Abandoning Lesson Observations
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3 Reasons Why Schools Are Abandoning Lesson Observations

Despite the fact several school leaders think that lesson observations are a valuable tool for professional development, others believe they’re simply an additional source of stress that does little to improve learning.

Regardless of your opinion, research of more than 200 schools has recently revealed that change is on the horizon. Conducted by CPD tracking specialists BlueSky Education, the survey showed that in the last two years, more than two-thirds of schools have adjusted their approach to lesson observations.

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5 Teaching Trends
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5 Teaching Trends and Predictions for 2020

Beyond the logistics of schools themselves, such as government decisions, the following trends and predictions could soon be part of your regular routine.

If any of the following concepts feel somewhat unfamiliar, your school could be falling behind others in terms of its approach to education and support for teachers.

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Pupil Exclusions
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Facts About Pupil Exclusions and What They Mean

What has been the reason behind the recent increase in pupil exclusions? Despite the fact several people in the education world have tried to provide an explanation, it’s actually down to a number of contributing factors.

Matters aren’t helped by the fact that almost a quarter of teachers and school leaders (23 per cent) feel they lack confidence when it comes to managing behaviour and exclusions.

With this in mind, here’s six facts about pupil exclusions and what they mean.

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Changing Pedagogy
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How Learning by Questions Is Changing Pedagogy

With teacher workloads continuing to increase, how can you expect to improve engagement, feedback and outcomes with the little time you do have to spare?

Well, there is a potential solution… Learning by Questions (LbQ). This innovative app promises:

“Curriculum-aligned Question Sets and immediate feedback to super-charge learning. Reduce your workload with automatic marking and instant insight for effective interventions. It covers all abilities so you can support your students your way.”

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Assessment in the Classroom
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To Sit Beside, Not Sit Alone: Mastering Assessment in the Classroom

Many teachers will learn that assessment is either summative or formative. But how many actually know the etymological meaning of the word ‘assessment’?

According to Evangeline Harris Stefanakis (2002), “The word assess comes from the Latin assidere, which means to sit beside. Literally then, to assess means to sit beside the learner.”

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Teachers in 2020
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Top Hopes and Fears for Teachers in 2020

For some, the start of a new year means healthier eating and more exercise. For others, it represents an opportunity to set goals and be more successful.

So, what about teachers? Well, it’s fair to say that most in education will have a number of hopes and fears for 2020, which are likely to include the following.

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Job Interview
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10 Tips for ‘Teaching’ a Job Interview

Picture the scenario – you’ve found what looks like the perfect job. You send off your application and manage to secure an interview. All you need to do is survive an hour of questions, maybe a lesson observation, and you’ll land your dream role.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Even though teachers are used to classrooms full of pupils and handling difficult parents, even the most competent and confident educator can fall flat during an interview.

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The 12 Days Of Christmas
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The 12 Days Of Christmas for Teachers

What does the run-up to the festive season look like at your school? Several teachers will integrate the 12 Days of Christmas into their lesson plans as a way to keep children engaged, as attention spans are usually at their shortest point of the year.

But why should teachers miss out on all the fun? Here’s an education-inspired 12 Days of Christmas, with a reading recommendation for each.

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red ink to blue ink for marking
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Should you switch from red ink to blue ink for marking?

A few years ago, a US study suggested that teachers should stop using red pens because the colour is associated with ‘warning, prohibition, caution, anger, embarrassment and being wrong’.

The research revealed that students think they’ve been assessed more harshly when their work is covered in red ink compared to other colours. It could even have a negative impact on teacher-student relationships and learning outcomes.

News of the report was met with ridicule by many, including Tory MP Bob Blackman who said: “It sounds to me like some petty edict which is nonsense. It is absolutely political correctness gone wild.”

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Teacher Workloads
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Teacher Workloads in England

In October, the Department for Education (DfE) published its Teacher Workload Survey for 2019, which attempts to act as a national ‘barometer’ for teachers’ working conditions. It also forms a key part of the DfE’s commitment to improving the evidence base on what drives unnecessary teacher workload and what works to reduce it.

Throughout the DfE’s report, which gathered results from a nationally representative survey of teachers over a three-week period, comparisons are made to the same publication in 2016.

Despite small wording changes to the 2019 survey, and efforts to minimise response bias, it is now possible to ask the question, “Teacher Workloads in England – Are They Improving?”

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