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How elaboration strengthens memory by asking why.

Asking Why It Is True

I spent twenty minutes yesterday watching a CPD presenter explain “elaboration” using a slick, multi-coloured slide deck and terms like cognitive scaffolding...

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How worked examples support learning before practice.

Worked Examples Before Independent Practice

I remember standing at the front of a Year 10 history class on a Tuesday afternoon, watching twenty-eight sets of eyes glaze...

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Diagram explaining how exam systems work.

How a Grade Is Actually Produced

I remember sitting in a windowless briefing room in 2014, listening to a consultant in a slim-fit suit explain the “revolutionary” mechanics...

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How self explanation aids understanding through speech.

Explaining It to Yourself Out Loud

I remember standing at the front of a Year 9 classroom on a Tuesday afternoon, watching twenty-eight teenagers nod in unison while...

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Complete guide to retrieval practice book cover.
In

The Complete Guide to Retrieval Practice

I was sitting in a CPD session last Tuesday—one of those sessions where the presenter uses words like ‘cognitive architecture’ while looking...

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Understanding how sanctions should be used.
In

Certainty Matters More Than Severity

I remember standing in the doorway of a Year 9 classroom during a particularly grim November afternoon, watching a trainee try to...

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Complete guide to reducing marking book cover.
In

The Complete Guide to Reducing Marking

I remember sitting at my kitchen table in 2014, surrounded by three different piles of Year 9 essays, staring at a lukewarm...

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Understanding how restorative approaches work.
In

Restorative Practice Alongside Consequences

I’ve sat through enough expensive, glossy CPD sessions to know that most consultants treat “restorative practice” like it’s some sort of magical,...

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How explanation quality affects learning with examples.

A Good Explanation Uses Two Examples and a Non-example

I remember standing at the front of a Year 9 classroom on a rainy Tuesday in November, clutching a beautifully designed PowerPoint...

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Infographic showing how spacing improves retention.

Same Hours, Spread Out, Better Results

I was sitting in a middle leadership meeting three years ago, staring at a shiny new “Learning Science” toolkit that promised to...

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