…Following this year’s INSET I vowed never to say these words again. Yet, they crept back into my lessons almost immediately. Scolding myself at the start of most days since, I’m beginning to change the phrasing and structure of my questioning:
“What do you understand?”
“What is the first step to this task, and what should you include?” Continue Reading
A year ago we changed the way we offered staff development by launching an Enquiry Hub model. The thinking behind this project was to open up the thinking in our school beyond the questions that we usually pose our teachers and let them set the agenda for their learning. This was the most exciting thing about the whole venture: unlike traditional CPD, we weren’t sure what the answers would be, or even what questions would be asked.
I ran an inset today with a colleague about giving ‘Feedback with Impact’. We deliberately avoided the word ‘marking’ because there are so many ways to communicate with pupils about their learning. We wanted to focus on ‘Impact’ because feedback is only worthwhile if it leads to learning. Continue Reading
Following on from the previous blog, this post is all about getting pupils thinking hard. Whereas pt.1 focused on some basic principles, pt.2 aims to provide some practical suggestions for the classroom. Continue Reading
“Memory is the residue of thought.”–Daniel Willingham
When considering the factors leading to pupil progress, it is tempting to over complicate the issue. Whilst teaching is doubtless a complex art (or is it a science?), can learning really be attributed to one crucial variable: the amount of time that pupils spend ‘thinking hard’? Continue Reading
Kennet Festival of Learning
Last week we hosted a fantastic inset event which we named ‘The Kennet Festival of Learning’. The aim was to share ideas and discuss the topics which matter most to us as a school. We chose three key priorities—literacy, assessment and mindset—which were the focus for the seminars and keynote talks throughout the day.
Check out the programme for the day.
The quality of the different morning sessions on offer was excellent and I am hugely grateful to those who contributed their ideas and shared their hard work. Whilst the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, the impact was also evident in the way these ideas spilled over into conversations during coffee and lunch.
Continue Reading
During our Festival of Education inset (see post here), we hosted a ‘Learning Marketplace’ where colleagues shared ideas and resources from their department areas.
I was left feeling thoroughly inspired by the creativity and talent of the staff at our school. As is always the case on such days, I was also pleased to be able to take away some fantastic ready-made ideas to start using in my lessons.
