In praise of Teaching as a Subversive Activity
“You cannot step twice into the same stream” Heraclitus of Ephesus Writing in the late 1960s, the authors of Teaching as a Subversive Activity worked from two assumptions: society’s survival is under...
View ArticleIn dispraise of Teaching as a Subversive Activity
In many ways, Teaching as a Subversive Activity made me a significantly better teacher. In retrospect though, an insufficiently critical reading, early in my career, led me astray. This post...
View ArticleWhat might mastery learning look like in history?
Whenever I come across a good idea in teaching, two questions spring to mind, usually in this order: How have I missed this? How would this work in history? So it was when I stumbled upon mastery...
View ArticleFrequent low-stakes testing – at university
News of the testing effect is no longer new. Thanks to authors like Daniel Willingham and bloggers including David Didau, Joe Kirby and Kris Boulton, the merits of frequent, low-stakes tests appear...
View ArticleWhy Spotlight? A fresh look at classrooms
To improve, teachers need the chance to see good teaching. Recent research by Teach First suggested that observing skilled practice helps trainees become effective quickly (alongside several more...
View ArticlePermanent exclusion: a postcode lottery
Belief in fairness is near universal. Real fairness may be a long way off, but most people believe everyone deserves a shot at success. Want to cause trouble? Tell people about postcode lotteries;...
View ArticleWhat makes checklists transformational?
Two years ago, I would have dismissed the thought of promoting checklists to fellow teachers: I saw the impersonal routine they implied as stifling and in any case, my own organisation was too...
View ArticleA checklist: Am I ready for my teaching job interview?
I was asked recently how best to prepare for an interview at a new school. One thing I shared was this checklist from Ticked Off. As we enter high season for job interviews, I thought it might be...
View ArticleTo cut workload and reduce stress: checklists
Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto convinced me checklists could help me do my job better. I tried them: they did; I used them more and eventually wrote Ticked Off to share what I’d learned. It...
View ArticleEducation in Sweden: comparisons with England, conclusions, suggestions
My beliefs about Swedish schools have changed as results have collapsed and I’ve come to recognise the effects of poor policy, problematic pedagogy and limited support. I want to conclude by comparing...
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