EdBlogs

Not all revision techniques are equal: one of the most effective methods is retrieval practice, also known as the testing effect. Retrieval practice refers to any activity that forces you to generate an answer to a question. It has consistently been proven to help students improve retention and recall (and subsequently exam performance). So, h...

A new guide from US-based Mathematica Policy Research's Center for Improving Research Evidence, explains to educators how to tell which type of research evidence supports claims about effectiveness, ordering them from the weakest (anecdotal) to the strongest (causal). The guide gives examples of common sources for each type of evidence, such as mar...

​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...

It's well-known that there's a timebomb in teaching right now – the sector is struggling with both recruitment and retention, while the population of pupils keeps increasing. And yet, many experienced older teachers, particularly women, feel that they are being performance managed out of their jobs, to be replaced by younger, cheaper staff. Those w...

Where does he work?  Loic Menzies is the director of LKMco, an education and youth "think- and action-tank" that produces policy research and campaigns for all young people to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood. He previously worked for Cambridge City Council and as a young advocate for the charity Changemakers, and as a teacher at...