More able learners are those who achieve, or have the ability to achieve, above average in any specific subject or domain compared with learners in the same year at their school. Such learners may be more able in National Curriculum subjects, as well as a whole range of domains which are termed ‘non-traditional areas’ (e.g. [...]

Oracy can be defined as ‘listening, speaking and spoken interaction’. The term ‘oracy’ was first coined in the 1960s as part of a research study into classroom talk by Andrew Wilkinson at Birmingham University which examined how individuals learn by talk, and particularly by working in small groups. Knowledge bank There is growing evidence that [...]

Self-evaluation is the process of auditing and making judgements about your professional performance for the purposes of improvement. Knowledge bank Self-evaluation is just one of a range of ways in order to judge success and plan for improvement in schools. It is usually carried out by judging your performance against a series of criteria or [...]

Target setting is the process of generating a specific outcome for oneself. It is characterized by a series of elements which make it both specific and trackable, but also emotionally motivating. Knowledge bank Traditional target-setting approaches have centred around a process of deciding future grades or other quantitative measures. However, research tells us that the [...]

Constructivism is a set of assumptions governing the way people learn and make sense of the world. It’s founded on the premise that, by reflecting on personal experiences, people create their own understanding of the world they live in. Knowledge bank Constructivism is a significant overarching theory that has an important bearing on the day-to-day [...]

Active learning centres on the process of learning through active participation in the classroom, field, in the workplace, in the community and in laboratories. Through activities which are as real as possible to the actual application of the ideas, learners are encouraged to come up with their own theoretical models and interpretations. Another definition of [...]