School's out, sofa's in. Teachers share their favourite education films and books

One of our NQT surgeries looked at how new teachers can spend the holidays wisely – with the overwhelming advice being to relax, recuperate and not think about work. We know that's easier said than done, however. But rather than taking on mountains of planning or crafting intricately annotated seating plans (which you'll almost definitely have...

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A beginner's guide to Dr Ben Goldacre

Where does he work? Goldacre is currently a senior clinical research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine in the Department of Primary Care in the University of Oxford. He is also a bestselling author, broadcaster, campaigner and medical doctor who specialises in unpicking the misuse of science and statistics by journalists, politicians...

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A beginner's guide to Professor John Jerrim

Where does he work? John Jerrim is a Professor of Education and Social Statistics at the University College London Institute of Education. He is a significant contributor to the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).He completed his PhD in social statistics at the University of Southampton in 2011 and was honoured as being...

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What is pedagogy and why does it matter?

 The quality of the teaching workforce and the teaching practice in classrooms is one of the biggest levers we have for improving student outcomes. Even after accounting for prior student learning and family background, research suggests that teacher quality is an important factor in student achievement. So, it follows, that energy, resources ...

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Six top tips on how to use retrieval practice in the classroom

Not all revision techniques are equal: one of the most effective methods is retrieval practice, also known as the testing effect. Retrieval practice refers to any activity that forces you to generate an answer to a question. It has consistently been proven to help students improve retention and recall (and subsequently exam performance). So, h...

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