It’s very welcome news that Amanda Spielman is going to support an Ofsted ‘research push’ as reported here in Schools Week. The publication of results of an initial trial is a step in the right direction. In my ‘Gimme some truth‘ blog at the end of 2014, I complained about the lack of any validity […]
Ofsted Reliability Trials. Some suggestions. Read More »
In her first major speech as the new HMCI Amanda Spielman said: And that is why I’m announcing today that I have chosen the curriculum to be the focus of the first big thematic Ofsted review of my tenure. From early years, through to primary, secondary, sixth form and FE colleges, this will explore the
Ofsted and the Development of a Rich Curriculum Read More »
Not for the first time, the Department has decided to issue some clarification about the writing assessment framework at Key Stage 2 (and its moderation!). For some inexplicable reason, rather than sharing this clarity in writing, it has been produced as a slowly-worded video – as if it were us that were stupid! Here’s my
Some clarity on KS2 Writing moderation … but not a lot Read More »
Recently, Swedish education magazine, Lärarnas Tidning interviewed me about my views on various aspects of education. For those interested in seeing me do a very poor Stewart Lee impersonation, they’ve posted a few short clips on their YouTube channel. Here they are: 1. The importance of explicit instruction 2. Why ‘grit’ doesn’t make much sense 3. Professionalism
Some videos of me talking about education Read More »
It’s very easy to present a false dichotomy to make our own beliefs and choices seem more desirable than the alternatives. Consider this infographic from the Hewlett Foundation which has been doing the rounds: What’s being implied is that the ‘deeper learning’ classroom somehow better prepares children for being scientists in the ‘science lab’ than ‘traditional’
Do we want ‘deeper learning’ classrooms? Read More »
It’s been busy at Icing on the Cake Towers of late, as I’ve been nearing the end of my forthcoming book, Data Busting for Schools. As such, I’ve had little time for blogging, and I mainly make my voice heard via Twitter at the moment. This week has seen a flurry of activity from various
Policy-informed Evidence and Evidence-informed Policy Read More »
With a trouble huddle, you allow your best laid plans to veer off the rails, stop the activity, and ask, “What’s going on here? What seems to be the problem?” Continue Reading →https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/trouble-huddle/
What’s Going on Here? How to Have a Trouble Huddle with Students Read More »
Lord Nash, speaking at the Challenge Partnership national conference, titled his talk: ‘what is relevant in business to education?’ According to the TES, he said that: “…too often teachers have confused their individuality with their professionalism… Being a professional means embracing accountability, standardisation and consistency, although of course we want our teachers to be inspiring.” He went
Schools Are Not Businesses. A Message to Lord Nash. Read More »
What does it mean to get better at history? One of the problems we have in answering this question is that history is an incredibly diverse discipline: there are thousands of possible things that one might legitimately study at school. In one school pupils might be learning 18th-century French history, but in the next town
The curriculum as progression model Read More »
This is one of the reasons why so many people leave the profession. That sort of workload is just not sustainable year in year out, even with the summer holidays to recharge batteries. Some eye opening facts here. “Teachers are working an average of 54.4 hours a week – nearly 11 hours per day –
Teachers work nearly 11 hours a day, landmark workload survey reveals Read More »