In Scotland, in theory, there is a national curriculum. On paper, there certainly appears to be. This is set out…
Moderation Delusions
Teachers’ time is too precious to waste. However, in too many schools, that is precisely what’s happening. Instead of having…
Lesson Observations: Too Important Not To Get Right
Lesson observations have the potential to offer invaluable professional learning to both teachers and school leaders. Through the process of…
The Importance of ‘Learning Gain’ Starters
Many schools insist that lessons begin with a ‘starter’. However, including a starter for the sake of it is rather…
A Short Post About Assessment & Progress
When we talk about how students are doing at school, we often do so in terms of progress. ‘Andrea is making…
What Should We Include In Our Curriculum?
Arguably, all knowledge has value. However, it’s clearly impossible for schools to teach students everything. Decisions need to be made.…
Feedback: Focus On ‘Useful’, Which Means Focus On ‘How’
While learning can happen without feedback, it will always tend to be better when feedback is involved. The less expert anyone is…
A 3-Minute Discussion of: Independent Learning
The Holy Grail For some, ‘independent learning’ is the holy grail of education. Teaching students how to learn by themselves, without…
A 5-Minute Guide to: Curriculum Planning – Macro, Meso & Micro
Content is the curriculum. Therefore, curriculum planning needs to focus on content. Rationale Curriculum planning needs to start with the big picture…
A 5-Minute Guide to: Differentiation
Different and the same Students are all different. They arrive at our lessons knowing and being able to do all…
The Teaching Delusion 