Rewards In order to maintain a positive and encouraging climate in the classroom it is important that we focus on positive behaviour. Willingham (2005) argues that when praising students we should: be sincere and honest focus on the work or process, not on the ability or intelligence of the student be immediate and unexpected. By […]
When teachers define, create and facilitate positive classroom climates, they must undoubtedly consider how their pupils will be motivated. Adam Boxer (2019) describes motivation as a ‘complicated beast’, with pupils being ‘motivated by a whole host of competing and intertwined factors.’ Your climate will inevitably prioritise the nurturing of pupils’ intrinsic motivation so they find […]
Collaborative learning, where pupils learn and attempt tasks in pairs or groups, can be an effective tool to support individual learning. It is important that collaborative learning opportunities are designed carefully and appropriately. While there are major benefits to group work, there are also significant risks if implemented poorly. Benefits and dangers of group work: […]
Collaborative learning, where pupils learn and attempt tasks in pairs or groups, can be an effective tool to support individual learning. It is important that collaborative learning opportunities are designed carefully and appropriately. While there are major benefits to group work, there are also significant risks if implemented poorly. Benefits and dangers of group work: […]
To help our pupils learn, we need to consider an important question: how can we ensure that information is transferred to long-term memory and stays there? A number of experiments following Hermann Ebbinghaus’ study on memory and forgetting in the late 19th century have found that new learning is very quickly forgotten. Therefore, a central […]
When it comes to providing high quality feedback, we need to ensure that we are teaching responsively – actively eliciting evidence about our pupils’ learning in order to inform and adapt our teaching to meet their needs (Black and Wiliam 1998). One efficient and immediate response to move pupils’ learning forward is to provide verbal […]
When it comes to providing high quality feedback, we need to ensure that we are teaching responsively – actively eliciting evidence about our pupils’ learning in order to inform and adapt our teaching to meet their needs (Black and Wiliam 1998). One efficient and immediate response to move pupils’ learning forward is to provide verbal […]
Assessment is how we attempt to make learning visible; it includes any procedure or strategy used to collect information that will help us make inferences about our pupils’ learning (The AERA 1999). One way we can do this is through peer-assessment and feedback. When facilitated with appropriate modelling, routines, and monitoring, peer-assessment can be an […]
Robert Marzano suggests that ‘it is simply not possible for a teacher to conduct instruction for children to work productively if they have no guidelines for how to behave, when to move about the room, and where to sit, or if they interrupt the teacher frequently and make whatever amount of noise pleases them.’ (Marzano, […]
Perhaps more than ever before, there is a real opportunity to develop communities of professional learning that instil habits of collaboration, deep thinking and critically reflective practice in our early career geography teachers. The current strength of partnerships between school clusters, academy chains and multi-academy trusts means that the practices and habits that trainees begin […]
How might primary school leaders ensure that all of their pupils have access to an excellent curriculum experience while also developing the leadership potential and expertise of their staff? Here I argue that distributed leadership that facilitates subject leadership and expertise can promote curriculum development. Drawing on educational research and my own experience, I suggest […]
Retaining more teachers is crucial for the education system, particularly at a time when there are not enough teachers coming into the profession to meet the growing need from rising student numbers. Unmanageable workload and low job satisfaction are significant factors determining teachers’ decision to stay in the profession or leave. To explore this further, […]
It is estimated that there are 50,000 LGBT teachers in UK schools, yet very few openly LGBT teachers achieve school leadership roles (Lee, 2019a). This article draws on the work of Courageous Leaders, the UK’s only LGBT school leadership programme, and posits that the skills that LGBT teachers need to navigate the complexities of their […]
This is, perhaps, not a typical Impact editorial – but we are not in typical times. School leaders, teachers and school support staff across the country have demonstrated exceptional courage during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, courage which, as Winston Churchill observed, has assured all of the professional qualities inherent in school culture (Churchill, 2005, p. […]
In this perspective piece, we examine the key drivers in a model of peer coaching that is being trialled at the Veritas Multi Academy Trust (MAT) to support the development of a middle leadership team (Lofthouse and Hall, 2014). Vision and values Coaching has been recognised as highly effective professional development practice (Cordingley et al., […]
In common with many other parts of the world, England is facing increasing challenge in attracting new teachers to the profession. According to the government’s own data (DfE, 2014, 2019), targets have been missed each year for the past seven. There are myriad factors influencing this situation, but the growing shortfall in England and its […]
Supervision has a long and illustrious history as a professional practice across multiple disciplines that are concerned with positive outcomes for children, young people and their families. Defined as a work-based learning relationship, it is a reflective space where those involved – either in relational dyads or in small groups – commit to purposefully engaging […]
EDDY LI, LANGUAGE SUPPORT OFFICER, HONG KONG While working as a newly qualified teacher in Hong Kong, I often reflected upon, and explored with my colleagues, which classroom strategies might help to support the learning of all children. From time to time we felt uncertain about our own capacity to develop more inclusive practices. This […]
One of the biggest causes of stress for teachers is behaviour management (Education Endowment Foundation, 2019). This stress can be escalated when you use every behaviour management strategy under the sun, only to find it unsuccessful. The frustration of why it did not work can bother a teacher for a long period of time, and […]
In a climate where teachers’ response to traditional continuous professional development (CPD) and feedback from formal observations is often ‘passive’ (Danielson, 2009), Teacher Rounds (Del Prete, 2013) are an innovative form of professional learning, which take place in the context of the classroom. The Teacher Round protocols ensure a safe environment for teachers to work […]
