GRAHAM CHISNELL FCCT, EDUCATION CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR, UK Classroom talk that engages students in dialogue to stimulate and extend thinking, knowing and understanding can have a powerful and positive impact on student learning (Alexander, 2020). In this reflective piece, I examine how embedding a culture of dialogic teaching in school impacts on teacher engagement and student […]
CHRISTOPHER TAY, VISITING LECTURER IN INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER, UK Coherent curriculum (CC) as a model represents a particular approach to any knowledge-rich curricula; how Ofsted are using it to inform their work on curriculum and assessment is the initial focus here. Ofsted’s subject reports, compiled from inspection evidence and research visits to […]
Adam Kohlbeck, Deputy Headteacher, Birkbeck Primary School, UK Why is feedback worth our thinking? In 2016, Ofsted produced its report ‘Eliminating unnecessary workload around marking’, placing teacher workload at the forefront of leadership thinking. For many, written marking as a means of post-lesson assessment is not something that has ever been questioned. The Education Endowment […]
AIMEE WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, THREE SPIRES TRUST, UK Introduction In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the impact of influential figures like Dylan William cannot be overstated. For the uninitiated, his influential work on feedback in the classroom emphasises the importance of formative assessment as a powerful tool for improving student learning and ‘moving […]
SARAH CUNLIFFE, LEON WALKER AND REBECCA MORRIS, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK, UK Do I really know enough about the understanding of my pupils to be able to help each of them? It was the summer of 2015 and we (Sarah and Leon) had just read this excerpt from Inside the Black Box (Black and Wiliam, 1998, […]
POPPY DALL’OCCO, ALEX MORGAN AND EMMAJANE MILTON, SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, UK Context This article draws on research findings from a small-scale, qualitative case study based in one secondary school in England. It reports on an in-depth, thematic analysis of nine semi-structured online interviews with GCSE teachers of either English or mathematics. The findings […]
MARCO NARAJOS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, UK Rationale Research has long indicated that feedback supports attainment (Hattie and Timperley, 2007). This has led to assessment by regular or deep marking becoming a significant source of burdensome workload, which significantly correlates with poor teacher wellbeing (Brady, 2020; Jerrim and Sims, 2020). Teaching at an independent […]
Katy Manisier, Melissa Glackin and Prof Christine Harrison, King’s College London, UK Having taught in the state sector for a decade, when I moved to work in an independent school, I was bemused to learn that minimum target grades for GCSE were not used. How did teachers know if classes were on track? How did […]
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. […]
