With the pressures of modern day teaching in schools and the wide array of curriculum requirements that are put in place should schools make more of the opportunities provided by external providers?
The benefits are numerous, ranging from an unknown person teaching a class. This in itself can really provide an insight into how students react and cope with someone who they know very little. Giving the opportunity for the teacher to observe such interactions.
A huge benefit is the range of specialties that can be taught. Nobody can expect teachers to know everything, yet by bringing in outside providers the different topics that can be covered are endless.
A great workshop idea is visits by authors and illustrators, who have published books, provides a great experience to see how books are created from the initial ideas to the finished product. The students can have either study the book previous to the authors visit or after the visit, both can have their merits.
If its not literacy that’s the focus then maybe numeracy. The range of maths workshops ranging from sessions using the number to others using more practical maths where the use of numbers is limited but such criteria as sequencing, pattern and problem solving are more the focus.
This is not to say that all the school workshop choices that are available are the more traditional subjects. There are animal workshops, circus skills, music, dance, and team building or world culture workshops. This is to name but a few. The subjects that are available are all there to really enhance our children’s exposure to different experiences, and really should not be missed.