Learning barriers, not labels Let me introduce you to James. James finds it hard to articulate his thoughts due to limits to his vocabulary and a difficulty in understanding complex language in class. He can rely on simple words,...

🚨 NEW POST 🚨

‘Learning Barriers, not labels’

“Would you teach differently if you were to learn about the designation of the special educational need?”

alexquigley.co.uk/learning-bar...

The claim 'even if it doesn't work, it doesn't do any harm' is false.

Engaging in, or condoning, practices based on false information maintains misconceptions and multiplies its influence.

Our blog on the use of coloured overlays in schools: ‘Papering Over the Reading Gap’ explains more wp.me/p4hKgx-7Xq (7 min read).

#EduBlogUK #EduSky

Ultra te Ipsum Are schools a voyage of self discovery or a gateway to the world?

matthewevanseducation.substack.com/p/ultra-te-i...

Revealed: The most and least popular GCSE English lit texts Schools need support to break away from An Inspector Calls to cover texts by authors from more diverse backgrounds, say experts

Why are so many schools picking the same texts for English literature GCSE students? @jasminenorden.bsky.social investigates

Why I am still using ‘cold call’ When should we give a name to something we do as teachers? This question is on my mind this week following a post I wrote about adaptive teaching last week. I wrote the post because I keep coming a…

educontrarianblog.com/2025/04/07/w...

The Easter holidays are here, so I have a copy of Primary Reading Simplified to give away.

Just **repost** this post to have a chance to win.

The winner will be selected 19th April.

Would love this! @suchmo83.bsky.social is someone I have a great deal of respect for! Whomever wins this will be in for a treat! 📚📖

One of the most effective ways to drive effective inclusion is to make our teaching ‘accessible by default’.

Let's dig into what that means:

↓

Notetaking Formats — The Learning Scientists One of the most common metaphors to describe what the first few years of medical school is like is that it is like drinking water from a fire hose. There is an overwhelming amount of information that ...

Good notes are notes that are:
-Formatted for spaced retrieval practice
-Condensing large amounts of information
-Building understanding
-Recording and monitoring understanding
#EduSky
www.learningscientists.org/blog/2025/3/28

Tim Peake: from A-level disappointment to outer space The astronaut tells us about his unusual path to the stars, and how he would like to see Stem develop in UK schools

"..and the physics & the maths involved became relatable to what I was doing." Interview with astronaut Tim Peake in @tesmagazine.bsky.social: tes.com/magazine/tea... 2/2

🚨BANGING NEW EXPERIMENTAL STUDY on effective teacher development just dropped.

Quick summary:

↓

Barbeque invite Imagine that you are at a summer barbeque. You arrived late and everyone has already drifted into their cliques. You grab some food and a drink, then linger, listening into the conversation happeni…

educontrarianblog.com/2025/02/24/b...

Choral Response and ‘I Say You Say’ The longer a teacher talks for, the more likely it is the number of pupils paying attention decreases. The trick to sustaining attention is to ask pupils questions and to expect 100% participation …

*New post!* Choral response & 'I Say You Say' are two techniques I use with high frequency during my explanations. Although they seem simple, there is a lot of thinking behind them.
bunsenblue.wordpress.com/2025/02/08/c...

@lauraturnerr.bsky.social @jgg4.bsky.social @clairerohdie.bsky.social @stevehickman.bsky.social @stupotwakefield.bsky.social @kknteachlearn.bsky.social @hartleyian.bsky.social . Ken Browne's A level Sociology hashtags. Use to build a bank of l A Level Soc resources. bsky.app/profile/brow...

Charisma? Gravitas? Or ‘Presence’? I recently enjoyed this short (6 minute) podcast from Bennie Kara on the subject of ‘Charisma’.  I agree with Bennie that ‘charisma’ isn’t necessarily something we should see as…

"We should perhaps be cautious about being superficially impressed by someone who oozes charisma." My new blog post this week: jillberry102.blog/2025/02/04/c...

Where have all the Headteachers gone…? Being a Headteacher was what I wanted to do since I first stepped into the classroom in 1996. I turned 50 last week. Properly old! I've also been asked by the lovely people at Bloomsbury to write a bo...

