Doug Lemov once said that practice makes permanent – and it’s true. The more we practice, the more we will remember what we have practiced. Will what we recall be correct? Hopefully, but not if we’ve consistently practiced the wrong thing. … More Practice makes permanent | Secrets to success
Have you ever had someone talk at you, seemingly for hours on end, without even so much as the appearance of letting up? Same. It’s not great, is it? Now imagine you’re the one doing the talking, you finish chatting, and your students respond with blank faces. … More To question or not to question? Using AFL in the classroom effectively
Ever wondered why your class, tutee, or even a friend just isn’t getting it? Could be an issue with your explanations, I’m afraid, so have a read of my key takeaways from Chris Runeckles’ chapter on this teaching principle in his book, Making Every History Lesson Count.
You might be astounded by what you learn. … More Easy explanation in three simple steps
I’ve been through a lot in my first year as a full-time teacher. We all have, newly qualified or not. But the important thing to remember is that we made it. Against the odds, in the most unusual of years, we came out the other side – relatively unscathed. These are my key takeaways. … More Reflecting on a year of teaching
If I had to summarise my main takeaway from teaching – the one thing that has strengthened my skills as a practitioner the most – it would be spaced repetition. What follows is what I’ve learned, why it’s important, and how it can help with your learning, too. … More The key takeaway from a year in teaching
These might not be free resources for download, but these are my simple strategies for how I lesson plan effectively. I hope they help! … More Simple strategies for effective lesson planning
I’ve now been a Newly Qualified Teacher for nearly a whole year. Wow; time moves fast, huh? There’s a lot that I’m still learning, but a lot that I’ve picked up in this past academic year. Here are 50 of them. … More 50 things I wish I’d known as an NQT
Turning on your webcam, staring at your screen and inviting parents into your home can be daunting, even if it is done.
But, you know what? None of that is true. Here’s how I delivered not one, but TWO parent’s evenings from the comfort of home – and why it went way smoother than I ever expected. … More How I delivered parent’s evening…from home?
Here are the key messages from Bruce’s text that stood out to me, which you could bring into the classroom this term if we ever hope to close the word gap. … More Lindsay Bruce’s activities for closing the word gap | Book Club
What an unusual first term we had before Christmas! I don’t know about you, but I felt knackered. I’ve been told that the autumn term is always the hardest, and I don’t doubt it. Lots of experienced teachers echoed that it was likely the hardest September-December they’d ever faced so, whether you’re training, a veteran … More Placement #2: Hitting the Ground Running | PGCE: Day in the Life
Hardly Hamilton 