Book review: The art of being a brilliant middle leader

This is a review of "The art of being a brilliant middle leader" by G. Toward, C. Henley and A. Cope. A fantastic read for any team leader.

Using audience response systems for teaching

In my experience using audience response systems in secondary or higher education can improve participation and engagement amongst learners.

Teacher training placements

A brief outline of intended research in relation to the placements within teacher training.

Book review: Ticked off – checklists for teachers, students, school leaders

This is a review of Harry Fletcher-Wood's book on how checklists can make all aspects of teaching more effective.

Classroom management

The classroom is a place where learning happens and should be encouraged, therefore classroom management relates to the strategies a teacher can use to organise students' learning. According to Garrett (2015) classroom management can be considered in five categories: behavioural management and discipline, the layout of a classroom, rules and routines, the relevance of relationships and the importance of instruction. Good classroom management is proactive and about the students' learning.

Professional development portfolios

Many teacher training sessions and professional development courses nowadays link to or culminate in the compilation of portfolios. Portfolios are evidences and resources that are gathered and annotated systematically to provide an overview of the teachers' achievements, career events and areas for development. The process of gathering information for the portfolios is an opportunity to take a step back from everyday work to reposition yourself and reconsider your values, your development and your learning. Here is some help for developing portfolios.

Assessment as a learning opportunity

Many teacher training sessions focus on assessment but we do not spend enough time on discussing assessment in the sense of marking student work. We do not discuss the impact marking has on the students' learning and the teachers' workload, nor do we talk about how we could make marking more meaningful for our learners.

Challenging students

I believe in challenging students and having high expectations of everyone in the classroom. This is coupled with appropriate support and guidance. However, challenging pupils is not an easy task and must be planned for meticulously.

The educational context

In teacher training there is a heavy focus on the educational context, but does the educational context really matter? Or is there a danger in being too reliant on statistical information relating to the educational context, in which we operate?

Which kind of teacher are you?

The result of a wide-ranging study provides an insight into the kind of teacher you may be. According to the findings there are four major types of teachers: the idealist, the moderate, the practitioner and the rationalist.

Benefits of bilingualism

Often as teachers we find it difficult to cater for all of our students' needs, but we should not forget that the needs may also be strengths. Here is a great visual that demonstrates the benefits of bilingualism, even if catering for English as Additional Language learners may sometimes feel an added burden.

Manage behaviour in lessons

One of the most daunting aspects for new teachers is to manage behaviour in lessons. The dynamics of the classroom and the teacher's personality are probably key to how much classroom management you will need to do and which strategies you can use. However, there are some basic rules that you should consider and that will help you manage behaviour in your lesson.

Teaching empathy

Teaching empathy is crucial if students are to understand empathy as a concept in order to be able to demonstrate historical empathy, for example. Here is a useful resource.

Lesson planning – some recommendations

When observing experienced teachers in lessons or when looking at their lesson plans, the lesson planning process appears easy. However, once you start planning your first lesson you will soon realise that there are many aspects that you must take into consideration. Here are some recommendations to get you started.