cognitive acceleration
DEVELOPING CHILDREN'S THINKING
What makes this course stand out from other professional development courses?
Just as each student in a cognitive acceleration lesson has to construct each cognitive concept in their own mind, so too the professional development of teachers needs a parallel process. The teachers need this not only for the development of their own skills: undergoing the same process themselves gives them insight into managing their students' learning.
Time to think
There is relatively little content planning for a day's CAME training, as there is a lot of time built in for professional conversations and reflective thinking around pedagogical issues and the specifics of the approach. It is not about handouts and resource packs. This is precious time for teachers to share thoughts with colleagues, reflect on their own practice and extend their pedagogical expertise.
A chance to try it out in a safe environment
Observing a lesson then doing it myself has been very beneficial.
Course participants get to teach these lessons from day one of the course. A moment's fear flashes across some participants faces when they hear they will be teaching students they do not know. But once they have tried it, they all agree that talking about teaching a lesson is no substitute for actually teaching it or seeing it taught. The 'live' research element of the course gives participants the confidence to go straight back to school and try these lessons out. It also gives them the invaluable experience of teaching different classes of children from different schools, which participants often say has a beneficial impact on their confidence and expertise as teachers.
Developing knowledge of Mathematics
Why didn't we have this in the PGCE?
Many of the lessons enable teachers to unpick and clarify students' mathematical difficulties and misconceptions. As the lessons fit into mathematical schemata that cross Key Stages and are mapped across the resources, the discussions around students' levels of understanding often involve the development of an overview of mathematical learning that can go well beyond the teachers' areas of expertise in terms of age range. Many teachers therefore report that their training had given them a better understanding of the wider Maths curriculum.
An academic focus on pedagogy
You suddenly see what makes "good teaching" really good
As an approach that draws heavily on academic research for its design and evidence of impact, CAME allows plenty of opportunity for developing teacher knowledge and understanding of pedagogy. In this way, it can support teachers who are interested in further accredited academic study or in gaining accreditation through the Teacher Learning Academy.
