Teacher Network newsletter: teaching tips for quick learning

Dear colleague Welcome to the new look Guardian Teacher Network newsletter As you might have noticed this week the newsletter has undergone a bit of a makeover so that it is easier for you to find the things we think you would value the most. Like our top resources for the week and the best blog. These changes are just the start of a number of updates we have planned to make the Guardian Teacher Network the place to come – not just quickly to find quality, relevant resources – but also to share best practice and ideas with a growing global community of teachers. We really welcome your feedback and suggestions for further improvements so if you have any thoughts about the site, please do get in touch. New teaching resources on the network This week we have received lots of new resources on the GTN – here's just a flavour: Heard of " spaced learning "? It's a different way of embedding information into the long-term memory quickly by breaking lessons up into three chunks where the content is quickly repeated. The sessions are split by two 10 minute breaks where the students are encouraged to do something physical, like basketball. The method has been used successfully to improve GCSE results in Monkseaton High School in the north of England and this resource, which includes video links, explains how it can be used elsewhere. The British Science Association has provided resources for the CREST star award scheme which encourages pupils aged from 5-11 to solve science, technology, engineering and maths problems using practical activities and discussion. Activities include investigating fingerprints. For 11-14 year olds there is the Crest Bronze challenge where students get to improve their enquiry, problem-solving and communication skills by working on nine projects which look at questions such as "What makes a good wetsuit?" For more see here . Resource highlights Here are some of our favourite resources currently on the network: • Halloween tarantula mask and facts • All about planets • The Political Philosophiser – 168 political philosophy questions in one document Blog of the week This week has seen some great blogs on the site. But Alex Crossman's eloquent tale of how he turned his back on the world of finance in the City and started his journey to become a teacher is particularly fascinating. And tomorrow our blog is from one of your favourite contributors, Mike Gershon – secondary teacher and producer of the Starter Generator writing about the value of a good starter in lessons. Don't forget if you would like to blog for us then please do get in contact by emailing [email protected] . Looking to change jobs or to fill a role? We have hundreds of jobs on our specialist sister website Schools Jobs here and if you have a role to fill it is FREE to advertise your jobs with us at the moment. And finally… What we learnt this week in the more unusual recesses of the Guardian Teacher Network resources – that aggressive piranha bark, croak and make drumbeat sounds ! Have a good week, Wendy Berliner Head of Education, Business and Professional Guardian News and Media If you want to sign up to this weekly newsletter you need to register on the Guardian Teacher Network . • Follow us on Twitter @guardianteach • Check us out on Facebook This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional . Sign up to the Guardian Teacher Network to get access to over 70,000 pages of teaching resources and join our growing community.