Classroom Teacher - Teaching Expertise

This series of classroom activities will be useful for SENCOs, teachers, assistants and mentors. Each page focuses on a different skill set – from spatial awareness to visual discrimination to semantic knowledge

Global citizenship and critical thinking were key elements of this three-year collaborative project

Are you constantly reacting to poor behaviour? Then it’s time to change your approach from tackling it to preventing it, says Dave Stott

How do you balance your use of rewards and sanctions, and are the rewards you’re using really having a positive effect on student behaviour? Dave Stott provides some practical tips

An overcomplicated system of sanctions will inevitably break down. Dave Stott gives some practical advice on how to make sanctions more effective by keeping them clear and simple

Pupils need not only to hear your instructions but also to process and understand what is required. Dave Stott looks at techniques for ensuring they understand and comply with what you are asking them to do

Robert Sinclair offers some ideas on how to introduce climate change lessons into the primary classroom, as part of the KS2 geography curriculum

Time constraints put pressure on teachers to start lessons as quickly as possible, but ensuing disruption may make this less effective than allowing a set amount of time for settling in. Dave Stott looks at how to establish a baseline to judge whether such techniques are worth employing and gives tips on how to make them work

Non-verbal indicators, particularly facial expressions, can be a powerful motivator or a source of misunderstanding. Dave Stott gives advice on how to interpret them and how to use them to good effect

Is ‘on report’ a positive sanction intended to modify behaviour or simply a negatively phrased document used to record the number of occasions when a pupil’s behaviour is unacceptable?

We cannot be serious all the time: schools need to be exciting stimulating places where people can laugh, have ideas, clash and spark off each other, says David Leat

The behaviour of students can be adversely affected when their regular teacher is absent. How can you be best prepared for such problems and what are the management issues that need to be addressed before such a situation arises?

While behaviour problems should be addressed without delay, the classroom may not always be the best environment. Dave Stott explains how taking the time to connect with these pupils outside the teaching and learning environment can help to improve your relationships

A compelling project of personal significance for students can provide fertile ground for learning. Kayte Judge describes a project that took place across two different settings

Identify the behaviour problems you need to deal with using checklists tailored to individual students

Time spent on managing the behaviour of more challenging pupils can often be at the expense of those who cause you little trouble. How can you ensure that your approach motivates all students?

Are you aware of the many, varied learning styles adopted by your students and how they affect behaviour? This week’s Behaviour Matters explores the benefits of differentiating within the classroom and your own presentation style to accommodate these differences

Asking questions is fundamental to helping students acquire knowledge. Ulrike Thomas looks at four key issues to consider when thinking about questioning

Recently retired from Firth Park Community Arts College, where she was headteacher from 1995, Mo Laycock explains how engaging with hard-to-reach parents via extended schools strategies contributed towards her school’s transformation

An innovative project brought together vulnerable young people with learners from mainstream schools and the University of East Anglia. Dugald Ferguson reports

As the end of the year approaches, use this guide from Behaviour Matters to evaluate how well your school’s behaviour management strategies are working and to plan for the year ahead

Whose responsibility is it to join up the dots in a subject-based curriculum? asks David Leat

It’s widely recognised that our thoughts, perceptions and emotions drive our behaviour. So how can we learn to stay in control when students are challenging our authority?

Effective questioning helps secure pupil progress. Jo Smith outlines a session designed to develop teachers’ skill in this area

At Noadswood School, peer mentoring goes beyond pastoral activities. Tim Ennion and Eddie Stephenson describe how they are putting learning-focused peer mentoring into action

Students can sometimes find it difficult to maintain their engagement in group activities, especially if their own self-image or confidence is poor. How can your questioning and positive verbal leading empower students to continue their involvement and reduce the likelihood of unacceptable behaviour?

Non-verbal instructions and signalled reminders can be highly effective in managing student behaviour, but are you sure that your messages are being interpreted accurately?

David Leat looks at how schools can make the PLTS framework their own

Much time is spent teaching and modelling appropriate behaviour to students. But how can we ensure that students utilise their social, emotional and behavioural skills, asks Dave Stott

September doesn’t just mark the beginning of a new school year: it also means the start of new working relationships, new environments and new challenges. Clear communication between colleagues and students can provide a strong basis for effective behaviour management and proactive teaching, explains Dave Stott

Coaching is falling short of its potential but is at its best when it is a two-way process. Rachel Lofthouse and David Leat as they describe the findings of their research

The new Department for Education demonstrates the unfamiliar look of coalition politics with Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather taking on the role of Minister of State for Children and Families under the new Conservative Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove

Deborah Michel investigates a new web-based staff-development resource to support children and young people with behavioural, social and emotional difficulties

This assembly follows the inspiring story of Wanda Summers − her recovery from a serious accident, and her determination to complete an ultra-marathon across the Gobi desert

The beginning of the summer break can often mean one thing: forgetting all about school until September. But if you can learn to manage your own behaviour effectively during this time, you will be better prepared to manage students’ behaviour next term

In this assembly, Brian Radcliffe invites students, in light of the Government’s proposed spending cuts, to consider the way they prioritise their time, money and energy

This assembly begins by considering the numerous apologies which have been made in connection with the football World Cup. It goes on to discuss the difference between a qualified apology and a true expression of regret

On 11 June this year, the hills around Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales saw the thirtieth Man versus Horse Marathon. The assembly tells the story of the race, and along the way reflects on the long story of the close relationship between humans and horses

This week’s assembly considers the extent to which we might expect too much of people and reminds us that we’re only human. It challenges listeners to show a little more compassion in their lives

This week’s assembly challenges listeners not to lose sight of the important issues, even when only certain ones seem to be in the public eye

This assembly discusses being scared when students are lost, and offers advice as to what they should do when they are

This assembly, coinciding with the start of the World Cup in South Africa, looks back to the sport of chariot racing in ancient Rome. It asks questions about the pros and cons of professional sport – then as now

This primary assembly looks at personal injury and disappointment, and how to make the most of a bad situation

This issue of Behaviour Matters looks at the benefits of the specific teaching of behaviour, using the same approaches as for any other area of the school curriculum

In this series looking at 'effective participators', in this issue we look at a technique known as the World Café – another form of cooperative investigation that can be used to encourage students to engage actively with the issues that affect them

This week’s assembly challenges listeners to remember those who are left behind in one way or another, and asks listeners to question the extent to which they are inclusive in their thoughts and actions

In this assembly, children will learn about Doug Gregory – the 87 year old RAF pilot who is still flying and performing stunts. Children will be invited to confront stereotypes about older people

In this assembly students are encouraged to consider the balance of rivalry and unity that is exemplified by the World Cup

This assembly looks at the history of the Queen’s Speech and what her latest speech will mean for the UK