Practising Declarative Knowledge

This is not a particularly exciting post, but I think it's an important one (and it'll probably be my last for a while). A lot of people online have been trying to build science resources featuring SLOP: Shed Loads of...

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Playing at Psychology

There are a lot of teachers, like myself, who have a growing interest in psychology and its application to the classroom environment. I can't speak for anyone else but my studies in this area have been completely "student-led" and are...

Niches and Knowledge

In 1135 a young Jew was born in Cordoba, Spain. His parents named him Moses, the son of Maimon. He spent much of his early years in transit, moving with his family from place to place, like many of his...

We Need To Talk About Misconceptions

As people grow up, they gain knowledge of their surroundings. For example, if a child goes outside on a cold day, they will no doubt feel the sensation of cold all around them. However, when they touch something metal, it...

Evolutionary Educational Psychology: A Summary

I've recently been looking into scientific misconceptions and by what processes they are acquired (e.g. "heavy things fall faster than light things"). I came across Nick Rose's excellent blog on the topic which I highly recommend. He references Geary's theory...

Collective Responsibility, Not Collective Punishment

There is a tradition called "muck-up day." I don't know when it started, but it seems to have taken root in many schools. At a school I used to work at there was no such tradition until one year a...

Chemistry SLOP work

UPDATE 16/09/2017 Have added a booklet for chemistry of the atmosphere. In terms of SLOP that means the only ones I still have to do are "using resources" (snore) and moles. I haven't really decided how I'm going to approach...

The Impact of Impact: Research, Schools and the Chartered College

I was very 50/50 about whether or not to join the Chartered College. I'd read the blogs and watched the inevitable Twitter flame wars and wasn't convinced. But it was right at a time when I thought teacher professionalism was...

#leftytrad

I've been on Twitter a while, but only been actively involved in the various "great education debates" over the last few months. I've learnt a lot and had many fantastic, constructive dialogues with people from all over the spectrum. Obviously...