The Academy Question

In this week's EdExpert blog, Patrick Watson, director of the think tank The Centre for the Study of Market Reform of Education asks a straightforward question, but one without a straightforward answer: academies are here to stay, but have they genuinely succeeded in improving student outcomes? Patrick Watson, director of the think tank The Centre ...

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Five failsafe ways to help your students develop a growth mindset

Byline: Bradley Busch What impresses you more, natural ability or hard work? A lot of people in education and sport claim to value the importance of graft, but research suggests we could secretly hold a "'natural talent bias". In a fascinating study, Harvard University researchers told professional musicians about two pianists who were equal in cur...

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Six behaviours teachers should praise to help pupils build a growth mindset

Byline: Bradley Busch Ask someone about growth mindset, and the majority of people will be able to tell you that it is different from a fixed mindset. We've blogged previously about the best way to capture people's attention and desire for developing their mindset, as well as why it's best not to overstate the benefits. But what people really want ...

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Smart collaboration

Given the importance attached to collaboration and partnership work in our 'self-improving system', there is surprisingly little research on the most effective means of collaboration between and within schools. Yet to move beyond anecdote and staffroom exchanges and establish structured partnerships, we need to find ways to work smarter to achieve ...

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6 must read texts on mindset, resilience, grit and character

Natasha Devon, until recently the government's mental health champion for schools, said before departing from her post: Time and time again young people – and the people who teach them – have spoken out about how a rigorous culture of testing and academic pressure is detrimental to their mental health. At one end of the scale we've got four year ol...

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