Case Studies
Cuttings
Readings

Discuss teaching and training issues.

Copyright Alite

Home > Educators > Readings

Readings for Educators

Leading learning
Learning to lead: John West-Burnham The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the development of effective leadership and the nature of the learning process.	Leadership - Learning to live with contradiction: Professor John MacBeath This paper draws on some common messages from research studies into leadership, school self-evaluation and school improvement...	Instructional Leadership and School Improvement: David Hopkins Contemporary educational reform places a great premium on the effective leadership and management of schools.	Educational reform and school leadership in 3D perspective: Andy Hargreaves and Dean Fink Ultimately, only three things matter about educational reform.

Ten questions for school leaders: Howard Green The aim of these questions is to provide a focus for critical reflection by school leaders, and those who support them...	Future Directions in Language Teaching and Learning: Keri Facer Future Directions in Language Teaching and Learning By Keri Facer, Head of Learning Research, NESTA Futurelab...	Schooling in the post modern world: David Hood If we are to understand schooling as it is we need to understand the key influences of the industrial age - the modern era- on education.	Where Lifelong Learners R Theresa Rogerson from Walkington Primary School asks her Year 2 class to consider the dispositions needed for lifelong learning.

Motivation
All you need to know about motivation ż Alistair Smith Its all about attention! Attention is directed by curiosity. Curiosity is engaged by novelty but novelty is a U-shaped curve.	Personality and Differential Motivation in the Classroom ż an extract Competitive classroom structures are generally thought to be less healthy and less productive learning environments than cooperative classrooms.	Some Ideas for Motivating Students - Robert Harris Some recent research shows that many students do poorly on assignments or in participation because they do not understand what to do or why they should do it.	Cognitive Apprenticeships In Making Connections and in Education on the Edge of Possibility, you and Geoffrey Caine discuss principles of brain-based learning.

Maximizing Learning: A Conversation with Renate Nummela Caine Is a new synthesis of schooling and apprenticeship possible or even desirable?	Learning Environments High levels of carbon dioxide in classrooms adversely affect children' s capacity to learn	Punished by Rewards Why Incentive Programs Cannot Work A Visit from Alfie Kohn

Development
Forget the marking, start talking New research suggests that pupils achieve more when they think about what they are learning.	From Thinking Skills to Thinking Classrooms Developing the quality of thinking processes and skills in children prepares them for lifelong learning.	Using Learning Styles to Adapt Technology for Higher Education - Terry O'Connor Indiana State University Many of the mechanisms by which people learn are still unknown to us.	Learning about Learning Enhances Performance - Chris Watkins Learning is a shared phenomenon and is the result of joining a knowledge community.

Thinking for Learning Foreword - Alistair Smith 'In which language do you think?' A good question, and not one which we would see on a UK Census form. Does the language of your thought indicate the nature of the thought?	Are you the real McCoy yet? - David Spendlove Or are you still a classroom faker? David Spendlove helps you to develop a more convincing role with some hints from the world of accelerated learning	Pick a brain There are eight and a half to choose from, according to Howard Gardner, whose ideas on 'multiple intelligences' have been embraced enthusiastically by educationists around the globe.	The Truth about Boys and Girls It is news to no one that men and women are different. We just are. Our bodies are obviously different; our behavior is different, and, as it turns out, our brains are different too.

Adolescent Learners Nerve activity in teenagers' brains is so intense that they find it difficult to process basic information, rendering them emotionally and socially inept.	A Walk on the Wilder Side of Creativity A beacon school in south London is attracting visitors from home and abroad keen to learn from its successfuI child-centred approach. Diane Hofkins was one of them...	Inside the Black Box Dylan William and Paul Black argue that formative assessment is at the heart of learning	Science GSCE The current UK SATs and GCSEs in science measure memory and recall, but not scientific skills, according to leading academics.

