£2,571,013,084!!!

That's how much was spent on supply teachers in England during the three academic years 2002 to 2005. It doesn't include nursery schools nor does it include money that came straight from LEAs...

In other words, it is money spent by schools like yours on what is in most cases a babysitting service - if you're lucky...

Independent Thinking was approached by Clevedon School in North Somerset last year to help use technology to prevent them wasting any more of the school budget on supply -something that was actually damaging the educational experience of the students at this typical comprehensive school.

Working in close collaboration with teachers and students at the school along with two companies whose speciality is to build technologies to help people learn, we have created an amazing process that combines:

• Thinking
• Learning
• Multiple intelligences
• 8Way Thinking
• Philosophy for Children
• Independent learning
• Collaborative learning
• Research skills and
• Questioning skills

This is the first part of a system we are calling the Learning Bug.

What the Learning Bug isn’t is a string of multiple choice questions stretching into infinity. In fact, there’s not a multiple choice question in sight – it’s the students who set the questions anyway.
What the Bug does is take students through a set process in a given time that is exciting, motivating, engaging and involves no input whatsoever from the adult in the room (apart for a bit of crowd control where necessary).

What's more, the work generated during a Learning Bug cover session has been proven to have benefits to the class teacher way beyond the lesson itself. In fact, one English teacher is still building on ideas generated during a Learning Bug lesson seven months ago!

And, if the absent teacher wants to, they can join in with the lesson from home or wherever they are.

And the only thing the teacher needs to do to 'prime' the Learning Bug is give it a title (although if the absence is unforeseen they don't even have to do that as the Bug can choose what the children will focus on if necessary). In other words, instead of time spent planning the cover lesson either by the teacher in advance or by the fraught head of department on the day, you just give Learning Bug one sentence - if that. It will do the rest.

What's more, although the Learning Bug was designed to address the terrible waste that is the traditional cover lesson it can also be used very effectively by a class teacher as a learning tool.

The world’s first Learning Bug is going into Clevedon School and six other North Somerset schools this academic year. If you would like to find out more, to speak to teachers and students who used the Bug, to see it in action or to explore how your school could benefit from your very own Bug please e-mail us on learn@independentthinking.co.uk or call 0844 589 0490.

STOP PRESS: The new Learning Bug website is now up and running with more information abou the benefits of the the Bug, quotes from teachers and students who are using it and details of prices and special offers. Just click here to visit the site. 

<< Back to 'What'