Monthly Archives: June 2013

Speaking on Skype about a conservative curriculum for disadvantaged children. He realised that a certain amount of background knowledge is assumed and called this cultural literacy, and that this is what should be taught in American high schools. Lindsay Johns … Continue reading →

Fergal Keane chairs. Toby Young first, free school founder and journalist. He thinks there should be less emphasis on skills and more emphasis on knowledge. Forget the child-centred stuff! We should break down what children ought to know, even from … Continue reading →

The room is packed for @headguruteacher speaking on Rigour, Agility, Awe and Joy. Ten great lessons he has seen. Effectiveness, excitement, high quality. The room is rammed, with people crowded round the door to hear it. Tom shares pictures of … Continue reading →

Not too many notes for this one: too busy listening! Gove succinctly summarises the current debate in education, between knowledge and skills, saying that he feels the more traditional agenda has had a resurgence of late, that the child-centred approach … Continue reading →

Dylan is talking about leadership for better teaching. He starts by pointing out issues with educational research: it tells you what was, not what might be, and mostly doesn’t consider the conditions under which the research is carried out. Feedback … Continue reading →

This promises to be interesting. Claxton on skills vs Christodoulou on knowledge vs Jan Hodges, CEO of a vocational education foundation. Where are schools going to be in 15-20 years time, asks Ian Fordham, chairing. Daisy starts by being optimistic. … Continue reading →

Claxton was so popular in his first session that Katie Price was bumped into lunch and he’s repeating his session, which is again full. He starts by talking about useful attitude for life. This is familiar from Bill Lucas at … Continue reading →

Chris Husbands from the Institute of Education talking about future school leaders. Wooden floor and lots of late comers making it difficult to hear and follow the first part. Are we heading for a fully marketised school system? Chile operates … Continue reading →

Wilshaw encourages us to be bold. We can’t go back, he says, to a system of bland reports from perfunctory inspections of the 70s and 80s. Even in 1992, 40% of children didn’t achieve 5A-Cs. Now more than double that … Continue reading →