With the ever-increasing reliance on technology and internet services in the 21st-century, many are turning to the online blogsphere for inspiration, be it for parenting, cooking, travel, lifestyle or nearly anything else you can think of. The same can also be said about teaching, with many educators sharing ideas online and offering feedback on any potential improvements they may have spotted. Teaching organisations often encourage this peer-to-peer sharing of ideas and while each school will have their own methods and objectives, the concept is certainly an interesting one. Here at St Peter’s, we believe some of the tips and advice shared via these platforms could quite easily be utilised by parents at home, whether they’re looking for more educational based activities at home or how to help their child focus while completing homework. Below, we’ve listed seven great online platforms that parents can look to for inspiration.
The Magical Educator
A fun, friendly site that was set up twelve years ago and has since grown from strength to strength, winning many awards since it began. The site receives thousands of unique visits per day and has become a platform for educators from all over the world to aid development and promote outstanding practice based on real experience. Categories include Top Teaching Ideas, Cool Maths Ideas, Celebrity Guest Posts and Funnies, the latter of which perhaps for when you’ve had a long day and are in need of a few laughs. Some blog posts seem to be targeted at parents as well as teachers, making it a fantastic resource for supporting your child during revision and exam preparation.
Teacher Head
A great resource for those looking to encourage a creative side of learning for their child, Teacher Head covers a range of topics including feedback, assessment and psychology. The site includes some American topics, so not all posts will be relevant, but there are some insightful pieces regarding behaviour management and the best ways to praise and discipline children in the classroom, many of which can also be implemented at home. Tom Sherrington is the brains behind this blog, and he has over thirty years of experience in various roles at schools and now several in consulting. Despite being focused on teachers and schools there is lots for parents to take from this site.
The Whiteboard Blog
A site dedicated to science and technology in education, this blog covers a diverse range of topics from keeping children safe online to an interactive periodic table and everything in between. With recent blogs covering fake news, safe internet day and the NSPCC online safety app, the platform tackles some of the most current topics on the minds of parents today and will help you to keep track of your child’s movements online to keep them safe. Any parent with a tablet or laptop can make use of the programmes they talk about in blogs and this can be a great compromise to allow your child to use tablets whilst avoiding the mind-numbing games that seems to take up so much of their time.
Teacher Tool Kit
A major site used by teachers all over the UK and beyond, this blog writes about various topics including current affairs, tips on learning types and advice for all sorts of scenarios concerning learning and children. Alongside blogs, there are plenty of fascinating podcasts that tackle some controversial topics in the field including talking about mental health and encouraging gender equality in unequal fields such as STEM and sports. A lot can be learned by parents visiting this site and there are some creative ideas for educational activities in the classroom that can easily be replicated at home. TTK is active on social media and following their various channels will help to keep you updated with all the latest news and content straight to your newsfeed.
Resourceaholic
For anyone with slightly older children struggling with maths, this is the place to go. With site categories including Gems, Algebra, Number, Shape, Data, Statistics and Mechanics, this platform has all bases covered and offers a diverse range of materials and activities to help children learn different areas and put them into practice. From challenges and competitions to gifts for maths enthusiasts, this site is perfect for those with a love of all things numbers and goes up to year 13 level mathematics, giving you plenty of materials to challenge even the most gifted of students. Whether your child struggles with the subject and needs a helping hand or you want to provide extra materials for a pupil that just can’t get enough of problem-solving, this site provides all you will need and more.
That concludes our guide to just five of our favourite educational blogs that can be used by both teachers and parents to enhance a child’s learning experience in the classroom or at home. We hope you have found it useful and do let us know if there is another site you’d like to recommend to other parents of pupils at our private school in Devon. For more on online-based activities, check out our recent blog How Children Can Make the Most of Technology.
