How often in planning meetings is a new idea often met with phrases such as: "That will never work for student X" or "What about so and so, they'll never get anything done." This is particularly the case as we move towards more personalised inquiries. Let's take some time to unpack some underlying assumptions. What's... Continue Reading →
Decluttering pedagogy – what to stop doing in 2019
New Year's resolutions. January 1 flips over and we spring into action trying to improve ourselves. Yet by February, those promises are long forgotten and we're back to our old habits. Thanks to Maire Kondo's Netflix series, decluttering our homes of unneeded possessions has been added to the standard new year's resolutions along with getting... Continue Reading →
Viral handshakes and icebergs
The iceberg is a useful metaphor to explore complexity. I often use it with my students as a way to help them develop a more nuanced understanding of a difficult concept. For instance, spelling and handwriting are at the tip of a writing iceberg. Surface writing errors are easy for adults and children to... Continue Reading →
Learning to listen
A common lament for teachers is the lack of listening skills in our students. There's nothing more frustrating for a teacher than seeing children talk through performances. Move off before all the instructions are given. Come back and ask a question for something you communicated 30 seconds earlier. I've often thought that this is simply a... Continue Reading →
Links to be reading
Is it time to redefine success? - a fantastic first blog post on what the 'end game' should be in education for kids (Shared by @sherrattsam) Ask yourselves… are you changing our way of life? - Teachers as  society makers (via RSS) Why luck matters more than you think - Humility is a quality we don't talk about... Continue Reading →
Which ball do you decide to drop?
The thing we don't like to talk about in teaching is time. Simply put there is not enough of you to go around. It's a delicate balancing act. There's always a child that needs a conversation RIGHT NOW. The child who you are talking to now. The child you want to be talking to. The... Continue Reading →
The best lessons are often the unintentional ones
Interacting with other classes through blogging is something I've been proud to do with my class for the last four years. Despite guiding and modelling best practice, every year there will be one or two children who will press publish without thinking through their decisions. This is where the day takes a turn. Without naming... Continue Reading →
The moments that matter
When you're having a bad week, it can be easy to get into a spiral of doom. You miss your bus, the photocopier is broken, you've forgotten your lunch, your inbox is exploding, there is an overdue admin task ohh and you've got to write a newsletter before the end of the week. On those weeks... Continue Reading →
Teaching the Teacher 