Tom Sherrington

May 11, 2024 | teacherhead.com | Tom Sherrington

Every time I visit a school or college -or hear about one – where a dominant system is ‘three formal observations a year’, I feel sad.  Sad for the teachers and their students. Sad for the state of our professional culture that allows this to continue.  Sad that the leaders and the unions – or whoever else is responsible – can’t see a way around it or haven’t yet realised that tons of schools have ditched this pretty absurd process years ago.

May 7, 2024 | teacherhead.com | Tom Sherrington

Given all the research that’s widely disseminated about feedback in general and the nature of teacher expertise, I’m surprised by how resistant and antagonistic some folk can be to the idea that feedback to teachers should be co-constructed. There are plenty of people who are quite confident in their sense that giving feedback in a straightforward direct manner is a meaningful, legitimate and productive process.

Apr 28, 2024 | teacherhead.com | Tom Sherrington

The theme of so much of my recent blogging and discussions in schools has been the very real challenge of teaching everyone in a class effectively – simultaneously.  I still don’t think the details of this issue get enough attention. Responsive teaching suggests a simple sequence: First, Teacher explains and models some new material. Then, Students engage in a process that involves using that new material, helping them make sense of it and practise it.

Apr 10, 2024 | teacherhead.com | Tom Sherrington

I’ve written several blogs about Think Pair Share in the past, because I think it’s such an important teaching routine for teachers to master: The ‘Washing Hands’ of Learning: Think Pair Share A blog about something really obvious but worth spelling out. After 25 years of teaching, I’ve been through a fair amount of dodgy INSET/CPD. As a result I am… Think, Pair, Share Forensics. Think Pair Share is a powerful and important technique that should probably play a key role in every teacher’s...

Apr 1, 2024 | teacherhead.com | Tom Sherrington

A lot is written and said about behaviour. For good reason. The recent survey and analysis by TeacherTapp for the BBC highlighted how important it is to get right – with way too many teachers reporting significant challenges and bad experiences. As well as classroom behaviour, the @TeacherTapp data for @bbc also revealed:1 in 5 teachers had experienced verbal abuse from parents.