Web Site Catalogue

At BSAK, Teaching for Learning is central to what we do. In order to continuously improve our teaching methods to ensure that we are maximising student learning, it is important to continue to learn about the most up to date thoughts on how students learn, and how we can bring this research into our classrooms.

The following sections group together some of the current, and best, thinking about learning on the web. Please contact ndavis@britishschool.sch.ae if you find new pieces to include, or if links do not work.

To aid your searching, the following categories have been used:

• Teaching for Learning
• Memory and Learning
• Curriculum Design
• Questioning
• Metacognition
• Cognitive Load Theory
• Retrieval Practice and Interleaving
• Feedback and modelling
• Studying techniques
• Other random posts

https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf - Rosenshine's paper is widely regarded as the most important piece of research into best practice - what really works to help students learn.

https://heathfieldteachshare.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/putting-theory-into-practice/amp/?__twitter_impression=true - This is Mark Ensor's take on how to apply Rosenshine's principles to your classroom.

https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/What-makes-great-teaching-FINAL-4.11.14.pdf Professor Robert Coe's work from the Sutton Trust on what makes great teaching.

https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2015/12/14/back2back/ - great little technique that engages all students into thinking, and talking about their learning.

https://chronotopeblog.com/2015/03/22/engagement-just-because-theyre-busy-doesnt-mean-theyre-learning-anything/?wref=tp - simple 'engagement' is not enough, and is a poor proxy for learning... so how do you ensure students are learning?

https://impact.chartered.college/article/allison-evidence-students-become-effective-learners/ - this is Shaun Allison, from Durrington High School's take on how we ensure that our practice creates effective learners.

https://teacherhead.com/2014/10/24/10-silver-arrows-ideas-to-penetrate-the-armour-of-ingrained-practice/ - Tom Sherrington's excellent list of 'to do's' when it comes to great teaching.

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/stick/ - the science of 'making it stick' in the classroom - some great ideas here.

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/1 - this is the American version of the EEF, the 'What Works Clearinghouse' - this is set out in an easy to use way.

https://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/2015/07/14/learning-the-smart-way-2/ - this is interesting because not only does it provide a list of what works... it also provides us with a list of these 'don't work'.

https://learningspy.co.uk/learning/outstanding-teaching-learning-missed-opportunities-and-marginal-gains-2/ - Marginal gains to improve your practice from David Didau.

https://primarytimery.com/2017/09/16/memory-not-memories-teaching-for-long-term-learning/amp/ - this is rather long, but is a simply brilliant piece about memory.

https://missregardless.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/what-i-wish-id-known-about-memory-twenty-years-ago/ - a lovely opener for all teachers - very easy to understand.

https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/WILLINGHAM%282%29.pdf - this is fairly long, but is an excellent synopsis of Willingham's seminal book on memory and learning - 'Why Don't Students Like School'.

https://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/winter-2002/ask-cognitive-scientist -this is Daniel Willingham again - this is important because it explains that what we often call 'rote' learning is something quite different, and essential, for students to have better long term intelligence.

https://sites.google.com/view/efratfurst/understanding-understanding - how to 'understand understanding', and therefore the need to chunk information in a clear and progressive way.

http://www.deansforimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/The_Science_of_Learning.pdf - this is excellent as it provides the cognitive science followed by practical examples of how to apply it to the classroom.

https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2016/03/09/subject-pedagogy-development-session-3-remembering-and-revising/ - good piece on memory, including the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, and why retrieval practice is so crucial.

http://www.learningspy.co.uk/reading/reading-aloud-might-boost-students-memories/ - David Didau's take on how reading aloud can actually boost memory.

https://ift.education/why-forget/ - Nick Rose reminds us about forgetting - how it is natural, and an important part of learning.

https://fullonlearning.com/2012/10/01/constructing-learning-so-that-it-is-meaningful-and-purposeful/ - marginal gains including "So that..." to help fit our Learning Objectives into learners' minds.

http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2018/04/relevance-is-fuel-of-learning.html - interesting piece, summed up by: if a lesson or project is relevant students will be able to tell you: 1. What they learned; 2. Why they learned it; and 3. How they will use it!

https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/curriculum-teaching-and-assessment/ - the Durrington school model of how the curriculum fits in with assessment and teaching to make up the full circle of learning.

https://durrington.researchschool.org.uk/2018/08/28/subject-planning-development-sessions/ - how Durrington school facilitates their curriculum developments.

https://primarytimery.com/2018/09/09/whats-all-the-fuss-about-a-knowledge-rich-curriculum-part-one/ - why the curriculum must be built on knowledge, or we run the risk of no actual learning taking place.

https://primarytimery.com/2018/08/06/in-praise-of-a-prosaic-curriculum/ - another great piece linking the curriculum to memory, and how there is a huge need to excavate the erroneous to ensure that the semantic memory is being filled.

http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/news/how-to-unlock-the-learning-potential-of-metacognition/ - a good starting point for what Metacognition is and how it can impact schools and students.

https://hbr.org/2018/05/learning-is-a-learned-behavior-heres-how-to-get-better-at-it?sf89477607=1 - another good introductory piece.

