NEW POST: On how to make any teacher an expert in writing open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

The highs and lows of TAPPLE. We get great data on our students’ learning but then we need to respond. We taught it, but did they learn it? From the current episode of #ChalkDust

NEW POST: Are we setting anxious students up to fail? open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

Do you think teachers are oppressed by having expert teaching materials provided to them? Then watch Episode 2 of Chalk Dust and have your assumptions challenged. chalkdust.media/p/episode-2-...

Oh no! A vibes-based approach is now being proposed for assessing teacher quality (which till now has been referred to as teachING quality. ‘Teacher quality’ redefined to encompass personal traits like reflection, resilience — EducationHQ

Everyone who teaches a young person should read this. No joke. open.substack.com/pub/thenoosp...

Do you have a clip of your classroom practice for us to review on Chalk Dust? We're doing a special episode on classroom entry and start-work routines. DM me or Nathaniel for more info, and feel free to share with a stand-out colleague who excels in this area.

I thought I was first to coin the phrase, “Traditional is the new progressive.” But I’m not. The great Paul Kirschner said it first. Why progressive education does not serve equity, despite good intentions.

Tom Bennett is coming to Australia for his 2025 Behaviour in Schools Tour. Last chance to get tickets to the Sydney date!

NEW POST: On the myths and truths about how girls learn. Knowledge is (girl) power! open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

CRP, SEL, UDL. Big on good vibes. Low on outcomes. If our job is just to make students feel good, then great. If it’s to achieve real equity and life choices, then don’t pin your hopes on these acronyms. Teaching for equitable outcomes: The missing ingredient open.substack.com/pub/scienceo...

CRP, SEL, UDL. Big on good vibes. Low on outcomes. If our job is just to make students feel good, then great. If it’s to achieve real equity and life choices, then don’t pin your hopes on these acronyms. Teaching for equitable outcomes: The missing ingredient open.substack.com/pub/scienceo...

Dr Nathaniel Swain and I are so excited that Brendan Lee has opened his classroom to us in an upcoming episode of #ChalkDust Here's a sneak peek of his advice to Mathematics teachers. It applies to primary teachers and secondary! Be notified about the first episode here chalkdust.media

This post is so helpful for people like me who fear repetition and redundancy in academic writing. Pat writes such a great blog on academic writing. And this from a writer!

Natalie Wexler makes a good case for being hyper aware of the claims of research and how they’re framed. Do Students Who Rely on ChatGPT "Benefit"?

NEW POST: Are there links between explicit teaching, classroom management and productive class climates? Find out! (Short answer -- probably). open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

This group is growing in strength and numbers. It's so great to have a support network of leaders in professional learning, and experts from UNSW like Tony Loughland, Paul Evans and Simon Breakspear to draw on for advice about applying research in schools.

Some very reasonable points about cold calling: “Why I can't use 'cold call' anymore”https://open.substack.com/pub/daviddidau/p/why-i-cant-use-cold-call-anymore?r=5d1ba&utm_medium=ios

I'm presenting with my great mate Cassandra Pride at ICGS, hosted by Queenwood, on the myths and truths about how girls learn. Spoiler: girls' brains are no different to boys'. Grab a ticket to hear more nuance from us. girlsschools.org/28-april-202...

NEW POST: On following the golden thread, w/ Professor Haili Hughes. A follow up to my analysis of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Haili's experience in the development of the Early Career Framework is a great model for Australia to follow. Thank you for your generosity, Haili!

Academic stress is the top source of personal challenges again this year. This reaffirms the preventative work we are doing at Queenwood with Smart Study!

I hear this anecdotal evidence about the links between explicit teaching and student behaviour all the time. This is why I have decided to focus on this area for my PhD study. www.amazon.com.au/Harnessing-S...

🎙️ The Chalk Dust Podcast is coming! Step inside the world’s best classrooms 🎒🌏 Each episode, Dr Nathaniel Swain and I break down real classroom footage to reveal what makes great teaching great ✨🧑‍🏫 Sign up to be notified when the first episode drops! chalkdust.media/p/sneak-prev...

What a rejuvenating day at researchED spending time with the best educators in the country. Not least these people!

