10 prevalent myths about English teaching – part 2
This is the second part of a double-bill based on common myths in English teaching. Part 1 and myths 1 – 5 can be found here. * Myth 6: Young people find quiet hard work boring. In the first place a...
View ArticleContent, thinking and shaping: three principles for working with brighter...
Image: @jasonramasami In 2013, Ofsted published a pretty damning report about the provision available for more-able students at secondary schools in the UK. One statement from the report rings true to...
View ArticleHop, skip, jump: the origin of useless teaching & learning policies
Image: @jasonramasami Jonny Edwards is a great teacher. Everyone says so: his pupils, his colleagues and his end of year results all bear witness to the fact. One day, during Jonny’s free period, the...
View ArticleCreating a culture for academic excellence
Originally posted on Class Teaching: In this week’s 15 minute forum, English teacher Andy Tharby discussed how we can create and sustain a fertile culture for academic excellence. * Our school is...
View ArticleMaking every English lesson count
Image: @jasonramasami Two years ago my colleague Shaun Allison and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to write a book on teaching practice. This became Making every lesson count, a...
View ArticleConnecting and organising knowledge in English literature
Much has been written about the value of knowledge retrieval practice in English literature – it is impossible to think critically about a text until you know it very well. However, I think it is now...
View Article‘Making every lesson count’ development programme
In 2015, Shaun Allison and I wrote Making every lesson count, an evidence-informed book of practical advice for busy teachers. Since then, three more books in the series have been published: Making...
View ArticleA masterplan for vocabulary teaching in the English curriculum
A while back I stumbled across this awesome critical vocabulary document on the website of Yokohama International School. It was created by an English teacher called Liz Davies. I suggest you have a...
View ArticleThe essential ingredients of great English teaching
Image: @jasonramasami What follows is an article I wrote for the latest edition of Teach Secondary. It is based on ideas from my book Making every English lesson count, which was published last summer....
View ArticleA ‘Mastery-light’ Subject Curriculum Model
Originally posted on Class Teaching: By Andy Tharby Before we consider the shape and dimensions of a subject curriculum, we should first consider its purpose. In my opinion, a curriculum should always...
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