“In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is acquired; In pursuit of wisdom, every day something is dropped.” Lao Tzu (cited by Karl E. Weick) Most of us know, or have known, experienced teachers who wear the status of the bona fide expert with graceful aplomb; however, we have all known experienced teachers who don’t […]
The Teacher Expert and the Cynic Read More »
The new school year is careering into view already. Plans are being crafted, return to work stress is growing like a weed. My thoughts turn to the newbie teachers about to join our faculty – both newly qualified and in training. Here are some handy tips for new teachers in particular, based on some time-worn
Top Ten Tips for New Teachers Read More »
The summer holidays provides one of the few periods in the year when you can deeply reflect on the complexities of the job of being a teacher. After the desperate need for much needed rest is satisfied, there is time to reflect upon the high and lows of the school year disappearing in our rear-view
The Minefield of Decision Making Read More »
My last post of the school year is a resolution for the school year ahead. There is no special philosophy, research or expensive equipment required. It is a simple focus on ‘opening the door’ more in the coming year. It is about sharing. Not just in the sense of sharing knowledge through blogs, Teachmeets or
Opening The Door On Our ‘Craft Knowledge’ Read More »
13-year-old Arvind Mahankali from New York (correctly spelled “knaidel,” a word for a small mass of leavened dough, to win the American national competition) Americans love a ‘Spelling Bee‘. They are unique competitions where precocious children battle it out in a linguistic street-fight, whilst anxious parents look on with a mix of pride and anguish.
Winning Ugly & ‘Gritty’ Learning Read More »
No, this post isn’t a dissection of David Dimbleby’s negotiation of a bent table full of politicking talking heads. I’m sorry if you came looking for political debates! My post is an exploration of one of the simplest, but most fundamental, aspects of how students learn and how students display their learning in lessons: higher
‘Question Time’ and Asking ‘Why’ Read More »
This week I gave a seminar at TeachMeet Clevedon. I am going to post more fully on my topic of teachers getting better by undertaking ‘deliberate practice‘ sometime soon. One smaller aspect of my presentation was how teachers can improve written feedback, both to improve learning and to marginally reduce the time taken to give
Improving Written Feedback Read More »
