...Early Career Teachers - Tips for ECTs

So, you've qualified as a teacher and are about to commence your first post as an ECT? Then this post will help!

I invited some ex-students - recently qualified teachers - to take part in a panel discussion for undergraduate students planning to commence their teacher training. They shared their experiences and their 'top tips' for success as newly qualified teachers.

This post sets out a summary of their advice for successful completion of the induction phase of your journey to full QTS.

...Reflection through Poetry

Can writing a poem support personal or professional development?

The potential benefits of reflecting on experience, and specifically written reflection, are documented throughout this site and in a wealth of published literature. 

Poetry has documented and influenced human civilization for centuries, encapsulating significant events and powerful emotions, often with economical brilliance.

This post reflects on the impact of poetry writing - from the perspective of a poetry retreat facilitator - and draws this together with ideas of reflective writing, to present a developmental writing exercise.

...The Pyramid Approach to Writing

This post sets out the Inverted or Upside-down Pyramid Approach to essay-writing, as described by one of my students. The tool can reduce the overall time spent writing by helping you to focus on the assignment brief and to maintain direction towards relevant conclusions.

It is a useful tool for the planning phase:

• to help you structure your work;
• to maintain your focus on the purpose of the discussion;
• to encourage concise, efficient communication of ideas.

...Teacher Training - Top Tips

If you are planning on training to become a teacher, then this post will help!

I invited some ex-students - recently qualified teachers - to take part in a panel discussion for undergraduate students planning to commence their teacher training in the Autumn term. They talked about their experiences and their successes as qualified teachers. Crucially, they shared their advice for students embarking on teacher training.

This post sets out a summary of their 'top 'tips' for successful completion of initial teacher training. They might surprise you!

...Evaluating Reflective Practice

Assuming you understand that reflective practice can support professional development, how do you actually go about it?  And how do you know that you are going about it correctly?  

What is 'good' or 'effective' reflection?

This post presents a framework of prompts to assist the reflective practitioner in evaluating and developing the way he or she reflects.  Using this matrix of questions may help you to develop appropriately critical reflection. This would facilitate broader perspective, deeper insight into situations, and more reliable implications for potential future action.

...Health, Support & Wellbeing

As I write this post the UK enters a third round of restrictions imposed to help control the spread of the Covid-19 virus across the country.  Since most schools do not actually shut during lockdown (despite unhelpful reports to the contrary) teachers continue to provide teaching and learning opportunities, pastoral care, and even food to their pupils.  Student teachers, too, are considered to be key workers in terms of Covid-19 restrictions. Teacher training therefore continues, to help ensure the teaching workforce is maintained...

This post draws together a range of online avenues of help and support, with school staff in mind. Please engage, share and support.