On Saturday 8th October 2022, the sun shone gloriously across Surrey, thus enabling both a beautiful day for researchED-ers from across the country, and me the chance to open this blog post in clichéd fashion. The sun merely acted as a symbol for the energy and optimism of the hundreds of people who gathered atContinue reading “researchED Surrey 2022 – reflections”
Category Archives: Education
What Every Teacher Needs to Know, by Jade Pearce
Why I read it I would have bought and read this book regardless, but I was lucky enough to read and give feedback on ‘What Every Teacher Needs to Know’ last autumn. If you have followed Jade, you’ll know that she has spent the last three years on Twitter sharing countless resources. Teaching and LearningContinue reading “What Every Teacher Needs to Know, by Jade Pearce”
Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing – by Stephen Tierney
Why I read it After reading a series of books on teams, I wanted to return to core school leadership skills and knowledge. A coachee had generously given me a voucher for Christmas, and, being a fan of Stephen Tierney’s previous books, I decided to spend it on his new book on leadership. In summaryContinue reading “Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing – by Stephen Tierney“
The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, by Doug Lemov
Why I read it I’ve read Teach Like a Champion many times, although for whatever reason haven’t written a blog post about its brilliance! Doug Lemov is an astute thinker, has invested thousands of hours into what he researches and writes about, and brings precision and clarity to his work. I was delighted to attendContinue reading “The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, by Doug Lemov”
Making The Leap, by Dr Jill Berry
Why I read it Aside from the fact that Dr Jill Berry is, I believe the term to be, a legend of the game, I actually won this in a prize draw at the Southern Rocks conference in 2018. I was an Assistant Headteacher in charge of Learning and Teaching, and had brought members ofContinue reading “Making The Leap, by Dr Jill Berry”
A School Built on Ethos, by James Handscombe
Why I read it When I was Head of Sixth Form, I took assembly most weeks, either for Year 12, Year 13, or both together. I viewed the assembly preparation and delivery as an art form – a chance to consider an important message, and then to work hard to encase it in authenticity, sincerity,Continue reading “A School Built on Ethos, by James Handscombe”
Stop Talking About Wellbeing, by Kat Howard
Why I read it: As I’ve mentioned before, I carried out a research project on staff wellbeing in 2019-2020, which was a fantastic opportunity to look at wellbeing with a research-informed eye. During that project, I saw that Kat Howard was writing, and then publishing this book – and knew it would be a vitalContinue reading “Stop Talking About Wellbeing, by Kat Howard”
Understanding How We Learn, by Dr Yana Weinstein, Dr Megan Sumeracki, with Oliver Caviglioli
Why I read it: I’ve always been fascinated by how we learn and the ways in which I can apply that knowledge to my teaching practice. I’ve read several books on these ideas, but this was the first that tied a lot of the evidence together in one place; the addition of Caviglioli’s visuals madeContinue reading “Understanding How We Learn, by Dr Yana Weinstein, Dr Megan Sumeracki, with Oliver Caviglioli”
The BASIC Coaching Method, by Andy Buck
Why I read it: During the staff wellbeing research project that I conducted in 2019-20, I read many academic papers pointing towards coaching as a tool to improve staff efficacy, autonomy, and so much more. I was intrigued. My experience of ‘coaching’ over the years had been to misunderstand its principles: when I’d spoken toContinue reading “The BASIC Coaching Method, by Andy Buck”
Running the Room, by Tom Bennett
Why I read it: I’ve been in pastoral roles for six years now, and as I said when I reviewed ‘Beyond Wiping Noses’, I felt that I’d always acted on instinct. I engage with research and many voices when it comes to curriculum and pedagogy, but hadn’t necessarily had access to an evidence base orContinue reading “Running the Room, by Tom Bennett”
Education Exposed 2, by Samuel Strickland
Why I read it I read the first Education Exposed book by Sam Strickland, and it resonated with me for being sensible, considered, and full of wisdom and integrity. I reflected on it here. When I heard there was a sequel, I was pleased – but would it be Terminator 2 or Speed 2? InContinue reading “Education Exposed 2, by Samuel Strickland”
Beyond Wiping Noses, by Stephen Lane
Why I read it – I’ve been a Head of Year, Head of Sixth Form, and now lead the pastoral teams at my school as a Deputy Headteacher. As a Head of Year, I felt that I was good at the role: I built productive relationships with students and parents, was reliable for staff, and wasContinue reading “Beyond Wiping Noses, by Stephen Lane”
Teacher Wellbeing and Self-Care, by Adrian Bethune and Dr Emma Kell
Why I read it – as I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, I embarked on a staff wellbeing project in 2019, and set out to read as many books and pieces of academic research as possible to understand the ‘why’ behind our feelings at work. Soon after engaging with wellbeing, I came across Adrian Bethune andContinue reading “Teacher Wellbeing and Self-Care, by Adrian Bethune and Dr Emma Kell”
Education Exposed, by Samuel Strickland
Why I read it – I’d seen a couple of talks by Sam Strickland, and follow him on Twitter, where he voices his views about school culture with clarity. I initially pegged him as ‘no nonsense’ – a Headteacher with high expectations of students’ behaviour, attitude and respect; given that I worked in a school withContinue reading “Education Exposed, by Samuel Strickland”
The Thinking School, by Dr Kulvarn Atwal
Why I read it – during the staff wellbeing research project I ran last year, my colleague Rachel and I were interested in Self Determination Theory, and one of its three pillars in particular: autonomy. We wanted to explore how, in professions with high accountability measures, you could still enable staff to thrive by giving themContinue reading “The Thinking School, by Dr Kulvarn Atwal”
Pocket Wisdom 