The short answer is, of course, that they don't. Not unless they get effective, structured feedback from their students. This is where 'formative assessment' comes in. Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam, in their seminal work, 'Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment' define formative assessment as encompassing: "all those act...

Where does she work? In early 2018 Allen took up a new role as director of the Centre for Education Improvement Science (CEIS) at the Institute of Education (IoE). The Centre focuses on leading path-breaking research about educational system improvement. This encompasses the science of learning and teaching For three years previously (2015 - 2...

Best known for: The author of more than 250 scholarly publications and 20 books, Seligman started out being known for 'learned helplessness' a condition he discovered, which led humans and animals t behave helplessly in an unpleasant situation, even if they could change it. Since 2000, Seligman has become best known as the founder is perhaps best k...

What is he best known for?  Higgins specialises in the use of research evidence to support effective spending in schools – probably most famously with the Sutton Trust and Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Teaching and Learning Toolkit; a summary of education research that offers advice for teachers and schools on how to improve attainment ...

What is it?  ​It depends who you speak to. For some, homework is a way to develop students' independent learning skills and ensure they have understood – and then consolidate – work from the classroom. Others, meanwhile, contend that it's a largely pointless tradition that brings stress to young people and their families, robbing them of much-...