Teacher's Nintendo project in top class

Published on Friday 20 March 2009 21:11

A TEACHER from Scotland is up for a top European award after using Nintendo DS games such as Guitar Hero to help new pupils make friends and find their way around new schools.

Ollie Bray, 31, depute head at Musselburgh Grammar School, is the only teacher from a Scottish school up for the title of Microsoft European Innovative Teacher in Vienna on Thursday.

His project to ease the move from primary to secondary school was so successful it is now run by all 46 East Lothian schools and will benefit about 1,000 children over three years.

Pupils' group activities include playing Battle of the Bands on XBoxes, learning a couple of bars on real guitars and designing their own CD sleeves.

Staff have found that once children start secondary school, those who are usually reluctant to talk to the teacher are perfectly happy to learn via a games console in the classroom. Brain-training software is used in maths and My French Coach for languages.

Mr Bray said: "This would not have worked without all the Primary 7 teachers being on board."