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My first port of call during this summer holiday was to London to stay with my wonderful Grandmother.  As always, during my trips there, I like to catch up with as many of my friends and family as possible. My very good friend Karen McCrone is a teacher of Media Studies at the Charles Darwin School in Biggin Hill. Although it was some what last minute-ish, I had asked Karen if it would be possible to visit her school and share some ‘Good Practise’ whilst I was in London. To my delight, with out hesitation, the school welcomed the opportunity. During the course of the day, I was invited to observe a number of different Science classes and also one of Karen’s Media lessons. In addition, Karen gave me a ‘run-down’ on the school’s online register and timetable system called SIMS. Interestingly this system/service is provided by RM (bodes well for Glow I say!).

My first stop was with the school’s Science Department. One particular aspect of teaching Science in England that differs to Scotland is that of class sizes. In Scotland, we have a maximum number of 20 pupils in a Science class. In England, they can have up to 30! I was most impressed by the coordination and organisation of such a large number of pupils during practical work (Bunsen Burners, I may add!). It was a very useful experience to observe such a lesson.

As I mentioned, I was also able to spend an hour observing one of Karen’s lessons. Though I am not entirely sure, I believe that Media Studies is a subject that is rarely taught in Scottish schools (though with our ever increasing online world, maybe it should be?). It was interesting to gain an insight into the course work of this subject. During this lesson, the pupils were creating their own adverts. Some chose to advertise a ‘made-up’ perfume, whilst others chose things like trainers or sports wear. The pupils were doing this using Adobe Premiere, video cameras and various music clips. These projects were superb; clear examples of creativity, individuality and enthusiasm. Some of the most recent work of Karen’s pupils can be found on the school’s website here (well worth a click!). The Media Department at the school is also proposing to post regular podcasts.

In light of our work in East Lothian, my visit to the Charles Darwin School was extremely interesting and useful. I would like to thank the Science Department for allowing me to observe their excellent classroom practice and for taking the time to informally chat with me about our subject. I would also like thank Karen for arranging the visit. The work you are doing is very impressive and I look forward to your podcasts!