Overland made a comment
Thank you to everyone who have shared their observations.
There is already some high level evaluation of learning and classroom practice taking place here - please read and continue to share each other's experience. Considering other people's teaching approaches is often the best way to develop your own.
They do not have to be specifically from lessons in... -
It is interesting that you noticed their behaviour did not change. Can you think of different strategies that you might have tried?
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What an excellent example of a teacher knowing her class really well. Relationships are very important in creating a calm classroom environment.
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Timing is really important in lessons. Lots of new teachers run out of time and it takes a while to get used to managing time. It is often called the 'pace' of the lesson. Can you think of useful tools to help manage time in lessons?
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I remember having to copy things at school too! Do you think it is ever a useful task to do?
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Great observing skills, you are already thinking about how you would do things differently. What would you have done instead?
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A great example - do you think you can assess prior knowledge in the same way in a more formal classroom environment?
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A great observation which seems to have already informed you and allow you to consider the type of teacher you would like to be.
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You have picked up on the wide range of qualities a teacher needs to have. Have you observed anyone managing to do all this effectively in the classroom?
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Thinking how students are paired and grouped is essential to make these sort of situations successful. Peer support can be as useful as teacher support in many lessons.
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This is a high level observation, well done. You are already identifying why the pupils may have felt confused - often issues in the classroom can be avoided by pre-empting potential confusion at the lesson planning stage.
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This is a really interesting observation, it is a quite a skill to be able to create an environment where all pupils feel comfortable and able to contribute.
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Ellie Overland replied to Aubrey S
Feedback is really important - it shows they are interested in what you have produced. We should all remember that as teachers, especially when we are complaining about all the marking or grading papers!
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Ellie Overland made a comment
It is wonderful to hear such stories of affection and inspiration about your teachers. Just hearing these reminds us what an opportunity teachers have to shape young minds and inspire them to be the best they can be.
If someone is talking about you in the future what would you like them to be saying about you as a teacher? -
Passion for a subject is really important and often something forget to talk about when applying for teaching courses.
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Ellie Overland replied to Aubrey S
Hopefully this course will help you to explore your options and decide what will be the best next steps for you.
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Do you think it is possible for all children to be outstanding academically?
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Ellie Overland replied to Ludmila Sachenko
Totally agree on this! We get so focused on exams we can sometimes forget that learning is a rewarding thing to do purely for the pleasure of it.
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Ellie Overland replied to Patricia Guillermo
Hi Patricia
I am sorry to hear you did not get a place. This course is designed to help you develop your applications to teacher training so hopefully you will find some useful information and advice to help you apply again in future.
Ellie -
Ellie Overland made a comment
Welcome everyone.
Please feel free to ask us questions and we will do our best to give some answers.
Ellie x -
Ellie Overland replied to Kelly Cooke
You are doing well balancing working in school and Uni. You are doing all the right things by spending time in school as it will give you a great insight into what teachers need to be able to do on a day to day basis.
You might find it useful to keep a journal whilst you are in school. Note down particular ideas you see teachers do that you would like to do... -
Ellie Overland replied to bsra kskinsoy
What a good question!
I think my biggest challenge has always been that no two days are the same and you often have to change your plans. Being flexible and able to think on your feet is always a challenge and I always feel more secure having a plan B (and C!) up my sleeve just in case.
I will be really interested to hear what anyone else has found to be... -
Ellie Overland replied to Nansobya Catherine
Welcome from Uganda! It is great we have such an international group of learners.
Teacher perceptions can be such a difficult area to develop as so much is based on one's own personal experience of education. Many books and resources for teachers on this area are written specifically within certain contexts so it can be difficult for them to be transferable... -
Ellie Overland made a comment
I work with trainee computing teachers and would love to gain ideas as to how to support them more as they develop their own behaviour management.
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Ellie Overland made a comment
Hi All, I work with trainee teachers of computing in Manchester, Uk.
We have such a small number of girls opting for computing related qualifications at GCSE and A level I would really like to consider ways of developing classroom practice to build the confidence and interest of girls in computing classrooms. -
Ellie Overland made a comment
My word was inequality. For such a number of reasons (many captured by the words submitted by others on the course) there is not a level playing field from the start.
