What do we mean by the phrase ‘Assessment Literate Learners’?

A phrase I am hearing more of in the world of education is ‘Assessment Literate Learners’. I have heard it used as both a rationale for focusing more on students test scores in their end of high school exams and one for giving students full ownership of the assessment process whilst dispensing of benchmarking students … Continue reading What do we mean by the phrase ‘Assessment Literate Learners’? →

New Year, New You?

As many of us are in the process of starting a new academic year, or about to start one, we are probably making new resolutions, becoming determined to try new things or wanting to focus on improving a specific area of our craft. However, at this time I would suggest that not all these aims … Continue reading New Year, New You? →

Reflections

Come the end of the academic year, teachers are often thinking ahead to their summer holiday and the school year to come. What are they going to do the same? What are they going to do different? What are they going to do better? What will the class be like? Here in the northern hemisphere, … Continue reading Reflections →

Developing Thinking Skills

Looking back to when I first started teaching, it has been interesting to reflect on the differing priorities and interests that I have pursued professionally during my teaching career. Some have fallen by the wayside and some have persisted and developed over time. One of the things that has persisted is my interest in developing … Continue reading Developing Thinking Skills →

Developing Students Confidence in Maths

I love maths. It is one of those subjects which, when I teach it, I often experience what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes as “Flow”. However, I also know that some people, both adults and children, do not enjoy maths and sometimes fear it. This is often down to the fact that they do not feel they … Continue reading Developing Students Confidence in Maths →

Allowing For Student Agency In The IPC

I have recently become interested in utilising student agency more formally in my classroom. For a long time I have allowed for some student agency on a basic level, for example outlining to my students what lessons they have that day and allowing them to decide in which order we have those lessons. However, the … Continue reading Allowing For Student Agency In The IPC →

Getting To Grips With Inquiry Based Learning

As an English trained teacher I remember how daunting it was when I first entered the international teaching market and I had to suddenly know about inquiry based approaches to learning. This is something that the National Curriculum and OFSTED were not interested in developing whilst I was teaching in London - rather there was … Continue reading Getting To Grips With Inquiry Based Learning →