We’ve listed our top five ÌÇÐÄVlog teaching and learning articles from the past year supporting school leaders.
The struggle to spot (and develop) effective teachers
How we evaluate teaching and attempt to improve it is complex - but the research is starting to provide answers, argues teacher-effectiveness expert Matthew A Kraft, in this interview from November 2024.
Kraft is associate professor of education and economics at Brown University in the US, and has published more than 40 papers exploring questions around education and effectiveness, from the effect of teachers on cognition and social-emotional competency, to how the prestige of the teaching profession has changed over the past 50 years.
In this article, Kraft speaks to Zofia Niemtus about what his research has taught him about teaching and how research is evolving our understanding of the nuance of effectiveness.
Read the article here.
How much prescription over how lessons are taught is too much?
Across the world teachers are increasingly being told how to teach, and some claim this is having a negative impact on pupils. But, asks David Robson in this article from November 2024, where is the sweet spot of teacher autonomy?
To find out, Robson speaks to experts and investigates the research, concluding that while there may not be a universal “perfect†balance between prescription and autonomy, “what all agree on is that…certain teachers, at certain times, in certain contexts will need more or less prescriptionâ€.
“So while being aware of the risks of prescription is certainly something everyone feels we could be more aware of, and should debate, it’s clear that being too prescriptive about prescription is unlikely to be a positive option,†Robson writes.
Read the article here.
Why PPA hasn’t solved teacher workload - and how to fix it
Planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time was meant to cut teacher workload and raise standards, but it has done neither, argues research lead Mark Roberts. He sets out how we could begin to put that right in this article from December 2024.
“Unfortunately, despite the helpful intentions, PPA remains a contentious topic for school leaders and teachers of all phases, and many would argue that the intended benefits have not come to fruition,†Roberts writes.
But, he adds, “now is the time to consider radical approaches to ensure, finally, that the job of teaching becomes more manageableâ€.
Read the article here.
How to improve a school - and put teachers at the heart of it
Too many school improvement strategies are top-down and disconnected from teaching, international research professor David Hopkins tells Helen Amass, in this interview from February.
As chair of educational leadership at the University of Greater Manchester and professor emeritus at UCL Institute of Education and the University of Nottingham, Hopkins consults internationally on school and system reform.
In this article, ÌÇÐÄVlog sits down with Hopkins to find out more about his ideas on school improvement, why leaders need to be wary of “top-down†approaches and what research can tell us about what really helps to make schools better.
Read the article here.
Why schools resist flexible working (and how to change their minds)
Despite much rhetoric about flexible working, there is not enough flexibility for teachers in schools - and that’s down to a number of core challenges, argues Mark Roberts, who details how to fix them in this article from March.
“Spend time with any teacher and you’ll soon hear them lamenting the impossibility of organising an MOT, arranging a delivery, attending a friend’s birthday event and more,†writes Roberts.
Everyone recognises that this needs to change “in schools, in trusts, at a government levelâ€.
And yet, Roberts asks, “have we ever really sat down to define what we mean by ‘flexibility’?†Because, as he explains, “it is not straightforwardâ€.
Read the article here.
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