Combining GCSE Preparation with Real Education | Anthony Radice

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

GCSEs are fiddly. There’s no way around it. They contain multiple question types which demand slightly different things of pupils, and they are marked according to rigid criteria, often by examiners who lack the deep subject knowledge to make nuanced judgements. This means that knowledgeable and able pupils can lose marks unless they have been trained to serve up ‘what the examiner wants’.

Therefore, although it is not the same thing as education, schools cannot avoid doing test practice. And because it must be done, we need to think about ways of making…

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http://ift.tt/2BHJDiy

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Combining GCSE Preparation with Real Education | Anthony Radice

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
GCSEs are fiddly. There’s no way around it. They contain multiple question types which demand slightly different things of pupils, and they are marked according to rigid criteria, often by examiners who lack the deep subject knowledge to make nuanced judgements. This means that knowledgeable and able pupils can lose marks unless they have been trained to serve up ‘what the examiner wants’.

Therefore, although it is not the same thing as education, schools cannot avoid doing test practice. And because it must be done, we need to think about ways of making…

Continue reading at:

http://ift.tt/2BHJDiy

Primary Literature: Telling Stories | Anthony Radice

Boy Reading (1843) by Albert Tikos (1815-1845)

I’m currently working with primary teachers across the Inspiration Trust to develop a content-focused approach to literature. I spoke to the whole primary staff about this project back in October – you can read my talk here. In this post, I’ll be looking at why a content-focused approach is more accessible, more equitable, more effective, and more joyful.

But firstly, what do I mean by content-focused literature teaching? Very briefly, I mean teaching that has as its goal the retention in long term memory of the content of literature: its…

Continue reading at:

http://ift.tt/2Bv05lX

Primary Literature: Telling Stories | Anthony Radice

Boy Reading (1843) by Albert Tikos (1815-1845)
I’m currently working with primary teachers across the Inspiration Trust to develop a content-focused approach to literature. I spoke to the whole primary staff about this project back in October – you can read my talk here. In this post, I’ll be looking at why a content-focused approach is more accessible, more equitable, more effective, and more joyful.

 

But firstly, what do I mean by content-focused literature teaching? Very briefly, I mean teaching that has as its goal the retention in long term memory of the content of literature: its…

Continue reading at:

http://ift.tt/2Bv05lX

Top Ten Posts from 2017 | Anthony Radice

2017 was a rather quieter year on the blog. I moved to work for the Inspiration Trust in September, and much of my writing energies have been focused on producing resources for Inspiration teachers to use. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to start to put into practice the ideas I’ve been arguing for so vigorously over the last few years.

Next year, I’m hoping to write more posts about the work I’m doing for Inspiration. They will be more reflective, and less polemical. But I’ve no doubt there’ll still be a few broadsides in good old-fashioned style.

These are the ten posts which…

Continue reading at:

http://ift.tt/2EqVPGN

Top Ten Posts from 2017 | Anthony Radice

2017 was a rather quieter year on the blog. I moved to work for the Inspiration Trust in September, and much of my writing energies have been focused on producing resources for Inspiration teachers to use. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to start to put into practice the ideas I’ve been arguing for so vigorously over the last few years.

Next year, I’m hoping to write more posts about the work I’m doing for Inspiration. They will be more reflective, and less polemical. But I’ve no doubt there’ll still be a few broadsides in good old-fashioned style.

These are the ten posts which…

Continue reading at:

http://ift.tt/2EqVPGN

How Not to Prepare for Reading Tests | Anthony Radice

Can you prepare for an ‘unseen’ reading test – a test in which you will have to read something you’ve never encountered before, and answer questions on it? To answer this question, we need to consider what is required to succeed in such a test.

Reading consists of two key aspects: your ability to decode – to turn the squiggles on the paper into the sound of language – and your knowledge and vocabulary. Clearly, decoding is crucial, otherwise a reading test will be the equivalent of being asked to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Beyond that, you need knowledge and vocabulary. Your…

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