Category: Teaching and Education
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Quick and effective lesson ideas #3 – The Recall Challenge
Whenever I need to teach a large amount of dry content in a short space of time, the Recall Challenge is my go-to strategy. It’s engaging, highly effective, and turns “cramming” into a competition – and one grounded in solid pedagogical methodology, to boot!
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Quick and effective lesson ideas #2 – The Research Review
The trick to guaranteeing that independent research is meaningful and worthwhile lies in equipping your students with the tools that they need to succeed: step-by-step instructions, clear aims and a sense of purpose, and guidance as to what they should be looking for. Enter… the Research Review.
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Quick and effective lesson ideas #1 – Post-it Pass the Parcel!
This is one of my favourite variations of what Alex Quigley, writer of The Confident Teacher, calls “Post it note pedagogy”. The mileage of this task depends very much on the subject and the topic; while it may not be appropriate for everything on the curriculum, it works a treat when revising concepts that provoke…
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The first year of teaching: Five things I wish I’d known…
Over September and October I will be publishing a series of articles on effective teaching strategies for trainee teachers and NQTs. This first entry is a broad overview based on my own experience in the profession, but subsequent articles will offer brief (but, I hope, useful and practical!) examples of lessons, ideas, and resources that…
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Results Day: Perfection is Overrated.
In this bizarre educational environment it can become very easy to convince yourself that every mistake you make in your learning counts as well, and – what is more – counts against you. How do you respond, then, when you get something wrong? How do you react when you fall short of perfection? The answer…
Writus Andronicus 