Below you will find the latest educational best practice articles covering . The role of teachers is constantly evolving as new advice, techniques and technology are implemented within schools, making it essential for staff to stay up-to-date with for the benefit of their pupils.

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Task design in lessons: A framework for analysis

In this two-part article, Robbie Burns looks how to design effective tasks in your lessons. After looking at task planning and delivery, in part two he turns his attention to how we can evaluate the impact of our learning tasks

Effective questioning in the classroom: Three types

How well do teachers use questioning to improve understanding, assess and deepen learning in your primary school? Anoara Mughal considers effective techniques, with lots of example questions teachers can pick up and use

Task design: Five pedagogical habits to maximise learning

Students really begin to learn when they take on challenging tasks during their lessons, making task design a crucial element of teaching pedagogy and practice. In this two-part article, Robbie Burns looks how to design effective tasks

Reading for pleasure: Sustaining and developing your school’s reading culture

How can we build on the buzz of World Book Day to develop our school’s reading culture? We must focus on an evidence-based approach to reading for pleasure, not an activity-oriented one. Professor Teresa Cremin explains

Neuroscience in education: Unpicking the helpful and the harmful

Neuroscience has so much to tell us about how children learn and how we should teach, but we must be aware of the neuromyths, says Daniel Sobel. He considers the challenges and offers six pointers for using neuroscience in education

What does pedagogy mean to you and why is this discussion important in schools?

Pedagogy has become a word that we use every day, with an assumption that we share a view on what we mean by it – but what does ‘pedagogy’ mean to you? Fiona Aubrey-Smith offers some advice to help drive CPD discussions

Effective learning environments for EAL pupils

What are the tenets of a good and safe learning environment for learners who use English as an additional language? Drawing upon the Teachers’ Standards and latest research evidence, Caroline Bruce offers some pointers for primary schools

Classroom observations: Judgements or conversations?

As a school leader, why do you carry out lesson observations? What are they for and what do you ‘judge’? Experienced headteacher Jim Mepham discusses what observations should aim to achieve and some alternative approaches

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Linking metacognition and pupil motivation

Pupil motivation is a key ingredient to successful teaching but motivation can be a slippery concept and difficult to foster. Anoara Mughal considers how teachers can create an environment which will motivate learners

Outventions: When interventions turn into exclusion

Do we fall back too easily on out-of-classroom interventions for pupils who slip behind? For pupils facing multiple interventions, this leads to effective exclusion from mainstream teaching. Sara Alston discusses

Because it’s worth it: Finding values in subject disciplines

Values are at the heart of education and can be delivered through the subjects we teach. Ahead of her curriculum design workshop at Headteacher Update's Curriculum Excellence Conference in January, Bridget Knight offers some reflections and pointers

Using worked examples: An alternative approach

Task design is a crucial element of teaching if we are to consolidate learning and encourage independence. In the second of two articles, Robbie Burns suggests further ways we can use worked examples to support pupil progress

Using worked examples: From teaching to learning

Task design is a crucial element of teaching if we are to consolidate learning and encourage independence. In the first of two articles, Robbie Burns looks at making worked examples effective, pulling out vital pedagogical elements

Media, information literacy and fake news: Using the skills of your school librarian

The school library and school librarian can play a key role in supporting pupils to develop their media and digital literacy skills, especially when it comes to misinformation and fake news. Elizabeth Hutchinson and Clare Brumpton look at ideas for how they can do this

Introducing unhomework: Five core principles to improve your homework

How can we generate successful homework without increasing workload? Mark Creasy labels his approach ‘unhomework’ and his learners always complete the tasks. He explains five core principles...

Sharing lesson planning with your teaching assistant

Good lesson outcomes can be supported by teachers sharing their planning with teaching assistants. Sara Alston offers three key questions to help facilitate this important process

Multilingual pedagogies for diverse inclusive schools

We should not expect children who use English as an additional language to leave their language and culture at the school door. Kamil Trzebiatowski and Silvana Richardson advise teachers on using multilingual pedagogies

Implementing deliberate practice as part of CPD: A case study

Effective teacher development involves practising the right things, at the right time and in the right way then it is a key CPD tool. In part two of his look at deliberate practice, Robbie Burns explains how his school has implemented this approach

Metacognition and self-regulation in the primary classroom

The explicit teaching of metacognition and self-regulation can bring a range of benefits, not least offering us a powerful tool for improving pupil behaviour, motivation and learning. Anoara Mughal – author of Think! Metacognition-powered primary teaching – offers tips and five concrete classroom ...

The case for one-to-one device access in schools

After a recent Headteacher Update webinar focused on what schools can do to close the digital divide, Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith and Sarah Evans discuss different ways of achieving one-to-one device access and how this approach can unlock powerful learning

Deliberate practice: What is it and why does it matter?

Deliberate practice is often ‘an overlooked servant’ when it comes to teacher development, but if we practise the right things, at the right time and in the right way then it is a key CPD tool. In this two-part article, Robbie Burns explains what it’s all about...

Pedagogy