To obtain the award, students need to provide evidence that they have been actively involved in promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) in their school and to interview someone who works in this area.

For our award pupils need to interview someone working in an area related to the development of technologies, products or services which incorporate sustainability as a key factor. The winners for each group will receive a solar powered media player. The winner of the advanced level will also spend a day working with a sustainable product designer.

This PDF flyer gives more information:

The deadline for interviews and Leaders Award applications (via email only) is 30th June 2010. Find out more on the Practical Action and Primary Engineer sites.

• Ultimate Times Tables – A fun way for children of all ages to learn their times tables. This has four different types of tests and allows up to five users to save their results.

• French GCSE Revision – This is an interactive way to help students revise their French GCSE vocabulary, with tests, flash cards and a built in dictionary. Watch the app in action with the video below:

EducationApps have developed a number of other applications so look at their site to see their other developments.

www.mytlckids.co.uk

The resource includes interactive lessons, activity sheets, supporting resources, certificate templates and much more. They are also giving away organiser’s and teacher’s files in a special offer at the moment.

As teachers use the kit and make their own amendments/ adjustments, the curriculum develops and grows with their needs. The company claims that the kit is all you need to start running your own after school club.

Visit www.mytlckids.co.uk for more information.

• Math Live – Lots of engaging animations and interactive tools to support the teaching of different Maths concepts (shared by @kvnmcl)

• Purple Mash – 2Simple have announced their new ‘mash-up of creative tools and curriculum focused applications’. The children at my school love 2Simple’s Online Tools, so I’m really excited about seeing this new tool released.
• Using Learning Platforms to extend learning within and beyond the classroom – Shared by @FionaAS. Here’s a related Youtube video:

• Terry Freedman has published his ‘Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book‘. This free guide contains a considerable number of projects, contributed by teachers, that you can try in your own classroom.

Don’t miss the previous posts in this series:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

Image – Twitter Logo Map 09

Things everyone needs to know about Functional Skills

1. Functional Skills qualifications are a new set of qualifications in the application of English, mathematics & ICT and are assessed at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2. These qualifications are key to the Government’s reforms of 14-19 and adult education in England.
2. Functional Skills are for everyone. The qualifications will be available nationally to all learners at any age from 2010.
3. Functional skills are not simply about knowledge in English, mathematics and ICT subjects but about knowing when and how to use the knowledge and skills in real life contexts. It’s about identifying a problem or engaging in a task, selecting from the knowledge we have, or knowing where to get it, and applying that knowledge to find an effective solution or outcome.
4. Functional skills are essential to all our lives. This is why they have been incorporated across the new secondary curriculum being taught from September 2008, are part of the learning routes for young people (GCSEs; Apprenticeships; Diplomas and Foundation Learning Tier) as well as counting as qualifications in their own right for adults and young people.
5. Employers and universities want reassurance that, whichever learning route learners choose when they leave education they have the skills needed to apply what they know and to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and work. Better functional skills will help to raise standards in schools and colleges and improve employment prospects and further learning for all learners regardless of age or ability.

What you need to know as a provider (Pre-16).

1. DCSF published “Delivering 14-19 reform: Next Steps” in October 2008. It was very clear – functional skills will be a core part of each of the four qualification routes for young people, including GCSEs from 2010. Functional Skills qualifications will also replace the core Key Skills qualifications from September 2010.
2. Functional skills are not separate curriculum subjects but an important element of the teaching and learning of all subjects. In developing functional skills, learners can adapt and apply what they have learned to suit different situations that face them.
3. From 2010 Functional Skills will be assessed by the new GCSEs in English, maths and ICT. While GCSE grades will not depend on a separate test, good teaching of functional skills will be vital to ensure candidates gain higher grades. It will also be valuable for young people to take separate Functional Skills tests. Achievement in these tests will be incentivised through the School Report Card.
4. Teaching and learning of functional skills can be through a range of models; from discrete lessons to fully embedding teaching and learning. However, it is expected that in the long term Functional Skills will remain the responsibility of core subject teachers but will be reinforced throughout the rest of the curriculum in every lesson.
5. Functional skills means developing these applied skills. For some of you, this is simply formalising your existing teaching approach.
6. The Functional Skills Support Programme, run by National Strategies for schools, offers a comprehensive (free-of-charge) package for continuing professional development (CPD) at regional and local level to support schools in preparing to teach Functional Skills. This support can be accessed through your local authority or www.nationalstrategiescpd.co.uk.
7. Functional Skills will be assessed as separate assessments in English, mathematics and ICT. Assessment will measure application of skills for a purpose. It can be either completely tasked based or a combination of task and test elements.
8. Functional English, mathematics and ICT help learners reinforce skills in communication, problem solving, listening, time management and team working – a solid foundation for further learning and employment.
9. We have designed the Functional Skills qualifications so that at level 2 learners are able to apply their skills confidently in a range of different contexts. That is why there will be an entitlement to study functional stills to age 19.

