Tagtiv8 Active Learning

It may not have been headlining the Pyramid Stage with Stormzy and Coldplay, but it was still pretty cool to be asked to present research and ideas about Physically Active Learning (PAL) at such a prestigious event.The World Education Summit was curated by Osiris and featured many awesome presenters from across the globe. Our founder, Bryn Llewellyn shared his talk with Ian Holmes, co-founder of Move&Learn CIC.The presenters included many people who continue to inspire us, including the wonderful HundrED collaborator, Pasi Sahlberg, whom we met at the HundrED Summit in 2018.

One of our initial aims was to create resources and training for K-12 schools. Since then, we have been on a few mazy runs. However, we always return to what we do best - helping children and teachers move & learn.It seems our reputation as pioneers of PAL (Physically Active Learning) is growing. Here in the UK, Sport England has funded 12 Local Delivery Pilots (LDPs) across the country - one of which is in Bradford. To find out more about 'Join Us: Move Play', click here.Earlier this year, we were approached by JU:MP Obesity Trailblazers team. Would we like to create content for Physical Activity in madrasa schools in Bradford - with the ideas then being rolled out in Birmingham? As author, Kyra Davis says, “Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones. We have to break the rules. And we have to discover the sensuality of fear. We need to face it, challenge it, dance with it.”And that is what we intend to do - working with new teams and organisations to help local communities solve local, national and international problems. At the time of writing, we are going through a double-diamond design model. This means we are working with the communities to reflect their needs. For the programme to work, we need ALL stakeholders on board. Watch this space for further details. 

"We've been informed that your PAL (Physically Active Learning) programme is backed by research. Would you be interested in supporting 30 schools as part of Bradford Clinical Commissioning Group?" This was the questioned posed to us by Dr Grainne Dickerson, Public Health Specialist and Health Psychologist. Needless to say, we jumped at the chance.30 schools - let's do the Maths! That's getting on for 13,000 children. Not only that,  but some of the schools are secondary/high schools. New challenges and new opportunities.Now that Covid-19 lockdowns are easing, we have started working with these 30 schools - training teachers so they are confident and competent, delivering PAL approaches by themselves. The structures are now in place to deliver training across different platforms - including a series of webinars and face to face sessions. A perfect blend of digital and analogue.Watch this space for future developments...

When we launched our Tagtiv8 Word platform, it was to help teachers make learning in English more active, relevant and fun. Why? The test-driven culture of the UK education system meant that many children were living on a sole diet of Mathematics and English. The latter subject was not necessarily about creating a love of reading - it was more about simply teaching Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. Cue the dreaded SPaG tests!However, once schools started playing the games, teachers soon began to realise that students could use the letters on the tags to deepen learning in other subjects, whether it be:sciencehistorygeographyThen a breakthrough, whilst working and playing with a school in Helsinki. Naively, we assumed the children spoke Finnish. It was only when we arrived that we realised it was a Swedish speaking school. There's always time to pivot - and the outcomes were amazing.Not only are schools now in a position to use tags for other subjects, they can also use them to develop their understanding of languages other than English.To find out more, click here and here and here.

Our background is in Environmental Studies and Education. We are committed to education:about the environmentthrough the environmentfor the environmentOur first beta-resources were imported ethically from India. However, as most of our schools were based in the UK, we thought we could go further with lowering our carbon footprints - manufacturing them here, therefore cutting down on shipping.We are proud to say that our resources are now created in Yorkshire - employing local people from local companies, organisations and charities. Our tags are built to last! As we are promoting learning outside, they need to be durable and water-proof. After all, the weather can be rather erratic.What about the other materials we use? With some signposting from HundrED Connect, we discovered up-cycled plastic! Then we found a manufacturer in the north of England, who were keen to support us. Yes, they may not be as colourful as the previous versions, but our new Tag Pods still look pretty cool! We even leave the manufacturer's labels on. Why? We figure they may prompt children - and teachers - to ask:What is up-cycled?How is it different from re-cycled?Can I look into it and see if it can help me do my bit for the environment?Our resources continue to evolve - let's see what our next steps will involve...

