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Seth Godin

When independent learning meets high stakes success

2012-03-10T22:09:40+00:00March 10th, 2012|assessment|

I've been thinking: our Year 11 students have just had their results back for the January sitting of the English Language GCSE exam. Currently English is a modular course, and this accounts for 40% of their final grade. 70% of our cohort have already got the marks for at least a C grade and now we are mobilisling a phenomenal battery of resources to ensure that this figure rises to at least 84% in order to equal last year's results. Obviously there is a certain amount of pride in our achievements, but make no mistake; this is high stakes stuff and [...]

What is it exactly that we are supposed to be preparing pupils for?

2017-03-29T08:58:13+01:00December 1st, 2011|Featured|

As with anything, the answer to the above question depends entirely on who you ask. And, also depending on who you ask the answer may well be anything from strident soundbites to mumbled confusion. I've recently finished reading Ken Robinson's Out of Our Minds and it's pretty obvious, despite the enthusiasm of his legions of fans that SKR is no clearer than anyone else. After a shockingly lengthy introduction (8 chapters) he finally arrives at some sort of conclusion in his ninth (and last) chapter. So, what does he conclude? That we, er, should er, like, be sort of creative, or [...]

What's deep learning & how do you do it?

2011-11-09T00:08:16+00:00November 9th, 2011|learning|

So, deep learning. What's all that about then? I've just been dipping into Evidence Based Teaching by Geoff Petty and then cross referencing his advice with Why Don't Students Like School? by Daniel Willingham. How sad is that? Fairly sad for a Tuesday evening when I've got a cold and my wife's already gone to bed. Sad, but I think necessary. You see, I've come a long way in past few months. I've begun to have a healthy scepticism for whatever anyone tells me. I've also begun to re-evaluate my position that skills are more important than knowledge which, at least [...]

But is it art? The art of teaching

2013-07-22T11:58:58+01:00November 5th, 2011|leadership, learning|

No. 5 - Jackson Pollock I'm a big fan of art. I wouldn't claim to know a lot about it, but it speaks to me. Whether it's standing, enraptured in front of The Ambassadors, climbing Louise Bourgeois' towers, peering into Tracey Emin's tent, or trying to mentally piece together Cornelia Parker's exploded garden shed it grabs something inside me and compels me to be present. To pay attention. To be interested. I get heartily sick when yet another curmudgeonly professional complainer comes along, takes a cursory glance at (for instance) Jackson Pollock's No. 5 and scoffs, "That's not art! [...]

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