Choosing Your Rut Carefully
After several days of hard rain on the dirt tracks of rural Mississippi, a weary traveller drove up to my great grandfather’s house in Ovett to ask for directions to the nearest town. Papa O’Donnell looked down at the deeply rutted track and indicated a direction, saying, ‘Choose your rut carefully – you’ll be in
Read moreIs Co-Construction a Misnomer?
When I was a little girl, I bought a new wallet with my pocket money. When I got home I began, excitedly, to fill in the identification card – name, address, colour of hair, colour of eyes, etc. But, when I came to the box marked “sex,” I was perplexed and asked my mother for
Read moreMind The Gap!
When helping a student build confidence and mental resilience, it can seem a little counter-intuitive to focus on past failures. However, with careful handling, analysing where things have gone wrong in the past can be a fundamental part of helping to address gaps in knowledge and skills that could help toward better results in the
Read morePropositional Language – Unfreezing the mind ain’t easy
Staring at a blank page can be unnerving. For anxious exam students, the prospect of writing an essay – saying anything – may seem insurmountable. But there is a trick you and they can practice throughout the year to ameliorate their anxiety: write and speak propositionally. The French philosopher, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, once observed that you
Read moreThe games we play
Fun and games can go a long way to help re-engage students Fun in education is a serious business. Students who become bored, disengaged, or dispirited simply stop learning – and it can be hard to bring them back on board. But it’s possible to break down resistance and catch their attention with an educational
Read moreWhy Apricot is sincerely looking forward to the new school year
The same as every school across the country, we’re looking forward to welcoming and working with our students for this new academic year. And that’s not just some old management speak from the head teacher. As an Alternative Provision school we are blessed in many ways. To start with, we can offer a broad curriculum
Read moreIt’s results season, and not everyone will be happy
How to re-group and reposition after poor exam results. What are the practical options? Disappointing exam results can be devastating, but it shouldn’t be the end of the world. The important thing is not to fall into despair, but take the opportunity to assess the results, regroup, and plan for the future. Unexpected results For
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