Alex
@teachingwrens.bsky.social
Year 4 teacher; English lead; mentor. Previously: EYFS-Y2. NPQLT + NPQLL. Interested in all things teaching & learning! @teachingwrens on Twitter.
With the National Year of Reading now here, a few people have asked if I'm running the online 'Building a Classroom Reading Community' session again. Doing it twice, on Sun 11th Jan and on Mon 12th Jan. Sun 11th Jan eventbrite.co.uk/e/1977168230... Mon 12th Jan eventbrite.co.uk/e/1977168128...
This has been my worry all along with the breakfast club nonsense. You can talk about funding all you like, the long and the short of it is that school leaders end up with another job on the list, another extension to their working day, and the job becomes ever harder... And this is from DfE advice!
NEW POST We talk a lot about getting better at teaching, but perhaps we don't talk enough about getting worse at teaching. open.substack.com/pub/adamboxe...
Getting worse at teaching
We talk a lot about how teachers get better at teaching, but don’t think enough about how teachers can get worse at teaching.
open.substack.com
If you're free for an hour on Monday morning, do come along. And, if you're not, please consider making a donation anyway.
Jon Biddle@jonnybid.bsky.social · last yr.I'm repeating my online 'Building a Classroom Reading Culture' session on Monday 11th August at 10:00am. There's no fixed price for tickets as all donations will go directly to Medical Aid for Palestinians (www.map.org.uk). Please share! www.justgiving.com/page/jonatha...
*FREE WRITING WEBINAR RECORDING* At Stanley Road, we have developed an approach to writing that we believe aligns with many elements included in the DfE's Writing Framework. If you'd like to watch a webinar on this, complete the form at this link... forms.gle/c66cnHyKTdZz...
Hello - I wrote a new blog about the teaching of whole class reading, which I haven't in a while. It's over 9000 words so quite a read, but I hope the comprehensive nature of it comes across as helpful, rather than patronising. Anyway - hope it's useful! mrboothy6.wordpress.com/2025/01/03/w...
Whole Class Reading 2025
Hello – it’s been a few years since I wrote about the teaching of whole class reading, and I figured I would do it again, as it’s generally the thing I am asked about the most – plus in…
mrboothy6.wordpress.com
NEW POST Leader says "please do x" Staff then don't do x It's not because they are lazy, incompetent or deliberately undermining. So why is it? achemicalorthodoxy.co.uk/2024/10/30/y...
You’ve said =/= they’ve heard
It’s been a long day. I’ve been in and out of lessons throughout with a range of staff. I’ve grabbed a minute here or there for individualised feedback and did a working break and…
achemicalorthodoxy.co.uk
Watching a video of a classroom where the teacher is doing retrieval practice & so many students dying to engage. My colleague Jen: "Investing in knowledge is fun; kids LIKE knowing things."
Your Sunday read: Golden Silence achemicalorthodoxy.co.uk/2021/11/07/g...
Golden Silence
There's something magical about a silent classroom. Students are focused, heads are down, pens are busily scratching away. Participation Ratio is high, and you can almost feel the learning in the room...
achemicalorthodoxy.co.uk
I sometimes get asked about the common issues I see across primary schools and the kind of support I offer as a result. This brief blog explains this stuff. This is my first new blog on Blue Sky so reposts much appreciated. primarycolour.home.blog/2024/09/08/h...
How I Try to Help Schools to Teach Reading More Effectively
Warning: Parts of this blog are going to feel like an advertisement for my consultancy work and books. This is unavoidable as I have written this for those who ask me about the issues relating to read...
primarycolour.home.blog
I’d scrap the staff meeting model and start again if I could. We can’t keep bouncing from topic to topic, week to week, expecting teachers to take everything on board. “If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.” Work smarter and be better.
I remember when @mralmonded.bsky.social was reading the research on grips and grasps and this made for a very interesting conversation at home! We’re always banging on about that tripod grip, but the research says if it’s a mature grip then it’s fine #rED24
Summary: T&L is hard One thing at a time Don't move on till your sure Don't bewilder your team with a bazillion things
***BLOG*** Why KWL Grids Are Not Fit For Purpose morgsedu.wordpress.com/2022/09/04/w...
Why KWL Grids Are Not Fit For Purpose
If you are not familiar with KWL grids, let me explain. They are an assessment tool of three stages. What the learner already Knows (K), what the learner Wants to know (W) and then finally what the le...
morgsedu.wordpress.com
Just posted new blog on Bluesky and not (yet) on Twitter. Be interesting to see engagement. Will I fold and put it on Twitter too? Please help me avoid the temptation by reposting here! primarytimery.com/2024/08/25/o...
We want assessment to be effective. Are mind maps good enough for summative assessment? morgsedu.wordpress.com/2024/08/21/a...
Are mind maps good enough for summative assessment?
At its core, assessment seeks to evaluate the extent to which learners have understood and can apply the material they have been taught; it is a diagnostic process aimed at uncovering both the knowled...
morgsedu.wordpress.com
This is a great post. It’s too easy to glide through lessons (ahem White Rose Maths animated slides ahem) & not be purposeful or responsive enough to the students in front of you.
Jo Castelino@drcastelino.bsky.social · 2y ago*New Post* Cohesion. wp.me/s7SAU4-cohes... #EduSky #UKTeaching #CogSciSci
*New post* Building Culture: how to shape character through daily interactions. Will be especially useful for form tutors, HoYs & behaviour leads. But also for anyone interested in forging culture. bunsenblue.wordpress.com/2024/08/20/b...
Building Culture: how to shape character through daily interactions
First day as a Year 7 form tutor. "I want you all to be the kind of people who have integrity. I say, you say: "Integrity!" "Integrity!" the 11 year olds all shout back, with enthusiasm. What do I mea...
bunsenblue.wordpress.com
If you were planning a staff meeting calendar for the year, what would your key areas of teaching and learning be? I’m not thinking subject specific stuff but pedagogy…
*NEW blog* Do your pupils work hard enough? Inspired by discussions on Bluesky earlier. bunsenblue.wordpress.com/2024/08/17/d...
Do your pupils work hard enough?
Let's indulge in two thought experiments. Scenario 1. Imagine you have no data about a class you start to teach in September. You have no knowledge about their prior attainment and no knowledge about ...
bunsenblue.wordpress.com