Brain and mind
Finding Happiness Meditation might work as an antidote to stress, by revealing the brain mechanism that may account for meditation's singular ability to soothe.	The Downshifting Dilemma In stress the brain automatically downshifts ż or does it? Robert Sylwester argues the case for two excellent solution systems in stressful situations	What is Emotional Intelligence? A short summary of what is understood by intelligence and the possibility of emotional intelligence.	What Should We Ask About Intelligence In this article Professor Sternberg argues that what he calls ďthe IQ revolutionaries' are united by a belief that IQ represents too narrow a conception of intelligence

Wipe that smile off your face Scientists say they have evidence to show that Buddhists really are happier and calmer than other people.	Exercise addicts The key study to show that exercise has the power to change mood came from psychologist Andrew Steptoe and his colleagues at St George's Hospital Medical School in London.	Insights From Neuroscience and Anthropology, Cognitive Science and Work-Place Studies In a seminal essay Theodore J. Marchese roams across the territory of what teachers can learn from science, what learning is or could be, the importance of feedback, how the best teachers reframe and the status of learning cycles.	Neuro-developmental Disorders Dyslexia and Dietary Supplements. A UK study has achieved what have been described as remarkable results among pupils taking dietary supplements, as opposed to a placebo.

Gender and learning behaviours Research carried out in Canada has found that boys will compete for the sake of competition, but girls will not compete unless there is a potential reward.	Getting lost while travelling is a rite of passage for most couples. New research suggests that the different styles men and women utilize for finding their way around might be products of brain structure.	I can hear a rainbow This is what Laura Barton sees when these words are spoken. Here she explains what it's like to suffer from synaesthesia	Self analysis Students who use metacognitive methods to master maths out perform those who learn from worked out examples, according to a study in Israel.

How to be happy Why is it some people enjoy life and others don’t? Ian sample finds out.	Theories of Learning Headteacher Ian Harris considers understanding of learning.

Learning the FA way Alite director Alistair Smith is liasing with the English Football association to develop the quality of all coaching and training across the six divisions of the FA. Part of his role is to input on the FA Professional Licence Course.	Padiham School, Burnley Headteacher Julie Bradley tells us, 'our use of physical activity in the first 10 minutes of every day has had stunning results.'	Help Your Child Succeed Toolkit The toolkit - written by Bill Lucas and Alistair Smith - has been completed.	MiH Making it Happen: the Personal Insight Programme MiH is a powerful insight programme designed to give each participant the tools and the confidence to make changes in their lives.

Parenting classes ' Education and learning starts early. My mother gave me a grounding in religion when she told me that 'I had better pray that mark will come out of the new carpet.'	Game Boys The visual skills of non-gamers improve dramatically after just ten hours of playing computer games.	Are mobile phones addictive? Ever string two empty tins together and try and talk with your little friend from next door? If you did you are probably (a) a bloke and, (b) suffered from low esteem.	Bible Libel Some more Biblical insights from the unconnected, taken from the writing of young children.

Bible Libel We regularly point out the importance of providing good connections in learning...	Reader’s Tip Substitute the word work with the word learning – Homework suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.		Open the Box The Atkins diet has failed to catch the imagination of the nation's schoolchildren. Nine out of 10 children's lunchboxes contain foods high in fat, salt or sugar, according to The Food Standards Agency.

Distance Learning Kath MacAlister is Deputy Principal of a Reception to Year 12 Area School in Roxby Downs, South Australia.	Who do you think you're looking at? Apparently the mirror is to blame. Women who look at their reflections during a workout feel more tired and less relaxed than those whose eyes are trained elsewhere.	Meanwhile, down at the deep end Tanya Streeter can hold her breath for five and a half minutes. In that time she turns blue and has blood oxygen levels only seen in people who have had cardiac arrest.	Close encounters of the spam fritter kind… Traumatised by tapioca, haunted by lumpy custard and stressed by semolina? A whole generation of adults have eating habits shaped by memories of school dinners.

Stimulated Brains Second to Nun Want to promote a healthy brain? Advocate a lifetime of cognitively stimulating activities to your pupils.	The Ride of His Life Congratulations to the incredible Lance Armstrong on his fifth consecutive win of the Tour de France.	Can computer games enhance earning and learning? Does playing a computer game help you learn? If so what and how? How about earn? If so, how much and how?	Slaves to technology 6 must have pieces of software:

Readings for Educators

Theories of Learning

Headteacher Ian Harris considers understanding of learning.