All articles on this site

  • What really matters

    Why do 95% of teachers not know about what really works in the classroom? Why are the media and politicians even more clueless? According to Mike Bell, who runs the Evidence-Based Teachers’ Network (EBTN), very few people are actually aware of the teaching techniques that are proven to work across all the age ranges and subjects. […]

  • It’s the Blob Wot Won It

    Did the Blob get Michael Gove the sack? The mainstream media seems to think so. The Sun’s editorial said: “The Left-wing hate campaign against Michael Gove was hysterical, absurd and undeserved. Sadly, it worked. The teachers’ unions established the Tory Education Secretary as a wicked pantomime villain hell-bent on the destruction of a system which […]

  • What makes good teaching and how can we encourage it?

    I appeared on Newsnight last night discussing the teaching profession with presenter Kirsty Wark and Sean Worth, who is a Fellow of the think-tank, Policy Exchange, which was set up by a few people, including Michael Gove. We were talking about Michael Gove’s comment on Newsnight the previous night that outstanding teachers supported his reforms […]

  • Teacher Toolkit: the Profession’s Great Freedom Fighter!

      Teacher Toolkit, a.k.a. Ross McGill, is one of the most successful teacher-bloggers in the world. He has nearly 60K followers on Twitter, his blog is the number 1. educational blog in the UK, and his book, 100 Ideas for Secondary School Teachers, is one of the most successful books about school published in the […]

  • Why self-publish? My talk to Goldsmiths’ MA in Creative Writing students

  • Our dedicated teachers deserve greater respect

    THE shocking, terrifying killing of Ann Maguire, an experienced, much loved teacher, has made the nation aware of how important it is not to take teachers for granted. It is tragically sad that it has taken this noble teacher’s death to make the public conscious of this because, let’s face it, there are too many […]

  • A killer in the classroom

    Is it possible that violent and unruly children pose a bigger problem than schools dare admit?   Having taught for more than 20 years in various comprehensives, I can honestly say that there has been no more shocking news about the profession in the past couple of decades than the death of Anne Maguire, a […]

  • About FGI Publishing

    An explanation of FGI Publishing is, the books it’s published, and why I set it up.

  • Why Michele Robert’s keynote speech on ‘The Erotic Imagination’ marks a new epoch in the way we talk about sex

    Michele Roberts’ keynote speech at the ‘Beyond the Sheets’ conference marked, for me, a new epoch in the way we talk about sex. Here was an established literary figure seeking to change the discourse about sex, addressing at the conference pre-dominantly young writers and emerging academics; the new “intelligentsia” if you like. It was an […]

  • What is education for and how can school libraries contribute?

    Last weekend, I spoke at the School Libraries Group conference in Derby. I was asked to talk about what education is for and how school libraries can contribute towards the aims and purposes of education. If you watch the YouTube video of my talk (above) you’ll see that I look at a number of key […]

  • Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde: The Play

    This compelling play is a dramatic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde”, bringing out the full horror of the original story. This is the only stage version which is genuinely faithful to the text, using Stevenson’s words where appropriate.

  • A video musical poem: psycho bike

    I was moved to make this random video musical poem about my journey to Goldsmiths College on the bike:

  • Can evidence-based pedagogy raise levels of achievement?

    Last weekend, I spoke on a panel for the Standing Committee for the Education and Training of Teachers (SCETT), talking about whether “evidence-based pedagogy” will lead to a re-birth of the teaching profession. I argued that it could. The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) now are examining what really works in the classroom based on significant evidence. This approach, to […]

  • Analysis and Study Guide: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

    This brilliant edition of Stevenson’s novel may be the answer to your prayers. Written by an experienced teacher and best-selling author, this version is aimed at students who must analyse the text in depth or teachers wanting to deliver outstanding lessons on it.

  • Frankenstein – A Study Guide

    This is a study devoted to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein which will help both teachers and pupils. It contains a lively series of essays on the different contexts of the novel, its structure and themes, and also offers a great deal of analysis of the text itself. While it is authoritative, it encourages readers to think for themselves.

  • Jane Eyre – A Study Guide

    This is an extremely useful guide to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. It is ideal for students studying the text for A Level or equivalent qualification, but will be helpful to able GCSE students looking for high marks.

  • The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde — A Study Guide

    The study guide focuses upon the text of the book, providing generous quotations from the text itself, followed by detailed analysis written in the formal academic style expected in coursework and examinations. An excellent way of revising the book would be to read through the second half of this study guide, absorbing the key quotes, reading the analysis, and answering the discussion point questions either in your head or on paper.

  • Far From The Madding Crowd — A Study Guide

    This guide is ideal for students who are wanting to attain top grades, and could clarify some basic points about literary theory for English Literature undergraduate students if they’re struggling to understand key ideas about contexts, structure and theme, and analysing quotation.

  • Wuthering Heights – A Study Guide

    For the price of a chocolate bar, you can become an expert on one of the greatest novels in the language. The guide is possibly more useful than many on the market because it is a) modern in its approach b) encourages a personal response to the text — vital if a candidate is going to get a higher mark in an exam.

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles — A Study Guide

    This is a detailed, lively study guide on Sherlock Holmes’s most notorious case. It contains a detailed explanation of the contexts of the novella: how and why it came to be written, and the ways in which it invented the concept of the modern detective. In contrast to many other study guides, it encourages the reader to develop his or her own personal response. I

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