4 steps to help you innovate this year
It is always a pleasure to be invited to write for Innovate My School. My latest feature focuses on how to develop the mindset of an innovator and how to […]
4 Questioning ideas I tested this term
Questioning is something I believe is best revisited as often as possible to fine tune.
Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is hugely important, it’s not a fad, it’s how you build resilient learners! I’m witnessing the benefit of students having developed a growth mindset and its enabling me to teach much more challenging computing lessons than I had originally thought I would!
Differentiation
Differentiation and scaffolding These two are the closest relations in a teacher mind, so close that they’re the most often confused terms. Differentiation (to me) is providing stretch and challenge to […]
Appraisal Tips
Have you set some professional target this year? Have you started the appraisal process yet? Here are 2 top tips for your appraisal so you walk into your meeting […]
Teaching and Learning tips Magazine
I've helped put together this teaching and learning tips magazine. And in the spirit of sharing good practice a free copy can be downloaded here
Introducing colour coded AFL to your school
I've created this 'quick start' guide for anyone who wants to try and implement a colour coded assessment methodology in their department, faculty or whole school. Download for free.
New Marking Policy 2016
Rationale behind new marking policy explained and FREE downloads for you to use if you want to create a similar time saving marking and feedback policy.
Planning a successful week
This post shares how I plan (on a Sunday) for the week ahead, and a FREE download of the resource I created to help me.
GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW, PINK = More Visual Feedback
This post is about easing the marking workload by using an idea that’s well known among Primary teachers but (seemingly) less so amongst Secondary.
Visual Management for school improvement
It's a little bit more than colour coding, but that's a good start on the road to improved productivity!
Ofsted Ratings MAP
Find and view your school and others by rating on a useful map of the UK...
FREE assessment resources for ICT/Computer Science
Here you can download the free KS3 Assessment sheets I've designed to support the changes in assessment we've begun this year.
Life beyond levels
A simple start to assessing without levels - and directions to further reading and support online.
School improvement: Has everyone got the message?
This post looks at how to best communicate a school improvement message!
Literacy and consistency
This post aims to suggest some solutions to the problems faced in the classroom by learners having low reading ages and poor literacy skills.
Pupil Action after feedback
This post will give you advice and tips covering two areas; How to plan to enable feedback action How to make action visible
Progress is…
This post looks at two things: What is pupil progress? How do you evidence it in lessons and over time?
FREE resource to improve pupil response to feedback
FREE resource to make your feedback stand out on the page
Teacher feedback
FREE teacher feedback resource designed to match the resources already on sale.
When the going gets tough (pt:1)…
This post looks at how schools respond to Ofsted inspections...
Whole School Teaching and Learning Strategy
My whole school (start of) teaching and learning strategy...
Quick video tips all in one place
Quick tips This is a post to link readers to my 30 second (occasionally longer) teaching tip videos on FaceBook. The page is growing with every video added and being positively received […]
Trying out my classroom resources made easier!
This post is about improving your practice, and others, easily! As of today you can also buy my classroom resources and lesson planner from e-Bay (no bidding necessary) and pay […]
The Purple pen…
This video is a huge hit over on the FaceBook page, how to increase pupil engagement in reflective activities with just a pen….and possibly a feather!
NEW RESOURCE
Feedback and Reflection resource This resource is a template for you to print and create your own feedback and reflection slips to use in lessons. Print then on paper or […]
Questioning using my Classroom Resources
Tongue in cheek presentation, an homage to detective noir; One way to use questioning sheets in class… Feel free to share the video.
SUPER Sticker AFL resource
Avengers Assemble Yep, we’re all in a marking frenzy, and I’m sure some of us are over doing the AFL, but in many circles the new focus on AFL is […]
Good practice – AFL in books and folders
In trying to define expectations across the new department this is one of the ‘snap shot’ reminders posters I created, and have since shared whole school. Regardless of anyone preparing […]
Folder inserts
Making folders work for you and learners I’ve talked about this before, and given illustrations of what I meant (here) but I’ve updated the inserts for me new school and […]
AFL Stamp crazy – Updated 2014! –
I mentioned in a previous post that I attended an ‘Outstanding Teaching’ course before the summer break, it was a fab course, really inspired me to re-examine how I go […]
Tracking – visually
Tracking made visual As a busy (amazingly so) Head of Department I want a way to track every single pupil in my departments care. I want to know what ‘group’ […]
Assessment for Learning #EduSketchNote
Assessment for Learning #EduSketchNote Some visualised thoughts on assessment for learning in your classroom.
My Takeaway Homework template(s)
Having struggled with really low responses to homework as a school, the most effective homework actions seem to be in departments at our school who have tried the #takeawayhomework approach […]
Objectives
Why do people leave them till last? Objectives are a starting point. You start projects with objectives, you start a journey with a destination (objective!) in mind! So why why […]
Boys, learning and progress
A collection of facts and thoughts on the problems we face engaging boys in their learning. As well as some suggested strategies you can use in a lesson to engage […]
Resources to support Outstanding teaching
Resources to support outstanding learning Good resources in the hands of a good, well trained teacher can lead to outstanding learning! I’ve been mentoring and coaching a lot of staff […]
The Art of Observing
Seeing is believing Being able to observe good teaching and learning is an art! It’s something that comes with practice. There are a number of obstacles in the way of […]
How AFL makes progress happen
“Marking is the least favorite part of teaching” Most teachers would seem to say that! But effective marking is the not so secret tool in the battle towards outstanding learning! […]
I’m writing home, again
Everyone needs a little praise. I’ve always been an advocate of taking the positive praise route with learners 1st! Which makes it somewhat ironic that the 1st post on here […]
Engagement – Getting boys learning
How do we engage boys in learning? Teachers often debate this question and when my AS Sociology girls outperformed the boys by 11% in the summer of 2012, we realised […]
Questioning – Improving students ability to question
My Starting Point I wanted my students to take a greater responsibility for their learning and I believed that trying to encourage more questions from my students would support me […]
Making the best of Vocabulary
Literacy Across the Curriculum An easy way to support Literacy Across the Curriculum A Vocabulary mid-lesson mini-plenary You started the lesson with a key vocabulary activity? But if you want […]
Stamp crazy! (AFL)
I mentioned in a previous post that I attended an ‘Outstanding Teaching’ course before the summer break, it was a fab course, really inspired me to re-examine how I go […]
Better questioning
Questioning; my question to empower students I really want my students to have stronger questioning skills, I think that by giving them practice at answering better questions and generating better […]
Raising Achievement
I read this somewhere, an Academy school showcasing one of its initiatives which it felt had greatly contributed to the rise in achievement at GCSE. I’ve created the idea in […]
