Trying to apply educational research to students of all abilities and backgrounds
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom (the new staff were wise to join you), it was the age of foolishness (for those that left your incredible team), It was the epoch of ….. Ok I'll stop with this tedious Dickensian intro. Every once... Continue Reading →
Picture the scene: It's a wet Tuesday morning. I'm a little late in and swearing under my breath as my laptop begins to boot up. You see Yesterday's Adam left school without doing his printing for today. Yesterday's Adam thought today's Adam would have plenty of time. Yesterday's Adam is a bit of a selfish... Continue Reading →
Recently the educational world became aware of some ‘aide memoires’ Ofsted had provided their inspectors during their training. Someone ‘leaked’ them online and loads of people clambered to see what pearls of wisdom they possessed. Some were angry that not all schools get them, others were just glad the inspectors were given training and guides... 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
OnePlus Nord. Our phone of choice Why film lessons? Recording videos is great, but also its totally cringe. I can vividly recall watching back my 10 minute explanation of the Bernoulli principle during my PGCE 20 years ago. The overuse of ‘yeah’ and my nervous rocking side to side. Aside from the embarrassment, filming yourself... Continue Reading →
Can't help a Star Trek reference, soz. Coaching is a common form of teacher development used in schools. The more open-ended coaching models like the rise model are often used to work with leaders while more directive instructional coaching models are preferred for working with teachers. Jack Tavassoly-Marsh identified two types of instructional coaching in... 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 →
Reflections on Education 