We are in unprecedented times. We can't even begin to understand the incredible trauma faced by so many. Our initial thoughts can be read in this HundrED blog post - https://hundred.org/en/articles/don-t-let-quarantine-stop-you-from-moving-and-learning. Thank you, Pukhraj and Mariah for your support in making sense of the words.Since then, we have been working with teachers and children to create activities and resources that will help schools re-open to a wider number of children. Many children in the foreseeable future will be taught in bubbles - with physical and social distancing a priority. What do our new approaches look like? Head here - read the words and check out the video. As to the feedback from school leaders and teachers:“Fantastic Zoom chat with Bryn from Tagtiv8 this morning. So many ideas! Can’t wait to get started in September!” Phil Timmins, Y6 Teacher, Summerfield PS, Birmingham“Lovely to catch up with Tagtiv8 online this morning. Some amazing COVID friendly active learning ideas will be winging their way to our POD teachers. Love being part of the Tagtiv8 family!” Faye Hirst, Assistant Principal, Orchard Primary Academy, DewsburyIf you think your schools would welcome support, just contact us.

Yes, we know the map shows that Tagtiv8 has a presence in the UK. However, it fails to show that the UK is made of separate countries. We are now proud to say that a school in Scotland has joined us in our 'move and learn' journey. Following a great Activity Day and CPD session, St Margaret's Primary School in Renfrewshire decided to buy our Maths programme. Their teachers are now super excited to take learning beyond the classroom walls.According to teacher, Heather Moynihan: "The staff and pupils really enjoyed our Tagtiv8 day last year (seems such a long time ago now!) and we would love to use it again! I was thinking that it might be useful for more outdoor learning for pupils when the children return after the Summer, thinking about socially distancing!"Watch this space to see how the teachers and children get on with their new Tagtiv8 resources.

The week before Covid-19 lockdown in the UK, we were working with 3 amazing  schools in Whitby and Scarborough, North Yorkshire. This is usually the busiest time for Tagtiv8 in terms of Activity Days and CPD for teachers. However, all bookings were shelved - hopefully temporarily - and we were left with a dilemma: "What are we going to do now?"Out of the blue, a call from a producer at BBC Education: "Would you be able to help with writing content and scripts for us?" A leap out of our comfort zone, but it provided a great opportunity to work with a wonderful team - albeit temporarily and working remotely. Cue an intense 10 weeks sat at the MacBook. Write, edit, Zoom repeat. The irony that we usually challenge sedentary lifestyles was not lost on us. At the time of writing, we have had a hand in 75 episodes, all of which have helped children learn at home with their families during the pandemic. To see some of the content, visit BBC Bitesize. Please note, this is only available in the UK, owing to licensing arrangements.At the last count, BBC revealed these Bitesize programmes were viewed by 3.5 MILLION people!We even managed to share a few 'move and learn' approaches during some of the episodes and the BBC created links to our site. This resulted in 450 signing up to our e-newsletter. Hopefully, this will lead to opportunities for us to work and play with more schools when things return to a greater sense of normality.

The HundrED Summit is very special for many reasons. Yes, it's about innovations - but it's also about the people. Talking with the wonderful Hei Schools, it soon became apparent that there was a clear and definite synergy between our organisations.Cue a series of online conversations in January and February with Hei's Pedagogical Manager, Karoliina Nygren: "Would Tagtiv8 like to support our new school in Buenos Aries?" Of course we said, "Yes." The resources were shipped and the planning documents sent via We Transfer.As Covid-19 started spreading, Karoliina informed us: "Things in Argentina are very fine and the school opened last week with around 15 first and second grade students. I had a short chat with the teacher last week and asked them to try out some Tagtiv8 activities soon. I try to get some nice photos and content from them and we should definitely work on a piece together for HundrED! I will also share their feedback on the product when I get some."Then, we heard: "We needed to evacuate our Finnish teacher and the school will be closed until September. Despite all this bad luck I think the tags would be a great teaching aid for the local primary teacher. She is very open to new teaching methods and I would really like her to try out the tags when the school opens again. Since the period of teacher training was so short, our Finnish teacher onsite didn’t have the time to explore the tags with Agostina (name of the local primary teacher). Therefore I would hope we could cooperate and if you are about to host any webinars or online trainings related to your product, it would be great to introduce the tags and how to use them through that for Agostina. Of course the time difference between Europe and South America is pretty challenging but let’s try to figure something out."Another pivot during this pandemic, but we are remain optimistic. We have learned to play the long game. Watch this space...

