Instruction & Pedagogy

Living in 2020 feels like we’re living through history. I’ve experienced this a couple of times in my life. Once with the Christchurch Earthquakes of 2010/11 and the Twin Towers terror attacks of 2001. However, 2020 seems so much more global and long-lasting in its effects compared to those two events. As I reflect on…

According to Unesco, “80% of the world’s learners are now being kept out of educational institutions by country-wide closures.”  This sobering reality means that we are now faced with the results of, as one teacher recently put it, “ …an enormous experiment executed with very short notice.”  As we await the conclusions from this experiment, it seems…

“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” – Leonardo Da Vinci As students gaze through classroom windows and teachers resist the urge to defenestrate yet another grand initiative, a concurrent realisation often occurs: ‘The world doesn’t work like this’.  It can sometimes seem difficult to find solid ground in the lacuna between our high school…

Recently, I came across some old lecture notes from my teaching diploma. I spotted one of my comments in the margin exclaiming “differentiation is essential – make sure I do this for every lesson!!” Isn’t the optimism of beginning teachers the best? In my first few years of teaching I certainly tried, but often found…

As a young teacher I would spend hours marking my students’ work, thinking all the while that I was giving meaningful feedback, and genuinely believing that my comments were going to positively impact the motivation and learning of each young person. Time passed, I added online tools to my repertoire, and I sought to diversify and…