Blog
Ouroboros by Greg Ashman
Posted on April 9, 2016
I’m a bit late to this, but I just wanted to write about how much I enjoyed Ouroboros by Greg Ashman. It’s a very elegantly and sparely written account of Greg’s experiences of teaching in England and…
How to crack the Oxford History Aptitude Test
Posted on April 2, 2016
Recently, a friend of mine sent me a link to Oxford University’s History Aptitude Tests (HAT). These tests are designed for 18 year olds applying for admission to Oxford. I really liked the look of t…
What can teachers learn from high-performance sport? Plan for injury!
Posted on November 29, 2015
Yesterday I went to a brilliant day of professional development at Ark Globe Academy called Teach Like a Top Athlete: Coaching and Mastery Methods. I went to a workshop run by the amazing Jo Facer on…
Debating Education review
Posted on November 22, 2015
I spent yesterday at the Michaela Community School Debating Education event, which was absolutely brilliant. I spoke against the motion ‘Sir Ken is right: traditional education kills creativity’, and…
Comparative judgment: 21st century assessment
Posted on November 15, 2015
In my previous posts I have looked at some of the flaws in traditional teacher assessment and assessments of character. This post is much more positive: it’s about an assessment innovation that really…
Character assessment: a middle-class ramp?
Posted on November 8, 2015
My last two posts (here and here) have looked at how teacher assessments can be biased, and how tests can help to offset some of these biases. I’ve been quite sceptical of the possibility of improving…
Why is teacher assessment biased?
Posted on November 1, 2015
In my last post, I spoke about how disadvantaged pupils do better on tests than on teacher assessments – and also about how many people assume the opposite is the case. It’s interesting that today, we…
Tests are inhuman – and that is what is so good about them
Posted on October 11, 2015
One of the frequent complaints about tests is that they are a bit dehumanising. Every pupil is herded into an exam hall, there to answer exactly the same questions. The questions they answer are often…
Intelligence Squared debate: Don’t end the tyranny of the test
Posted on October 4, 2015
On Thursday I spoke at an Intelligence Squared debate called ‘Let’s end the tyranny of the test: relentless school testing demeans education’. Together with Toby Young, I spoke against the motion; Ton…