Connectivity & Creativity with Physical Activity (PA) & Physically Active Learning (PAL)This week we were working with a school in London, when we heard an adult say, “What’s the point of playing with Maths?” Rather than reply, we waited to watch her respond to a Tagtiv8 session, knowing full well the impact in advance. Cue a 180 degree about turn: “Now I get it - it’s fun, it’s active and it’s sticky!” The latter term doesn’t just apply to the velcro on the tags and belts. It’s all about the learning - our ‘move and learn’ approaches make learning memorable.Tagtiv8 and the LEGO Foundation - a Shared EthosWhen we created Tagtiv8, we looked to the LEGO Foundation as our inspiration. Why? Well, the name lego derives from an abbreviation in Danish of “play well” - leg godt. Or you could simply read this awesome article.We wanted to create a resource that appealed to children of all ages - from Early Years to Primary/Elementary and beyond. As teachers and school leaders, we need to create and develop innovative solutions to health and education issues - crucial in these days of increasingly sedentary lifestyles.As Sarah Bouchie, Head of Global Programmes at the Lego Foundation says, “Learning through play is all about:Curiosity Engagement Collaboration Critical Thinking Creativity”LEGO has ‘bricks’ of different sizes, shapes and colours. Tagtiv8 has tags of different colours - with letters, numbers and symbols. Like LEGO, we provide instructions and diagrams for teachers and children so they know how to play the games. However, this is simply the starting point. Once they get to grips with the simplicity of the format, the imagination kicks in. Teachers are empowered, thinking, “We could use this for fractions, decimals, percentages and more.” Likewise, the children start pushing the boundaries of what’s possible:“We could draw a hundred square on the play-ground and then skip with the number tags…”“We could walk the tags like you walk a dog!”“We could clap on the tens and hop on the ones.”“We could jump over the odd numbers and jump over the even ones.”Tagtiv8 children create games with moves, rules, scoring systems and strategic tips to play well and win. They test out their ideas and refine them. They share these ideas and encourage others to twist, morph and blend their own ideas into the mix. Our BEST games are devised and developed by children. Why? Children are naturally creative, curious and know no boundaries. Watching them create their own moves is something very special indeed!Designing and creating their own games is empowering and rewarding. Imagine the sense of pride the children from Lordship Lane Primary School in London have when they see their game, ‘Tomato Ketchup and Mustard’ being played by children elsewhere in the UK and even in other countries. Play Starts with the Very Young and ContinuesWatching children from EYFS/Kindergarten enter a room - with the tags and Velcro strips strewn across the floor and the colourful buckets and pods in the middle - is wonderful. What do they do? They:Pick the tags up Jump over themMatch themPut them in linesOrder themStick them on the VelcroWith older children, the imagination continues - as seen in this collaborative programme with fellow HundrED innovators, Night Zookeeper. What better way to spark creativity than a blend of movement, drama, art, writing and technology?Going Beyond English & MathematicsWe never cease to be amazed by the creativity of teachers and children. Pioneering schools have been exploring the links between our Active Word programme with languages other than English and other subjects such as History and Science. This certainly echoes our Mission Statement:“We were frustrated that many schools were focusing only on English and Mathematics – with certain subjects put to one side. In some schools, subjects are taught in boxes and we know that this is not how we learn best.” Watching children interweave subjects really takes the learning to another level. Like LEGO, there really is no limit to how the Tagtiv8 ‘building blocks’ can be used. To us, play isn’t just about Physical Activity and Physically Active Learning games - it’s about the explorative and experimental process of learning. Children as Play FacilitatorsPlay gets better still, when the children lead Tagtiv8 sessions on their own – especially with older students helping younger children. This certainly echoes the Lego Foundation’s call to action, “Let’s Champion the Power of Play.” Tagtiv8 really does help children of all ages play and interact and experiment more freely.Looking AheadThe initial research by Leeds Beckett University and backed by NESTA demonstrated Tagtiv8’s impact on levels of activity as well as academic performance. Tagtiv8 have recently secured funding to investigate the impact of their training methods with teachers. No doubt, play will be an essential element in the delivery - watch this space.Creativity and connectivity are essential to Tagtiv8. Want to know more? Just reach out...

