Ask them to explain what they think they've learnt. Picture by Kidaha on Pixabay.com CCO

7 questions to ask pupils during lesson observation

March 2, 2018

If you're observing a lesson, here are seven questions to ask the pupils.

Picture by Mohamed Hassan on Pixabay. Licence: CCO

Creating a culture of innovation, #6: Attend talks

February 28, 2018

Why attending talks can be a good way of fostering innovation, and six things to consider before you do so.

A session in full swing at the London Book Fair -- photo by Terry Freedman

The London Book Fair 2018, and why you should be interested

February 23, 2018

The seminar sessions at this year's London Book Fair look great. Here are three reasons I think the London Book Fair is a great event, and a link to my top 11 seminar sessions (so far).

The importance of Creative Problem-Solving Skills

February 21, 2018

Why is creative problem-solving so important for young people today? Read on to discover the results of Adobe's recent research into this area.

Photo by PhotoMix Company on pixabay.com Licence: CCO

How to set up a teachers' computing area

February 21, 2018

Teachers need areas where they can work on computers quietly, efficiently and away from pupils. Here's how to go about setting one up.

How to evaluate digital content: a 25 point checklist

February 15, 2018

Thinking of buying some software, or subscribing to an online platform of some sort? Use this handy 25 point checklist to help.

Photo by Stevepb on pixabay.com. Licence: CCO

Creating a culture of innovation, part 5: Budgets

February 14, 2018

In part 5 of this series on creating a culture of innovation, we consider another aspect of delegation, and a special type of fund.

Teachers of the future? I don't think so. Picture from pixabay.com Licence: CCO

From AM to AI -- or why teachers should embrace the robot revolution

February 13, 2018

AI should be embraced, not avoided, because it has the potential to enable teachers to do their job withoiut much of the associated drudgery.

Not too late to enter a prize draw for one of three Computing in education books

February 12, 2018

To be in with a chance of winning one of three really good books, just follow the instructions in this article.

Why I disabled blog comments

February 9, 2018

If you don't like wasting valuable time dealing with spam or horrible comments on your blog, do what I did: disable the commenting facility.

Safer Internet Day: Can social media companies be trusted?

February 6, 2018

Are social media companies doing enough to keep children safe?

I'm done talking about Bett 2018

February 5, 2018

Now that Bett 2018 is well and truly over, here is some information about my reviews of 26 products and services I saw there, and how to access them.

Review of Enhancing Learning and Teaching with Technology

February 5, 2018

David J Longman reviews this new collection of essays on the theme of what the research says about using technology to enhance learning and teaching.

Start a teachers' reading group. Picture from Pixabay.com Licence: CCO

Creating a culture of innovation, part 4: Spreading good practice

February 2, 2018

Where are you most likely to discover good practice? And how can it be spread more widely?

Bett is a great opportunity for networking and discussion. Picture from Pixabay.com Licence: CCO

Bett 2018: A report

February 1, 2018

My review of Bett 2018. covering:

why it's useful to attend Bett, generally speaking
the main themes going on this year
a couple of wishes
where I'll be writing more about the products and services I saw

Bett 2018: Interview with Drew Buddie

February 1, 2018

An interview with Drew Buddie, aka @digitalmaverick

Bett 2018: Interview with Neil Rickus

January 30, 2018

Here's a brief interview with Neil Rickus, aka @computingchamps, at #Bett2018

More Bett thoughts and recommendations

January 25, 2018

Going to Bett? Here are some do's and don't's for Day 2 of the great show.

Bett thoughts and recommendations

January 24, 2018

It's the first day of Bett, and here are a few new product announcements plus a few useful-looking talks.

More money for computing -- but how much?

January 23, 2018

More money for training teachers of Computing -- woo hoo! But is it in millions or billions?

Recent book reviews

Review: The Shortest History of AI

How is it that ChatGPT, Claude and other Al models appear to perform so well at certain complex tasks that some people become convinced that they're sentient — only for them to then promptly fail at simple tasks that even a child could handle?

Review: Teacher Geek

Every so often I like to take a look, or another look, at a book published a while ago, and today I’ve been looking at Teacher Geek, by Rachel Jones.

Review: Teach Fast

The book contains some interesting ideas.

A question of leadership

I have somewhat dichotomous views of this question of whether leaders make a difference, or much of a difference. I think my views can be classified as macro and micro.

Review: Making Good Progress?

Daisy Christodoulou carefully picks apart the pitfalls of various kinds of assessment, drawing on different subject areas to do so.

principles and practice of assessment.jpg

Review: Principles and Practices of Assessment

There is plenty in this book to like.

Review: Effective Teaching: Evidence and Practice

Although this is a few years old now (2018), it has stood the test of time.

Review: One for maths teachers

This wide-ranging book takes in probability, fractals, astronomy, Babbage, Lovelace and a host of other areas and people.

Reviews: Two for History teachers

Two books on the Nazi era.

Review: One for English teachers

No book about the craft of writing seems complete without a stern chapter on the importance of eschewing adverbs and adjectives - but what to put in their place?