EdBlogs

Welcome to EdBlogs, where you'll find education insights, analysis and stories from the frontline. If you've got a story to tell, send it over to ed@edcentral.uk and if we think it's relevant to our network we'll publish it :-)

Classroom Fad or Fix? We investigate homework

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-...
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Classroom Fad or Fix? The many sides of mixed-ability grouping

What is it? The process of putting students into classes that have a mix of abilities, rather than streaming them into sets alongside others of a similar attainment level. The practice is still quite rare in England's schools (both primary and secondary), with most leaders opting for the more traditional approach of setting by ability, particularly...
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Guest — carla judge
Hi Jane I am experiencing something very similar this year and would be interested in discovering if you managed to find that much... Read More
Tuesday, 29 December 2020 11:50
Guest — Jane Weller
As a secondary maths teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience, this year I was thrown into mixed ability teaching. Maybe ... Read More
Sunday, 27 May 2018 08:22
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Classroom fad or fix? The big picture on class sizes

What is it?  The belief that smaller class sizes mean better results for pupils. It's an idea that has huge support among parents, who (understandably) follow the logic that if there are fewer pupils in class, their child will get more attention and be more likely to succeed. The public are quick to jump on the bandwagon too. In his book, Davi...
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Guest — Steven Johnson
Hi. Do you think children will be better off in a class with and open ceiling. Imagine that the weather is bad outside, and you tu... Read More
Tuesday, 04 January 2022 11:03
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Classroom fad or fix? Taking a closer look at learning styles

​Confession time: when I was a new teacher, I got my year 11 form group to do a learning styles test to help with their revision. While they answered the questionnaire, I did it too and discovered that I am, apparently, an auditory learner. Yes, I thought, that makes sense; I like listening to people talk, and I have the radio on a lot. But, my (au...
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Classroom fad or fix? Growth mindset goes under the microscope

What is it? Growth mindset is Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck's theory that learners need to move away from the belief that skills are innate and unchanging – a "fixed mindset". Instead, the thinking goes, students must move towards a "growth mindset", where they believe their capabilities and skills can be developed through effort and...
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