I never grow tired of watching the TED talk by Rita Pierson 'Every Kid Needs a Champion'. It is both inspiring and compelling - it capture the essence of why so many of us want to work with our students. When I first showed this video in a workshop that I was leading, it revealed... Continue Reading →
3 simple ways to involve the ‘quiet people’ in educational conversation in your school
A significant challenge for those leading collaborative teams in schools is getting all team members to contribute. Discussion and conversation, in particular, can be dominated by a few without input from the 'quiet people'. This does not bode well when it comes to decision-making when we are seeking to try to build consensus or ensure... Continue Reading →
Re-thinking classroom questioning to improve student understanding
From my experience of observing lessons for a number of years in secondary schools, the area where I think teachers can make the biggest improvement is in the way questions are asked of students in classrooms. The following features of classroom question and answer sessions are typically observed: They are mostly led by the teacher... Continue Reading →