Tom Boulter
@tomboulter.bsky.social
Director of Secondary Education at River Learning Trust. Based in Oxford, UK.
ππ www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2507779...
Oxford headteacher wins national award after transforming school
Greyfriars Catholic School's headteacher, Lyndsey Caldwell, was named a Bronze Winner in the Pearson National Teaching Awards for Headteacher of theβ¦
www.oxfordmail.co.uk
April 13, 2025 at 7:44 PM
ππ www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2507779...
Reposted by Tom Boulter
A thread on smartphones in schools...
At Ormiston Academies Trust, our vision is for a school system where every child can thrive.
Learning, behaviour and wellbeing are top priorities in our schools, but all can be impacted negatively by smartphones.
At Ormiston Academies Trust, our vision is for a school system where every child can thrive.
Learning, behaviour and wellbeing are top priorities in our schools, but all can be impacted negatively by smartphones.
September 15, 2024 at 9:04 AM
A thread on smartphones in schools...
At Ormiston Academies Trust, our vision is for a school system where every child can thrive.
Learning, behaviour and wellbeing are top priorities in our schools, but all can be impacted negatively by smartphones.
At Ormiston Academies Trust, our vision is for a school system where every child can thrive.
Learning, behaviour and wellbeing are top priorities in our schools, but all can be impacted negatively by smartphones.
Absolutely - lots of disagreement about what that means, particularly in subjects like Engβ¦
August 31, 2024 at 10:03 AM
Absolutely - lots of disagreement about what that means, particularly in subjects like Engβ¦
Sure - being required to teach lessons when you don't agree with or believe in their design is a nightmare - I remember that feeling from some of the old NLS materials... really hard.
August 31, 2024 at 9:59 AM
Sure - being required to teach lessons when you don't agree with or believe in their design is a nightmare - I remember that feeling from some of the old NLS materials... really hard.
Maybe then it's more a question of leadership / culture - how to promote ownership but not necessarily authorship of lessons and materials.
August 31, 2024 at 9:57 AM
Maybe then it's more a question of leadership / culture - how to promote ownership but not necessarily authorship of lessons and materials.
I think that's right Matt - and does seem to be the reality in departments which are being most successful from what I can see.
August 31, 2024 at 9:56 AM
I think that's right Matt - and does seem to be the reality in departments which are being most successful from what I can see.
The perennial 'headspace' problem... getting the detail right of lesson prep is so vital but requires thought and consideration... how to achieve the conditions for this is a real challenge.
August 31, 2024 at 9:54 AM
The perennial 'headspace' problem... getting the detail right of lesson prep is so vital but requires thought and consideration... how to achieve the conditions for this is a real challenge.
I'm not suggesting we should go back - ultimately that level of unasked-for autonomy was not good for students or teachers, but creating the conditions which encourage and support teachers to really think through the detail is still important. Hard though!
August 31, 2024 at 9:30 AM
I'm not suggesting we should go back - ultimately that level of unasked-for autonomy was not good for students or teachers, but creating the conditions which encourage and support teachers to really think through the detail is still important. Hard though!
Agreed - in the days when curriculum was much less organised / standardised, workload re planning and resourcing was horrendous - but, it did mean we had to really think about the detail of each lesson, and develop that inner sense of whether an approach or activity was going to 'work'.
August 31, 2024 at 9:28 AM
Agreed - in the days when curriculum was much less organised / standardised, workload re planning and resourcing was horrendous - but, it did mean we had to really think about the detail of each lesson, and develop that inner sense of whether an approach or activity was going to 'work'.
Reposted by Tom Boulter
This is the only misstep Iβve seen Phillipson make so far.
There is no way colleges can wait until Jan to find out if they can still offer BTECs next September.
Open evenings are this term! Ads needs designing, staff sorting.
That she said marketing materials can be sorted in Jan is naive at best.
There is no way colleges can wait until Jan to find out if they can still offer BTECs next September.
Open evenings are this term! Ads needs designing, staff sorting.
That she said marketing materials can be sorted in Jan is naive at best.
π£οΈ More than 450 school and college leaders have made a last-ditch plea with the education secretary to stop the 'madness' and pause the planned cull of BTECs for at least one year
100s of leaders make last-ditch plea for BTECs bonfire pause
455 school and college heads sign letter calling for minimum 1 year delay to defunding plans
buff.ly
August 29, 2024 at 10:26 AM
This is the only misstep Iβve seen Phillipson make so far.
There is no way colleges can wait until Jan to find out if they can still offer BTECs next September.
Open evenings are this term! Ads needs designing, staff sorting.
That she said marketing materials can be sorted in Jan is naive at best.
There is no way colleges can wait until Jan to find out if they can still offer BTECs next September.
Open evenings are this term! Ads needs designing, staff sorting.
