This book contains links and articles related to developing and improving departments.

Take a look at Dave Stacey's article on Developing a Key Stage Plan,  - there's a related link, at the bottom of this page, to a proposal for a curriculum review meeting, which was successfully used at a meeting here at LHS.

Recently added is an experiemental CPD "webquest" for teachers anxious to explore the use of ICT for teaching and learning.

Please do leave a comment if you take a look at or use these resources.

I'm slowly updating this part of the site, following the move of an article from wiki.onedamnthing.org.uk to this drupal powered site.  Please excuse the mess! Ed. - Feb 5th 2006

You know, from the radio show!

== The basic game ==

This could be an excellent plenary session, especially in small groups.  The subject matter is written on cards, that are shuffled and placed on a deck.  Participants draw a card and have to talk for a minute on that subject.

== Make it harder ==

You could strictly follow the rules of the radio game, where participants must talk for a minute without:

- Repetition (other than the exact words on the card),- Deviation (saying something untrue or silly)- Hesitation (umming or erring).

You could choose which rules you're going to follow, and which you're not. 

Use movement or a tableau to "show me a concept".

This often works best with groups further down the years, but occasionally a group of 6th formers will get into it.  The basic idea is that the students are put in groups and given a concept (or sometimes concepts) to represent.  They're only allowed to use their bodies, no probs, no signs and, most importantly, no talking, to illustrate the concept.  They have to illustrate it using up to 45 seconds of movement and ending with a strong "still" picture.

When using concepts that are new to the students then scaffolding materials, texts, pictures have to be used to help the students access the concept, otherwise this is an excellent way of revising or looking at topics from another angle.

This book will contain activities that I and others use in their history teaching.  They'll mostly be generic, with perhaps some links to specifc schemes of work where they have been used.

This is the scheme was also written for our recent Key Stage re-write. This unit is designed to explore the impact of different protest movements, from the Peterloo massacre, through the chartists to the suffragettes.  Along the way students will also explore the nature of democracy in the 19th Century, and compare it with modern democracy. 

Students should understand that different groups had different views, aims and tactics in reforming (or conserving ) the predominant system of voting.  They will be asked to come to a judgement as to the effectiveness of the different groups. 

This is the scheme I wrote for our recent Key Stage re-write.  It's designed to provide an overview - it covers the Tudors and Stuarts in one half term, to allow the students in the next half term to cover several depth studies. 

This is quite a big download (8 and a half meg in total), as it contains images, smartboard notebook files as well as worksheets. I've borrowed at least one worksheet from the brilliant www.schoolhistory.co.uk.  Because of this, I've done the download in three sections.

Please let me know, if you use this scheme, or any bit of it, how you get on with it.  It came in for a bit of a critical bashing here at LHS, as it was felt to be too complicated for lower attaining students.  I'd love to know if any one else tries it out.

This "book" will contain different schemes of work for KS3