Latest Posts
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The problem with “teaching consistency” versus “teacher autonomy”
Education is caught in a debate over autonomy and cohesion. On one side, teachers are demanding professional autonomy: the right to discretion over their lessons. Others are demanding “consistency” through rigid structures and scripts. Neither…
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Direct Instruction’s limits: A nuanced look at Engelmann’s ideas
When Engelmann developed his popular Direct Instruction1, his principle was that students were capable of learning anything. This seems like a good rule to follow; it removes blame from the student. If they didn’t manage…
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Information theory and why explaining clearly isn’t enough
Claude Shannon’s groundbreaking information theory focused on getting a message from A to B. It’s now one the major underlying theories of the computers we use every day. Its principles also tell us something fascinating…
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Does “checking for listening” help learning?
I’ve attended a couple of training sessions as a teacher in which the trainer would ask “check for listening” questions. They’d tell us things and then ask a question to someone chosen at random. “Seriously!?”…
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How I teach blood glucose homeostasis
Blood glucose homeostasis is a classic concept for teaching about feedback loops that drive stability. But, like all of biology, there are so many new structures and technical terms students may not see the wood…
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How I teach SA:V in biology
Surface area to volume ratio is a fundamental concept that keeps appearing throughout biology. It’s best to get it right the first time. Many times, however, students end up memorising ↑SA is good and ↓SA…