Teachers are role models. Every day, we model good behaviour. It’s part of the job. It’s, largely, the easy part. What’s much harder is modelling the content and exam skills required to do well in your subject. … More Modelling made easy
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
I’ve read Chris Runeckles’ Making Every History Lesson Count so that you don’t have to. These are my key takeaways from his chapter on challenge, with easy strategies that you can implement from day one of the new teaching term. … More How to challenge every student – the easy way
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
It is so easy – too easy – with the busyness of the working world winding by, to forget to make meaningful contributions to what you enjoy.
To tackle this, I’ve come up with a few rules and routines to make any habit achievable, even in a profession as busy and full-on as teaching. … More How I make time for writing as a teacher
My training year had ended abruptly and I was left figuring out what to do between then and starting my career in September. How best could I prepare? I wouldn’t be teaching again for a long time and probably needed the practice, but I was acutely aware that it would be a very busy year ahead (and it was).
It was at this point that I had to seriously question: what are the most essential things that I need to do this summer as an ECT, without burning myself out? … More How ECTs should spend their summer
One of my biggest and best ways to implement digital technology into the classroom – during lockdown and now while in school – was Google Jamboard.
Here’s how and why it’s going to spice up your teaching. … More Teaching with Google Jamboard | Powered-up pedagogy
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
Hardly Hamilton 