Advice for NQTs…

The NQT year is both one of the most challenging and rewarding years of your teaching career. So much still to learn but also so much to offer your school and students (I share loads of ideas 'magpied' from observations of NQTs). Twitter is full of tales of victory and woes, and your experienced colleagues will give … Continue reading Advice for NQTs…

Checklist for September

Every new teacher faces a deluge of things that HAVE TO BE DONE, usually IMMEDIATELY. This is particularly true at the beginning of the academic year. Even though I've been teaching for 19 years this September I always return home on the first day of September dehydrated, brain overload and with an impressive to-do list! With the final … Continue reading Checklist for September

Top Revision Tips: 10 ideas for the classroom

You've taught the lessons, marked and fed back and now it's up to your students to apply this knowledge in exam conditions. But how do we get them ready? Working with key stage 4 and 5 students I am frequently frustrated by how they think they will revise. "I'm going to read through my notes, Miss!" As teachers, we know that active revision is much more effective than passive revision; quality over quantity and awareness that there is no 'one size fits all' strategy. The following classroom activities are intended to engage our learners and train them to become more active with revision.

7 Tips for TS7 – Simple Strategies for Improving Student Behaviour

1) Routines - have a routine way of starting AND ending a lesson. For example meet and greet at the class room door, have a positive interaction with each child and calmly reinforce expectations (e.g. 'Morning! Well done on the football game Sarah. Begin the starter as soon as you are seated.'). This allows students to be clear … Continue reading 7 Tips for TS7 – Simple Strategies for Improving Student Behaviour