I have been teaching for 14 years. I know lots of things: photocopier codes, teachers’ nicknames, who will lend me a board pen at short notice. But every new academic year is still full of monsters: previous failures, planned upheavals, unknown whole-school assessment strategies. So, along with pinning my new timetable to the board above…
My INSET session on decolonising curricula
In this session, in February 2021, I shared my research on decolonising curricula with teaching staff from across infant, junior and senior schools. I began by explaining some of my motivations to take on a one-year role leading efforts to diversify curricula, which includes raising a mixed-race family. Teachers were encouraged to ‘draw along’ to…
Teaching, sympathy and the art of Kintsugi
I discovered that a ceramic pot had been broken yesterday. The pot was less than 5 months old. A year ago, I would have been very annoyed with this broken pot. The broken pot would have been taken to the tip. This year, I didn’t see a broken pot. I saw an opportunity for something…
The history of Medieval Mali: some ideas
A lot of people have been asking about my approach to my Mali scheme of work so I thought that I would share some of what I have put together. In this blog post, I wrote about how some of my research led me to create a causation enquiry, ‘Where did Medieval Mali keep its…
What do the stories of the ‘often forgotten armies’ reveal about the Western Front?
Here is an enquiry that focuses upon the experience of African, Asian and First Nation soldiers and labourers at the Western Front. The enquiry is centered around the second-order concept of significance. It will be written up in the journal Teaching History in 2021. I was also planning on presenting these resources at the Historical Association Conference…
The beauty of bounded tasks: Olusoga and I
This is a one-off blog post in which I show how a book inspired me to improve my teaching practice. The post ends, as they all do, with a practical resource. Today I show how my reading of Olusoga’s book The World’s War, and the philosophy of Alain de Botton, helped me to diversify our…
A hunger to belong: Using a word as a window into a text with Year 10
This is the last in a series of four blog posts in which I show how a journal article or book has inspired me to improve my teaching practice. Each post ends with a practical resource or activity. Today I show how my reading of Doerr’s bestselling novel All The Light We Cannot See, and my reflection on the…
Are you a ‘lumper’ or a ‘splitter’? Deciding how to incorporate the history of medieval Mali into our Year 7 history curriculum
This is the second in a new series of four blog posts in which I show how a journal article or book has inspired me to improve my teaching practice. Each post ends with a practical resource or activity. Today I show how my reading of Frankopan’s bestselling book Silk Roads, my reflection of the seminal work of Bailey-Watson…
Peter and his paper dolls: low-attaining Year 8 make and break groups to explain why the Church was challenged in the early 1500s
This is the first in a new series of four weekly blog posts in which I show how a journal article or book has inspired me to improve my teaching practice. Each post includes a practical resource or activity. Today I show how my reading of Marshall’s award-winning book Heretics and Believers, and my reflection of the work of Counsell…
‘Do we have to write an essay on this, Miss?’ Reflecting on what we want pupils to do with historical significance – and when
This is one in a series of blog posts in which I show how a journal article or book has inspired me to improve my teaching practice. Each post ends with a practical resource or activity. Today I show how a ‘New, Novice or Nervous’ feature in the journal Teaching History (2016) and the book ‘White King’ by Leanda de…
An open letter to Heads of Department after returning from Parental Leave
Dear Head of Department, It’s my first day back from Parental Leave, and I am enjoying the sensation of drinking a cup of tea without feeling the need to place it somewhere high above the ground. I have just bought a new suit to celebrate my return. I look smart, but I feel rather small….
Teachers’ journal clubs? An exercise in integrity
This is the last in a series of weekly blog posts in which I show how a journal article or book has inspired me to improve my teaching practice. Each post ends with a practical resource or activity. Today I show why our first journal club meeting, based on a book by Christodoulou (2017) and recommended to…
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