David Rogers

Before I start, I looked up the word 'provoke' today: Much is written about the power of social media, but I have to say that it must be taken with a pinch of salt.  How do I guarantee the efficacy of information gained online?  How do I know that the advice is authentic and that the volunteer is speaking from experience? After all, as far as you know I could be using social media to reinvent myself. Perhaps I'm trying to represent myself as someone who may know something about something?   This is the first in a few stories that will try to explore the power of teachers talking to teachers, quite often within your own institution.  So, on Monday I went off with the other SLT members of the authority and listened to some wise people.  It's always great listening to people who have actually done something.  It's even better to be able to question them.  Even better still was the ability to speak to peers and colleagues who understand the ...

This month is the start of the #29daysofwriting challenge.  I enjoyed this last year and will be using my Staffrm account to post.  I'll also be reporting here, both to give a little more detail and to keep a log of what I have written. The challenge developed a great sense of community last year, which is why I'm choosing to write on Staffrm. What I would say to those who are new to writing or don't want to run out of ideas is: Write for yourself. Clarify an idea, write something out loud. The process of distilling thoughts into writing is immensely beneficial to your practice. If other read, comment and respond, that's a bonus. Ignore the muppets who know nothing of your context, style or students. Mix it up - I like to read about real stuff from real classrooms and schools and also about other stuff.  If we always write about school, how does that work for workload? If you've nothing nice to say, don't say it. So, the following has been ...