Tooled Up Education

What Really Works in the Classroom and What Doesn’t?

Is what you learned in teacher training still relevant? In this webinar, educational scientist and author, Pedro de Bruyckere, talks us through common classroom practices that have become outdated, outlines their replacements and describes new, actionable ideas that educators should bring into their practice, with particular focus on pupil resilience and motivation.

Raising a Bilingual Child: Tips for Parents with Dr Rose Drury

This webinar is designed for parents or carers who are raising a bilingual child in the early or primary school years. Drawing on the latest research, expert Dr Rose Drury will address parents’ most pressing questions. What does research suggest are the main advantages to being bilingual? When raising a bilingual child, what’s optimal? Should parents speak their mother tongue at home or only English? Will learning a second language interfere with the development of a child’s mother tongue? Do young children pick up language more easily than older children? How do we avoid confusing our children whilst wanting them to thrive in both languages? Parents will come away from the webinar armed with practical strategies for supporting their children within family life.

The Specificities of Learning and Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary Years

In this webinar for Tooled Up school staff, Professor Florence Myles examines how primary-aged children learn foreign languages and how different the process is from older children and adults, before moving onto pedagogical implications. She addresses whether or not young children are quicker at learning languages, whether younger children are more motivated than older children and what drives their motivation. She also outlines how learning foreign languages is linked to cognitive, emotional and social development in this age group and finishes by presenting the work of her research group RiPL (Research in Primary Languages) and explaining how to access its varied resources.

Dr Christie talks with Professor Johan Korhonen: Math Anxiety and Math Performance

In this interview, Professor Johan Korhonen talks with us about math anxiety and its role on math performance. Find out about why math anxiety may develop in children, what are the early signs of math anxiety, and how it may impact future educational aspirations. Professor Korhonen provides a number of insights into strategies both parents and teachers can implement immediately at home and at school to ease math anxiety in children.

A Teacher’s Guide to AI Tools

In this webinar, experienced computing teacher and teacher trainer, Rachel Arthur, talks to us about AI tools and the future of education. In this practical 30 minute session, Rachel demonstrates seven tools that can transform your planning and practice, outlining how they can be put to great effect for lessons and research. Not to be missed!

‘I’m Moving Up to Year…’: An Activity to Help Young Children Prepare for the Transition to a New Class

This activity is aimed at children at the lower end of primary school who will soon be moving to a new year group. It gently nudges them to consider how this change makes them feel and to think of all the things that they are excited about, as well as anything that might make them feel a bit wobbly. It features places for them to draw their new teacher and friends and spaces for them to list out the things they love about their current class, the things they are looking forward to and any worries they have. It is a great starting place for ongoing conversations about this transition.

Researcher of the Month: Professor Beatriz Ilari Discusses the Impact of Music on Young People’s Development

Researcher of the month, Professor Beatriz Ilari chats to us about how music has a wide-ranging impact on young people’s social and emotional development. We might assume that being ‘musical’ means playing an instrument, but Professor Ilari stresses the importance of everyday musical experiences and simply of listening to and engaging with our favourite bands or songs. In this interview, we find out more about her fascinating work.

The Best Family Friendly Festivals This Summer

We’ve carefully curated a list of family friendly festivals across the UK and mainland Europe that guarantee an unforgettable experience for the whole family. From captivating performances to engaging activities for kids and adults alike, these festivals offer the perfect blend of entertainment, safety, and fun.

Paintings Every Family Should See and Know About

In this webinar, Laurence Hedges, Director of Art at Harrow School, will talk us through some of the ‘must see’ paintings of all time, that perhaps we can add to our viewing ‘bucket lists’ as families. More importantly, he will give us some wonderful ideas and clues as to how we can approach looking at art and, more broadly, how to promote art appreciation in children and young people.