The Professional Teacher
Support for teaching professionals in the classroom and beyond
Strategies for Every Classroom: Consider All Factors
This is my sixth blog in the series, Bellwork, Starters and Plenaries: Strategies for Every Classroom.
Consider All Factors (CAF) is a well-known thinking skills strategy that lends its self...
What is Spaced Learning?
A number of secondary schools in England have been experimenting with Spaced Learning, in which students are provided with quick 8 to 10 minute blasts of "learning" punctuated by 5 minutes of...
What do university admissions tutors want in a personal statement?
Research from the Sutton Trust has showed that many school students applying to university are disadvantaged because their teachers' views on what should be included in a personal statement are...
Girls get better GCSE results in all-girls schools
An analysis of the summer 2015 GCSE exam results shows that girls in single-sex schools perform better than they would do in co-ed schools. There is minimal difference in the performance of boys in...
How to Learn Anything
Take a look at this engaging TEDx talk from Josh Kaufman on why the first 20 hours of learning anything are absolutely vital.
Talk Less Teaching - Human Ranking
At tutor2u we love the "Human Ranking" active learning technique - it's a learning technique I've used in all manner of subjects ranging from economics, to history, to maths.
What is Progress 8?
This academic year is the last year in which schools will be judged on "raw" GCSE results; from next year, schools will be measured in a new technique called Progress 8
Are tablets good for children?
This is certainly a hot topic on the playground on the school-run in my area, with parents and teachers unsure about how much or how little "screen time" is ideal for children.
Spaced Repetition - making your brain remember
Basic neuroscience and psychology research has shown that late-night cramming and reading textbooks is a terrible way to learn and remember.
What happens when students rewrite personal statements in total honesty?
I had a good chuckle about this collection of "honest university applications" from The Guardian, from students who decided to rewrite their personal statements without any of the usual blagging...
Normal teenager, or mental health issues?
Normal teenagers are very often moody due to the complexity of the hormonal and physical changes that happen during puberty. However, it can be really difficult to distinguish normal teenage...
Flipped classrooms explained
If you've not yet discovered the (slightly crazy!) delights of Hip Hughes, an American history teacher, then you are now in for a treat - Keith Hughes is clearly a teacher consuming too much sugar...
Strategies for Every Classroom: Odd One Out
This is my fifth blog in the series, Bellwork, Starters and Plenaries: Strategies for Every Classroom.
Odd One Out is an excellent bellwork activity that really gets students thinking.
Back to the Future: University Entrance Exams to Make a Comeback
If this report in Schools Week is correct, it seems that Cambridge University will be bringing back subject entrance exams as part of their applications procedure from 2017 onwards.
Strategies for Every Classroom - Pass the Buck
This is my fourth blog in the Bellwork, Starters and Plenaries: Strategies for Every Classroom series.
Classroom literacy strategy - analytical reading
As teachers we often feel pushed for time to “fit the syllabus in”, and wonder how we can also build in time for helping to develop the literacy skills (amongst others!) of our learners. However,...
Talk Less Teaching - Speed Dating
A misspent evening of speed dating when I was much younger has provided inspiration for a learning technique that we love to use at tutor2u – research speed dating.
Strategies for Every Classroom - Rub 'N' Reveal
This is my third blog in the Bellwork, Starters and Plenaries: Strategies for Every Classroom series.
Strategies for Every Classroom - Twenty Questions
This is my second blog in the Bellwork, Starters and Plenaries: Strategies for Every Classroom series
This is the first in a series of blogs that looks at different bellwork, starter and plenary activities that can be applied to every classroom.