Rubbish at drawing? Here are 33 solutions! 😁

March 23, 2026

This is an updated version of a post on my Substack newsletter from a few years ago, with bits of another of my articles thrown in for good measure.

Think outside the box, by Terry Freedman

How to enhance your free offer to schools

May 22, 2020

Lots of edtech companies are offering free stuff to schools. How can yours stand out from the crowd?

10 good resources and 2 competitions for ICT and Computing teachers

November 6, 2015

Discussion lists, blog posts, teachers' guides and competitions are all featured in today's article.

Review of Teacher’s Pet

June 20, 2014

Go on, admit it: you still create worksheets, right? If you do, and you use Microsoft Word or OpenOffice to do so, you’ll find Teacher’s Pet very handy. It’s basically a set of macros that can transform lists of words into several different types of puzzle or test item.

Where can you get advice that is both free and good?

June 27, 2011

I don’t think it’s necessarily true that you get what you pay for. Some of the best advice available has been free. But where can you go now for good advice which is also free? I’ve started a new discussion on this topic in one of the Vital forums:

3 “Top 10” educational technology resources for teachers and students

February 8, 2011

David Andrade has been putting together some “top ten” resources lists over at his blog, Educational Technology Guy. These are well worth reading.

Recent book reviews

For your Eng Lit colleagues? The Penguin Book of the International Short Story -- two reviews in one!

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote!

Two reviews in one: Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals -- art and history

One for your colleagues, perhaps: art, art history, ploitics with a small ‘p’.

Two reviews in one: State of Ridicule: A History of Satire in English Literature -- politics, history, English

One for your colleagues, perhaps. Sperrin has provided a wealth of information that can be used to provide a rich experience for students of politics, history and English literature.

Two reviews in one: A Little History of Mathematics

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

The Learning Rainforest Great Teaching in Real Classrooms Great Teaching in Real Classrooms.jpg

Review: The Learning Rainforest: Great Teaching in Real Classrooms

This is a great book for dipping into in order to read about different teaching and assessment strategies, backed up by research.

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Review: Outstanding Formative Assessment: Culture and Practice

This book contains numerous assessment for learning techniques.

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Review: New Media in the Classroom: Rethinking Primary Literacy

This provides a great deal of information about the different aspects of "literacy” and how digital tools can be brought into the service of literacy in the primary school.