I’ve spent most of the last twenty years working in and around English schools. I suspect that most children learn more now than they did in 2005. But can we be sure? Few sources of data cover the whole period reliably. National exams suffered grade inflation for many years. SATS (at age 11) and GCSEs […]| Improving Teaching
Picture a prison officer encountering an upset prisoner. They can respond instinctively or intentionally. An ordinary person parachuted into the role – untrained and inexperienced – would respond instinctively. The prisoner shouts – they shout back. The prisoner won’t listen – they assert their authority and issue sanctions. The prisoner says they can’t change – […]| Improving Teaching
What do the most effective prison officers do? We’ve observed and spoken with officers, studied analyses of public service work (notably Teach Like a Champion), and drawn on Unlocked Graduate…| Improving Teaching
Leading Prison Landings shares strategies for effective prison work: practical ways to communicate effectively, manage conflict, and promote change. But strategies are like tools: we reach for a hammer, not for its own sake, but to achieve a specific goal. Picture an officer encountering a prisoner shouting. Their initial focus may be on effective presence […]| Improving Teaching
It’s hard to become good at a job. It’s even harder in frontline, high-pressure, high-risk roles. We can learn from effective colleagues. But doing so is tricky. Frontline public servic…| Improving Teaching
Most children in the Global South now attend school. But: This means students learn less than we would hope (issues I explored in my previous post). So what’s the good news? Well, over the last couple of decades, programmes which dramatically improve teaching have emerged in the Global South. The best approaches achieve an impact […]| Improving Teaching
Imagine a schoolchild, somewhere – anywhere – in the Global South.* How likely is it that: With each question, we should be less optimistic. Access to education has increased dramatically, but quality of education has not. Children are much more likely to be in school than they would have been twenty or thirty years ago. […]| Improving Teaching
We’re planning a professional development programme. What must our programme achieve? Should we educate, inform or entertain? Should we share ideas, teach skills, motivate teachers, or build habits? Should we – could we – do all of the above? Or, conversely, we know that a lot of professional development doesn’t work. How can we avoid […]| Improving Teaching
In many schools: We struggle to keep afloat, struggle to keep teachers, struggle to get better. Something has to give. But what? The obvious solution: do less stuff – cut workload, boost wellbeing, make time to improve. But what can we cut? Will parents object? Will Ofsted approve? What if we cut the thing that’s […]| Improving Teaching
The biggest threat to the success of a professional development programme – or any school improvement intervention – is so obvious it gets missed. Teachers are busy and schools are complicated. So what actually happens never matches what you intend to happen. New leaders of professional development are sometimes surprised by this. Experienced leaders aren’t […]| Improving Teaching
Time and support to do your job better – what’s not to like? Something, apparently. Only 45% of teachers believe their school’s professional development provision is helping them …| Improving Teaching
Take a moment to consider this question: if we’re designing a professional development programme, what should it look like? I’ve asked many teachers this question. Usually, they mention…| Improving Teaching
Me, 2012: Growth mindset is amazing! Now I know why my students aren’t trying, and how to fix it. I’m going to encourage growth mindset in my classroom. Me, 2017: I liked growth mindset…| Improving Teaching
I’m not sure of much in education. But My Teaching Partner seems to work. It offers teachers coaching through video. It’s been rigorously tested: in primary and secondary schools, in ru…| Improving Teaching