Tagtiv8 have a shared ethos with LEGO. It's all about play and creativity.All Tagtiv8 games are created by people in schools - teachers AND children! In fact, our BEST games are devised and developed by children. Why? Because children are naturally creative, curious and know no boundaries. Watching them create their own moves is something very special indeed!Tagtiv8 provide the school with resources and instructions to get them started - but then the imagination kicks in.Tagtiv8 children create and develop their games - before sharing them with children in other parts of the world. "THEY'RE PLAYING OUR GAMES IN AUSTRALIA!" Imagine the pride in seeing your idea adding value to someone else's day!Tagtiv8 children create games with moves, rules, scoring systems and strategic tips to play well and win. They test out their ideas and refine them. They share these ideas and encourage others to twist, morph and blend their own ideas into the mix.The outcomes are truly wonderful! As teachers, we love playing the games created by the children:Can you Walk the Dog?Tomato Ketchup & MustardThe Great British Jump - or Hop - OffAnd it gets better still, when the children lead Tagtiv8 sessions on their own - especially with older students helping younger children. Creativity is essential to Tagtiv8. Want to know more? Let's connect...

Tagtiv8 has grown slowly - with no investment or backing from others. What has driven us? The belief that our 'move & learn' approaches work. The impact is evidenced in the smiles of the children and their attitudes to learning, as well as the feedback from their teachers. Initial research demonstrates impact on inactivity levels and academic performance.What next? To continue our growth, we need others to help spread the Tagtiv8 messages and programmes in locations around the world. We have created a training programme - linked to the Teaching Standards in the UK - with One Awards. This has been approved by Ofqual so with that seal of approval, we are ready to scale up and move forwards. To find out more, just reach out...

We love to work & play with others! Schools, fellow HundrED innovators such as Times Tables RockStars and Night Zookeeper and larger organisations help us reach out to more teachers, children and families.We know collaboration works - the evidence is in the smiles and feedback. Check out these comments from Northampton Town FC Community Trust:"Combining physical activity and learning has been a really effective way for us to support learners in our community and school sessions to help them develop a broader range of cognitive skills. There’s so many different activities that can be delivered through Tagtiv8, it’s a fantastic resource to have at our disposal."Phillip Smith, CEO, NTFC Community TrustWe have also been working closely with other Premier League Communities - check out the links with Leicester City here.Meanwhile, Stoke City and Leeds United have accessed our training and they now have Tagtiv8 resources of their own. They are advocates of our programmes and our partnerships are strengthening every season. It's definitely a case of teamwork:"Faster alone, further together..."

We are always looking at innovative ways to spread the love of Tagtiv8's 'Move & Learn' approaches. When we were approached by volunteers en route to Kenya we thought let's get things going. One meeting in Leeds and one practical demonstration at a local school in Harrogate, the team were ready to roll. Equipped with tags and belts, the team shared the resources and planning with local teachers. The sessions were a great success! Here's just one tweet!Further proof that Tagtiv8 can be transferred into different settings with children (and teachers) around the globe. To find out more, check out the work of the Memusi Foundation.

Working & playing with Purston Infant School in West Yorkshire, we were mesmerised by the way the the Year 2 children developed their own 'move & learn' patterns in multiplication. We shared their ideas on Twitter and pretty soon, were in conversation with Mikel Bringas from Mugiment in the Basque Country.Later, we received this video.The Headteacher's response was amazing:"It is fantastic. We had class assembly on Friday and it was the 2 boys class. I kept it secret and showed it to the children, staff and parents that were in there. I have sent the link to all Governors and other parents via parent mail. We gave the boys extra special stickers and called them Our International Ambassadors."As to the future, we are heading to the Basque Country - to share our 'move & learn; approaches with teachers and children in 2020. We have over 100 teachers signed up for a Tagtiv8 experience following an invitation from the local government. Exciting times ahead!

