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...

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...

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...

De-professionalising or re-professionalising the Early Childhood Workforce in England

This blog is based on the papers presented in the BERA 2015 Conference Symposium ‘De-professionalising or re-professionalising the Early Childhood Workforce in England?’ Elizabeth Wood, Jo...

Universities, schools and a system in flux – looking back on Carter and looking forward to the future of Initial Teacher Education in England

In 2014 I was part of the Carter Review of ITT – an experience that was rewarding, intense and often stressful. I met a student teachers, mentors, heads, university and school based tutors, NQTs...

Filling in the ‘Hole in the Wall’: The pedagogical implications of digital technology and learning with a SOLE

The World Wide Web has changed how we do everything forever. We can literally find out anything we want thanks to Google and numerous other search engines competing for our attention. You can buy...

Developing the role of the teaching assistant: Centralisation as a way forward?

Highlights from the first 1,000 BERA Blog posts

The teaching assistants (TAs) that I meet are enthusiastic, keen to improve their practice, and valued by the teachers and senior leaders that they work with. However, research on the national...

‘Do It Yourself’ Professional Development (DIY PD)

Before moving in to my current role in teacher education I worked as a primary school class teacher. I loved my job but nearly every Tuesday I would trudge in to the staffroom for a CPD session....

EAL Learners’ Mother Tongues: To include or Exclude. A Randomized Comparison of Alternative Approaches

In 1684 Charles Hoole, Latin teacher and celebrated educationalist, published a collection of Latin colloquies, presented side-by-side with English translations. Hoole included the translations so...

‘We’re still here!’ Higher aspirations for young people with life limiting impairments

There are now many more young people living across the UK with life limiting impairments than ever before. An example of this is Duchenne Muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic muscle wasting...

Teacher agency: What is it and why does it matter?

Highlights from the first 1,000 BERA Blog posts

The concept of ‘teacher agency’ has elicited a fair amount of attention recently, including a special edition of Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. And yet, it remains an elusive...

Research Matters

A colleague recently applauded the professionalism of educators, quoting in particular the ‘inquisitive minds’ they possess. The positive definitions of inquisitiveness - inclined to...