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Who you might like to follow on Twitter

2014-08-02T23:33:19+01:00January 23rd, 2014|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 people worth following 2)    The original post has gone mad and for some reason fails to display many of the people I intend it to (in some case this has resulted in people feeling a bit miffed.) So, here is the updated list of top education types to follow: @oldandrewuk - for his ceaseless vigilance and tireless campaign against Ofsted's inconsistencies as well as the patience (yes patience!) with [...]

What you may have missed on The Learning Spy in 2013

2013-12-18T10:01:14+00:00December 17th, 2013|blogging|

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a teacher in possession of an internet connection, must be in want of an annual review for each of the education blogs to which they're subscribed. As is traditional, the descent into the dark days of December demands that education bloggers will be preparing their annual statements. Here, not to be left out or out done, is mine. 2013 has been something of a watershed for the blog. It's racked up almost 350,000 hits (over 200,000 of which have been this year) and has been ranked by Onalyptica as one of the most influential [...]

Get ahead of the curve: stop grading lessons

2014-06-04T20:39:29+01:00December 11th, 2013|blogging|

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead Over the past few years I’ve been articulating my objections to Ofsted in general and classroom observation specifically. Being a simple soul I was under the impression that whilst these observations may have struck a chord with some teachers, the rest of the world continued rotating in blithe indifference. Other education bloggers seem to be regularly name checked by Michael Gove or invited to meeting at the DfE, but not me. Altogether now… So imagine my [...]

With great power comes great responsibility: an apology

2014-06-25T20:51:07+01:00December 8th, 2013|blogging|

Every now and then I'm faced with the realisation that I can be a bit of a twat. I'm sure I regularly upset people by making carelessly forthright assertions about what they should or shouldn't be doing, but this week someone chose to write a blog post about it to let me know how they felt. They accused me of a "thoughtless and unnecessary abuse of [my] status", and described me, with some degree of irony I'm sure, as "the esteemed and highly regarded teacher, blogger and author of The Perfect Ofsted English Lesson". I want to make it clear that [...]

Awards Season 2013 – my votes in the Edublog Awards

2013-12-07T09:48:11+00:00December 7th, 2013|blogging|

It's that time again. The rhythm of the year inevitably reaches a staccato climax as the Edublog Awards, or Eddies, trundle laboriously into view. And happily the voting process appears much less flawed than in past years with every individual only able to vote once for each entry. Even better you can actually see who has voted for you. So I will know! Back in 2011 I was nominated for Best New Blog and got very over excited. In my self-depreciatory way I tried to mobilise my very modest Twitter following, and my mum, to vote for me. With almost imperceptible results. [...]

Ask not what's wrong with Twitter…

2013-09-29T10:28:26+01:00September 29th, 2013|blogging|

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Matthew 7: 3-5 What's wrong with Twitter? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Twitter does what it does brilliantly and I for one am jolly grateful. There are few better ways to communicate with people; if you have something worth saying, it will find an audience. The draw back is the 140 character limit [...]

Hats, schmats: what really matters is the quality of debate

2013-09-21T13:51:57+01:00September 21st, 2013|blogging, myths|

I feel the need to make a few things clear. A few days ago I wrote this: Six Silly Hats (When is it OK to mock stuff you think is daft?) and some of the response I got suggested that I was confused on several points. I clearly had no idea what the hats actually were (I do) I had gotten confused about the metaphorical nature of the hats and that people don't actually wear them (I wasn't and they do. Honestly.) The hats are just a tool to help pupils think laterally and if thinking laterally is a good thing then [...]

A guide to The Learning Spy

2013-07-23T13:56:36+01:00July 22nd, 2013|blogging|

The summer holidays are here and tomorrow I'm foolishly attempting to drive to Corsica in a 1979 Campervan. That being the case, there will be no time for writing. So, to satisfy your desire for top quality blog posts (ahem) on all things educational, here is a thematic archive of the posts I've written over the past 2 years. See you in a month! Literacy Thinking like a writer - advice on improving writing skills  4th June 2013 Does dyslexia exist? 26th May 2013 - this upset a lot of people Magic glasses and Meares-Irlen syndrome 27th May 2013 The Matthew Effect: why literacy [...]

Another year in the life of an English teacher

2013-07-22T20:41:45+01:00July 8th, 2013|blogging|

So, another year is done. The Learning Spy has officially entered into its third year of existence. And, after 173 posts I'm not only older but, just possibly, a tiny bit wiser. This time last year I reported that the blog had had almost 50,000 hits. It has now had over 230,000 and is, apparently,  the 18th most influential educational blog in the world! I'm still not at all sure about the accuracy of this measure but it's evidence of something. In other news the Teach 100 rank me at 123, so it all balances out. I love blogging. It's a continued revelation how much [...]

Why the knowledge/skills debate is worth having

2015-01-26T08:41:20+00:00July 7th, 2013|blogging, myths, SOLO|

'I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike'. Maya Angelou I've come an awful long way since September 2011 when Cristina Milos took the time to point out that my view on the teaching of knowledge and skills were seriously skewed. I'm flabbergasted that, as an experienced teacher, I could have been so ignorant. I said at the end of that post that "I guess my conclusion isn’t that skills are more important than knowledge: rather that both are required for mastery of a subject." But I didn't really believe it. If [...]

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