We love Times Tables Rock Stars! Who doesn’t? Every school we go to features a TT Rock Stars display board with ‘Battle of the Bands’ Leader Boards. The best part is the excitement in learning that TT Rock Stars generates – with teachers, children, as well as parents and carers.Why does this happen? It’s simple really – they make learning key facts fun. What can be better than gamifying essential numeracy skills for life?Times Tables Rock Stars & Tagtiv8 – a Shared EthosTimes Tables Rock Stars and Tagtiv8 were both formed by teachers with a passion for making a difference to the lives of children – and teachers! We are both committed to making learning fun, active and relevant. We both also feature in HundrED’s Top 100 Global education Innovations for 2019.Working & Playing with TT Rock Stars & Tagtiv8 We work and play with some or all of the children in a school – focussing on their chosen times tables. How do we do this?Using Tagtiv8 number games to generate enthusiasm for MathematicsBlending Tagtiv8 ‘move & learn’ approaches with the TT Rock Stars platformIntroducing the children & teachers to new games such as ‘Riff! Rap! Kerrang! and ‘Guitar Jumps!’Enabling teachers with skills to deliver their own ‘move & learn’ approaches for multiplicationOur ‘move & learn’ approaches engage even the most reluctant of learners and those children with a fear of Mathematics.To find out more, click here.

We love to play with others - especially when they are fellow HundrED innovators. We have been friends with Night Zookeeper for many years so any chance to work & play together has to be welcomed.Blending Tagtiv8 with Night Zookeeper means that we can 'inspire a love of reading & writing' together - with creativity & activity.What does a Creactivity Day Look Like?There is no set format – it is very much bespoke and geared towards the needs of the school and learners. Some schools bring us in for a day, while others have brought us in for a week. Some schools launch the creative collaboration with an assembly, while others celebrate with an assembly at the end of the event. Other schools skip this and just get involved with the creactivity. Children get active and collect letters to build word s during a fun game of Tagtiv8. They use these letters to create names of new magical animals to live in the Night Zoo. They develop ideas for the way their magical animals look, move and sound. Children get creative producing artwork for their very own Night Zoo! Finally, they’ll go into the digital world by setting up their Night Zookeeper accounts.To find out more, click here.

When someone suggested we become ambassadors for Child Friendly Leeds, we jumped at the chance! Any organisation with the aim, ‘We’re working to bring everyone together to make Leeds a child friendly city’ has to be awesome.Child Friendly Leeds’ resolve to ‘put children and young people at the heart of a strong economy, in a compassionate city’ reminds us of a statement made by a teacher during one of our active learning training sessions in neighbouring Bradford:“We don’t do enough for our children’s hearts.”Such words are one of many reasons behind Tagtiv8’s purpose. Our aim is to get schools to think differently about the way children learn. Our approach is one of active learning, using the hashtags #sitlessmovemore and #moveandlearn to convey what we are about. Our approaches create win/win solutions for education and health.We love working with individual schools, but always welcome opportunities to work strategically across authorities - whether they be cities, towns or smaller communities. 

