On 10.9.22 I will be visiting #PedagooHampshire22 at Hayling College.

PedagooHampshire22 is the #teacher5aday inspired event that brings together enthusiastic and energetic practitioners who are keen to share their passion projects. With such a range of great people willing to give up their time for free you can not fail to be inspired and set yourself up for the year ahead.

As well as looking forward to seeing a wide range of interesting and inspiring speakers, I will also be hosting a session myself. My session will involve exploring how and when to use Taskmaster in Education. The main points I will be discussing will be around the following questions.

What is Taskmaster?

Taskmaster is an entertainment show where Greg Davies (the Taskmaster), with the help of his assistant (Alex Horne, also the show’s creator), sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five hyper-competitive comedians through a series of ludicrous tasks.

“Sublimely silly and funny”
Deborah Ross, The Mail on Sunday

“That something so pointless, so silly, so endlessly daft should exist is just delightful” Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

Why would you use it in school?

By using Taskmaster in school, children develop important life skills such as teamwork, problem solving, communication, lateral thinking and resilience, while having a lot of fun. It also supports children’s wellbeing because working as a team improves a child’s sense of belonging, and the varied nature of tasks means that it’s not always the same (sporty or academic) children who do well. Everyone has the chance to succeed, get involved and play their part.

“a big part of it involves problem solving, and it’s never boring to teach because every student will find a different solution to every problem. I did a day of Taskmaster challenges a short while ago (music and all!) and they absolutely loved it.”

Secondary Teacher

“I’ve used Taskmaster tasks within Girl Guiding NZ to teach the kids about problem solving and out of the box thinking.”

Guide Leader

“Taskmaster tasks in lessons…are great for getting students to think around questions and be creative with their solutions. Also, just really great fun.”

Teacher

“They worked in teams and it really boosted their collaboration and problem solving skills.”

Teacher

A recent Teacher Tapp survey found that 63% of the respondents believed that our education system is not currently equipping young people with 21st century skills. Taskmaster Education aims to do something about that.

When can you use it in school?

• Transition Days
• Start/End of term
• Anti-Bullying Week
• Children’s Mental Health Week
• #SchoolTasking
• Lesson starters
• Topic Days
• Any lesson, any subject

What tasks can you do?

• From the show – plastic bag, teabag, score from the furthest distance
• Subject specific – Learn a poem, put 100g worth of things in this bowl,
• Positive outcome – Read a book to a child from another class, make someone laugh
• Challenge – Physical – Quick – Extended – Prize

What should you be wary of?

• Subjective tasks – can be fun, but also harsh
• Time limits – allow enough time to get good outcomes, but not so much that the focus is lost – be flexible
• Carefully consider the wording of the tasks – what’s the worst thing that could happen?
• Consider groupings
• Think about what you want the children to get out of the experience and tailor your Taskmaster Education experience accordingly

What next?

Get involved with Taskmaster Education (@TaskmasterEdu) / Twitter

Find out more and register an interest in School Tasking (warwick.ac.uk)

For more information on #PedagooHampshire22 visit

To get free tickets visit #PedagooHampshire22 Tickets, Sat 10 Sep 2022 at 10:30 | Eventbrite