Archive

Don't trust your gut: a little bit more on the problem with grading lessons

Jan 13, 2014 | Category: learning

This evening, there will be debate on the role lesson observation in England's schools with such educational luminaries as Professor Robert Coe, David Weston (the man behind the Teacher Development Tr...

#Ofsted #Rober Bjork #lesson observation #Robert Coe #Tristan Hunt

Still grading lessons? A triumph of experience over hope

Feb 08, 2014 | Category: Featured

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper. Francis Bacon To paraphrase Rob Coe's seminal research, yesterday's National Teacher Enquiry Network (NTEN) conference at KEGS in Chelmsford was a tri...

#Graham Nuthall #Robert Bjork #lesson observation #Robert Coe #Liam Collins #NTEN

"The kids absolutely love it!" The phrase that launched a thousand gimmicks

Feb 05, 2014 | Category: learning

I attended a TeachMeet recently where a number of the presenters argued that their teaching strategy of choice was worth trying out because, "The kids absolutely love it!" This seems to me to be a who...

#fun

Questions that matter: method vs practice

Feb 04, 2014 | Category: Featured

We talk a lot these days about pedagogy, but what do we actually mean? Obviously, we know what the dictionary definition is: the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or t...

#Robert Coe #Laura McInerney #Barry Smith

Is there a way to avoid teaching rubbish in English?

Feb 03, 2014 | Category: English

I’ve had an idea!For a while now I’ve been increasingly disgusted at the way English language has been dumbed down as a GCSE subject. Really, what is the point of asking pupils to analyse leaflets for...

#GCSE #English language #English literature #Bethan Marshall

Practical differentiation: high expectations and the art of making mistakes

Feb 01, 2014 | Category: Featured

Differentiation? I hate the word as I hate Hell, all ludicrous bureaucracy, and thee!Er... Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Differentiation is one of the darkest arts in teaching. The generally accepted...

#Ofsted #Dylan Wiliam #differentiation #marking #Tom Sherrington #success criteria

Is extending school hours really such a vote winner?

Jan 30, 2014 | Category: Featured

This morning saw the world light up with hysterical headlines proclaiming the end of days. School holidays would be slashed from 13 to 7 weeks and kids forced to spend 9 hours a day in school. The S...

#Malcolm Gladwell #Amanda Ripley #George Harrison #Paul Kirby

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

Old Hat(tie)? Some things you ought to know about effect sizes

Jan 24, 2014 | Category: myths

Ever since Hattie published Visible Learning back in 2009 the Effect Size has been king. For those of you who don't know, an effect size is a mechanism for comparing the relative merits of different i...

#Dylan Wiliam #John Hattie #effect sizes #Ollie Orange

Who you might like to follow on Twitter

Jan 23, 2014 | Category: blogging

Earlier in the year I made a list of those people on Twitter that I recommended that people interested in education should follow. Since then, two things have happened: 1) I’ve encountered more peo...

#Twitter