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Articles by Jon Brunskill
What did you say?
“Never use a verb other than 'said' to carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But ‘said' is far less intrusive than 'grumbled,' 'gasped,' 'cautioned,' 'lied.'” Your thoughts? — Steven Rowell (@RowellPublish) August 16, 2021 The ‘said’ debate can, I suppose, be treated as something of a subset of the general ‘flowery language’ debate.
Bluffer’s Guide to Surviving an Ofsted Inspection
This article originally appeared in Teach Primary, a wonderful and intelligent publication to which you can subscribe here. Finally, you fully understand what it would feel for the characters in one of those asteroid apocalypse movies. Bruce Willis can’t help you now though, the death-line has already been crossed.
The three best arguments against a knowledge rich curriculum, (and why I think they’re wrong).
I’ve been listening to a lot of Sam Harris, the neuroscientist, philosopher and public intellectual behind books such as The Moral Landscape, The End of Faith, Lying and Waking Up. Harris invites other intellectuals onto his podcast to discuss topical and contentious topics. A recent episode featured the Vox editor Ezra Klein on the explosive subject of race and IQ.
Why we need to focus on more than just aspiration
We need to rethink our relationship with traditional working class communities to reinvigorate support and prevent apathy towards Labour, writes Eleanor Ormsby New Labour’s rhetoric of ‘aspiration’ and focus on social mobility has brought benefits to many working-class individuals across the United Kingdom, and in turn reciprocal support for Labour in past elections. Nevertheless, it is no longer enough and not the solution to our problems today.
Let’s finally eradicate the attainment gap
Learning about the best that has been thought and said, sung and danced, made and proved will close the attainment gap, believes Jon Brunskill I am typing this article on my phone, updating an online document that I uploaded to the cloud before I left school. When I get home, I will ask Alexa to update me on tomorrow’s weather in my area. And then I will order myself some sunscreen online.
Editorial: Reducing inequalities in our education system
Inequality is being reinforced throughout the school system. It is a disgrace, but not a surprise, that the poorest children in the country are the least likely to be taught by a qualified mathematics teacher Labour went into the last general election proposing a ‘cradle to grave’ National Education Service. It was a great triumph of rhetoric over policy.
Are ‘knowledge organisers’ now essential tools in the classroom?
It was Twitter that kicked things off. A growing number of teachers were sharing intricately crafted documents that laid out the core details of a subject or topic in an organised and easily accessible way. Word spread. Knowledge organisers (KOs) quickly became the “in” thing.
Why social and emotional learning skills are as important as knowledge (sponsored article)
The old aphorism that “nobody will care how much you know until they know how much you care” sits proudly atop many a school policy; the go-to epigraph for the staff handbook. For some teachers, this neat little quote sums up everything important about education. Others roll their eyes at the sentimentality, preferring to get on with their job of, you know, teaching. So who is right?
A book of poems.
Learning a poem off by heart is remarkably easy, possible for everyone to achieve, and yet so seldom done. The benefits, other than the sheer pleasure of having a little bank of some wonderful poetry in your head, are legion, for they are many. We think that poetry is really important at Reach, and once a week our children spend time in their ‘poetry partners’ practising some of the best poems from history.
Planning, preparation and assessment - the key to eliminating unnecessary workload around marking (Sponsored Article)
“Marking practice that does not have the desired impact on pupil outcomes is a time-wasting burden for teachers that has to stop.” The opening to the Department for Education’s independent report on marking is refreshingly unequivocal. And yet, eighteen months after the report was published, too many teachers up and down the country are still cracking out the midnight oil and triple marking every book in sight.
ResearchEd14: Michael Slavinsky and Alex Weatherall are the right kind of crazy.
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” Chinese Proverb I don’t know what a meeting between Michael Slavinsky and Alex Weatherall sounds like, but I imagine it would be a Google executive’s wet dream.
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