NQT - Teaching Expertise

Angela Youngman talked with Justine O’Driscoll of the Bedford Just Learning Nursery about making computers accessible for children in the early years. read more

John Cousins is a primary mental health worker, supporting children and their families. He explains what we mean by ‘transitions’ and how they can affect the child

A love of stories is common to all young children, and by telling stories, rather than reading them, a storyteller can really bring the tale to life and make it a more interactive experience for the children. Former headteacher Steve Mynard explains how everyone has the ability to become a storyteller

In a special feature which encourages informed and responsible ways of tackling abuses of power, Dr Christopher Williams suggests that young people make use of new web resources

In his regular column Dr Graham Haydon argues that when the principles of justice and care are combined a more beneficial outcome is likely to be achieved. read more

Attachment theory is explored here by Steve Mynard, who summarises some of the research and suggests ways that you could use this in your setting

Margaret Collins looks at ways to raise children’s awareness of sun protection. read more

Children’s therapist John Cousins examines the concept of self-esteem, which is integral to a child reaching Early Learning Goals in the PSE area of learning

Phonological awareness is the ability to be aware of sounds within words and to be able to break down words into syllables and into phonemes. The activities listed here can help develop phonological awareness and can be used in lessons for the benefit of all children

Visual discrimination is the ability to recognise similarities and differences between visual images. The activities listed here can help develop visual discrimination skills and can be used in lessons to benefit all children

Visual memory is the ability to recall information that has been presented visually. The activities listed here can help develop visual memory and can be incorporated into a lesson for the benefit of all pupils

Auditory memory is the ability to recall information that has been given orally. The activities listed here can help develop auditory memory and can be incorporated into lessons for the benefit of all pupils

Semantic knowledge is the ability to understand narrative. This includes the ability to understand the meanings of words in different contexts, as well as a knowledge of the meaning of relationships between words. The activities listed here will help develop semantic knowledge

John Potter says citizenship gives education meaning and purpose – and students seem to agree. read more

Critical thinking skills can help us unpack national stereotypes. Dr Christopher Williams proposes strategies and resources focusing on the image of young people in Palestine. read more

In his regular column, Dr Graham Haydon argues that in responding to multiculturalism, we need to think hard about the idea of culture.

Don Harrison describes three ways to explore issues of global poverty through a new resource from Save the Children. read more

Auditory discrimination is the ability to detect similarities and differences when listening to sounds. The activities listed here can be used to strengthen auditory discrimination skills and can be incorporated into a lesson to benefit all children

Spatial awareness is the ability to be aware of oneself in space. Awareness of spatial relationships is the ability to see two or more objects in relation to each other and to oneself. These activities will help develop spatial awareness skills and can be used in lessons for the benefit of all pupils

Listening is the ability to attend to sounds across a range of stimuli. Use these activities to help pupils with listening and attention difficulties

Word finding is the ability to access vocabulary from the long-term memory. These activities can help develop word finding skills and can be used in lessons for the benefit of all pupils

In his regular column, Dr Graham Haydon argues that, despite appearances, PSHE as well as citizenship has a role in education for democracy. read more

Educational consultant Mike Fleetham shares some interesting ideas about choosing books and looks at some practical ideas for using stories to develop children’s thinking. read more

Rob Sanderson of Wigan Schools Library Service offers some practical advice for building an early years library. read more

Do you like to use moments of quietness and reflection in your classes? Do you like to tell stories while the pupils listen attentively? If so, consider using music as a soundtrack to boost visualisation and imagination, suggests Mark McKergow read more

Global citizenship benchmarks for secondary schools. read more

Visual perception is the ability to recognise, interpret and organise visual images. The activities listed here will help develop visual perception skills and can be incorporated into lessons to benefit all pupils

Visual comprehension is the ability to listen to information that has been given orally, then remember it, understand it and use the information across a range of tasks. These activities can help develop skills in this area, and can be incorporated into lessons for the benefit of all pupils

Dr Graham Haydon asks whether tolerance has become an easy option, which allows us to continue with an underlying disapproval of others because they are different

On Martin Luther King Day, suggestions from Year 8 and 9 students at Benjamin Britten High School. read more

In this article, Philip Drury underlines the numerous educational advantages of project work, and shows how negative points can be effectively circumvented read more

How does a teacher’s voice affects pupils’ behaviour and their ability to learn? Lesley Hendy considers

Bill Lucas explores the phrase ‘accelerated learning,’ and its associated curious, if well-meaning, misconceptions read more

September can be a scary time of year if you are a newly qualified teacher (NQT) who is facing your own class, sometimes for the first time ever. This article suggests 5 simple ways to impact upon your new class

Andy Bowman explores strategies to begin to develop independence and resourcefulness in young learners. read more

Following the review of the national standards (see opposite), the secretary of state for education and skills has asked the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to review the initial teacher training (ITT) requirements. read more

Some key findings from research on how teachers can use groups to boost young people’s achievement read more

In her final article on how teachers use emotions, teacher trainer Susan Gibbs discusses why emotional safety is so important in enabling children and young people to learn. read more

If schools are to help tackle self-harming behaviours, says the final Report of the National Inquiry into Self-Harm among Young People, they need to ensure that young people have opportunities to talk about their fears and anxieties. read more

The Teacher Support Network has set up an online advice, information and support service for teachers. This will supplement the existing telephone service, which offers counselling to around 17,000 teachers and lecturers every year. read more

Lorne Charles, who teaches at Morpeth School Bethnal Green, was one of the first NQTs to join the GTCE’s Teacher Learning Academy (TLA). She describes how her involvement has helped her to develop professionally and the value of the TLA’s support at this moment in her career. read more

However well planned for, the process of moving from trainee to professional will always constitute a big change

In a letter to the DfES in May Universities Council for Education of Teachers (UCET) expressed concern that teachers working in city academies do not need to be members of the General Teaching Council (GTC). read more

Team teaching is an approach in which two or more teachers are jointly responsible for course content, lesson activities and assessment. Could it work for you? read more

On the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, Garry Burnett used the composer as a model to question whether creative skills such as problem-solving and interpretation can be taught read more

Julie Bennett suggests three different techniques that you can use to motivate learners and add further dimensions to your teaching

G&T coordinator Jo McShane reflects on how far things have come since she did her own PGCE and provides some strategies to share with NQTs and teacher trainees. read more

Dr Steve Rayner (School of Education, University of Birmingham) explores recent criticisms of the use of learning styles in education, arguing that they are, when used in well-considered ways, an essential feature of personalised learning. read more

This is an excellent introductory text to special educational needs and inclusion. It is aimed at trainee teachers and addresses relevant Professional Standards for QTS, but is certainly not constrained by these. The book is organised around three key themes of: principles and policies of special educational needs; working with others; and practical applications in the primary classroom.

Linda Evans considers the implications for SENCOs in helping trainee and newly qualified teachers (NQTs) to develop effective strategies for meeting pupils’ individual needs. read more