How To Improve Your Teaching Practice Through Observation
Lesson observations may be a key tool in every educational setting — but not all of the feedback given to you reflects just your behaviour alone. As we noted in ‘Why Lesson Observation Should Be Aimed At Learning Not Teaching’, gauging pupil responses to lessons can be a much better indicator…
Lesson observations: problems, opportunities and the mysteries of good teaching
Lesson observations: problems, opportunities and the mysteries of good teaching Article by Dr Nigel Newton Lecturer in Education, Innovator, Consultant & Writer View original article Criticisms have recently been made of Ofsted’s lesson observation approach. In...
Keeping young people safe when learning at home
None of us could have dreamt how the last year was going to turn out and in particular, none of us expected children to have been out of school for so long. As home learning becomes the norm, it is more important than ever that safeguarding and child protection remain...
How to plan the perfect lesson
Lesson planning is a key skill for teachers at every level and in every subject. With the right preparation and considerate planning, common difficulties can be avoided and your lessons will be more effective and enjoyable for both you and your students. For many...
How to improve teachers’ mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic
2020 has been tough on us all, with every aspect of our lives being turned upside down. The great news is that the vaccine is being distributed! However, it will still be many months before life may return to normal. Currently many of us are finding it difficult and...
How to observe lessons effectively
Observing a lesson takes more than just looking into the room. It requires a great understanding of the learning environment and a keen eye to pick up on aspects of strong teaching and learning. For those new to lesson observation, it can seem overwhelming. By going...
Why lesson observation should be aimed at learning and not teaching?
Lesson observation takes place with varying degrees of regularity, robustness and clarity of process The key question is: does it actually make any difference to the observed teacher's practice and subsequent impact on learners' progress? Evidently, this will depend...
At the beach
At this Outstanding Primary school, reception children are brought to the beach every week to explore, learn, and experience. Watch the video below. The school that went from Requires Improvement to Outstanding We have been filming at Seaside Primary School, and this...
How do you really find out about the quality of teaching and learning?
Answer: Design a common language for exploring teaching and learning, and then use it together Hold a staff meeting and ask your teachers: If you were to talk with a teacher who you were going to observe tomorrow and they had their planning with them,...
Linking to prior knowledge: the benefits to learning
Learning is something we do from the day we are born. It is a natural process, but how well we absorb that new information in the classroom, training session or even online is down to the quality of instruction. Why is it that some teachers and trainers get better...