Coming to the belief that learning is invisible was a threshold moment for many. It feels rather silly looking back on it. How did we ever believe that you could 'observe' learning by going to watch a lesson, or evidence 'progress' over the course of an hour? Ridiculous. But then, we are loaded with beliefs … Continue reading Is learning invisible?
Tag: education
Why I am still using ‘cold call’
When should we give a name to something we do as teachers? This question is on my mind this week following a post I wrote about adaptive teaching last week. I wrote the post because I keep coming across examples of people using the term to mean different things, sometimes quite unhelpfully. I was making … Continue reading Why I am still using ‘cold call’
Adaptive teaching: in search of conceptual clarity
Just because it swims, doesn't mean its a fish. I think we can all agree that naming things correctly is important. To do this, we must have a proper conception of what does and does not fall into a category, and to do this we must define that category precisely. For example, if we believe … Continue reading Adaptive teaching: in search of conceptual clarity
Barbeque invite
Imagine that you are at a summer barbeque. You arrived late and everyone has already drifted into their cliques. You grab some food and a drink, then linger, listening into the conversation happening before deciding which group to go and join. Over by the desserts is a group talking about people: you know the sort … Continue reading Barbeque invite
Well, w’dya know?
It wasn't so long ago that pupils making rapid progress in lessons was a big thing. Fueled by Ofsted's 2012 framework, teachers were encouraged to prove this progress during lesson observations and school leaders were encouraged to go looking for it. In 2015, 'rapid' was replaced by 'sustained' as a criteria for outstanding teaching. By … Continue reading Well, w’dya know?
School reviews as gift giving: a phenomenological approach.
Mocksteds; quality assurance visits; peer reviews; health checks. Whatever you call them, they appear to be happening more than ever. The Next Big Thing. And like all Big Things in education, no-one is quite sure where they have come from and quite what purpose they serve. That is because they are many things to many … Continue reading School reviews as gift giving: a phenomenological approach.
Business education in schools: towards academic credibility
One of the more practical things I learnt in school was how to write a cheque. It wasn’t one of the most academically challenging lessons I remember, but it was one of the more useful in my later life! This lesson was part of a CSE in Commerce. I recall that it was my second … Continue reading Business education in schools: towards academic credibility
Matthew Evans 