The ThinkTalk Blog

Multi-generational Frames of Reference or Still dreaming of change Life was getting busier for everyone.  Lots of work and school distractions were putting a strain on family meeting [...]

Classifying a text part 2 or Playing intergenerational snap Having said in my previous blog that LTE Classification lessons have a tendency to be less emotive and more cerebral in the classroom, [...]

Classifying a Text Part 1 or What’s in your pack of Snap Cards? (with thanks to Michael Walsh for the metaphor) Before relaying an account of the next few lessons with my family, I’m going to [...]

Sredni Vashtar the Ferret – or should we call him Brian? or If…then…so…hypothesising in English Professor David Crystal tweeted early on in our lockdown phase that the [...]

or…the adults’ writing So – this entry might seem like an indulgence.  You may be following the blog to gain an insight in to how Let’s Think can work for students in KS3. [...]

Or  The power of ‘bridging’ The concept of ‘bridging’ in Let’s Think lessons is, in essence, an opportunity for learners to reapply understanding that has begun to emerge in a [...]

Or The Hidden Lives of Learners My subtitle alludes to the extraordinary book by Graham Nuthall that brought together his life’s work in educational research. It is a liberating book for teachers [...]

Lesson 1: The Bridge Or Strategy, Tactics and Accountability The Bridge KS3 launch lesson aims to open up and problematise existing frames of references – or perspectives, if you will.  We [...]

It is April 2020.  The UK is in lockdown and schools are closed. I’ve been riding a giddy, internal rollercoaster in relation to the effects the closure may have.  At times there are those [...]

A good friend of mine had been coaching a young English teacher.  He had just taken on a whole school responsibility.  We will call him Jim.  Committed and excited as Jim was to develop in a new [...]