Remote Learning: How I’m Applying Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction in My Planning
Teaching remotely feels a million miles from the classroom but not too far from how I plan lessons. In fact, I feel that my planning for online learning is …
Classroom Practice Archive
Learning versus Performance
Last week, I listened to Mr Barton Maths Podcast 2017 interview with Robert and Elizabeth Bjork. For those readers unfamiliar with the names, they are a power couple in …
Thinking out loud: Absorbing the lockdown gap
As September nears, a big question facing my school is ‘How are we going reset the curriculum and close gaps? This is certainly a question that is becoming increasingly …
Why multiple choice for KS3 assessments may be the way forward
In my last blog, I took the position that key stage 3 assessment data is still important (even though Ofsted have somewhat side-lined it) but it cannot continue in …
Redefining Key Stage 3 Assessment
It seems not that long ago when key stage 3 national levels were completely scrapped and for the right reasons but what replaced them? Its successor was far from …
What is your body language saying?
What is your body language saying? Probably a lot more than you think! The work of Dr Albert Mehrabiam suggests that our body language accounts for 93% of how …
Effective questioning techniques to engage all pupils
As teachers we ask a lot of questions and I mean a lot. I’ve read some reports that suggest that we ask nearly 400 a day! That is an …
Marking shortcuts to reduce teacher workload
The national picture towards marking has drastically changed since I first wrote Is Written Feedback a Waste of Time?. Gone are the days (I hope) of triple marking, unrealistic …
Quick tips to write effective multiple choice questions
The testing effect phenomenon repeatedly demonstrates that testing, instead of traditional studying, can improve long term memory retention, support knowledge transfer skills and enhancing the recall of non-tested material. …
Sorry teaching and learning, please move to the back of the queue
Recent talk from Ofsted suggests that more focus is being directed toward curriculum. Although there is still a piece of work needed on a framework, it is about time …