Our data hasn't had a haircut in a while. To be honest, we've allowed it to grow and we looked in the mirror and realised that it looks a bit... well, unkempt. It is time to cut it all back, but the question is how short can we get away with? So, what is the … Continue reading Giving our data a haircut
Category: School improvement
Necessity is the mother of intervention
'Intervention' has become a common word in schools. It is a term borrowed from the medical profession where it means an action taken to improve a medical disorder. In an educational context it has come to mean an action taken to address a deficiency in learning. Some find the term distasteful due to its medical … Continue reading Necessity is the mother of intervention
The Quest for Teacher Quality
There has been an increasing tendency in schools in England to hold teachers to account for the outcomes achieved by their classes. This has become the predominant means by which schools attempt to improve examination results. The thinking seems to be "We want to improve results. Results are dependent on the quality of teaching. We … Continue reading The Quest for Teacher Quality
Articulate
I like to blog. The act of articulating the way I see things is like tidying up my mental bedroom. It does to my conscious mind what sleep does to my subconscious, sorting through the mind-junk and putting thoughts in order. Articulation requires discipline. It instills order. It forces you to decide what ideas have … Continue reading Articulate
Failing to learn
I've just finished reading Matthew Syed's 'Black Box Thinking', which references Tim Harford's book 'Adapt', both great reads on the same theme; failure. If you haven't read either then Tim Harford's Ted talk on the subject (https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_harford#t-1067823) gives you a sense of the territory. Syed's approach is to examine the culture which has developed in … Continue reading Failing to learn
Matthew Evans 