Latest Posts
Supporting struggling writers
The saying goes that what gets assessed gets taught. But for teachers, when it comes to the act of writing to learn, that is not always true. Students can spend thousands of hours writing in the classroom, but if they struggle with writing it can still remain unaddressed. Why is
Great teaching and targeted academic support
High quality teaching - each day and each hour - is likely to prove the greatest lever for securing success in education. Not only that, but it is likely to be disproportionately beneficial to pupils who struggle and have additional learning needs. So far, so obvious. In the new OFSTED
Adaptive teaching: Stretch and challenge
"A precocious child," Miss Honey said, "is one that shows amazing intelligence early on. You are an unbelievably precocious child.” "Am I really?" Matilda asked. Adaptive teaching is usually discussed as a responsive approach to teaching students who routinely struggle. It describes how teachers can
The oversimplification trap
Are we in danger of making learning too simple? When it comes to students in the classroom, we can simplify an explanation of a concept into PPT where complex phrases become glossy icons. Books can become short booklets. Subjects become revision guides. Tricky topics can get distilled into knowledge organisers
The problem with mindfulness in schools
Mindfulness is hugely popular across the world and there is a question to be asked about whether it could prove useful at scale in schools and colleges. It is clear that mental health referrals are up across young people, from around one in eight children and young people in 2017
Reading every day matters
In Brazil in 2012, the government offered prisoners the chance to read for their lives. Their novel approach saw prisoners granted four days of remission for each book they read and reviewed. Prisoners had the opportunity to submit up to 12 reviews per year, which equates to a maximum of