What you need to know as a provider (Post-16).

1. Functional Skills qualifications are being introduced for use with adult learners and, if current piloting supports this, could replace the existing Skills for Life literacy and numeracy qualifications from September 2012.
2. Functional Skills in English, mathematics and ICT are not necessarily taught as separate subjects but are an important element of the teaching and learning of all subjects. In developing functional skills, learners can adapt and apply what they have learned to suit different situations that face them.
3. Functional skills teaching should build on existing good practice that has been developed from key and adult basic skills teaching. All models of delivery have merit; however reinforcement across the curriculum is the desired goal, with specialist input where required.
4. Functional skills means developing these applied skills. For some of you, this is simply formalising your existing teaching approach.
5. The Functional Skills Support Programme, run by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) for post-16 centres, offers a comprehensive (free-of-charge) package for continuing professional development (CPD) at regional and local level to support centres in preparing to teach Functional Skills. This support, which covers the teaching and learning of Functional Skills in a variety of contexts, can be accessed through http://excellence.qia.org.uk/functionalskills.
6. Functional Skills will be assessed as separate assessments in English, mathematics and ICT. Assessment will measure application of skills for a purpose at each level It can be either completely tasked based or a combination of task and test elements.
7. Functional English, mathematics and ICT help learners reinforce skills in communication, problem solving, listening, time management and team working – a solid foundation for further learning and employment.

www.qcda.gov.uk/6062.aspx

Jacqueline Marshall piloted Functional Skills at Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports College in Liverpool where she taught ICT and Business studies. During the pilot she represented the ICT department in the Functional Skills team that cooperated with the local authority in rolling out Functional Skills across Liverpool from January 2007.

She and her colleagues provided the awarding body, Edexcel, with feedback on their experiences piloting the new qualification, contributing to the constant improvement of exam papers over the course of the pilot to best reflect students’ abilities. In addition to her work as a teacher (and mother), Jacqueline studies for her Master’s degree in Education and is currently incorporating her experience from the pilot into a dissertation about the teaching of Functional Skills. Here she answers some questions on the new qualifications in theory and practice.

Q: What exactly are Functional Skills?

A: Functional skills are not simply about when and how to use knowledge and skills in real life contexts. They’re about identifying a problem or engaging in a task, selecting from the knowledge we have, or knowing where to get it, and applying that knowledge to find an effective solution or outcome. Functional skills are essential to all our lives.

Q: What’s the brief history of Functional Skills?

A: The introduction of Functional Skills as a qualification was partly in response to employers increasingly noticing school leavers’ lack of ability to apply their knowledge and perform basic tasks. The Functional Skills qualification forms a part of the 14-19 curriculum and also ties in with the Government’s skills strategy. It will be included in GCSEs in maths, English and ICT from 2010 and will replace the current Key Skills qualification. It will also form part of apprenticeships and will be taught along with the new Diplomas and in adult education.

Q: What did you observe during the pilot at your college that made you a fan of Functional Skills?

A: Pupils’ skill levels increased, they were engaged by the lessons and the contextual approach of the teaching. The ability to apply acquired knowledge is key to enjoying learning. We all hear the question “Why do we have to learn this?” a thousand times during our careers!

Q: What was the feedback from teachers regarding Functional Skills? Is it viewed by them as an important qualification?

A: I have had lots of positive feedback. The recognition of Functional Skills is growing and once you start to teach it you see the positive impact it has on your students and across the school as skills are transferable.

Q: Do you think Functional Skills will help students in their working life?

A: Yes. School leavers will be equipped with a greater ability to solve problems and perform tasks. Students are learning transferable skills that will assist them in work and life.

Q: How easy will it be for teachers to incorporate Functional Skills into the existing curriculum?

A: Very easy. In a way, every good teacher already teaches functional skills. It is just a matter of highlighting the skills that students will be mastering and putting a new focus on them by testing them separately. I also got a lot of support from Edexcel in the form of material and plans that helped me integrate Functional Skills teaching in my lessons.

