A trend of “ruthless simplicity” has spread across schools in England, driven by the idea that coordination is a burden. It’s said that “Coordination cost is a killer in schools … When every teacher runs…
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!?”…
Around 2012ish, a new movement rode into the UK (school) educational scene. It came with the banner of “evidence-based”, to counter the previous movement. I’m not writing to contend whether the movement was right or…
Experimental design is an uncontroversial component of science curricula. It helps students learn methodology, how to spot flaws in arguments, and, partly, how scientists create knowledge. Yet, much of what we teachers see in experimental…
All systems exist in a constant co-adaptation with their environment. The upper secondary sections (KS4) of England’s schools are continually adapting to their communities, the government’s inspection body (e.g. Ofsted), and standardised exams (e.g. GCSEs)….