Are you a traditionalist or progressive teacher?
Teachers are usually reflective on their practice and one subject that comes up time and time again is whether a traditional or progressive approach leads to better outcomes for pupils.
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Mobile Phone Use in Schools
Pupils’ use of mobile phones in schools has created a surprisingly polarised debate.
According to The Independent, smartphone usage has increased, with nearly half of five to ten-year-olds owning their own phone. Once children are in secondary, you would be hard pushed to find anyone without one.
The question for schools is how to safeguard mobile phone use alongside any disruption.
Teachers: Buying Gifts for Your Class
With Christmas coming up, you may wonder whether to buy a gift for your class.
Every school culture is different; in primary schools, it is not uncommon for teachers to give a gift to the pupils in their class, but even in secondary, you may want to gift something to your form group.
Of course, your budget will be limited if you are buying for 30 pupils in a class. It can be hard to find something thoughtful yet economical.
To help you out, we have put together a handy gift guide for teachers to help you choose appropriate gifts for your class.
Why is there a teacher recruitment crisis in England?
Back in 2018, TES was already reporting a teacher recruitment crisis in England.
The truth is that now, in 2022, teaching has a real recruitment and retention problem in education across the country.
In this blog, we will look at recent research investigating the causes and suggested solutions to the recruitment crisis in teaching.
How Teachers can support Working Memory in Their Pupils
It can be challenging for teachers to find information about working memory, yet it is often an area that students struggle with.
For teachers who want to carry out working memory interventions, a piece of research by Westby published in 2020 shines a light on some valuable principles.
This post will highlight some of the ideas that Westby has researched to help teachers understand how they can support working memory better.
Using Social and Emotional Learning to Build Resilience
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a vital area of education that is often neglected. Yet, when tackled positively, it can have an enormous impact on children.
Resilience is a term used more and more as the challenges and obstacles our young people face grow. It involves being able to adapt when encountering difficulties, make adjustments and take a flexible approach.
Improving Transition from Reception to Year One
While many teachers will insist that the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 is the big one, it is often at the other end of the school where problems occur.
The EYFS curriculum offers far more freedom than in year one, and the jump can be stressful for children and their parents. It is not uncommon for year one teachers to struggle with settling children into a year one routine.
So what can schools do about the issue of transition?
This article will explore ideas to transform the transition from reception into year one into something more positive.
Staff Induction – How to Welcome New staff to Your School
September is the time of year when many schools welcome new teachers and support staff to their settings. Getting your induction process right is critical in ensuring new staff feel valued and confident.
We all know that first impressions count. In many ways, induction is about making a positive impact and setting up new staff to succeed.
The difficulty is that there is often far too much time spent on delivering information compared to building relationships and making people feel part of a team.
Think about who is responsible for induction at your school. One person having ownership can make a big difference in how well it is carried out.
How to prepare for the end of the school year
At this time of year, most teachers daydream about a cocktail at the beach while wading through endless tasks with exhaustion and maybe a hint of hysteria.
It is easy to become overwhelmed as the end of the summer term approaches, and it can help if you draw up a list of things that will make your time go smoothly. Some tasks may even save you time next year.
Here is a handy guide for teachers to ensure you are fully prepared for the end of the school year and ready to relax over the summer.
Teacher’s Survival Guide to Sports Day
Almost every primary school teacher dreads a sports day. Not because they don’t like having fun with the children or because they don’t appreciate the benefits of sport but simply because it is so stressful.
Sports day means carrying out all the most challenging aspects of your job, such as behaviour management, risk assessment, and safeguarding in a goldfish bowl surrounded by parents.
This lighthearted guide will give you some handy hints and tips to help you get through even the most stressful sports day.