Why you should read: The Hidden Lives of Learners by Graham Nuthall

Each pupil has their own world and peer influences – they make sense of the information shared in class in different, unseen ways. What is it about? The Hidden Lives of Learners is a posthumous account of the findings made by Graham Nuthall and his research team. Over several decades, they studied how children learn using a meticulous data-collection process, recording and observing lessons, testing and interviewing children, and triangulating all the elements to track how memory and understanding develop over time. Their findings include: Every child remembers a different set of knowledge and ideas from any lesson. These are often different to what the teacher thought they were teaching Children can appear to be compliant, engaged and productive, but not actually learn the material Children’s prior knowledge and the frequency with which ideas are revisited are key for securing memory Children are influenced by their peers to much greater degree than teachers realis