Making Show Me What You Know quizzes beneficial for the pupils
Now that I think of it, I can’t quite remember who wrote the phrase, ‘you might have taught it, but that isn’t a guarantee they’ve learnt it’ and I can’t think of a saying that is more important. As a teacher, I constantly feel the need to ‘do’ the curriculum – tick off the boxesContinue reading “Making Show Me What You Know quizzes beneficial for the pupils”
Creating a reading culture 2021
Anyone who is trying to ‘improve’ reading in their schools knows that the first step is in creating a reading culture. It has to permeate through everything you do. Yes, some strategies are – according to research – known to have an impact (e.g. adults reading challenging texts to children) but it is the combinationContinue reading “Creating a reading culture 2021”
Flipped Learning and the Harkness method
The content of the IGCSE Language and Literature course is fairly substantial. Our year 10 course is focused on completing the coursework but this does not mean that I don’t want pupils to have at least read all the poems from the poetry anthology and all the non-fiction works as well before they go intoContinue reading “Flipped Learning and the Harkness method”
#Monthly Writing challenge: September: Awareness
I love this theme. I think summer is the perfect time to reflect which in turn heightens your awareness. To be fair, having been through quite a bit in my life I have developed skills in self-awareness and as someone who has benefitted from counselling, coaching and mentoring, my ability to consider and reflect uponContinue reading “#Monthly Writing challenge: September: Awareness”
Some thoughts on CPD
Over the summer I read The CPD Curriculum by Mark and Zoe Enser and it has made me really think and reflect upon CPD provision and support within schools. It has also made me really think about our CPD focus this year and how I will go about approaching this focus. Our CPD focus thisContinue reading “Some thoughts on CPD”
The First English lesson
One thing that many people have been pondering is the all-important first lesson. How do we set the tone for the year ahead correctly? In the summer space, it is something we can agonise over for a while, wanting to perfect that first encounter but I recommend keeping it simple and cracking right on. SeatingContinue reading “The First English lesson”
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
As busy teachers, essentialism is not always a skill we have successfully acquired and my interest in this book was piqued when Kat Howard recommended it on Twitter. Personally, I feel like I have gone through an ‘essentialiam’ process over the last three years, stripping back and, despite falling off the bandwagon at the startContinue reading “Essentialism by Greg McKeown”
Developing writing – y9 opinion columns
If you tuned in to my session at Teach Meet English icons, you will know that I am working on how I approach the teaching of writing. It is not something that I have found easy and much prefer the teaching of reading as a result. The reason I have found it difficult is becauseContinue reading “Developing writing – y9 opinion columns”
Trying to get better with retention and retrieval practice
We are in the process of putting together a new curriculum. And with a new curriculum, comes new knowledge…potentially. Like many, as I think about new units, I also think about the Big Questions or the key knowledge points that I want my pupils to take from the unit. In term 1 of our YearContinue reading “Trying to get better with retention and retrieval practice”
Fostering pupil voice and their experience of texts
Over the lockdown period, I had the fortune to join a series of English and Media Centre webinars with Barbara Bleiman, who is an absolute legend in the English world. In those webinars, Barbara Bleiman really really made me think and reflect upon my own practice. She made me think and reflect about how muchContinue reading “Fostering pupil voice and their experience of texts”
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