Can you explain what skills are and how to develop them? Did you feel confident naming some of the key skills? Maybe you cited the more popular skills cited – literacy, numeracy, or perhaps ‘problem solving’, ‘critical thinking’ or ‘teamwork’. After some naming of skills, could you confidently explain the ‘how’ of developing those skills? […]
What is the Problem with ‘Skills’ in Schools? Read More »
Teaching can be tremendously rewarding, but we also know the classroom can be crammed full of complexity, surprises, and problems to solve. ‘Adapting teaching’ is a recently popular – though long-standing – phrase. It captures the subtle and challenging art of teaching expertly so that pupils maximise their learning. The immense skill of effective teaching
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The primary to secondary transition is a topic of annual angst. For school leaders, teachers, and parents, gaining insight to supporting pupils making the leap to ‘big school’ is a crucial topic. Much of the research on transition doesn’t offer easy packaged-up approaches. It does pose areas of promise (curriculum continuity when it comes to
5 Free Research Reads On… The Primary to Secondary School Transition Read More »
[I have cross-posted this blog on my Substack. You can follow my newsletter and Substack publications HERE] The Internet is omnipresent in our lives. The magic of near-infinite knowledge in the palm of our hand would be scarcely believable for most humans since the dawn of history. Access to such knowledge is a boon, but
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It is January and that time of year when we consider new habits, routines and development. As new resolutions begin, we may consider it a good bet to focus some effort on how best to support professional development. Here is a short selection of freely available reading on effective teacher professional development: This guidance report
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Debates about spelling never really go away. No matter what technological advancement is ushered in, it appears that spelling development still matters and we should sustain the teaching of spelling. For young writers in particular, spelling is linked to writing, reading and vocabulary development. But teachers need support to understand the challenge and teach spelling
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The Internet is a minefield of useless websites, but sometimes you can unearth some gems. New AI applications, like ChatGPT, are making the news, with potential for useful vocabulary learning, applications for writing, the classroom, and more. For those seeking useful vocabulary websites, these 7 may just do the trick: This website can take extracts
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