Student and teacher perceptions of the value of Total War: Saga in motivating KS3 students in an all-boys state school

This paper will investigate the efficacy of using game-based learning to increase motivation in Key Stage 3 boys (aged 11–14) at a single-sex, non-selective free school located in inner London. During observations of classes I have seen a spectrum of varying motivation in the classroom. As such, the aim of this game-inspired motivation should, as this paper will find, have a clearly demonstrable influence on their academic studies. This will be examined through measuring both an increase in intercultural communication competence and a desire to autodidactically research these historical and classical topics. Whilst the long-term effects of this research paper on its participants will not be properly understood for years to come, what can be currently measured, I hope, can offer genuine excitement in the area of digital games and motivation.

Some pupils should know better (because there is better knowledge than opinion). Interim findings from an empirical study of pupils’ and teachers’ understandings of knowledge and big questions in Religious Education

In this paper, we draw on interim findings of our research project on Religious Education (RE), knowledge and big questions. We have found Miranda Fricker’s concept of epistemic injustice useful in our analysis—that is, the notion that a person can be wronged “specifically in their capacity as a knower (Fricker 2007, 1). In interviews with Key Stage 3 pupils (aged 12–14) we found that for many pupils, their capacity to know was hindered by the prioritisation of respect for opinion. Where opinion is considered something not to be questioned, this seems to be a key indicator of epistemic disadvantage while some pupils valued and could employ criticality when considering knowledge claims (including opinions). Epistemic advantage in this way exacerbates epistemic injustice, broadening a gap between the epistemic haves and have-nots. This research is part of a larger project where we attempt to answer the question: ‘Does Religious Education have a distinctive contribution to make to the development of epistemic literacy?’. We begin with our account of epistemic literacy underpinned by Young’s powerful knowledge (Young and Muller 2010) and contextualise our data with discourses about knowledge and school education. We focus largely on the emergent theme of (respect for) opinions and we argue that the prioritisation of respect in RE is (for some pupils) a barrier to knowledge. We go on to explore why this matters for individuals, society and RE.

Understanding curriculum design in the perceptions and practices of classroom music teachers in the lower secondary school in England

Curriculum design is a domain that infrequently forms a discrete element of initial teacher training, or continuing professional development for music teachers in English secondary schools. Classroom music teachers, teaching Key Stage 3 (KS3) learners (11–14-year olds), are, however, required to design their own curriculum. Teachers are accountable to school leaders for curricula they implement, and the outcomes from their selected approaches. This article discusses classroom music curriculum practices and their significance in music education. The research project was conducted with music teachers from schools in the East and West Midlands of England, utilising questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Research findings are conceptualised in a model of music curriculum activity. The research thereby facilitates discussion of unacknowledged complexities and tacit teacher planning practices in music curriculum design.

Carbon Brief

<p>Leo Hickman will outline his experience of communicating climate change as a journalist and author. Leo has edited the award-winning Carbon Brief since 2015. The UK-based website specialises in publishing clear, data-driven articles and graphics to help improve the understanding of climate change, both in terms of the science and the policy response. Before joining Carbon Brief, Leo spent 16 years at the Guardian as a features journalist and editor covering the environment, particularly climate change. Leo has also authored several books, including "Will Jellyfish Rule the World?" (Puffin, 2009), which explained climate change to Key Stage 3 children.</p>

A quarter face literacy barriers to GCSE success

With one in four 15-year-olds having a reading age of 12 or under, schools are urged to prioritise key stage 3 literacy support

English lessons in lower secondary schools in Poland: Reflections based on learner voices

This paper reports on some of the data from a large-scale study Teaching and Learning Foreign Language in lower secondary school, which began in the school year 2011-12 and traces selected groups of learners through the three years of Key Stage 3 (gimnazjum), ending in school year 2013-14. The study was conceived and is managed by the Foreign Language Section of the Educational Research Institute (ERI) in Warsaw with European funding. (see Acknowledgement). In this article the focus is on data obtained from interviews conducted with learners from class one of 120 lower secondary schools, where the students were asked to describe and give opinions about learning English in their school and to imagine an ideal lesson. The learners are the reason that lessons in school take place, but their views are rarely consulted. This study attempts to redress the balance.