UK election resource for 11-14s

Where should Grace put her X on May 7th?
Free PSHE/Citizenship resource for KS3

It is election time. Wherever you look there are politicians aiming to win you over. Debates, Q and As, sensationalist headlines, tweets and Facebook posts are all around us. But while young people in our schools may be aware of something important going on, how engaged are they?

Academics at Newcastle University wanted to involve 11-14 year olds in the election – it is an ideal way to introduce them to politics and parliament. It is also something they can then easily discuss with their parents when they get home too. They approached us to create a free iPad app, which is now ready to download – just click here or search ‘election mystery’ on the App Store. Email info@reflectivethinking.com for a PDF version or click here for a Windows PC/laptop free trial.

You may think ‘oh, another attempt to interest young people’, but this time, it’s different. The app tells the story of the election through an 18 year old called Grace Feng. Bright, illustrated slips of information fill the screen which explain her background and interests plus some of her aims in life and the opinions of her family and friends. Students must use these to develop an understanding of her as a person then with this, decide who she should vote for.

A teacher at Greenfield Community College is using the app - he said “It is more essential than ever to get young people engaged in the political process and the future of our country. As a school we are running a topical scheme of work through our 'time for success' on politics and the election. When we were told about the app, it seemed the ideal task to support this. Students can engage in their own time - as a homework task - or work through the mystery in lessons.”


Three options to use this free resource:

• iPad app: Click here or search ‘election mystery’ on the App Store
• PDF version: Email info@reflectivethinking.com with subject 'election mystery'
• Windows PC/laptop: Click here for a 28 day free trial

How can you double the availability of your iPads?

More and more schools are taking up iPads, with teachers excited about the various ways they can be used. With the expense of the devices though, the plan is often to start off with a small amount at first. While cost-efficient, this does mean that some miss out as another class has already booked them.

However, did you know that the iPad can actually be the perfect device for working in pairs? Picture the scene: 15 iPads, one whole class fully absorbed in the task, or 30 iPads, two whole classes fully absorbed.

The iPad actually allows multiple touches meaning two students could be around one iPad and interacting with it, and each other, at the same time. For this to really be utilised, it does need to be with the right app, as not all make the most of this feature.

I’d like to introduce you to our free iPad app Digital Mysteries Lite: KS2. This is a result of years of academic research in Newcastle on collaborative learning and education in general. Because it has been specifically developed for true collaboration between pairs, it is ideal for schools who would like to spread their iPads out.

Whether this interests you probably depends on what the app entails. The good news is it’s a cross-curricula app which involves solving a ‘mystery’. Each mystery aligns to the National Curriculum for England, and our first version has tasks on English/PSHE, Maths and History.

Users are given illustrated slips of information which they read, organise into groups and move around the screen to show how they’ve came to their answer. This is in response to the open-ended question for each particular task.

An example is a pair working out ‘Who killed King Ted?’ by making calculations on the suspects’ whereabouts, medicine measurements and motorbike speeds.

If you’d like to try it, please click here or search Digital Mysteries on the App Store.