At Tagtiv8, we are used to playing in classrooms, in PE halls, in MUGAs and of course in the playground. In theory, a library is not a location that we would usually consider appropriate for our active learning games.Running and jumping around does not mix well with old and sometimes delicate books and shushing librarians generally. So it’s a good job that we can adapt our games to suit the location and a completely different type of player.Recently, Tagtiv8 teamed up with LiveWellLeeds and Leeds Beckett University School of Sport to deliver a rather different active learning session. Why was it adapted? Well, Tagtiv8 are used to working with school children. However, the participants this time were slightly older than those in Key Stage 3.However, as Andy Gaunt, Headteacher at the wonderful Greengates Primary School, is keen to point out, “Tagtiv8 games really are remarkably versatile“.The aim of this session at Crossgates Library was to see how Tagtiv8 games can help older people and it seems active learning works – on many levels. “From my point of view, I felt it was a fantastic activity that addressed physical, mental and social stimulation. From a physiotherapist’s point of view, the physical activity was relevant in challenging strength and balance and therefore addresses falls risk. It was inclusive, interactive and fun. I loved it.”Mary Tyrrell Place, Proactive Care Physiotherapist“It was fantastic to see an element of competition with some individuals even jogging! And repeatedly getting up and out of their seat in quick succession – surely building their own confidence in their own functional capacity.”Dr Victoria Archbold, Senior Lecturer, Leeds Beckett UniversityIt’s proven that people with dementia are better at remembering, retaining information and happier when mentally stimulated. And Tagtiv8 ticks those boxes.The session was co-delivered with Year 3 students from LBU’s Carnegie School of Sport and Sport & Exercise Science courses, thus ensuring there was a truly inter-generational approach. Watching the communication between the students and participants was wonderful. The rapport meant that everybody left with smiles on their faces. They had tried something new – “a game that was better than scrabble” apparently!The session evolved from the 2nd YoHPAKE Symposium at Sheffield Hallam University earlier this year. If, like us, you are interested in the connections between physical activity and health, we strongly recommend that you join the Yorkshire and Humberside Physical Activity Knowledge Exchange (YoHPAKE) on Google+ Communities.

At this year’s Primary Rocks Live event in Manchester, Kathryn Morgan and Hannah Wilson said: “Come and listen to Graham Andre – he’s talking about gender and equality.”Listening to Graham reminded us about how tag rugby inspired us to create our Physically Active Learning (PAL) games in the first place. When we taught in schools in Yorkshire, we encountered tag rugby for the first time via Bradford Bulls and were wowed by the way the game involved girls and boys on the same level. We are always pleased when teachers comment on the fact that our approaches engage all children, both physically and mentally. Watching children compete and collaborate during the PAL sessions, we often hear teachers say, “I didn’t know she could do that!”To find out more about Graham’s recent journey and findings, check out the BBC programme, ‘No More Girls and Boys: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free?'We also urge you to check out #genderequality, #nogendertoys, #nomoreboysandgirls, #smashingstereotypes. Likewise, go to @WomenEd for inspiration, links and ideas. We also recommend you check out Caroline Ash, a wonderful Deputy Headteacher at Horton Grange Primary School in Northumberland. Look at her work with the Gender Charter and read her blog post, ‘Closing the Gender Gap’. Truly provocative and informative!In terms of sport and physical activity, check out @MiniMermaidUK and @ThisGirlCanUK, both of whom are making massive differences to the way girls think about themselves – with health benefits and more.

Tagtiv8 was founded by a teacher and school leader, but we left our traditional roles to bring about changes on a bigger scale. We make inroads by working & playing with schools, while researching the impacts of Physically Active Learning (PAL). We also seek to influence the decision makers. As members of the NAHT, we are able to propose motions at national conference.What Happened at the NAHT Annual Conference in Liverpool?This year we set about proposing a motion with Ian Holmes, Headteacher at Thorner Primary School in Leeds. With the support of the Bradford branch of the NAHT and the Executive Committee, we were able to formulate the wording:Conference notes the growing body of research showing children who are physically fit are better at absorbing and retaining new information. Conference asks National Executive to signpost such research to members and to explore how schools can best be supported to make physically active learning an integral part of a school’s approach to teaching and learning.The proposal was voted on. 6% abstained but 90% agreed, meaning the motion was carried with a large majority. In other words, 9 out of 10 school leaders believe they should be signposting their colleagues towards research into PAL!What Did the Media Say?The media coverage was an interesting mix. We loved the article by Eleanor Busby in the Independent. At the other end of the scale was the Telegraph with their rather mischievous headline, ‘Let Children Run Around in Class, Headteachers Told’. Needless to say, this was not what was proposed at all. To find out more, read the blog post by Andy Daly-Smith here.Huge thanks to Simon Smith, Headteacher at East Whitby Academy for seconding the motion proposal.