Having taken a hiatus from updating the blog (mainly due to being shed-busy), I decided a new page would be useful, especially for those people looking to add some of the interior detail to their own buildings. I'm pleased to say I'm currently writing this blog post IN the shed (now it has wi-fi and … Continue reading Project 2019: Home Office build Part 2
Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com I've noticed quite a few nervous tweets in the last few weeks regarding teaching interviews and I thought it would be worth lending a hand. During this half term, we are usually in the midst of the main teacher transfer window and it's good to feel prepared for the … Continue reading Teaching interview heebie jeebies? 5 tips to help you prepare for a teaching interview
Having your own exercise book is a great way to keep all of your worked examples together (saw this from somebody @team_english1 -- sorry I don't know who, but thanks so much for sharing, whoever you are!) I've seen quite a few questions on Twitter recently about how visualisers can be used effectively in the … Continue reading Teacher, ‘Try Me’ No.4: 3 Tips for Using a Visualiser in the English classroom
Save time, produce high quality feedback and the students love it! In the week that the Schools Minister, Nick Gibb called for a ban on mobile phones in schools (not really wishing to open that can of worms, but the full debate is here!) , I discovered a brilliant website that helps teachers to give … Continue reading Teacher ‘Try Me’ No. 3: Qwiqr QR Feedback
As a centre, we try really hard to get students used to being able to research effectively and to be discerning when looking at critical views. For our AQA A Level English Literature Non Exam Assessment, we teach all critical viewpoints in the critical anthology (Marxism, Feminism, Post Colonialism etc) and let them loose in … Continue reading A Level English Teacher, ‘Try Me’ No.2: Introducing research skills for AQA Lit NEA
This is a little like how I imagine the finished building to look (white windows and doors and up/down lights), but a similar finish. 22nd January 2019: A few months ago, I had an idea- wouldn't it be brilliant to have an office in the garden? Insulated with electric, wifi, all the mod cons? A … Continue reading Project 2019: Home Office Build
Getting students to understand texts as a construct can be difficult, it's a common trope for students to 'get lost' in the characters or language of a text without considering some of the wider concepts covered. They may know particular moments or scenes well, but won't always consider the wider context of these moments or … Continue reading English Teacher, ‘Try Me’ No.1- Conceptualised responses for GCSE and A level/ challenge activity
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com After some discussions with various colleagues, a couple of members of my department and I have been experimenting with how we give essay feedback to Year 12 and 13 students. We usually like to mix things up by using whole class feedback and 1-2-1 meetings (which are hugely beneficial … Continue reading Is ‘Recorded Verbal Feedback’ the way forward for KS5?
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com After the initial first days of feeling quite lost at the end of a term, I finally relax and live a different life for a little while. Holidays give me the much-needed distance away from the day-to-day challenges and school routine (not least being able to go to the toilet … Continue reading A New Year Guide for Middle Leaders (New and Old!)
After listening to Daisy Christodoulou speak at the West Midlands Knowledge Hub last month and reading her book ‘ The Future of Assessment for Learning’, I decided to finally take the leap and trial ‘No More Marking’ in our department. As with every other English department (I’m guessing!) marking easily becomes unmanageable and it is … Continue reading Comparative Judgement Trial and The Feedback Question
