Modelling: some thoughts on thinking aloud
May 23, 2019
In this post, Rupert Knight reflects on the value of modelling as a ‘core practice’ and the live, thinking aloud component of this in particular. In every teacher’s repertoire, there are a number of specific pedagogical practices that are fundamental to almost any subject taught. They might include, for example, explaining a new concept or …
What does continuous provision mean to you?
April 23, 2019
With the perpetually increasing pace of change in education it feels hard to keep up with new initiatives. Often when we do catch our breath we realise we haven’t fully grasped what the new jargon means or how we should be improving practice, sometimes we see repeated patterns and at other times we catch up …
The Importance of a Daily Whole-Class Read – Enjoying a Book for a Book’s Sake
February 18, 2019
Past posts in this series have discussed picture books in the primary classroom and high quality children’s literature. In this new post Sally Betteridge considers the benefits of reading to your class. The joy and wonder on their faces as you capture them in the imaginary world of the story – they are hooked on …
A Dialogic stance
January 16, 2019
Building on an earlier post in this series which looked at oracy, Rupert Knight considers here the concept of the dialogic classroom, how it relates to a culture valuing spoken language more generally and how this might serve a wider purpose. Oracy as a foundation A previous post in this series explored the concept of …
How can the building of ‘relationships’ maintain good classroom management?
December 13, 2018
The importance of mental health and well-being of children has become an important focus within education. In this post Esther Fulton considers the role of positive relationships in creating a nurturing classroom environment. The DfE has recently published a paper that highlights the importance of schools creating ‘safe and calm environments’ and ‘equipping pupils …
How to make the world a better place: teach children how to think
July 6, 2018
Teachers generally believe that education can make the world a better place, but we need to realise there is some good news, and some bad news about this. In this post, John Perry reflects on the place of thinking skills in our schools. Firstly, some good news: schools are improving. More children achieve more highly …
The world in your classroom: using technology to inspire and engage
June 4, 2018
Technology is increasingly prevalent in schools but not necessarily used to best effect as a learning resource, as noted in an international context by the OECD in this 2015 report. In this post, Rachel Walker from Sneinton C of E Primary School in Nottingham shares her experiences of using technology in a productive way. I …
Why Philosophy with children?
April 25, 2018
In this post, Sally Betteridge considers the benefits of doing Philosophy with children and shares her experiences. Is it a ‘nice’ added extra or an essential part of children’s education? Children taking part in Philosophy lessons has been an area of discussion for many years. With an already very busy Primary curriculum it’s not …
Finding a place for inquiry
December 5, 2017
The OECD have just published the results of the latest PISA survey on collaborative problem solving. In the accompanying editorial, its educational director, Andreas Schleicher points to the importance of communication-intensive activities in promoting effective collaboration and thereby preparation for a rapidly changing world of work. This is echoed by groups like the Partnership for …
Outdoor learning: a waste of space?
July 4, 2017
In today’s climate there has been much discussion and debate regarding the lack of physical exercise that children do and the increase of passive watching of screens. Some parents have also denied children the freedom of outdoor play due to fears relating to traffic, ‘stranger-danger’ and the lack of natural spaces. Therefore the school outdoor …
