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  • The importance of reading fluency (Part 2)

    The importance of reading fluency (Part 2)

    This is part two of a 2-part article on reading fluency. To read part one, click here. In part one of this article, I explained the importance of fluency – that is to say, the ability to read text quickly and accurately, adopting the appropriate intonation. Fluency, I said, requires a degree of background knowledge about a text,… Read more

  • The importance of reading fluency (Part 1)

    The importance of reading fluency (Part 1)

    I’ve recently discovered Instapaper, an app which collates reading material – newspaper articles and webpages, say – and converts them into audio so that I can listen to them on my daily dog walks. There’s never enough time in the day. My backlog of reading material just gets longer and longer, and my sense of… Read more

  • What are the six conditions for learning?

    What are the six conditions for learning?

    This article, by Matt Bromley, was written for SecEd magazine’s NQT special supplement and first published in November 2016.  You can read the original version on the SecEd website here.  You can download the full 8-page supplement here. You can read more of Matt’s columns for SecEd here.  Occasionally, on my teacher-training courses and when the mood takes me,… Read more

  • Libraries gave us power…

    The children’s laureate Chris Riddell – aided and abetted by eight other children’s authors including the former laureates Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and Quentin Blake – has called upon the education secretary, Justine Greening, to help preserve school libraries. Riddell argues – in an open letter to Greening – that many school libraries lack sufficient… Read more

  • Should parents read bedtime stories? Part Three

    This is the final instalment of a 3-part series on the importance of reading to children.  Here’s Part One and Part Two. In his book Raising Kids Who Read, Daniel Willingham says that “When you think of activities parents might undertake to develop their child’s knowledge, reading aloud is probably high on your list”. And, he says,… Read more

  • Should parents read bedtime stories? Part Two

    This is the second instalment of a 3-part article on the importance of reading to children.  Here’s Part One. In September 2015 the UK education secretary, Nicky Morgan, and the children’s author and comedian, David Walliams, announced a new government target: they want to make English children the most literate in Europe within the next five… Read more

  • Should parents read bedtime stories?

    This is the first instalment of a 3-part series on the importance of reading to children. “A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” – Neil Gaiman If you’re ever unfortunate enough to find yourself in a meeting with me towards the end of the day, you’ll no doubt clock me clock-watching.… Read more

  • The habits of a great teacher

    The habits of a great teacher

    Your initial teacher training year is a bit like learning to drive: throughout your training you have a constant critic at your side offering advice (or possibly a staffroom full of them), and you are encouraged to endlessly reflect, adjust and – by so doing – secure incremental improvements. You might literally be in the… Read more

  • What makes a great leader?

    I wrote a 2-part article for SecEd magazine about what makes a great teacher – you can read it here and here. I said that great teachers are relentless in their pursuit of excellence and that their language with students is infused with this sense of urgency and drive. They need not argue about expected standards… Read more

  • What makes a great teacher? (Part Two)

    What makes a great teacher? (Part Two)

    In part one, I said that great teachers tend to be relentless in their pursuit of excellence and, as such, their language is infused with a sense of urgency and drive. Great teachers also have the ability to explain complex concepts in ways that make sense. Great teachers ask good questions and give really good… Read more

  • What makes a great teacher? (Part One)

    What makes a great teacher? (Part One)

    In his book, The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle says: “Master coaches aren’t like heads of state. They aren’t like captains who steer us across the unmarked sea, or preachers on a pulpit, ringing out the good news.” Instead, their personality is “more like that of a farmer than a president or preacher: they are down-to-earth… Read more

  • The conspiracy of success

    The conspiracy of success

    I don’t believe in conspiracy theories but Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy have always made my spine tingle. After all, they have an awful lot in common… Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846; John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860; John F Kennedy… Read more

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