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An Ofsted inspector reviews The Secret of Literacy

Jan 27, 2014 | Category: Featured

Over the past few weeks I've publicised some of the reviews for my new book. The advance notices I've received have been universally positive and deeply gratifying. The idea that such thinkers and wri...

#Mary Myatt #The Secret of Literacy

Force fed feedback: is less more?

Jan 26, 2014 | Category: Featured

It is commonly and widely accepted that feedback is the best, brightest and shiniest thing we can be doing as teachers, and the more of it the better. Ever since Prof Hattie published Visible Learning...

#Dylan Wiliam #John Hattie #feedback #Robert Bjork #Andy Day

Coming soon... the secret of literacy revealed

Jan 10, 2014 | Category: Featured

This isn't really a post, more a shameless piece of self-promotion. I would normally cringe at the idea of publicly bathing in the warm glow of congratulations but in this case it feels exciting enoug...

#Doug Lemov #The Secret of Literacy

Some dichotomies are real: the 'and/or debate'

Dec 06, 2013 | Category: Featured

I get quite cross when I hear people who really should know better dismissing the knowledge/skills debate as a “mindless dichotomy". It’s not. The ideological opposition between proponents of these vi...

#knowledge #skills #Angela Duckworth #resilience #Stephen Tiernay

The times they are a changin': how can we improve the PGCE?

Oct 27, 2013 | Category: Featured

Back in the dim and distant mists of time when I embarked on my Post-graduate Certificate in Education, there was no other way to train as a teacher. Much of my training was interesting and I largely...

#Teach First #Joe Kirby #Doug Lemov #PCK #PGCE #School Direct

Are all difficulties desirable?

Oct 05, 2013 | Category: Featured

I was aghast to read an extract from Malcolm Gladwell's new book, David And Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits And The Art Of Battling Giants in The Guardian yesterday. Not because it's bad, but because it's...

#stress #Malcolm Gladwell #John Tomsett #Robert Bjork #desirable difficulties #dyslexia #David and Goliath

Is failure just a lack of practice?

Sep 28, 2013 | Category: Featured

Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho!You must learn to fail intelligently. Failing is one of the greatest arts in the world. One fails fo...

#failure #Dylan Wiliam #John Hattie #Samuel Beckett #Thomas Edison #Andy Weir #Taylor Mali

How can we retain the best teachers?

Jul 20, 2013 | Category: Featured

Do we face a crisis in teacher retention?A few months ago I wrote a post which asked, why so many teachers left teaching. In it I considered the possible reasons for the shocking statistic that 50% of...

#KIPP #performance related pay #retention #The Irreplaceables

Fireworks teaching: why less might well be more

Jul 15, 2013 | Category: Featured

Why should I let the toad work Squat on my life? Can’t I use my wit as a pitchfork And drive the brute off?Philip Larkin – Toads Many people (and many students) seem to expend considerable energy in a...

#Jim Smith #Harry Webb #Philip Larkin #the effort hypothesis #Thomas Starkey

Where lesson observations go wrong

Jul 12, 2013 | Category: Featured

UPDATE: Since writing this post in July 2013 a lot has happened. Ofsted has stopped grading individual lessons and many schools have recognised the futility and harm caused by lesson grading. Here is...

#lesson observations #Sir Michael Wilshaw #outstanding lessons #progress