It seems to me that one of the most important skills a salesperson should possess is to be able to listen. Yet some salespeople and technical support people launch into a script or a flowchart when you call the company, or when you meet them.
Read MoreA perfect example of why you should keep copies of your articles...
Your article is not available at the moment. Ain’t that a shame?
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The Homework Excuse Management System, by Terry Freedman
Blast from the past: the homework excuse management system revisited
You can use a spreadsheet to solve even relatively trivial problems — but why should you do so?
Read More3 reasons your students are bored in Computing lessons, and 9 solutions
Are your students yawning, checking their email, launching paper aeroplanes in your lessons? Perhaps you’re making one of these mistakes.14 Ways to Make the Most of Teaching Assistants in Computing lessons
In my experience, many teachers make poor use of teaching assistants, regarding them as a sort of junior helper on the same level as a school pupil doing a holiday job. This is unfortunate.
Read MoreUse a spreadsheet for literary criticism: it's more accurate
If book blurb writers had any sense, they wouldn’t put wordy descriptions on the back cover of books. They would put a graph there instead.
Read MoreGetting permission to go on a course or to a conference
Having to make the case for actually registering for an event is, in my opinion, treating teachers as if they were (a) non-professionals and (b) children.
Read MoreOn this day: Robot rights
You can just imagine the family rows of the future, should technology ever reach the point where it isn't possible to distinguish between humans and non-humans merely by looking at them.
Read MoreUsing badges
The attractive thing about badges is that a school can invent their own categories and achievement levels.
Read MoreWho is responsible for a company’s image?
The answer to the question “Who is responsible for a company’s image (or a school’s image)?” is, of course, everyone who works for it. But what does this mean in practice?
Read MoreWhat differentiates your product from the competition?
If you sell a similar product or service to that of another company, what is it that makes yours stand out?
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Quick look: Organise Ideas (follow-up)
[When I was a teacher,] as with many of my blog posts these days, my own handouts and lesson summaries were festooned with drawings, diagrams and arrows.
Read MoreIs it worth doing an MA? Continued
In June 2021 I wrote an article called Is it worth doing an MA? I listed several reasons why I think the answer is “yes”, but forgot to include one or two really important ones!
Read More7 questions about blogging
You can build up a body of work without having to try going through gatekeepers.
Read MoreMy experiments with transcribing audio
I was surprised, at first, to discover that dictating articles is very easy. When I thought about it though, I realised that it should not have been surprising at all.
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The horror, the horror! N-Noooo!!!, by Terry Freedman
The inspector cometh
Being told that the inspectors are coming is pretty scary, but I would say that some people respond in ways that are counterproductive, including to their own health. These are the things I’ve either come across first-hand or experienced when I was an Ofsted inspector myself, or when I was being inspected.
Read MoreArticles published in the week beginning 1st November 2021
In case you missed them, here’s the list of articles I published here last week — in reverse chronological order.
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Reflecting, by Terry Freedman
I don't agree with Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). Here's Why
A question: is Cognitive Load Theory another example of the emperor’s new clothes?
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Who needs a robot assistant? Photo by Terry Freedman
On this day: Thoughts about Alexa
I can’t get used to just barking orders at someone. Whatever happened to courtesy?
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Take responsibility, by Terry Freedman
Responsible Use Policies
The general thrust of education these days is on student-centred learning. This is often expressed by depicting on the teacher’s role as being the guide on the side rather than the sage on the stage. Regardless of whether you agree that that’s how things should be (and as it happens I don’t!), the often-stated philosophy these days is that students know best.
But does stating that philosophy mean that it is observed in practice?
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