That she said marketing materials can be sorted in Jan is naive at best.
Thanks - that's really interesting stuff. I liked these defining features.
August 21, 2024 at 10:13 AM
Thanks - that's really interesting stuff. I liked these defining features.
Great - thanks David, much appreciated.
August 20, 2024 at 11:52 AM
Great - thanks David, much appreciated.
Yep! Sitting around in the hols trying to do some work and getting massively distracted by great conversations on social media - love it!
August 20, 2024 at 11:52 AM
Yep! Sitting around in the hols trying to do some work and getting massively distracted by great conversations on social media - love it!
And that's right - and it seems to me that schools are often a bit clearer on the coaching available through IC than what's available to staff for whom IC isn't the optimal. I think I still prefer fewer, deeper opportunities for observation, ideally with a subject expert.
August 20, 2024 at 11:40 AM
And that's right - and it seems to me that schools are often a bit clearer on the coaching available through IC than what's available to staff for whom IC isn't the optimal. I think I still prefer fewer, deeper opportunities for observation, ideally with a subject expert.
Takes me back to this, written a decade ago minus one week... heady days! thinkingonlearning.blogspot.com/2014/08/brav...
Brave New World - Running Non-Judged Observations
So - no judgements at our school on lesson observations from now on. We've joined the revolution - it was quietly exhilarating last year to...
thinkingonlearning.blogspot.com
August 20, 2024 at 11:38 AM
Takes me back to this, written a decade ago minus one week... heady days! thinkingonlearning.blogspot.com/2014/08/brav...
Yes, me too. Not sure that IC always allows for or encourages professional discussion in this way...
August 20, 2024 at 11:34 AM
Yes, me too. Not sure that IC always allows for or encourages professional discussion in this way...
Agree - so a non-specialist observer might be able to notice if modelling is absent - eg s's patently not knowing what to do - but should be v v cautious before commenting on the quality or impact of modelling that does happen... quite likely to do more harm than good?
August 20, 2024 at 11:33 AM
Agree - so a non-specialist observer might be able to notice if modelling is absent - eg s's patently not knowing what to do - but should be v v cautious before commenting on the quality or impact of modelling that does happen... quite likely to do more harm than good?
That puts it really well - thank you.
August 20, 2024 at 11:31 AM
That puts it really well - thank you.
Therefore advice to observers along the lines of 'be alert to the fundamentals, but be very aware of your limitations' *especially* when observing out of subject...
August 20, 2024 at 11:30 AM
Therefore advice to observers along the lines of 'be alert to the fundamentals, but be very aware of your limitations' *especially* when observing out of subject...
Although I'm thinking in terms of people observing lessons - proposing that an 'expert' may feasibly be able to spot an absence of or problem with underlying structures (eg if tasks aren't modelled), but if the fundamentals are in place, observers are likely to run out of expertise v quickly...
August 20, 2024 at 11:28 AM
Although I'm thinking in terms of people observing lessons - proposing that an 'expert' may feasibly be able to spot an absence of or problem with underlying structures (eg if tasks aren't modelled), but if the fundamentals are in place, observers are likely to run out of expertise v quickly...
This bit is sort of what I had in mind: "expert teachers have fast and accurate pattern recognition capabilities, while novices can not always make sense of what they experience; expert teachers perceive meaningful patterns in the domain in which they are experienced"
August 20, 2024 at 11:25 AM
This bit is sort of what I had in mind: "expert teachers have fast and accurate pattern recognition capabilities, while novices can not always make sense of what they experience; expert teachers perceive meaningful patterns in the domain in which they are experienced"
Thanks Zoe - will take a look.
August 20, 2024 at 11:21 AM
Thanks Zoe - will take a look.
Iβm sure I read a definition of expertise as being around the ability to internalise and spot underlying patterns and fundamental structures in a domainβ¦ anyone know where this might be from? @informededu.bsky.social youβve done great stuff on expertise - ring any bells?
August 20, 2024 at 11:17 AM
Iβm sure I read a definition of expertise as being around the ability to internalise and spot underlying patterns and fundamental structures in a domainβ¦ anyone know where this might be from? @informededu.bsky.social youβve done great stuff on expertise - ring any bells?
Had a look back, and this one from 2013 (!) reminded me of the excitement of the times - I loved the sense back then of collective professional learning and sharing. Still do, tbh. thinkingonlearning.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-t...
Exciting times for Teaching?
Is it just me or is there a growing sense of purpose in the profession at the moment, a feeling of a few things coming together at once? R...
thinkingonlearning.blogspot.com
August 12, 2024 at 1:04 PM
Had a look back, and this one from 2013 (!) reminded me of the excitement of the times - I loved the sense back then of collective professional learning and sharing. Still do, tbh. thinkingonlearning.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-t...