Hands up if you’ve never set your pupils a block of practice questions that are all similar but slightly different. … More
Author: BenRogers
18 years secondary teacher: 4 years primary. MA in SciEd. Author of 'Big Ideas of Physics and How to Teach Them.' Director of Curriculum and Pedagogy for Paradigm Trust.
Among the top 13 million chess players in the world!
(How IA interprets this text) I have played 226 games of rapid (10min) chess this year, and I’ve ended up … More
Attempting to Make Sense of “Working Scientifically” in the English National Curriculum.
For years I have struggled with teaching “Working Scientifically” in science lessons. It is a core strand from Key Stage … More
The Art of the Sentence in Primary Science
There’s a truism in primary education: “before they can write it, they need to say it.” But that’s not quite … More
Should We Use Explicit Teaching Approaches or Enquiry Methods in Primary Science: Does the EEFs New Primary Science Guidance Report Tell Us?
Last week (28th November 2023) the Education Endowment Foundation published its long-awaited Improving Primary Science Guidance Report. We now have … More
Is an Apple a Living Thing?
From categorising buttons to categorisation in science “Pupils should be taught to explore and compare the differences between things that … More
Trying to understand why ‘Progressive’ and ‘Traditional’ teachers disagree
I’ve been re-reading a couple of books by ‘progressive’ academics who have been celebrated for trying to bride the gap … More
When colleagues recommend books to you that you find insulting and dismissive!
I’ve been recommended a couple of books by thoughtful, well-meaning colleagues who know I favour ‘explicit teaching’. These are books … More
A Reflection on “Science for Children” by Marilyn Fleer
Promoting Explicit Teaching while Holding Your Nose? I was recommended reading “Science for Children” by Marilyn Fleer by a colleague … More
Using story books to overturn science misconceptions in young children
This is an amazing piece of research. The researchers were able to show that children as young as four are … More
Reading for Learning 