Improving students' narratives through extended time writing - A thread inspired by @engteacherabro2 1. Student narratives are often formulaic and dull, priotising plot over interesting devices and description. Extended time (what writers call slow motion writing) is an excellent way to overcome this issue...

Over the last couple of weeks, I've delivered lots of sessions to students and parents on study skills. Here's a thread of some of my key points: 1. Knowing about the most effective study strategies doesn't mean students will necessarily use them. Teachers and patients need to monitor how students are studying.

All teachers think they have high expectations of their students. But these expectations are difficult to define. Far better, I think, to define signs of low expectations. A THREAD on what these look like... 1/n 1. Setting limits - Teachers saying things like "To get a grade 5, you need to...", which sets a ceiling for student aspirations... 2/n

Ten classic errors teachers make when giving feedback... 1. Giving feedback for an audience other than the student. If your feedback is really designed for parents, SLT, Ofsted etc then it's unlikely to make sense to the student or motivate them to act on it.2

What can schools do to improve boys' attainment?

I've been writing and researching this for years, and here's a thread featuring 7 easy(!) steps schools can take to reduce gender gaps: 1. Raise teachers' expectations of what boys can achieve. Work on teachers' beliefs about ability, how this is communicated to boys, and tackle language that exposes lower expectations (e.g. "I've got a boy-heavy class")...

A little behaviour management thread on how reframing language will help teachers tackle issues in a calm, direct and effective way: (1/7) 1. 'If you do that again, you're getting a sanction' draws attention to a student and risks provoking a confrontation. Instead try 'I'm just going to remind everyone about my expectations... I don't want to have to start giving out sanctions' (2/7)

Some different retrieval activities for English (can be adapted for other subjects), which you might find useful: 1. Who am I? (Gradual reveal)

20 pts - I'm one of the good guys and I've got the name to prove it!
10 pts - I spend a lots of time dealing with hot-headed fools
5 pts - 'I do but keep the peace'
1 pt - I am Romeo's cousin

Ok, as promised, here's a thread of my top 15 non-verbal gestures for effective behaviour management: 1. A much neglected oldie, best used when only one or two pupils are still talking: