“From the teachers’ perspective, the education system is “noisy”: Teachers are surrounded by multiple and conflicting messages about what is most important to do. Furthermore, if they focus too much on any …
Reading by the beach
Reading by the beach normally evokes glossy scenes of lying on the beach, amidst the heady scent of suncream and sea air, along with a good ol’ story. Well, this blog isn’t about such a sunny scene…
Curriculum Development and Teacher Development
“Curriculum development must rest on teacher development” Lawrence Stenhouse, ‘An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development’ Paying attention to the careful, skilled development of your curriculum is essential business for every school. …
On the RISE
This week saw the publication of the Education Endowment Foundation RISE (Research-leads Improving Students’ Education) Project. It was one of the first projects in England that attempted to mobilise the emerging role …
What do we mean by ‘knowledge rich’ anyway?
Recently, I published a blog on the EEF website on a ‘knowledge rich’ curriculum – you can find it here. I have republished it on my website for regular readers. A New Year’s Prediction: 2019 will be The Year of Curriculum. …
Vocabulary Clinic
This academic year, over at Teach Secondary, I have the great pleasure of sharing a ‘Vocabulary Clinic’ article each month. It is a quick burst of vocabulary ideas and insights. You can find …
More than Just ‘Word Walls’
Schools can be hectic places and the work of a teachers is seldom ‘done’. When faced with the job of a challenging new curriculum, particularly for our more disadvantaged pupils, tackling such …
The Power of (Pushy?) Parents
Family comes first. With a heady mix of love and selfishness, ambition and hope, parents guard and support their children. It is no real surprise then to read in the latest Sutton …
Spelling: Avoiding Ignorance and Negligence
A version of this article was originally published in the excellent ‘Teach Secondary‘ magazine – you can subscribe HERE. It is well worth a read! Controversies and complaints about spelling are …
When Incoherence and Compliance Trump Curriculum
How do children learn best? It is a complex question isn’t it. It is striking that as teachers we may be knee-deep in our pupils learning for most of the working week …