Home Learning
using LGfL resources
Accessing BusyThings and j2e Online Platforms
These two platforms are particularly useful for primary-age children to support home-learning activities. Both companies have won multiple awards and have been long-term strategic suppliers to LGfL. Their staff provide excellent customer service and highly relevant tools and activities in support of the wider curriculum.
LGfL Learning Resources for Home Learning
LGfL Home Learning With Reading Zone Live
The Inspire Team at LGfL are always looking for new ways to help the LGfL Community get the most out of their Let's Get Digital Subscription. We know in the current situation, both teachers and parents want more support and ideas for home learning, so we have developed ReadingZone Live Home Learning.
The aim of ReadingZone Live Home Learning is simple - engaging learning activities powered by the fantastic video interviews hosted on ReadingZone Live. Each set of slides has five videos, linked to five tasks for your students to complete. The resources are non-Key Stage specification and with support (if needed) can be completed by any primary school student. The slides are made in the fantastic Just2Easy Toolsuite using j2whiteboard. Click on image to the right to visit the page.
No USO sign on required to access the majority of LGfL resources
To help schools offer continued meaningful education during school closures, the majority of LGfL learning resources have been changed to open access (no login needed) for the LGfL school community.
Many of our content partners have agreed to suspend the normal access controls to help make teacher and pupil access as easy as possible while working from home.
Resource collections that have been put together by the education community:
Pobble have put together this guide (fun, non-screen activities which support independent learning).
BBC Bitesize support to students and their parents with a series of special daily broadcasts for both primary and secondary students, complementing a whole host of extra resources online.
Oak National Academy a bank of high-quality, sequenced video lessons and resources for teachers to use as they wish.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How can I stay up to date with the latest guidance from LGfL relating to home learning support during school closures?
All LGfL teachers are advised to sign up for the LGfL blog and newsletter which are updated with the latest advice, guidance and resources developments.
LGfL also uses Twitter (@LGfL) and Facebook (facebook.com/LondonGridforLearning) to highlight the latest messages for the LGfL community.
2. What are LGfL learning resources and what do they offer?
LGfL learning resources are a combination of commercially produced ‘off the shelf’ and internally produced resources in partnership with key strategic partners or created by the internal LGfL (Inspire) Curriculum Team. There is a significant amount of topic-based material featuring experts in their field via online video delivery which can be watched from home. There are an increasing number of augmented and virtual reality resources which work if installed separately on mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones. NB - links and guidance are contained within specific learning resources and can be accessed from the ‘menu’ tab within the resource. For further insights into how Augmented and Virtual Reality work and how it can be used to aid learning, see the AR/VR channel on LGfL TV.
3. Can anyone use these resources now that the access restrictions have been removed during the Coronavirus school closures?
Access controls have been temporarily removed but the licences have not changed and remain for authorised users as before. Authorised users in this context are any pupils or members of staff in an LGfL school.
4. Are all LGfL learning resources suitable for home learning activities in the event of school closures?
You can be assured that any learning resources featuring the LGfL and London Grid for Learning logos are safe and appropriate for teachers to use in the delivery of the national curriculum.
However, it is worth keeping in mind the portfolio is designed to be used by qualified teachers as part of their daily approach to supporting teaching and learning in a school context. Some resources have material that some parents may consider unsuitable for a child to be using unsupervised at home, particularly parents of primary school age.
Here is a list of resources where parental supervision would be advised
5. Why do some resources still require a login despite schools being closed?
Some content providers have not been able to change access to their resources for commercial reasons, including:
Audio Network
Cyber Pass
EAL / YP
Other resources require a login to function adequately and alternative arrangements are not feasible at this point in time because a login is the only realistic way of providing personalised access to the resources to support home learning. These platforms are:
J2e
Busy Things
6. Are there any particular recommended resources for LGfL teachers to consider using to support home learning activities?
Both J2e and Busy Things offer a wide range of curriculum linked activities and creative tools for primary age children. If schools have implemented USO logins both these platforms offer a wide, comprehensive, engaging and relevant suite of activities which allow children to explore and refine their skills in the context of home learning.
7. How can I access Busy Things from home?
The LGfL USO is the way to access the BusyThings platform for teachers and pupils, anytime, anywhere. Guidance on how to implement the LGfL USO to access the platform can be found here.
8. How can I access the J2e Platform from home?
The optimal way to access the J2e platform is via the LGfL USO log in. If a school has not set this up but would like to for pupils, then click here for guidance.
If it is not possible to implement the LGfL USO during school closure, there is an alternative approach that has been developed exclusively for LGfL school pupils which allows individuals to create their own J2e account which can subsequently be linked back into their school J2e portal when normal school resumes. The method of ‘self-provisioning’ can be found here
J2e has produced a distance learning guide which can be viewed here
9. Are all the LGfL Learning Resources suitable for home learning?
No – many resources in the LGfL content portfolio are designed to support developing teachers' understanding of topics and themes within the context of delivering the national curriculum.
10. What are the key LGfL resources to support home learning in the event of school closure?
Busythings and J2e offer a considerable number of useful tools and activities for primary schools
11. What topic-based resources offer useful support for home learning?
The following resources offer engaging expert video, Augmented and Virtual Reality experiences (additional Apple-based hardware and software required)
Fossils and Dinosaurs
Ancient Egypt
Sigurd and the Dragon
Space Adventures
The Romans in London
The Tudors in London
The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace
iDig – Archaeology resource
Polar Exploration
World War 1
Maya
12. Should teachers consolidate their home learning activities online into a few resources / platforms?
The LGfL (Inspire) Curriculum Team advises teachers to continue to use existing online platforms and ways of working rather than take on too many new technologies at a time of school closure. The rationale for this is that at this pressured time for teachers, children and parents, existing platforms and ways of working will be better understood and not require training / support. It helps allow the focus to be on defined learning outcomes rather than then extensive new features within unfamiliar online platforms. Using existing resources also minimises safeguarding mistakes online such as those which could occur with unfamiliar systems that have a plethora of sophisticated collaborative features.