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Unwrapping the Mystery of Metacognition
Today the Education Endowment Foundation has released their latest guidance report on ‘Metacognition and Self-regulation‘. I have been delighted to be one of the co-writers of this exciting report,...
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The Makings of Metacognition
In a couple of weeks, year 6 pupils will be sitting down to SATs examinations and in secondary schools, A Level and GCSE exams will start in earnest. Teachers everywhere are concentrating upon...
View ArticleWhen Incoherence and Compliance Trump Curriculum
How do children learn best? It is a complex question isn’t it. It is striking that as teachers we may be knee-deep in our pupils learning for most of the working week and yet we may well be foxed by...
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Spelling: Avoiding Ignorance and Negligence
A version of this article was originally published in the excellent ‘Teach Secondary‘ magazine – you can subscribe HERE. It is well worth a read! Controversies and complaints about spelling are...
View ArticleThe Power of (Pushy?) Parents
Family comes first. With a heady mix of love and selfishness, ambition and hope, parents guard and support their children. It is no real surprise then to read in the latest Sutton Trust report –...
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More than Just ‘Word Walls’
Schools can be hectic places and the work of a teachers is seldom ‘done’. When faced with the job of a challenging new curriculum, particularly for our more disadvantaged pupils, tackling such work can...
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Vocabulary Clinic
This academic year, over at Teach Secondary, I have the great pleasure of sharing a ‘Vocabulary Clinic’ article each month. It is a quick burst of vocabulary ideas and insights. You can find PDF copies...
View ArticleWhat do we mean by ‘knowledge rich’ anyway?
Recently, I published a blog on the EEF website on a ‘knowledge rich’ curriculum – you can find it here. I have republished it on my website for regular readers. A New Year’s Prediction: 2019 will be...
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English Literature GCSE: The Curriculum ‘Big Picture’
I read today an excellent blog by the English teacher, Paul Moss, on ‘Telling your Curriculum’s Story’. He explores in helpful detail the rich connectedness of the social forces and ideas that impact...
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On the RISE
This week saw the publication of the Education Endowment Foundation RISE (Research-leads Improving Students’ Education) Project. It was one of the first projects in England that attempted to mobilise...
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Spelling: Avoiding Ignorance and Negligence
A version of this article was originally published in the excellent ‘Teach Secondary‘ magazine – you can subscribe HERE. It is well worth a read! Controversies and complaints about spelling are...
View ArticleHome School: History Week
Ok – let’s be clear: I am not a historian, nor am I a primary school teacher. But in my newfound role as home-schooling Dad, I have wanted to devise some additional projects to supplement their school...
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Introducing ‘Closing the Reading Gap’
Nearly two years ago, I began researching and writing ‘Closing the Reading Gap’. After writing my book on vocabulary, I knew that reading was the natural next step. I knew that every teacher...
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Tricky Texts and the ‘Arduous Eight’
When it comes to reading, teachers are a little like Goldilocks. When it comes to spotting difficult texts – whether it is the class reader in year 5, or a maths word problem at GCSE – teachers know...
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5 Recent Articles on the Reading Gap
Over the past couple of months, I was asked to write about reading given interest in my new ‘reading gap’ book. Below is a list of the articles you can access online, along with a short summary:...
View ArticleThinking about School Transition
Moving from primary school to secondary school, nursery to school, or school to college, is a seismic change for any child. The transition can be both exciting and frightening. As Covid closures has...
View ArticleClosing the Reading Gap: ResearchED Home
On the 22nd of May, I had the great pleasure to join the researchEd Home gang to talk ‘Closing the Reading Gap (in the time of Coronavirus)’. A couple of years ago, when I began researching this issue...
View ArticleThe Surprising Secret of School Improvement
“In education, the only way to improve is to stop people doing good things, to give them time to do even better things.”Dylan Wiliam It appears like a trite piece of advice – ‘stop doing stuff’ – but...
View Article6 Excellent Etymologies
When you explore the history and roots of a word – the etymology – you draw upon a rich story that can unlock understanding for our pupils in science, maths, geography, and more. It can add a layer of...
View ArticleThe Promise and Perils of ‘Book Gifting’
You can watch my short video on book gifting on my YouTube page, ‘Exploring Evidence in Education‘: If you cannot read, you cannot access the school curriculum and so much more beyond. If you have...
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