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 :-)

The impact of E.D. Hirsch on the UK education curriculum

Photo courtesy of the Core Knowledge Foundation
Whilst relatively few in the education world are aware of it, the impact of the American educator and academic Professor Eric Donald Hirsch Jr on the UK government's education reforms since 2010, has been profound. Reformers have claimed that 'progressive' child-centred education from the 1960s has been 'curriculum-lite' and damaging to children's ...
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Do smaller class sizes really improve student outcomes?

While it might feel like having fewer pupils in your class would help you make more progress, there is strangely little hard evidence that reducing class sizes consistently improves student attainment. It's not just teachers who gravitate towards a leaner classroom; reducing class sizes is extremely appealing to parents and one of the main attracti...
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A guide to evidence based practice: what it is, key reads and why it matters

I recently joined and met with School and University Research Enquiry (SURE), a research group which has connected several schools in Glasgow with the University of Strathclyde to exchange knowledge and conduct new research. The aim is to promote a more evidence-informed approach to educational decision-making and practice. With this in mind, I tho...
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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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Could coaching your teaching teams do more harm than good? It depends on what kind of manager you are…

 There is very little correlation between the time a manager spends coaching an employee and their performance, according to new research. In fact, it's been suggested that some very hands-on managers actually do more harm than good. These surprising findings came from recent research conducted by a research company, Gartner, and are reported ...
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