I've officially hit 4K subscribers from 83 countries! I started this Substack about three years ago as a new year's resolution to write every day. There's nothing like an unrealistic goal to kickstart a more modest habit! rebeccabirch.substack.com/p/on-buildin...

NEW POST: On the Sir Ken Fallacy. A meandering review of Johann Hari's 'Stolen Focus' and the trap that so many commentators fall into when they imagine a world of schooling-utopia (aka anarchy). rebeccabirch.substack.com/p/on-the-sir...

A comprehensive explainer into Desirable Difficulties. It’s not about making lessons challenging. It’s about making retrieval challenging. The content needs to have already been taught and we’re after learning, not performance. https://open.substack.com/pub/firth/p/welcome-back-and-desirable-diff…

How long do you think it will be before boilerplate respectful behaviour responses are automatically added to replies to parent emails in schools? I quite like the wording of this one from Australia Post.

Oof. Anthony Albanese’s inaction drives Labor Party towards extinction https://buff.ly/40BW7GW

Add to the list of people I follow - @amycedmondson.bsky.social , @rebeccabirch.au , @retrievelearn.bsky.social , @didau.bsky.social , @learnwithmrlee.bsky.social , @paulkirschner.bsky.social and @dylanwiliam.bsky.social . All in no particular order of course! #EduSky

NEW POST: On shadow education. What's the situation in your school community? rebeccabirch.substack.com/p/on-shadow-...

15 minutes well spent on learning more about retrieval and workload reduction. Everyone loves doing less work!

A quick read for those of us who begin a new semester with new students in the coming days: Classroom Seating and Student Achievement How does the classroom seating arrangement impact student behavior? theeffortfuleducator.com/2024/10/10/c... #edusky

This might not fit with your idealised vision of what a classroom should look like, but if students are learning new material (which they should be a lot of the time) then rows are best. https://buff.ly/4hlE9yj

Schooling is low on good information and high on compromise and conflicting goals. Well worth a read. 56 Theses About Education, for Fun and Debate https://buff.ly/4j8un4j

FINAL POSTS FOR 2024: On the best bits of this year. A reflection, and the most read post list. rebeccabirch.substack.com/p/on-the-bes...

I just discovered you can send iMessages later, like delay send on an email. Now I can text people at 6am without guilt! I’m an extreme morning person.

Students aren’t avoiding challenge. They’re prioritising what they see as more useful. The fall of Eng Lit https://buff.ly/4iFuMuO

NEW POST: On moving in the right direction -is it time for a shift in the way we think about learning disabilities? open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

If you’re sceptical about the AI hype, this is a good one for you. Overpromising and underdelivering on personalised learning. Five Interesting Moments From the Khanmigo Segment on 60 Minutes https://buff.ly/4gxhPRw

“We need adults to care less about being liked and more about being respected. To abandon this adolescent way of thinking. We need adults who are willing to guard them against their worst impulses.” https://buff.ly/49zcKpR

Gen Z really does have a work ethic problem. More from the fascinating Jean Twenge. https://buff.ly/3OLp8cC

A bit older but interesting. Raises questions about De Coursey and AAS testing in Australia. Can a teacher really impact student height? A cautionary tale on value-added models https://buff.ly/3ZkKpPc

I wonder how many young teachers are still given phenomenally bad advice about how to manage behaviour, given the Strong Beginnings reforms are not yet in place. Hopefully this changes soon! https://buff.ly/3B5OX42

How do we get students reading for pleasure? It’s different to analysis, which can kill pleasure. I can relate to this. I can’t read a novel now without analysing it! Nat Wexler explains. https://buff.ly/3OC1qzx

GREATEST HITS REEL: Some thoughts about how we might start to shift focus from accommodating disability to addressing it.

GREATEST HITS REEL: A very nerdy post about democrratising the canon. From when I had about 100 readers so it was relatively popular at the time.

I’m so glad things are going this way for students with a disability. Previous policies like differentiation (of content) must surely have been holding students back.

Don't tell kids that normal negative emotions are likely to be a mental health condition.

One for the #Maths teachers out there. #EduSky #EduSkyAU