BENJAMIN WOOD, SUBJECT LEADER FOR RELIGIOUS STUDIES, HASLINGDEN HIGH SCHOOL, UNITED KINGDOM Primarily, assessment is concerned with progress. It might try to determine how much progress has been made, and it might aid the making of further progress. Different forms of assessment may prioritise one of the above over the other but, ultimately, assessment is about […]
VICTORIA ADDIS, DERBY MOOR ACADEMY, UK Classroom talk encompasses a range of interactions that take place within a learning environment, from ‘procedural’ (Nystrand and Gamoran, 1991) and ‘monologic’ (Wells and Arauz, 2006; Gutiérrez, 2008) acts of recitation that centre around closed questioning and recall, to the deeper interactions that we understand as forming part of […]
EMOKE MIHALY, THE ENGLISH MODERN SCHOOL WAKRA, DOHA, QATAR Introduction In my decade-long journey as a primary school teacher within international school settings, I have explored the different aspects of providing effective feedback to young students in order to improve their learning. Building on Hattie’s (2009) influential meta-analysis, which underlines the impact of feedback on […]
NICOLA ROBINSON, VICE PRINCIPAL, THE WORTHGATE SCHOOL, UK As a senior leader, I am privileged to be able to observe many lessons across my whole school’s curriculum. Since I am also a teacher, I can also appreciate and empathise with the challenges that each teacher encounters, with every lesson offering a multitude of decision-making pathways […]
AMARBEER SINGH GILL, TEACHER EDUCATOR, AMBITION INSTITUTE, UK JENNIFER CURRAN, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, AMBITION INSTITUTE, UK We [often] question the judgement of experts whenever we seek out a second opinion on a medical diagnosis. Unfortunately, when it comes to our own knowledge and opinions, we often favor feeling right over being right… We need to develop the habit […]
REBECCA MORRIS, TOM PERRY AND DEBBIE GRACE, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK, UK GCSE resits in England Colleagues across education will be aware of the importance of GCSE English and maths for students’ future educational and life opportunities, and also for schools in terms of performance measures such as Progress 8. For many students, however, the summer […]
Bev Coombridge, Doctoral Student, University of Buckingham, UK; Initial Teacher Educator, Bethlehem Tertiary Institute, New Zealand The development of student agency is increasingly recognised as a crucial element in effective education (Sirkko et al., 2019; Cook-Sather, 2020; Ruef, 2021), particularly in the formative years of primary school (Vaughn, 2018). Research has consistently shown that formative […]
LYNSEY ANNE MEAKIN, SENIOR LECTURER IN EDUCATION, INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF DERBY, UK Traditional assessment methods often fall short in capturing students’ true abilities and fostering authentic learning experiences, and the introduction of AI (artificial intelligence) tools further complicates the task of accurately assessing genuine student learning. This article will provide a brief explanation […]
Katie Cork, Deputy Head, St Mary’s School, Gerrards Cross, UK Setting growth goals can improve a student’s academic processes and their outcomes. By emphasising individual skill and knowledge development, they assess both cognitive and non-cognitive factors in learning. By fostering an environment conducive to growth, leaders can ensure that these goals become an integral part […]
CHRIS PASSEY FCCT, DEPUTY HEAD, KIMICHI SCHOOL, UK Kimichi School is a small, music-specialist independent school in Birmingham, UK founded by Sally Alexander MBE in 2014. Background The introduction of a National Curriculum and, therefore, GCSEs was overseen by the Secretary of State for Education (1986–89) at the time, the now-Lord Baker. In an article for […]
GEORGE DAVIES-CRAINE, HEAD OF GEOGRAPHY AND EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH CHAMPION, LANCASTER GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL, UK JAMES ANNING, ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER, DR CHALLONER’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL, UK MATT FLORY, ASSOCIATE ASSISTANT HEAD, LANCASTER GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL, UK A new reality Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a new reality. With the increased use of programmes such as Duolingo, Quizlet (both of which use […]
SANDRA MILLIGAN AND ANGELA POLLOCK, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA Background and purpose of this paper In Australia in 2012, general learning competencies (referred to in other places by terms such as 21st-century skills, transferable skills or transversal skills) were formally incorporated into the national curriculum and subsequently adopted at every level, in all Australian schooling jurisdictions. […]
JAYSON COX-DARLING, LEAD TEACHER FOR SEND, ST REGIS CE ACADEMY, UK Building blocks I am sitting on my living room floor helping my daughter with her homework. It’s phonics, and as I’m a specialist teacher, it is quickly delegated to me to help. I grab the DUPLO® blocks and a whiteboard marker and together we start […]
DR JESSICA TALADA, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY, USA Introduction Assessments are critical for providing targeted supports to students. Students must take assessments that provide teachers with a system for actionable processes for support. That system is contingent on utilising tools that target specific areas of need in order to provide teachers with guidance for how to support students. […]
Ngozi Oguledo, Lead Practitioner, Ortu Gable Hall School, UK Introduction Assessment can be described as a planned or unplanned process involving the review of learning and the utilisation of the outcome for various purposes. Teachers are the key drivers of an assessment process. They use the process to review what their students have learnt, understand […]
CIARAN ELLIS, CURRICULUM LEADER OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY, LAURUS RYECROFT, UK Times are changing, within both the education sector and the wider world. This is unavoidable, and as educators we need to prepare our students for a future that we may not even be able to comprehend yet. The rate of technological development has been unfathomable […]
MOHAMMED JAMILI, FCCT MED, HEAD OF LEARNING, WAAD ACADEMY, JEDDAH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA As an educator with over a decade of experience in the UK education system, and currently serving in a senior leadership role in an international school based in Saudi Arabia, the journey of assessment practices has been both enlightening and challenging. […]
SAM GIBBS, Trust Lead for Curriculum & Development, GMET NIKKI SULLIVAN, Deputy Headteacher, Beckfoot School In this article, we consider why the summative assessment of teaching and professional learning may persist, along with the associated problems. Secondly, we explore how the formative evaluation of CPD (continuous professional development) might support leaders in not only assessing […]
JO DAY AND PURVI GANDHI, TRENT COLLEGE, UK Introduction This article outlines a pilot case study of an innovative project-based induction model for second-year early career teachers (ECTs). The model, based on principles of effective continuous professional development (CPD), integrates essential mechanisms like goal-setting, feedback and action planning, as recommended by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, […]
KAREN BOARDMAN, KATIE SMITH AND RICHARD DOHERTY, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction This article outlines the impact and possibilities in supporting primary trainee teachers (across both three-to-seven and five-to-11 age phases) with their developing pedagogy, employing the new approach of intensive training and practice (ITaP) within initial teacher education (ITE). Given that […]
