Thoughts on teaching and learning, with some Psychology thrown in for good measure
- Is email feedback a waste of time?Teacher chat on social media is at its best when there is healthy discussion around how best we can do our job, grounded in mutual respect. That doesn’t mean an echo-chamber in which we all congratulate each other on what a marvellous job we’re doing, rather that there is a discourse which pushes our thinking,Continue reading “Is email feedback a waste of time?”
- Feedback should improve the teacher, not the lessonA challenge that sometimes presents itself when giving feedback to students is that their work is already of a pretty high standard, and it feels like we’re really nitpicking with our improvement points. The reality is that what they’ve produced is probably already near the top of the mark bands, and one or two smallContinue reading “Feedback should improve the teacher, not the lesson”
- Diary of a Coach in training part 3: What does expert coaching look like?I’ve been an instructional coach for nearly four years now; while I certainly don’t think I’ve got it cracked yet and would not consider myself an expert, I think I’ve learned a huge amount since starting and want to share some of those reflection here. I’ve written previously about this here and here where I’veContinue reading “Diary of a Coach in training part 3: What does expert coaching look like?”
- How I teach synaptic transmission for A level PsychologyOne of the more challenging topics to teach in Psychology is biopsychology. Students often arrive at A level psychology with not only a wide range of prior knowledge but also a massive variety in expectations about what they’re going to learn. For some, the biological aspects are something of a shock! This can make themContinue reading “How I teach synaptic transmission for A level Psychology”
- Improving teaching: getting over the knowing-doing humpI love visualisers. They’re a great bit of kit that can let you do lots of really useful things in your teaching. Some schools love them so much they’ve got one in every classroom. I champion them in CPD sessions, when I’m giving lesson feedback, and I’ve certainly mentioned them in a blog or two. Continue reading “Improving teaching: getting over the knowing-doing hump”
- There’s nothing new in this CPD…and that’s a good thing“There’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back.” How many times have we heard or said that after attending a PD session? And yes, some of those sessions may well have been truly awful for all kinds of reasons. But one of the things people sometimes grumble about is that there was nothingContinue reading “There’s nothing new in this CPD…and that’s a good thing”
- Persistent problems: A powerful paradigm for professional developmentIn their book The CPD curriculum, Mark & Zoe Enser start with these words: This book is dedicated to every teacher who has ever sat in a hall after school and thought “there must be a better way” It’s a sentiment that resonates with anyone who’s been in the profession more than five minutes andContinue reading “Persistent problems: A powerful paradigm for professional development”
- Hands down is the new hands up!Brad is teaching his year 8 class. His school has just introduced a new policy of ‘No hands up’ in lessons and Brad is struggling with it. He’s tried to explain that it’s to make lessons fairer so it’s not always the same people answering questions. His students are clearly finding it difficult to breakContinue reading “Hands down is the new hands up!”
- I haven’t got timeI haven’t got time. It’s a familiar refrain and I doubt there’s a teacher out there who hasn’t said or thought this. I know I have. The more I’ve really unpacked what effective teaching looks like, the more I’ve come to realise that to do it really properly takes more time than I have available.Continue reading “I haven’t got time”
- Embedding a culture of retrieval in PsychologyI write this after another busy Year 13 post-mock exam parents evening. I’m reflecting on the extent to which I just sound like a broken record, saying the same things, again, to pretty much every student, for what feels like the umpteenth time. But it’s also made me reflect on something that has changed thisContinue reading “Embedding a culture of retrieval in Psychology”
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A Psychology Teacher writes 