How can teachers keep one step ahead at work?
When teachers manage to find space to think about the working week ahead, rarely do they have time to reflect deeply about their decisions, read any academic research, or discover what others are doing…
I constantly think about how I can support other teachers to find solutions and work better.
Despite a heavy workload, this year teachers will be focused on other issues which are far-from-normal. Rather than offering an opinion piece about working in schools during COVID-19, I thought it would be best to signpost a series of useful resources and academic papers that teachers could use for the year ahead.
Ideas for new teachers
- Managing behaviour: The 7-step behaviour script
- Differentiation: 10 teach to the top strategies, plus the myths associated with it
- Work smarter: 4 find and fix assessment techniques
- Ask better questions, not more: Fermi questions
- Preparing for the future: 10 tips for job interviews
- To support you on your journey? The perfect book…
Guidance for middle leaders
- Improving students’ metacognition: The illusion of learning…
- The 7 principles of good feedback, plus a feedback planning sheet
- How can all teachers get our young people to remember stuff? Make learning stick
- What type of leader are you?
- A resource for interview preparation: 232 school leadership questions
- Are you rethinking how to work more effectively? Strategies to reduce workload for everyone…
Strategic thinking for school leaders
- The elements of great teaching: A peer-reviewed publication
- The 30-day teaching and learning plan
- Rebooting school CPD culture? A 9-point CPD plan
- How does a teacher get started with action research?
- A workload and wellbeing checklist for teachers and support staff
- Are you seeking a wider perspective? Insights from schools across the UK…
Working online
- 46 ideas: How to teach online
- What does the research suggest: Does [screen] size matter?
- Using Google classroom, advice and a beginner’s guidebook
- Remote teaching: What does the evidence suggest?
- How virtual schools go about teaching online – some have been teaching online for years…
- Advice and guidance from health education: 12 tips for teaching in a virtual environment
Resources that are worth your time
- The 5-minute lesson plan, downloaded by over one million teachers
- 8 cognitive ideas for the classroom
- Curriculum planning questions
- 25 years of teaching and learning techniques, all in one place
- What the research suggests about using verbal feedback in disadvantaged schools
- The number one thing that improves all teachers…
Academic research
- Understanding research methods
- How effective schools apply education research
- The state of the teaching profession across England
- An important read about the myths associated with learning…
- Does performance management actually improve teachers?
- How COVID-19 is changing education: Insights from OECD
Professional development opportunities
- The most important thing teachers should know: Learn more about memory
- Improving the range of retrieval practice strategies you use, will make a difference
- Meet with me online, after school hours to discuss teaching strategies – upcoming webinars
- Benefit from my new website membership; once a month resources straight to your inbox
- There are also podcasts, weekly resources, my newsletters and books plus,
- …if you’ve got this far and still want more? I’m happy to visit and work with your school.
Wishing every teacher the very best for the academic year ahead. Keep up the amazing work that you do…