Thursday, November 15, 2007

Hurry Potter

Wow, It's All Starting To Add Up

It seems Harry Potter has magically transformed a struggling Nottinghamshire primary school. Robert Mellors Primary and Nursery in Arnold has leapt up the school league tables since adopting a Hogwarts theme. Students cast mathematical "spells" to solve subtraction "riddles" and English lessons involve writing scripts based on the popular character. Year groups are now named Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, after the houses at Hogwarts in J. K. Rowling's books. The school has gone from being in the lowest 25 per cent of schools to being just outside the top five per cent in three years.

FOOTNOTE: Will it help them to spell?

13 comments:

Lee said...

Now that is creative teaching. The term for it is thematic and it works. One theme for all subjects. It takes teamwork and planning.

Being a Harry Potter fan, I'm thrilled for the school. I wish we were doing something similar in the US.

Hope! & Joy!

BRUNO said...

And I only had to master the slide-rule! No, really---that WAS indeed what I learned to "compute" on!

I think I'll leave the "Potter-spells" to the younger, more flexible, minds!

But, hey--if it works.......!

david mcmahon said...

Hi Lee,

Creative teaching methods - or anything that helps pupils improve their understanding of a subject - get my nod.

I was blessed with great teachers - and thanked some of them by name in my first nove.

I owe them a huge debt ....

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Bruno,

An English-born Aussie writer called Nevil Shute wrote a novel called `Slide Rule'.

He wrote the classic `A Town Like Alice', too.

Cheers

David

Shrink Wrapped Scream said...

Hat's off to them (the choosing hat, naturally), anything that can capture and inspire a young mind in that way can only be good.

imac said...

I nevur whent ther

Rachel said...

That's fantastic! How fun!!
Whatever it takes to get them to learn and enjoy learning.
I'm a huge HP fan and can't wait until my children are old enough to share the magical world of HP.

Melissa said...

That's a pretty creative way to get teaching through to the kids. I'm a big Harry Potter fan, so I think this is a great idea!

GFS3 said...

That is creative -- a great way to engage kids. I wish all schools would think that way -- alas, some take the opposite approach:

http://darkpartyreview.blogspot.com/2007/11/essay-banning-harry.html

frannie said...

what a brilliant idea-- if it gets kids interested in learning, it's a good thing!

Anonymous said...

Having just finished a stint in a program of alternative schooling for teens with behaviour problems i think the Harry approach is terrific.
Its becoming apparent that the standard sit down shut up and learn this rigid approach is failing with the onset of more kids with disorders.
A little bit of creativity goes a long way.

The Egel Nest said...

Alternate Footnote:

In an ironic magical tragedy, a child in biology class dissects frog which was supposed to turn into a prince...


Bradley
The Egel Nest

Michal said...

brilliant!