Morgan Whitfield

Setting? Seriously? We Need to Think Bigger and Ask the Better Question

Mindset, Pedagogy /

When a study blows up there is a temptation to flatten it into one bullet point. What frustrates me about the latest headlines proclaiming that setting “does not hamper progress” is not simply the conclusion itself, but the astonishing narrowness of what is being measured to rationalise a system that stratifies children. A slight increase […]

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From Looksmaxxing to Nihilism: The Role of Schools in an Age of Digital Fatalism

Mindset /

Over the past few weeks, I have found myself unexpectedly overwhelmed by a new vocabulary circulating on screens, words as amusing as ‘mogging’ and offensive as ‘foids’ (Prażmo, 2020). It is not the spectacle of ‘bone smashing’ that concerns me, but the quieter, more enduring messages that have been circulating for years. Blackpilling terms that

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Retaining Complexity: Challenging Students Without Compromise

Curriculum, Pedagogy /

A close friend of mine, an English teacher who possesses the extraordinary power of making literature feel vibrant and dynamic, once inherited a notoriously boisterous Year 9 class. They were labelled underachievers, the kind of class that staffroom lore had already written off. The prevailing advice was to keep things simple with them. Choose “accessible”

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Creating Depth and Mastery in the Curriculum: Designing for Challenge, Inquiry and Disciplinary Growth

Curriculum /

The science department at my school recently made a bold and refreshing decision. Rather than approaching Years 7 to 9 as a prelude to the real work that begins in examination years, they reframed Key Stage 3 as an opportunity to create scientists. They asked themselves what it would look like if students arrived in

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The Harkness Discussion Method: Revolution, Relationships and the Power of the Pause

Pedagogy /

It began with a chance encounter. In the late 1920s, Ned Harkness, a shy boy who had grown up longing for classrooms where he could think aloud without fear, boarded a train that would change the trajectory of American education. By luck, he met Dr Lewis Perry, the principal of Phillips Exeter Academy. Curious about

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Staff Wellbeing Driven by Professional Collaboration: Finding your Work Best Friends

Mindset /

The staffroom was quiet after the bell. A colleague sat, head bowed over a new specification from a new exam board. After five years in teaching, she confided, “I am finding it so hard to explain this content. I do not feel like I understand it well enough myself yet.” The pressure of mastering unfamiliar

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Heuristic Traps: A Hidden Hazard at the Start of a School Year

Mindset /

As a new school year begins, educators and school leaders are flooded with decisions. From seating plans and assessment systems to curriculum mapping and behaviour routines, the early weeks are charged with action. In this flurry of choices, we often rely on heuristics. There are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb to navigate complexity. Heuristics

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Adaptive Teaching with Magnificiently Designed Scaffolds

Curriculum, Mindset, Pedagogy /

Adaptive teaching relies on scaffolds. In fact, Alex Quigley has written about how necessary they are as part of the 4 S’s of Adaptive Teaching- Scaffolds, Scale, Structure and Style. Let’s explore further how we can best create and deploy scaffolds that enhance adaptive teaching. We do not want to fall into the trap of

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