As a young teacher, I used copying as a classroom management technique.

You can find my slides from ResearchED below. The ideas in the presentation are explained in far more detail in both of my books: Explicit English Teaching and Direct Instruction in Action Research…

My 7 year old son recently wanted to learn how to play ‘Peaches’ (a song by Jack Black from the Super Mario Bros film).

Over the last ten years, we've assessed almost 3 million pieces of writing as part of our national writing assessments for students aged 5 - 16. We've also worked with a lot of post-16 institutions…

YouTube video by Mind the Gap with Tom & Emma

Why students fail to make progress when curriculum lacks specificity, systematicity and subject sensitivity

Why oral vocabulary predicts reading ability.

I have spent more than a decade writing about vocabulary and working with a range of teachers across primary, secondary and colleges. Over that time, I've come to think differently about one of the mo...

How ‘efficiency’ derailed education