NEW BLOG: Where have all the Headteachers gone? #Edusky #Schools #Headteacher @headteacherchat.bsky.social @teachertapp.bsky.social pls share. southgloshead.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/w...

Image of Joan or Arc from a medieval manuscript.

We must ask whether SEND determination is useful to those assigned the labels.
Too often it isn't because the processes and associated actions are so inconsistent they're meaningless.
bennewmark.wordpress.com/2025/01/31/i...

We know students love stories but how you do you actually tell them? How do they connect with your wider lesson sequence and its enquiry question? What do you get pupils to do with them? @hughrichards.bsky.social will explain, using beautiful examples from our new KS3 textbooks #ChangingHistoriesKS3

Slaying a Beast Observations are a topic which provokes strong feelings in teachers. Many of us went through years of high stakes observation where a single lesson could be used to determine the future of your car…

***New Post***

Twitter folk got quite upset about the idea of 40 lesson observations a few weeks back. My take on why it doesn't have to be the beast of old and can give us some real opportunities.

teachreal.wordpress.com/2025/01/12/s...

Checks for Listening: 100% Participation It is natural for students to lose attention during an explanation. In this post, I share two of the highest leverage strategies you can use to secure 100% attention. I explain why this should be o…

bunsenblue.wordpress.com/2023/04/08/c...

Becoming Better People Are your pupils more polite at the end of Year 7 compared to the start of Year 7? Do pupils in Year 8 work harder than pupils in Year 7 because their habits of working have improved over their time…

*NEW post* Becoming Better People.

Do your pupils become more polite, more hard working & more responsible each year they progress through school?

bunsenblue.wordpress.com/2024/12/23/b...

At Reach there’s no limit to what you can achieve within our values-driven culture of high expectations & strong relationships built on mutual respect. @lilystaff.bsky.social reading programme is proof of this.

Want to join us & grow your career? reachacademyhanworthpark.com/jointheteam/

'Schools have forgotten about fun for fun's sake' We make a mistake trying to inject fun into lessons - we should simply aim to make schools more fun in general

I keep seeing comment about lessons being fun, so why not roll out my old article on the matter?
We need fun for its own sake, but no need to pretend that it's part of the learning
www.tes.com/magazine/arc...

Global development module- we looked at the patterns of the key terms to help learn them- prefixes, suffixes, portmanteau words and initialisms. #sociology . We also plotted the whole module on a tree.

Geography for all our futures - Geographical Association View our Geography for all our futures, an overview of the key challenges and opportunities for our subject...

#geographyteachers see below link to 'Geography for all our futures'. It sets out some of opportunitues & challenges facing geog as the GA develops our new 2025-30 strategy. & feedback & views welcome on chiefexec@geography.org.uk

geography.org.uk/geography-fo...

“Blake Harvard’s Do I Have Your Attention? is a triumph of clarity, practicality and insight for every teacher who’s ever grappled with the mysteries of memory and learning. Harvard masterfully distills complex cognitive research into digestible, actionable strategies that will leave teachers empowered to transform their classrooms. What sets this book apart is Harvard’s voice—a relatable blend of teacher authenticity and research-driven authority. He doesn’t just theorise; he speaks from the trenches, offering vivid classroom examples and addressing the real-world challenges teachers face daily. The SAR method and his candid exploration of choke points and pitfalls in learning are absolute game-changers. This isn’t just a book; it’s a toolkit for educators who care deeply about their students’ long-term success. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or a fresh-faced teacher, Do I Have Your Attention? will not only open your eyes to the importance of the science of learning, but also equip you to make a lasting impact in your classroom.” –Dr. Haili Hughes, Principal Lecturer in Mentoring and Professional Development, University of Sunderland

It means so much to me that @hugheshaili.bsky.social had such nice things to say about my upcoming book:

"This isn’t just a book; it’s a toolkit for educators who care deeply about their students’ long-term success."

Find out more & preorder here:
theeffortfuleducator.com/do-i-have-yo...

#edusky

3 ways live modelling revolutionised my students’ writing Writing long responses was always an issue for students, says Zoe Enser, until live modelling bridged the gap between knowing and showing

✍️ If getting your students to write longer responses is an issue, @greeborunner.bsky.social has three tips to make the best use of live modelling

Wally, in distinctive striped sweater and hat, making small talk at a party

Love this (from the Literary Review):