It’s as easy as 1-2-3: The importance of contextualised behaviour routines and mentoring support for beginning teachers

Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com Jessie is starting to assume more responsibility for her classes. So far, she’s taught around 15 whole lessons, but hasn’t had to do any teaching completely independently. Her mentor, Jasdeep, has always been on hand to step in if behaviour started to creep out of control or Jessie was … Continue reading It’s as easy as 1-2-3: The importance of contextualised behaviour routines and mentoring support for beginning teachers →

Poor Pedagogical Choices: When task design derails your lesson

Seb felt like he had spent all night making the activity the children were about to attempt. He had made source cards he was going to hide under the tables and stick under chairs. He wanted the students to work in pairs or small groups of three to answer questions which would gradually allow them … Continue reading Poor Pedagogical Choices: When task design derails your lesson →

What New Teachers Should Know About Professionalism: It’s about more than your shoes.

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com Most beginning teachers are very concerned about what they should wear on their first day at their school placement. Do they need a tie? Are these shoes (imagine a comfy formal shoe with echoes of trainer) ok? Do tattoos need to be covered, and piercings removed? Why is this one … Continue reading What New Teachers Should Know About Professionalism: It’s about more than your shoes. →

Responding to a summer of riots: Principles for teaching about sensitive issues in the history classroom

This blog is jointly authored by Vic Crooks and Laura London based on a presentation we gave at the Historical Association Conference in May 2024. If you are interested in this theme, you may also wish to read Teaching children about sensitive and controversial current affairs: Talking to children in schools about the situation in Ukraine Chapter … Continue reading Responding to a summer of riots: Principles for teaching about sensitive issues in the history classroom →

It’s not about the money, money, money – until it is. Teacher recruitment and the need for bursaries

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) landscape should be driven by market forces like every other employment market. This is an argument we hear time and time again. There is a shortage of physics, maths, geography teachers (add or delete as appropriate) therefore we need to recognise the market forces at … Continue reading It’s not about the money, money, money – until it is. Teacher recruitment and the need for bursaries →

Experience and the educational ecosystem: why retention of experienced colleagues matters for beginning teachers

Photo by zhang kaiyv on Pexels.com A little while ago I had the opportunity to chat with a teacher who is 20 odd years into their teaching career. As they spoke about their Trust’s approach to curriculum, the demands being placed upon their department through whole school initiatives and the challenges that come from a … Continue reading Experience and the educational ecosystem: why retention of experienced colleagues matters for beginning teachers →

Tough teaching interviews: reflections on intentions and impacts

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com I was recently in a conversation with a beginning teacher who told me about an interview question they had been posed. Then they laid down a challenge: “I’m interested what you would have said”. The interview question was interesting, and not one I’d heard before: What three substantive historical … Continue reading Tough teaching interviews: reflections on intentions and impacts →

Get’cha head in the game: Building beginning teacher resilience and ability to act on targets

Photo by Bolarinwa Olasunkanmi on Pexels.com Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about basketball - identifying the potential of a match on the journey to the venue, sat observing on the edge of the court, and analysing the state of play on the way home. In all these conversations I have been … Continue reading Get’cha head in the game: Building beginning teacher resilience and ability to act on targets →

Noticing the positives of beginning teachers’ practice: Supporting the transition between teaching practice placements

Photo by Binti Malu on Pexels.com Recently, I encountered this tweet passing on wisdom to mentors about to receive a new Initial Teacher Training/ Initial Teacher Education (ITT/ ITE) student for their second teaching practice placement: I have previously talked about why it can be difficult for ITE students when they change placement during their … Continue reading Noticing the positives of beginning teachers’ practice: Supporting the transition between teaching practice placements →

Anton’s wisdom: Finding the joy in mentoring beginning teachers

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a soft spot for Strictly Come Dancing. During Saturday evening’s (2023) final, Anton Du Beke uttered the following words, when addressing Ellie Leach following her final dance of the competition: “I’ve danced where you have [for] many years, and the joy of sitting here is … Continue reading Anton’s wisdom: Finding the joy in mentoring beginning teachers →