Author: robinmacp

Let's be brave. Let’s talk about race. I’ll begin by showing my hand. I am white, male, middle-aged, protestant, heterosexual and read history at Oxford University. I have the exact same profile as many of the people who led us to this moment in time. It is now past the time for a paradigm shift … Continue reading Let’s talk about race: a provocation for teachers

It’s not so much a case of ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ but ‘Teaching in the Time of COVID’. Schools around the world have been moving to online learning and this has been a massive culture shock. Faced with the likelihood of having to teach entirely online, I put out a tweet asking for … Continue reading Teaching in the Time of COVID

This blog was written for the Voices in Education Series and is reproduced here with the kind permission of Odgers Berndtson. This Spring Term the Schools Practice at Odgers Berndtson is pleased to present the second series of articles for its Voices in Education initiative. These articles are written by a number of leading voices across the … Continue reading Brains, Computers and CogSci: the Quiet Revolution in Learning

“Why should I be studying for a future that soon may be no more, when no one is doing anything to save that future? And what is the point of learning facts when the most important facts clearly mean nothing to our society?” - Greta Thunberg 2019 has seen millions of schoolchildren across the world strike … Continue reading UnsustainED? Why ESD isn’t working.

I spoke at the Innovation in Education conference last week at Dubai College for COBIS and researchED, which was a great chance to catch up with friends and meet new people working in the Middle East. Here are a few thoughts based on the sessions I saw. Becky Allen - @profbeckyallen This is always a pleasure, because … Continue reading COBIS and researchED Dubai: takeaways

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” - Heraclitus This is about a philosophical thinking problem, and the messages that emerge for teachers and school leaders. If you know your philosophy, you can skip to the second half. If you don’t, … Continue reading The Ship of Theseus: the Nature of Change in Schools

At the start of 2019, UKEdChat.com published a lengthy list of educators to follow in both the UK and abroad. Without wishing to sound parochial, I was frustrated at the presence of just a couple of people based in Scotland. The list is made up by nominations, so it’s not necessarily anyone’s fault. However, I … Continue reading Scottish EduTwitter

A recent blog post by Kevin McLaughlin prompted me to write this piece. His heart-felt article, entitled ‘The Depressed Teacher’, outlines his journey from being rated as an ‘outstanding’ teacher by Ofsted to being evaluated as ‘requires improvement’ by the new headteacher only one month later. From 2012 to 2016 his health suffered so badly … Continue reading The self-evident truths of staff wellbeing

This is an old post previously published on the Wellington College Learning and Research Centre website, but I'm reposting it here in light of a recent conversation about the need to go and above and beyond what a national curriculum can offer. This blog is based on a talk given at the Wellington MAT inset … Continue reading Designing a Supercurriculum

This post is aimed at teachers who are new to Twitter, but may also be useful to those mentoring a new teacher and want to help them shape their professional learning. It's based on a talk given to colleagues at a recent inset day as part of an ed tech carousel. Twitter for Professional Learning … Continue reading Using Twitter for Professional Learning