Learning Notes

Radio 4′s Analysis programme featured an investigation by Fran Abrams into league tables and school effectiveness: Do Schools Make a Difference? Bearing in mind the topic is huge and quite emotive,…

Scientific American Mind‘s September issue has an article by David S. Geary, Primal Brain in the Classroom, which argues that there is an evolutionary reason why children prefer to talk…

OFSTED’s last report into standards of English in schools, English at the Crossroads, presented ways that satisfactory schools can improve provision of English. The latest report, Excellence in English, identifies…

Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning is a report by Professor Stephen Higgins, Dr Dimitra Kokotsaki and Professor Robert Coe for The Sutton Trust. The emphasis of the report is on…

I’m skeptical about whole-school reward systems. My experience is that they tend to be unwieldy, inconsistent and rarely get evaluated. Quite often what is actually being rewarded is uncertain and…