Authors

The way in which schools assess the early years foundation stage is set to change – and it’s sparked off a big debate in the sector about how to get the measure of young children’s abilities, finds John Morgan

The concept of desirable difficulties states that if something is harder to learn, it is more likely to stick in the memory. Many teachers are already aware of this approach, but how can you actually make it work for your students? John Morgan finds out

How much knowledge would a child acquire if they never set foot in a classroom? And how much instruction from a teacher is too much? The answers to these questions underpin age-old debates around how teachers should teach, but John Morgan finds that the research paints a mixed picture on humans’ innate ability to learn

Forty years ago, the most expensive educational research project in history claimed to find Direct Instruction to be the most effective teaching method, but its results were buried and have had little impact on classrooms since. John Morgan asks whether we have been getting teaching wrong as a result, or if the project’s findings were not as clear cut as many believe ...

The humble display board has become the focus of fierce debate, with research suggesting that visual overload in a classroom can hinder learning. But there’s also evidence showing that displays give pupils ownership and boost self-esteem, finds John Morgan

The Slant classroom management policy – which demands that children sit up, listen, ask and answer questions, nod and track the teacher – has been widely adopted. But does forcing pupils to focus on their posture hinder learning, asks John Morgan