Blair Minchin Profile picture
Dec 12 5 tweets 2 min read
It’s that time of year when it’s lovely to really bond with your class and not many better ways of doing it was some board games.

These are all ‘quick play’ style games that take minimal setup, aiming for max enjoyment! #playistheway Image
This was one of my favourite games growing up - though I was never very good at it. Image
Just make sure they have a ‘bottom’ side and that they fill from the bottom up. Image
If I could patent this I would; played it again today and the tactics are ace and the tension just keeps building! Image
If you don’t have a whiteboard table for this one, a long piece of wallpaper or similar works well. Image

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More from @Mr_Minchin

Nov 13
Behaviour 🧵

Following my tweet yesterday, I had a number of people asking ‘well, what would YOU do to tackle bad behaviour?’

Had a think, below are 20 things that I’ve found to be of use & maybe could apply or adapt for your setting…
1. A welcome in the morning.

My setting ensures that SMT and other staff are in the playground at least 15 minutes before the bell everyday.

The result: every child (and parent/carer) gets a hello.
2. A goodbye squad.

Everyday, 4 pupils man our two gates with signs and big foam hands, hi-fiving pupils as they leave and saying things like ‘look forward to seeing you tomorrow’ and ‘well done for today’
Read 22 tweets
Jun 15
Upper primary and S1/2 teachers 🙋‍♂️

If you haven’t yet plunged into the world of PLAY, let me shine a tiny light on the power of this pedagogy and try to convince you to give it a go…

This morning, I setup a number of ‘provocations’ for my class today. Here’s what happened 1/8
On the board were the words ‘build a race circuit’ and around the class I setup tables like these with various materials.

No other instructions, I was actually out the room speaking to another member of staff and greeting pupils as they arrived for the day 2/8
Coming into the room, no-one was off task or left out. The kids had grouped themselves (very much based on what words on the table took peeked curiosity)

I also liked the range of approaches - some using pens, some using the materials 3/8
Read 8 tweets
Feb 26, 2021
How do you structure your reading groups?

This term, with all that’s gone on, I took a bit of a risk: I let my class pick their own group and their own book, regardless of their reading ability.

It’s early days...but I think it’s really paying off. 1/7
I had selected 8 different stories (mostly Oxford reading tree, various levels) with 6 copies of each.

Before being set loose to ‘browse the bookstore’ the class created success criteria from a discussion around how you can choose a ‘good book’ for you. 2/7
Fears there might be a book that more than six pupils wanted to read did not materialise and I’ve now got 6 reading groups.

We took a quick minute to create some ‘values’ that everyone had to follow when reading in a group. 3/7
Read 7 tweets
Feb 24, 2021
Walter Raleigh
Francis Drake
Nelson

Malala

Apparently it seems to some that the first 3 people listed are more appropriate ‘names’ for primary school houses than the girl who survived a taliban gunshot and has championed education since.

1/5
When deciding on famous people to name a school house after, one must accept standards & culture were different in times gone by.

But Walter Raleigh led the massacre of and beheadings of 600 Spanish and Italian men who had surrendered.

A role model for primary kids? 2/5
Francis Drake was involved in battles in Ireland too. When the troops at Rathlin Castle surrendered, he tortured and killed all 200ish soldiers and 400 civilian men, women and children. He wasn’t taking orders, he made the call.

Massacring children - name of a school house? 3/5
Read 6 tweets
Jun 29, 2020
1/4 I’m coming across more ‘likes’ and ‘retweets’ on my feed of practitioners who advocate zero tolerance approaches to behaviour.

If there is one thing NOT to do after the summer, it’s to apply harmful, blanket behaviour policies to year groups.

Instead, try these:
2/4 Google and read around these subjects:

Trauma Informed Schools
CPAG (CPAG in Scotland too)
1 in 4
Restorative Practice
Social Justice in Schools
EEF Behaviour
Teacher Bias/Implicit Bias
Pivotal Education
ACEs (though, read critically, there’s some misinformation out there)
3/4 follow:

@pauldixtweets
@DrRLofthouse
@debrakidd
@JulesDaulby
@Callum_SEND
@lokiscottishrap
@CPAGUK
@jazampawfarr
@suzannezeedyk
@RaeSnape
@MrPranPatel
@SholaMos1
@chrisdysonHT

I will have missed many here (why I don’t do lists like this very often 🤭)
Read 4 tweets
Mar 11, 2020
Discussion in class linked to #InternationalWomensDay2020 left some in the class frustrated.

“I just don’t get why women think they’re hard done by” stuck out.

So today, I gave a mini presentation to the class after lunch. I began by asking: What do you see here?
Not one person realised the King was above the queen. When pointed out, nearly all had an ‘ooooh’ moment.

Then asked what the reaction would be if Megan Rapinoe celebrated like this:
Why do some feel the need to ask a father for permission to marry a daughter?

Whose permission is the one that should matter?
Read 14 tweets

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