https://missdcoxblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-encourage-meta-cognition/ - some great thoughts of how to embed metacognitive techniques in your classroom.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/meta-cognition-and-self-regulation/ - the EEF metacognition toolkit.

http://theconversation.com/why-students-make-silly-mistakes-in-class-and-what-can-be-done-48826 - a very nice introduction to the subject of CLT.

https://impact.chartered.college/article/shibli-cognitive-load-theory-classroom/ - the Chartered College of Teaching has an excellent piece on this.

https://noeasyanswerseducation.wordpress.com/2018/06/22/dual-coding-working-memory/ - this piece is about duel-coding, but explains very well how this aspect really hinders the working memory, and therefore leads to cognitive over-load unless you think hard about how you present information.

https://primarytimery.com/2018/06/10/cognitive-load-a-case-study/ - very thorough piece using a Fibonacci clock to demonstrate new learning.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-010-9133-8 - this is the research piece by Sweller et al that introduces CLT.

https://www.teachthought.com/learning/cognitive-load-theory-definition-teachers/ Sweller's findings in an abridged format by Terry Heik.

http://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/4/1-1 - a great concept map for showing the importance of retrieval practice.

https://achemicalorthodoxy.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/retrieval-roulettes/ - some great ideas on here - mostly for the sciences, but also for English and History.

https://www.retrievalpractice.org/ - site full of ideas.

https://bennewmark.wordpress.com/2018/08/01/nothing-new-just-a-review-part-2-from-good-to-great-how-to-improve-retrieval-practice/amp/?__twitter_impression=true - not only ideas for retrieval practice - like replacing starters with short, low-stake quizzes, but also a lot about the theory behind why it works.

https://theeffortfuleducator.com/2017/04/03/promoting-metacognition-with-retrieval-practice-in-five-steps/ - excellent advice on how best to use retrieval practice.

https://lovetoteach87.com/2018/01/12/retrieval-practice-challenge-grids-for-the-classroom/ - Kate Jones' brilliantly simple retrieval grids - easy to use!

https://lovetoteach87.com/2018/01/12/retrieval-practice-challenge-grids-for-the-classroom/ - more brilliant exemplar from Kate and from her twitter followers!

https://teachingtoptens.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/ten-testing-strategies-a-range-of-activities-for-varying-retrieval-practice/amp/?__twitter_impression=true Some excellent idea here about retrieval techniques for your classroom.

https://www.tes.com/news/why-interleaving-curriculum-could-improve-knowledge-retention - a great TES article about interleaving your curriculum to store more into long term memory.

https://www.tes.com/news/five-tenets-effective-feedback - TES article from Mark Ensor.

https://www.tes.com/news/five-steps-better-modelling - and the TES article by Mark on Modelling.

https://teacherhead.com/2017/12/18/fiveways-of-giving-effective-feedback-as-actions/ - Tom Sherrington's thoughts on feedback.

https://mrshumanities.com/category/marking-and-feedback/ - some excellent ideas here from Mrs Humanities - including whole-class marking - something that has really taken off in the UK.

https://reflectingenglish.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/strategic-marking-for-the-dirty-minded-teacher/ - an excellent piece with many thoughts on best practice for feedback.

https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2015/09/24/modelling-how-why-and-what-can-go-wrong/ - modelling is a crucial element of teaching for learning - it allows the student into the thoughts of an expert when completed well, and this metacognitive element to modelling is why it should be a part of all good teaching, as well as part of any feedback policy, as the feedforward element of modelling is eleminating so much need for later feedback!

https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2018/07/12/guide-to-focus/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=other&utm_campaign=opencourse.GdeNrll1EeSROyIACtiVvg.announcements~opencourse.GdeNrll1EeSROyIACtiVvg.mEpvHYaEEeibchIUxu8xSA - a very thorough piece which breaks down barriers to studying.

https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/how-does-the-brain-learn-best-10-smart-studying-strategies/ - great strategies here that all students should know.

https://reflectingenglish.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/the-dangers-of-differentiation-and-what-to-do-about-them/ - Andy Tharby's very interesting thoughts on differentiation.

https://robertslavinsblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/john-hattie-is-wrong/ - VERY interesting piece that reflects on one of the most quoted piece of research over the past 10 years in education - does 'Visible Learning' stand up to interrogation by Robert Slavin?

https://gregashman.wordpress.com/2018/09/10/three-dogs-two-cats-and-a-rabbit/ - Greg Ashman also pouring scorm on anyone who takes meta-analysis outcomes at face value - interesting stuff!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEc&feature=youtu.be - wonderful video by Daniel Willingham as to why knowledge is so important for reading comprehension.

https://www.tes.com/news/dylan-wiliam-nine-things-every-teacher-should-know - Dylan Wiliams' wonderfully thoughtful TES post - 9 things he wished he knew when starting teaching.

https://notesonawhiteboard.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/the-knowledge-v-skills-debate/amp/?__twitter_impression=true - the 'Knowledge Vrs Skills' debate - do you agree?

https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/What-Makes-Great-Teaching-REPORT.pdf - Professor Rob Coe et al via the Sutton Trust, with What makes Great Teaching.