CPD Picks of The Week

Holly Gardner

Holly Gardner is TT Editor, as well as a Freelance Publisher. She has been working with @TeacherToolkit for over 6 years - since she published his first book in her role as Senior Commissioning Editor at Bloomsbury Publishing. Since then, she left her day job,...
Read more about Holly Gardner

Are you a teacher in need of useful reading materials?

In this post, find out how to spruce up your classroom displays and get tips on managing your marking workload in our CPD picks!

5 Top Blogs

The 5 Minute Lesson Plan – An old favourite and planning must have.
10 ‘Teach to the Top’ Differentiation ideas – How do you plan for differentiation in lessons?
*NEW* In Search of Research: Mathematical Intimidation – Does performance appraisal lead to teacher improvement?
The Social Media Illusion vs Teacher mental health – How can teachers talk more openly about their mental health?
*NEW* The Lost Middle – Research with asks if ‘schools and teachers stop labelling children as ‘average’?’

Resource of the Week

Are you thinking about ‘sprucing up’ your classroom displays? With workload through the roof and with little time left available, most teachers will need some inspiration. Coming up with new ideas to make the walls of your classroom meaningful and manageable is a constant push-pull decision. So, allow us to do the ‘inspiration’ bit for you. And don’t forget, research suggests too much clutter has a detrimental impact on learning – so less really is more!

This resource is packed full of ideas to make your classroom walls not only look good, but make your displays a focal point of learning in the classroom! Download our Outstanding Displays resource!

CPD Spotlight: Marking

Marking. The bane every teachers’ to do list. Here are 5 posts to help reduce your marking workload and increase impact.

Elsewhere

Parents and Teachers for Excellence, in conjunction with The Association of School and College Leaders has produced the pamphlet The Question of Knowledge in which headteachers from across the country discuss their experiences with implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum in their schools.
Education Secretary puts teachers at the heart of social mobility.
If you want an innovative and inclusive organisation then Dr Richard Gerver says don’t employ anyone over five.
Research commissioned by the Wellcome Trust says almost a quarter (23%) of surveyed primary school teachers are concerned that they might not be able to answer children’s questions about science.
Teachers spending their own money on school resources is something we have reported before on TeacherToolkit. New research shows that 94% of staff pay for essential classroom materials.
For a diagnostic analysis of the effect of retention and turnover on the teaching workforce then go to the National Foundation for Educational Research to find out more.
Judges ruled that a faith school’s policy of separating boys and girls is unlawful.
Does school and college leadership really matter? Professor John Hattie says yes, but don’t be a hero:

….what my colleagues discovered was that the average effect size from transformational leadership was .11, whereas the impact of instructional leadership was .42. This is like the difference in punching power between Mr. Bean and Chris Eubank Jr.”

Hattie says that leadership matters, but it depends on a willingness and commitment to adopt a high-impact instructional leadership approach.