News

Newsletter - January_2012.pub

 

October 2011

Cups and Lollipops… what’s that all about?

 

Has your child come home talking about cups and lollipops?

 

Have you ever wondered about what they might be for?

 

Cups

We use cups in Years 2-6. They are to help the child to give Teachers a signal during the lesson as how they are feeling about their learning.

 

Green cup means – that your child is happy with their learning and that they are happy with the pace of the lesson and the strategy the teacher is using.

 

Amber cup means – that your child would like you to slow down a little, that they would like it explaining in a different way or a signal to ask if they can do some paired learning (where children work with a partner to help them gain a greater understanding of what is being taught).

 

Red cup means - that your child really doesn’t understand what the teacher is saying and needs more support with their learning in the lesson.

 

Our teaching staff have been trained to respond to the signals given by the children and change their teaching strategy for that lesson as and when it is required. Our teachers are now highly skilled at doing this and this in turn will improve the quality of the teaching for your child.

Lollipops

Every class has a set of lollipops with their children’s names on them.

The teacher uses the lollipops to ask questions to the children. By using the lollipops the children all have a fair chance of answering questions. It ensures that all children need to listen all the time. The children are encouraged to answer the question, but can also ask a friend to help if they need more support. This has helped to stop the same children always putting their hand up.

 

Again, all staff have been trained on using the lollipops effectively and feedback from the children has been very positive.

 

If you have any further questions about these strategies, please come and speak to your teacher and they will be happy to talk to you.