Ideas based on technology won the day for two teachers in the Let Teachers SHINE competition.

Gavin Summerfield, assistant headteacher at Heber Primary, south London, and Katie Gibson, who teaches English at Minsthorpe Community College, Pontefract, were two of ten teachers recognised at the Capita SIMS annual conference, held in Staffordshire.

More than 150 teachers entered this year’s award to bid for a grant worth up to £15,000 to develop their ideas to support disadvantaged students in English, maths or science.

Gavin’s winning idea will use Nao Robot technology to help children learn how to program and tell stories.

“It is an inspirational tool for the children,” he says.

“When you pull out a robot in the classroom the whole atmosphere changes. If we can utilise that sort of buzz and wow factor and get that into literacy and reading, then that is perfect.”

Katie plans to introduce green screen technology to “bring creative writing to life”.

She says there is a “gender gap” in achievement at her school where the girls fare better than the boys.

She plans to improve the literacy and oral skills of boys in year 8 by “virtually” placing pupils in the situation they are writing about.

 

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