In a recent blog post , I talked about the way in which the much-praised Asian education systems are rethinking their ‘grades are everything’ approach to education. It is encouraging to see that they are beginning to realise the importance of a more holistic, child-friendly approach, though I worry that for some years we in the UK […]
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First, a bit of theory about learning. In 1980, Shlomo Vinner, an Israeli mathematics educator, coined the terms ‘concept image’ and ‘concept definition’ to highlight the difference between what students actually know about a concept and the formal meaning of the concept. David Tall, an English mathematician and educator, is credited with promulgating the term […]
Read moreMarch. Bulbs are beginning to flower, birds are singing again, and lambs are frolicking in the fields. Spring is in the air and a Year 6 teacher’s thoughts turn to… SATs. There are just two short months until four years of Key Stage 2 education will be assessed in one week. Three hours and fifty […]
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SATs can be an anxious time of year. Teaching staff have a responsibility to make test preparation as stress-free as possible for their children. However, this can also add to the pressure on teachers. So we’ve asked Pobble to put together some of their top tips to help teachers feel calm and confident. Reflect to […]
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I am currently completing a part-time Masters degree in Geography Education at the Institute of Education, UCL. The module I am currently studying is entitled ‘What is Education’ and asks students to consider the ‘big questions’ of what education is for, both now and in the future. Whilst the assignment does not need to be subject-specific, my […]
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So much of the secondary and A-level mathematics curricula can be approached as if procedures are the way into mathematics, and all that is required to do well is to learn the procedures and spot where and when to apply them. By contrast, people who use mathematics work the opposite way round – curiosity about […]
Read moreAs Heraclitus said: ‘The only thing that is constant is change.’ And that’s certainly an accurate description of the education landscape in Wales. Whilst teachers in England have been dealing with the issues surrounding SATs and a new knowledge based curriculum, teachers in Wales have had curriculum change after curriculum change introduced, and the biggest […]
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The University of York Science Education Group (UYSEG) is at the beginning of a new project to develop a course for teaching science at 11-14. The Best Evidence Science Teaching project began by asking science teachers what for them were the key issues about teaching science 11-14. We will be using the best research evidence available to address those issues. I’ll be discussing this […]
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It seems unbelievable that Easter is upon us once again. After a short break for chocolate eating, our exam groups will be revving up for the final few weeks of completing courses, revision, and past papers before the GCSE maelstrom begins. When that’s over, the impact of the new UK curriculum and the GCSE criteria […]
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This week’s blog is about my efforts to think through the place of problem-solving in teaching, and in relation to the development of conceptual understanding and knowledge of techniques. When the introductory blurb to the national curriculum was written, the first draft put the aims in this order: Fluency Problem-solving Reasoning To us – the […]
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