Trying to apply educational research to students of all abilities and backgrounds
The way CPD has been structured has been going through a quiet revolution over the last few years. If you think back 5 years or so it would have been highly likely that your CPD was a series of days in the hall with external speakers. You may have twilight sessions every half term that... Continue Reading →
This blog is the second of a series of blogs that looks to expand an idea discussed in Middle Leadership Mastery. It works best if you have read the book but it is not entirely necessary. The first one about assessment can be found here. One of the most important roles a leader has is to... Continue Reading →
When I wrote Middle Leadership Mastery I had to make decisions about how much detail to include. These expansion packs aimed to fill in some background details that might help you. If you have any suggestions of what to expand on then please let me know. Cheers, Adam. In the assessment chapter in Middle Leadership... Continue Reading →
When I was appointed as the Lead Practitioner for our school in January my first job was to create a shared language for our schools teaching and learning policy. A lot had been achieved from September to January by the Assistant Principal in charge of Teaching and Learning; there had been a push on consistency... Continue Reading →
Let's say we are leading a Mayan tribe and this year we sacrificed a dog to the gods in exchange for a good harvest. The tribe next door sacrifices a deer. #NoBestWay From Wikipedia Adrian Zwegers The year goes on. We plant the same seeds and water our crops from the same river as our... Continue Reading →
We had some friends over a few weeks ago and the conversation ultimately drifted towards education. They have a daughter who is in Yr 8 at the highest performing school within 15 miles of my house. It’s a faith school and also runs its own teaching alliance SCITT thingy. It has been outstanding in Ofsted... Continue Reading →
A teacher's time is education's most vital resource. In this series of blogs I explore some of the common aspects of classroom practice, give my opinion and what works and suggest some reasons why other things might not be worth our time. The aim is to share what I think are the most time efficient... Continue Reading →
One of the best things about writing Middle Leadership Mastery is when I get contacted by someone who is preparing for a Head of Department, HoD, interview. It’s nice to know that they found the book helpful and often they ask for my advice on preparing for the interview. So I thought I should note... Continue Reading →
Early on in my Head of Science career I spent a whole year with an action plan built around growth mindset theory. Although I spent a long time campaigning for my school to adopt it and not make it a series of posters about ‘FAIL = First Attempt At Learning’ and categorising thoughts as being... Continue Reading →
Part one of this blog discussed various issues about To-Do lists and the way we manage our own time. This one deals with the main issues middle leaders face: Line management and prioritising. What about when others give you jobs? This is the real crux of the issue. The fact is you are in a... Continue Reading →
I was working with our head of RE recently. I was videoing his routine for stopping the class, which I had been told was very successful. When he wanted to stop his class discussion he would simply say "Silence in, three…two…one…now empty hands and track me." Brilliant! By Jacek Dylag https://unsplash.com/@dylu This is a back pocket... Continue Reading →
No Opt Out is part of the excellent Teach Like a Champion questioning flow that is used all the time. The combination of Cold call, wait time, right is right and no opt out is dynamite at increasing the think ratio in the classroom and helping students learn more. Here is a typical quick version:... Continue Reading →
Reflections on Education 