Teaching Skills

Roger Smith considers tried and tested ways of improving teaching and learning and a few new ones

Jo McShane used to think that pedagogy was just a stuffy academic way of saying ‘teaching’, but after attending a conference on the subject she finds that it means a great deal more

Kris Lines surveys this highly litigated area — and suggests a step-by-step approach to safety within the law read more

A recent conference considered how schools can put personalisation at the centre of their strategies for raising achievement

Teacher and trainer Michelle McGrath argues that the emphasis on students as partners in their learning is a fundamental challenge to the current model of teaching and will require significant shifts in attitudes at all levels in schools

The USA is huge and diverse but a quick glance at Sam Hughes Elementary School in Tuscon, Arizona, can give some idea of how professional development helps teachers, reports Susan Clark read more

Pedagogy is back on the agenda after a long period of neglect, with new guidance encouraging professionals to think about what should be taught and how it should be taught, writes Cliff Jones read more

Good planning will enable you to stretch pupils without exhausting yourself, says Jo Smith

How can form tutors can raise achievement for all pupils and support the gifted and talented? Aim Higher coordinator Martin Ransley reports

Lesley Hendy examines how you can look after your voice when teaching outside and also gives some tips on reading aloud

How can we help young people deal better with the losses they experience? Secondary drama teacher and SEAL coordinator Julie Leoni reflects on her own experiences read more

How can you make judgements about the performance of your assistants when they are in the room working alongside a teacher/ practitioner? Kevin Bullock provides one solution read more

This sensitive area should be part of every setting’s PSE programme, says Margaret Collins

An outline of the content of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and what schools need to consider when deciding to apply to deliver the curriculum it offers. By Tristian Stobie

A detailed look at how the IB has been launched in one school, by Rob Ford, Head of International Education and International Baccalaureate, The Ridings High School, Bristol

Evidence is emerging in Scotland that links secondary school pupils’ progress and emotional intelligence to the use of philosophical enquiry as a learning approach in primary schools. read more

'Personalised learning' has been appearing with increasing frequency in policy documents and in discussion about teaching and learning for the last few years. But what is truly meant by 'personalised learning'?

Planning for teacher learning has to be a key priority, says David Leat. read more

In this month’s in-depth focus Anne De A’Echevarria talks about the Thinking Through School approach to learning-focused innovation. She describes the model and, using examples, explores successful implementation in schools and how the impact can be seen to be more than school-wide

The EPPI website is an excellent resource for informing your decision making, says David Leat. read more

Linda Evans suggests how SENCOs can plan and deliver training on subjects which feature prominently in the role of most teaching assistants (TAs) read more

Schools need to unpack ‘enterprise’ and ‘entrepreneurship’, say Jacek Brant and Alastair Falk read more

Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton explore ways to use the children’s curiosity about their world to become self-motivated, independent learners

Sue Roffey describes her way of thinking about how to relate more deeply with students in the classroom

Maggie Parker-Heys urges early years practitioners to appreciate and nurture the skills required to form even the simplest letters

Celine West shows how head spanners and glass eyes can be used to unpack prejudice. read more

In his introduction to a new column, Dr Graham Haydon focuses on choice and discusses how the decisions we make influence our everyday life. read more

In this article about the morals and PSHE, Graham Haydon argues against newspaper reactionism

Charles Dietz examines the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and its implications

Charles Dietz examines the work of Guy Claxton, professor of education at Bristol University and fellow of the British Psychological Society. read more

In his continuing series on gifted thinkers, Charles Dietz looks at the work of Robert Sternberg and how he has influenced the teaching of gifted pupils read more

David Watkins argues that homophobia is something we should talk about and offers practical advice for creating LGBT-inclusive schools.

We are constantly trying to drive up standards of teaching and learning with new approaches, preferably those with a strong evidence base. But is ‘What Works?’ the right question? Should we really be asking ‘How do good teachers get better?’ Elaine Hall reflects on the messages from a meta-analysis of teaching and learning interventions

Secondary drama teacher Julie Leoni writes about how she teaches through the darkest days of winter read more

Hayden Llewellyn describes the development of the Chartered Teacher Programme in Wales. read more

Former headteacher Tim Small, a member of of ViTaL Partnerships, introduces some excerpts from his colleague Ruth Deakin Crick’s new book on learning power and the effective lifelong learning inventory (ELLI)

Paul Grainger outlines strategies for high-quality careers provision

Lev S. Vygotsky is the subject of Steve Mynard's article on the psychology of child development

Geography can reward the inquisitiveness of young children, says Steve Mynard

Extending vocabulary when talking or listening to children is a good way to develop their emotional language. Margaret Collins describes two ways of doing this. read more

We all know that learning to read is a very important step for any child to make, but how can we be sure that we are offering children the best introduction to this skill. Roger Hurn unpicks some of the issues currently under debate. read more

Margo Turnbull explores the development of children’s communication skills, by focusing on the role of the practitioner. read more

Steve Mynard looks at the place of drama in your setting and how existing practice can be enhanced. read more

Dr Alison J Price of Oxford Brookes University explains why understanding the relationship between numbers, and the connections between calculations, is an important part of developing mathematical awareness, and how this can influence delivery of the curriculum. read more

Communication is by its very nature a two-way process. Children need to have these skills if they are to particpate in shared and meaningful communications. In this Inset package, based on the need for effective communication and engagement as described in the Common Core, Roger Hurn provides information and activities to help your staff think about ways of helping children to practise and develop their communication skills.

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

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

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