It is now almost two months since I set up Teaching News, taking over all of Andrew Ross’ wonderful Primary Teacher UK blog posts, and trying to continue his work here. As this site is still relatively new, I have set up a survey to find out what you think of the site. I would be very grateful if you could spend a few minutes completing the 10 short questions below. Your feedback will be very helpful to me as I continue to work on the site in the future. Thank you.

Here’s a copy of my recent mailing list message for those who don’t subscribe:

Hi,

I’m now on my summer break, so I’ve been able to add lots of new additions to Teaching Ideas. Over the past few days, I’ve uploaded more than 60 new ideas, activities and resources which you can try in your classrooms. Many of these include some wonderful Display Photos. Thanks to everyone who has contributed, particularly to Claire Jones, Bev Evans and Simon Haughton who sent many wonderful contributions.

Since my last email update, my new Teaching Blog has also been updated regularly with useful tips for teachers and links to recommended sites. Have you visited the site yet? Why not subscribe to the RSS feed? If you’re not sure what RSS is, read my guide here.

Survey Feedback

I recently added a survey to Teaching Ideas, asking visitors for their feedback. I received lots of wonderful comments and some useful suggestions, so thank you to everyone who responded. Some of the comments included:

• Request for a dance / drama section… at the moment, there are very few ideas of this type. If anyone reading this has any good ideas to share, please get in touch and I’ll add them as soon as I can.
• Ways to use particular children’s books… I’m going to think about some of the Literacy ideas I’ve tried in my own classroom and add these in the near future. Again, if anyone else has ideas of this type, please share them!
• More pictures of classroom displays… Over the past few days, Display Photos has had its biggest update ever… browse around the wonderful pictures that have been added recently.
• Publicise the site more… Despite being online for over 10 years, it was suggested that some people still don’t know about Teaching Ideas. If you have a friend or colleague who you think might find the site useful, please forward this email to them or let them know about the site. Remember, all of the ideas and resources are completely free… and they always have been!

Starting in September, I will be only be teaching four days per week. Whilst I’m a bit sad about this, it will mean that I will then have one full day each week to add lots of new ideas and resources to Teaching Ideas and my other sites. I’ll also try and promote the site a little more, so that others can benefit from the wonderful teaching ideas that people have shared through the site.

I’m getting married in a few weeks, so I may not be able to send another email update until after then. If you’re on a break, like teachers here in the UK, have a wonderful time. If you’re teaching at the moment, I hope that my sites make your planning and teaching a little easier.

Best wishes,

Mark Warner

I’ve been on my Easter break recently, so I’ve spent quite a bit of time adding more ideas and resources. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. If you would like to share some ideas or resources of your own, please click here.

Teaching Ideas Survey

I’m always trying to think of ways of making Teaching Ideas even better. With that in mind, I would be really grateful if you could spare a few minutes to answer a few questions about how you use the site. It won’t take long, but it will really help me as I continue to improve things. The survey can be found here. Thank you!

Welcome to the Web

I have been working on a new version of my internet tutorial site over the past week and it is almost finished. A number of teachers have already been testing things for me and I have received lots of valuable feedback, allowing me to make it even better. If have used the original version of Welcome to the Web and you are interested in providing feedback about the new site, please get in touch.

Wrong Trousers Day

Wallace & Gromit’s Wrong Trousers Day is fast approaching. Wear your favourite colour on Friday 26th June and join thousands of children in schools and nurseries across the UK to raise money to help sick children in hospitals and hospices across the UK. You decide what to wear, just be bright and colourful and most importantly have fun! All they ask is that everyone who takes part donates £1 to Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation.

To take part simply log on to www.wrongtrousersday.org or call 0845 600 1924 and you will be sent our fantastic free Wallace and Gromit fundraising pack filled with great ideas to celebrate Wrong Trousers Day.

Competition:

Register today to enter our free prize draw to a fantastic Wallace & Gromit Goodie bag and some fantastic art materials for your school!

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Thank you for continuing to support my sites. If you have any contributions for Teaching Ideas, or Ideas to Inspire, I’d love to be able to share them.

Best wishes,

Mark