Section outline

  • These are materials shared by schools of their experiences/strategies for engaging parents.

  • What are Nutshells?

    Nutshells are short 30-minute CPD sessions designed to facilitate the whole school adoption of HPL pedagogical practice in Award and Fellowship schools. The ‘Nutshells’ cover a range of topics directly relating to the ACPs and VAAs, as well as covering subject-specific areas of the curriculum. Nutshells are not compulsory but are for HPL Leads and Senior Leaders to use with their teaching staff. 

    Nutshells are designed to:

    • Help teachers understand how to make cognitive success a routine student outcome
    • Increase teacher confidence and practice in building the key competencies
    • Increase the attractiveness and enjoyment of teaching
    • Increase the range and effectiveness of learning opportunities for students

    You can find everything you need for a short, easily deliverable CPD session for ‘in house’ training in the folder below. You will be able to download a presentation and the accompanying presentation notes. 


    • Parent Nutshell: Part 1

    • The Educational Revolution – what we now know!

      Education Revolution


    • Download the HPL Nutshell that contains a presentation and presenter notes

    • Parent Nutshell: Part 2

    • Building a healthier brain for learning
         

      Overcoming challenges

      We promote James Nottingham’s Learning Pit. Parents will no doubt identify with the stages as they apply equally well in the adult world. Learning to Drive is a case in point.

      Emphasize the influence parents have in supporting school, especially about promoting a ‘can do’ attitude. Learning is not easy all the time but that is not a reason to avoid or give up. 

      Learning Pit


    • Download the Powerpoint presentation and presenter notes

    • Parent Nutshell: Part 3

    • What's going on?

      The presenter needs to have some additional knowledge about brain development in order to talk round this slide. See Chapter 9 ‘Great Minds and How to Grow Them’ 

      • Babies brains develop rapidly in the first five-six years of life.
      • The primary aged child’s brain continues to develop but at a slightly slower rate.
      • Around 11 years of age (puberty) the brain undergoes a massive pruning exercise cutting out redundant links and reforming itself – therefore we need adolescents to be having a wide range of learning experiences not dissimilar to their baby and toddler years) to ensure that are building brain structures for a successful adult life.
      • The frontal lobe (area controlling emotions, risk-taking, and responsibility is the last to develop in our early twenties!
      • Our brains don’t stop making connections until we are into very old age – silver surfers etc.

      Peer pressure is something we all need to take seriously, and it is linked to bring development at this time. The wrong experiences will inevitably play a part in the reforming of the brain during the adolescent years.

      Finally, this complex and exhausting change explains why they appear so tired and reluctant to speak etc. In many cases they are emotionally shattered, but also have the capacity of youth and physical energy.

         

      School self-versus home self

      The bullet points point out how we behave differently in different contexts. It’s a key human characteristic that we take on different personas at work to that at home or when out with girlfriends or workmates.

      School v Home

      The important fact here is our brains are designed to help us do this.  Therefore, the child we see at home may not behave like that at school or with friends in town on a Saturday afternoon. Equally, the opposite is true.



    • Download a Powerpoint Presentation and presenter notes. 

    • Nutshell: High Performance Learning Engaging with Parents

    • One moment can make the difference

      The video clip tells Clint Pulver’s story. He was a child with a behavioural issue that got him into a lot of trouble resulting in very low self-esteem. One teacher Mr Jenson saw him differently and that went on to affect his whole life.