Category Archives: curriculum

This article was written for SecEd magazine and first published in June 2017.  You can read the original version on the SecEd website here.   You can read more of my monthly columns for SecEd here.  This is the final part of a 5-part series.  Read parts one, two, three and four first. In this series I am making the caseContinue reading “Literacy empowers (Pt5): Teaching writing”

This article was written for SecEd magazine and first published in June 2017.  You can read the original version on the SecEd website here.   You can read more of my monthly columns for SecEd here.  This is part four of a 5-part series.  Read parts one, two and three first. In this five-part series on literacy across the curriculumContinue reading “Literacy empowers (Pt4): Teaching reading”

This article was written for SecEd magazine and first published in June 2017.  You can read the original version on the SecEd website here.   You can read more of my monthly columns for SecEd here.  This is part three of a 5-part series.  Read parts one and two first. So far in this series, I have madeContinue reading “Literacy empowers (Pt3): Teaching oracy”

This article was written for SecEd magazine and first published in June 2017.  You can read the original version on the SecEd website here.   You can read more of my monthly columns for SecEd here.  Last time I made the case for literacy as a cross-curricular concern, arguing – as did George Sampson in 1922 – thatContinue reading “Literacy empowers (Pt2): Why every teacher is a teacher of literacy”

This article was written for SecEd magazine and first published in June 2017.  You can read the original version on the SecEd website here.   You can read more of my monthly columns for SecEd here.  Literacy empowers. Y Kassam’s 1994 paper Who Benefits from Illiteracy? argues that: “To be literate is to gain a voice and toContinue reading “Literacy empowers (Pt1): Why every teacher is a teacher of literacy”

This article was written for The Association of Colleges’ website to promote my workshop in London in April.   I have the pleasure of delivering a workshop for AoC Create in London in April on the subject of teaching English re-sits at post-16. According to Ofsted, “Too much teaching in [post-16] English is not goodContinue reading “When is revision not revision?”

This article was written for Creative Education to promote my speech at their national Teaching and Learning conference in March 2017. Think of something you’re good at. How did you become good at it? How do you know you’re good at it – on what evidence is your judgment based? Now think of something you’re notContinue reading “Developing classroom practice”

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,Continue reading “What are the six conditions for learning?”

The loft in my house is heavily insulated with a yellow material made of glass fibre. Every time I open the hatch to retrieve a suitcase or box of toys, I’m showered with thick strands of the stuff. Not only do I look ridiculous in a frizzy yellow wig, but – because glass fibre isContinue reading “The magic of myelin”