Q: Can you offer any practical advice to teachers and centres in terms of how to teach Functional Skills?

A: Highlight what Functional Skills are, display information on the qualification and topics, maybe have functional skills listed in the student planner. Allow students time to practice these skills not just in the core subject but cross curricular.

Q: Based on your observations, will most centres and teachers be ready for Functional Skills?

A: Yes. I feel teachers will be ready – thanks to the sheer amount of support and resources out there. If they feel unprepared, they should just attend one of the many conferences that the exam boards run. In Liverpool, I have worked closely with the local authoritiy to create a Toolkit with resources for students and teachers.

Q: As a teacher, where can I find more information on Functional Skills?

A: There’s the homepage of the QCDA for a first overview and for more detailed information on structure and content of teaching, the websites of the awarding bodies are always a good port of call (I’ve worked with Edexcel).

• Saucer Sorter – A counting stick for your interactive whiteboard… using the numbers to practise counting forward and backwards in steps… rearrange numbers and ask pupils to put them in the correct order… hide numbers with the star bar and get the children to say what is missing…

• Mummy Numberline – An interactive numberline for simple addition and subtraction.
• Counting Caterpillar – A wonderful game for KS1/2 pupils which requires them to order numbers.
• Count On Catapult – An exciting game which lets children practise counting on to the next 10.

• Change Exchanger – With three levels of difficulty, this game asks children to scan items on the checkout and calculate the amount of change that is needed.
• Editable Interactive Whiteboard Dictionary – An impressive dictionary which you can show on your interactive whiteboard, to support children with their writing.
• Day and Night – Learn how we get day and night by using this interactive guide.

James has also produced lots of ‘Bingo’ style activities covering a range of topics:

• Sound Bingo
• Letters and Sounds Blending
• High Frequency Word Bingo
• Science Bingo

This is just a small selection of the resources available at ICT Games. Teachers can use the planning guide which links the activities to the Primary Framework.

All of the games are fantastic quality, so schools are very lucky that they are available online for free. You can follow James on Twitter to see when he adds new resources to the site.

www.cyberkidz.net

The site has recently been translated into English, so even more children are now able to take advantage of these resources.

www.parkfieldict.co.uk/sats/

Although there will not be Science SATs this year, those who want some extra Science practice should take a look at the Science Boot Camp.

Percy is now back with a brand new cross-curricular resource called ‘Percy Parker’s Flying Bathtub’. There are songs and resources covering a wide range of history, geography, science and other curriculum topics. If you’re studying the Tudors in class, for instance, there’s a fifteen-minute scene (including two songs) based on the Tudors that you can read through in your classroom and perhaps perform simply in an assembly. If another year group is studying Food Chains or Vikings or Outer Space, there are scenes for them too. And if you want to put on a full-scale school production, just put everyone’s scenes together and hey presto – a musical!

Andrew Holdsworth, the creator of Percy Parker, has kindly allowed me to have a look at the resource and I’m extremely impressed. It includes:

• A folder full of scripts, musical scores, lyrics, costume ideas, production and choreography advice. There is also background information about the curriculum area that each scene relates to.
• An audio CD containing all 15 tracks from the production (with and without vocals) as well as relevant sound effects which you can use.
• A CD-Rom with teaching ideas, choreography ideas, editable scripts, projectable backdrop images and lots more.

Percy Parker’s Flying Bathtub (Tudors to 20th Century) is available now here. Two other packs have also been produced:

• ‘Ancient History and Invaders’ will be available from May 2010.
• ‘Science and Nature’ will be available from September 2010.

FREE DOWNLOAD – You can also find out more at Teaching Ideas and get yourself an exclusive free download from the resource.

The My Money Mathematics Resources were launched recently and comprises six themes built around different practical aspects of money. They are:

Money…

• what is it? – local trading schemes leading to currency exchange
• earning it – the world of work and take home pays
• spending it – buying and running a car
• investing it – savings accounts and investing in shares
• risking it – gambling and fruit machines
• being enterprising with it – setting up an ice-cream business (geometric investigation)

Mathematical demand increases throughout each theme, from National Curriculum Level 1 (Entry Level 1) to National Curriculum Level 8 (GCSE Grade B+) but can be easily extended to challenge the brightest pupils. The activities have been designed to give teachers the freedom to create their own units of work, as recommended by National Strategies, but individual activities can also be used within discrete starter–main–plenary lessons.

Download the resources here.