On this day #2: Freedom from constraints

October 1, 2020

When Academies and Free Schools were announced, the prospect of freedom was alluring — to an extent.

On this day #1: Assessment

September 30, 2020

Why bother with theories of assessment? Surely all that matters is whether or not it works?

The importance of making mistakes and dealing with them properly

September 27, 2020

What does dealing with mistakes “properly” mean in practice?

15 ways to keep on being a learner

September 27, 2020

Learning is necessary, useful and pleasurable! Here are 15 suggestions for continuing to learn, ranging from some pretty easy almost costless ways to a major commitment. Hopefully there’s something for everyone in this article.

My best IT training days -- index

September 26, 2020

Technology goes wrong from time to time, but isn’t it wonderful when the technology and the training go well?

My worst IT training days -- index

September 25, 2020

We all have the occasional awful experience when giving training. Here are mine!

The myth of the unchanging classroom

September 24, 2020

Is it really true that classrooms haven’t changed since the year 1600?

Authors of education books earn a fortune!

September 23, 2020

Is it true that education authors earn a fortune?

Chairing discussions online

September 21, 2020

Is it rude to not respond to people in an online discussion?

An ed tech slap on the forehead moment: Something I didn't think of but wish I had

September 20, 2020

Dang! Why didn’t I think of this great idea for inspiring confidence in technophobic colleagues?

Achieving stuff straight away in Computing lessons (Updated)

September 18, 2020

Why shouldn’t you start your course with lots of apparently useless techniques?

Automatic Writing part 2

September 17, 2020

What might it be like to be able to write an article straight from your head?

Automated writing part 1

September 17, 2020

The Guardian newspaper has published an article “written” almost entirely by AI. How worried should writers be?

Which online platform?

September 15, 2020

Google Meet, Zoom and Google Classroom are all viable contenders for the task of teaching your classes online. But which one is best?

Encouraging colleagues to use education technology

September 15, 2020

How can you make online learning more attractive to colleagues?

Footprints -- Covid19, by Terry Freedman

Teachers' experiences in the time of Covid

September 15, 2020

What has been the experience of teachers during this pandemic? An interim report will be discussed in a couple of virtual symposia.

The blame game

September 14, 2020

When it comes to responsibility, what can we learn from politicians and others?

Click the cover to see this book on Amazon UK (affiliate link)

Review: Learning Theories for Everyday Teaching

September 11, 2020

Is this book useful as a quick way in to educational research that’s relevant to classroom practice?

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?