Knightswood Online

Leisure bosses make pools available to kids
By Steven McCombe: LEISURE bosses have pulled out all the stops to make sure kids get swimming in their summer holidays.The Evening Times told earlier this month how a third of pools across the city were shut or partial

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF WEDDINGS
As part of Knightswood Congregational Church's 75th Anniversary Celebrations they are holding a special service on Sunday 29th June for all those who have been married in the Church over these ye

Pupils Bid To Put Brakes on Drivers
A GROUP of Glasgow primary pupils went on the march to call for drivers to slow to 20mph around schools. The children from St Ninian's, Knightswood, were taking part in an initiative organised by Br

Pupil's greenhouse project
KNIGHTSWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL RECYCLED BOTTLE GREENHOUSE PROJECT Knightswood Primary School are looking forward to a fantastic day on Wednesday 28th May 2008. The Primary 6 children will be bui

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23/5/2008IT ALL ADDS UP TO SUCCESS

IT'S one of those subjects you loved or hated at school but all the pupils at one Glasgow primary are clamouring to learn maths thanks to a new teaching method and parent power.
And the children at Knightswood Primary are also hitting attainment targets early.
Theirs is the first school in the city to teach the subject in middle school through 'active learning', a modern method of teaching which uses practical tasks to ease understanding.
Parents who struggle with times tables and long division have also been thrown a life-line by staff.
The school invites mums and dads into the classroom to help with maths workshops so they are as clued up as their kids about number crunching.
Results from the P4 pilot, which started in August, show children are achieving their national assessments in maths at an earlier stage.
Active learning, or 'learning through doing', requires pupils to make their own meanings from what they learn to boost problem-solving skills.
Pupils go round workstations learning maths through real-life scenarios, which makes the subject more relevant. They complete tasks such as measuring ingredients for fruit smoothies with the help of a teacher, support assistant, parent or on their own.
Research shows active learning is better recalled, understood and enjoyed than traditional teaching methods and it allows youngsters to learn at their own pace.
More importantly, staff say the method has boosted enthusiasm for what can be a difficult subject to grasp.
Nathan McGill, 8, from Knightswood, said: "Active maths is better than sitting with a textbook in front of you. It is exciting and fun."
Headteacher Janet Hutchison said: "Active learning is all about tapping into the variety of ways in which children learn and allowing children to be more involved in their own learning.
"We've been doing active maths for a while with the younger pupils but wanted to introduce it to the middle school.
"The feedback from the children and parents has been amazing. We carried out a survey and most pupils were enthusiastic about it.
"They are disappointed when they are not doing it.
"It's been a huge success. A lot of children are achieving their national assessments earlier.
"We spoke to parents and they told us one of the things they find most difficult is helping children with homework.
"Every active maths class has one parent volunteering to help and I think they enjoy it as much as the children."
It's now hoped to introduce active maths to pupils in P5.
Education watchdogs praised levels of maths attainment in a glowing report given to the school last year.
The primary received three 'excellent' ratings and 12 'very good' from HMI inspectors.
Inspectors commented that "a significant number" of pupils were achieving attainment levels earlier than expected.