Cognitive Load Theory is increasingly impacting on teachers. Its latest inclusion being in the Early Career Framework. Alongside its wider impact on policy, it is featuring in professional development programmes, influencing people’s thinking and hopefully their approach to teaching. At its heart, it is a theory about instructional (teaching) design.
Continue readingThe past few months, including the start to this academic year, have emphasised the depth of social responsibility felt by schools. This responsibility has been a driver for many school leaders’ actions during the pandemic, as well as for many years preceding it. However, in 2017, the Association of School & College Leaders (ASCL) established an Ethical Leadership Commission “because of concerns expressed by ASCL members and others about the lack of guiding principles for ethical leadership in education”. It adopted the Nolan Principles, adding a series of defined behaviours – personal characteristics or virtues – namely: trust, wisdom, kindness, justice, service, courage and optimism.
Continue readingThe answer to the question might seem rather obvious, to enable pupils to read & write. I have no disagreement with that. However, the choice about what children read and who decides is value-laden. This challenge was laid bare to us when we started looking at developing a literary canon across the small cross phase multi academy trust, which I led until my retirement in December 2019. What fifty books should all children, who attended the academies in the trust, read between the ages of 4 to 14?
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