Managing upwards is being proactive about supporting your line manager to do his or her job effectively, in supporting you to do yours properly. It involves building a positive rapport with your line manager, helping them to cope on a day-to-day basis and assertively stating your needs with regard to doing your own job. With [...]

Creativity is the process of finding and implementing new and appropriate ways of thinking and doing. People who are able to do so with ease are often said to be ‘creative’, but there are dangers of pigeon-holing people in this way. Knowledge bank Though traditionally thought of as referring to the ‘creative arts’ (music, art, [...]

Giving learners a voice refers to the process where the views of children and young people are used to improve the educational offering of schools. It involves actively listening to what learners have to say and then, within reason, acting on the suggestions they have made. A series of recent studies has shown that it [...]

Presenting skills are approaches to making maximum impact when introducing ideas to others. Knowledge bank A presentation is a fast and potentially effective method of getting ideas across to others. It is a key skill which can be used effectively in the classroom, though should be used sparingly. It will also be required at many [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Drama involves the use of the voice and/or body to act out a character or to simulate an object, in order to express a viewpoint, emotion or to put across information. It has always had a place in teaching and for some teachers forms a key component of the classroom climate they create. Knowledge bank [...]

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 [...]