Tag: English

32. Vocabulary and oracy strategies for the KS3 classroom

32. Vocabulary and oracy strategies for the KS3 classroom

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Helen Prince
Helen Prince
Gurav Dubay

Helen Prince and Gaurav Dubay discuss the crucial role vocabulary and oracy strategies play in the Key Stage 3 classroom. They highlight the importance of focusing on talk and vocabulary to help students rehearse written outcomes before taking the next step and moving onto writing. They discuss drama, fluency, modelling and reducing cognitive load with oral rehearsal.

Helen Prince is an English Advisor, author of Oxford University Press’s Get It Right: Boost Your Vocabulary workbooks, and CEO of ChatterStars. Helen tweets at @prince_helen

Gaurav Dubay is Head of English at an inner-city grammar school in Birmingham, one of our Pioneer Schools for Oxford Smart Quest. Gaurav tweets at @GauravDubay3

Further reading and support:

View transcript

19. Curriculum review and implementation with Kat Howard

19. Curriculum review and implementation with Kat Howard

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Kat Howard

Helen Prince talks to Kat Howard about curriculum implementation and how an exciting curriculum fires up and motivates learners. Kat also discusses fidelity to the subject, how to capitalise on colleagues’ interests and passions to enrich knowledge and extend the curriculum, and the importance of awe and wonder in the classroom.

Kat Howard is Head of Professional Learning for a large Multi-Academy Trust Teaching School Hub and is also the founder of national charity, Litdrive UK. In addition to her in-school role, Kat is an in-house Expert Adviser for the Teacher Development Trust, writing curriculum content for the Reformed NPQ Leadership Suite. In previous roles, she was a Senior Leader taking oversight of staff professional development, performance management and curriculum, with strategic leadership for English, and prior to her career in education, Kat gained extensive experience in the financial sector, overseeing recruitment, training and operations for a leading high street bank.


Further reading and support:

15. Metacognition with Zoe Enser

15. Metacognition with Zoe Enser

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Zoe Enser

Helen Prince and Zoe Enser discuss metacognitive learning and how this can motivate students to feel empowered, helping them to build independence and resilience and become lifelong learners.

Zoe Enser was a teacher of English for over twenty years, a middle and senior leader and is currently working across Kent with the Education People as their English Specialist Adviser and an ELE (Evidence Lead in Education) for the EEF. She is also an author, having co-written Fiorella and Mayer’s Generative Learning in Action and the CPD Curriculum: Creating the Conditions for Growth and is a writer for TES and other educational publications. Zoe tweets at @greeborunner

Further reading and support:
  • Zoe explores metacognition in more detail and how student wellbeing can benefit from embedding these practices on the Oxford Education Blog.
  • Metacognition is one of the pillars of the Oxford Smart Curriculum. Find out more and read the curriculum direction paper.
10. What does good vocabulary teaching look like for boys?

10. What does good vocabulary teaching look like for boys?

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Matt Pinkett

Helen Prince talks to Matt Pinkett about strategies to raise expectations and improve outcomes for boys, the importance of challenging gender stereotypes and what good vocabulary teaching looks like in the classroom.

Matt Pinkett has had a number of teaching roles: Literacy Coordinator; Head of English; and Assistant Head Teacher of Teaching, Learning and Assessment. He is also a best-selling author, passionate about books, gender studies, and reducing social inequality. In his spare time he likes to wear ugly trainers. Matt tweets at @Positivteacha

Further reading and support: