12 rules for schools: Rule 7 Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
This is part of a series of posts adapting Jordan Peterson’s book, 12 Rules of Life to the context of eduction. You can find my thoughts on the rest of his rules here. Doing what's easy is, well, easy. Certainly a lot easier - and usually a lot more fun - than doing what's hard, which goes a long way to explaining why so many of us spend so much time prevaricating, procrastinating and [...]
When do novices become experts?
It's a fairly well established principle of cognitive science that experts and novices think differently. Being aware of these differences can make a big difference to teachers. For instance, if we assume that most children in most situations are likely to begin as novices this could help point the way to more effective instruction. Here's a summary of some of the main differences between experts and novices. One of the [...]
Handwriting matters
Some years ago, during the interview for a role as Head of English in a secondary school, all the candidates were asked to speak about what we would prioritise if we were to get the job. I have no memory of what I said, but I vividly recall one of the other candidates saying he would focus on improving students' handwriting. My bland inanities resulted in me getting the job; [...]
12 rules for schools: Rule 6 Set your house in perfect order before you criticise the world
This is the sixth installment in a series of posts adapting Jordan Peterson’s book, 12 Rules of Life to the context of eduction. You can read the rest of posts in this series here. Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy [...]
“Anyone who disagrees with me is a neoliberal racist!”
I've spent much of last year or so feeling baffled at the unpleasant depths to which debate in education has sunk. The approach to which I've always tried to aspire is to advance an argument based on the quality of an idea, and to discuss my (inevitably partial) view of the evidence supporting the that idea. I can often descend to dogmatism but never, I hope, do I completely insulate [...]
What every teacher needs to know about teaching for social justice
The marvellous Teach Secondary magazine continue to publish my articles on a regular basis but don't hold that against them; there are loads of other excellent reasons for reading. Here's a link to my latest. The world is not a fair place. Some children are born into advantage; others are not. Many children in many schools have been raised in an environment where there is access to books, where their [...]
12 Rules for Schools – Rule 5 Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Welcome to the fifth installment in a series of posts adapting Jordan Peterson’s book, 12 Rules of Life to the context of eduction. All the posts in this series are collected here. This is not intended to be an accurate summary of Peterson’s views, it is merely what I reckon. Navigating the world is tough enough when people like you. It's nigh on impossible if everyone dislikes you. Peterson explains that not teaching [...]
12 Rules for schools – Rule 4 Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
This is the fourth in a series of posts adapting Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules of Life to the context of eduction. All the posts in this series are collected here. This is not intended as an accurate summary of Peterson’s views, it is merely what I reckon. The idea that we should only compare ourselves against a personal yardstick is good advice. As Max Ehrmann says in Disiderata, "If you compare yourself with [...]
12 Rules for schools – Rule 3 Make friends with people who want the best for you
This is the third in a series of posts adapting Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules of Life to the context of eduction. I'm linking all the posts in this series here. This is not intended as an accurate summary of Peterson's views, it is merely my hot take. Not everyone is well disposed towards us. The higher you strive, the more you seek to put your stamp upon the world, the more likely you [...]
Good intentions are not good enough
I genuinely believe that everyone involved in education is well-intentioned. If making money was the prime motivation I'm sure we could find other, more profitable areas to operate in. Like international arms trading. Everyone wants the best for young people, but, of course, there's little agreement on what this should look like. Human beings are tribal. We band together with those who share our ideological preferences and make those with [...]
12 rules for schools – Rule 2 Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
This is the second in a series of posts adapting Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules of Life to the context of eduction. You can find my thoughts on Rule 1 here. Please note, Peterson talks about a lot of other stuff - much of it religious - which I'm largely ignoring. This is just my partial take. According to this study, one third of every prescription a doctor writes goes unfilled, and, over [...]
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