Living with Research
The English education system is riddled with contradictions and the call for teaching to become more of a research based profession is just one of them. This call raises a number of problems for...
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The BERA Blog was established in 2015 to provide research-informed content on key educational issues in an accessible manner.
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(Not) Being Seen as Students
With new students arriving in campuses across the country, now is a good a time as any to think about what it means to be, and to be seen as, a student in the UK. In July the Independent...
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Learning from the past: History qualifications in the 21st century
History is for human self-knowledge… the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teachers us what man has done and thus what man is. (R.G...
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Gaining insight through student voice
As I spend my last days of summer vacation in my classroom preparing for the start of my 25th new school year, I find myself reflecting on past classes, curriculum changes and my beliefs about...
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What difference can be made to teacher practice in assessment for learning?
Most people want students to learn as well as possible, while being fiscally and time efficient. The majority of teachers do the best they can. Yet some students and teachers appear to achieve...
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OXBOW Schools…and worse
What name would you give to a school or group of schools that won’t share? ‘Oxbow’ sounds a good name to me, after those lakes that were once part of the mainstream but are now cut off to...
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Academic educationalists need to engage with teachers online or risk being side lined
As a teacher in Further Education (FE), I read a cross section of teacher blogs and engage with the debate that is burgeoning on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and the new blogging...
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Preventing Schooling: Muslims, Securitisation and Racialised Politics
The London bombings, 10 years ago this year, radically transformed the education policy framing of Muslim communities in Britain. The events signified a radical shift away from the politics of...
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The potential of inter-professional learning in supporting children with speech, language and communication needs
You may be aware of two pieces of research recently published about children’s speech, language and communication needs. The National Literacy Trust (Read On Get On campaign) commissioned James...
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