Narration – it’s time to bring back this simple, low-stakes, scalable assessment method What is Narration? Narration is a key feature of the Charlotte Mason Method. Mason was an English educator and reformer who set up a network of schools that hoped to provide a “liberal education for all.” Although her dream was forestalled after …
Category Archives: Education
Moving to substack
I have decided to move my new writing (at least for the time being) to a free Substack newsletter. Please get in touch if you would like to be included among its subscribers.
Recent pieces: woke private schools; elite schools; flipped classrooms
I have had three pieces published recently. On woke private schools for The Critic: In Praise of Post-Liberalism. On elite schools: a study of the schools of those in Who’s Who on the Keystone blog. On flipped classrooms for the Eton journal for research in education: It’s time to rescue the flipped classroom.
Scoop – back to school edition
My termly newsletter, We have all been besieged by articles on ‘how x will change post COVID-19’. I am yet to read anything really convincing on what will change in education: teaching; curriculums; exams; schooling in general: I’m not saying they shouldn’t change but I’ve seen little to convince me that they will. Keystone Scholarship …
Transforming the Elite
Rather than fear the return of the spectre of public benefit, the aim of the sector should be that when the subject is raised, it is laughed at by all but the most militant vandals – no one but a fool could see what a service they and their products are doing. These schools and …
The National Tutoring Programme
Last week the government announced a new £1bn package for schools. £350 million will pay for the establishment of a National Tutoring Programme, which will give schools access to subsidised tutoring sessions. The rest will be spent whichever way headteachers best believe will catch their pupils up on education missed during the pandemic and might itself …
We should celebrate, not mourn, the cancellation of exams
“Surely now is the golden opportunity for schools, untrammelled by all that gruesome nomenclature of ‘exam specification’, ‘assessment objective’, ‘rubrics’ and so on, to set their pupils’ ‘love of learning’ truly ablaze.” Full piece published on Medium here.
Private Education & Public Benefit
Institutions inextricably bound up with their localities. National treasures with long histories of public service. Sites of collective memory and ritual, loyalty and love. What’s a communitarian not to love about private schools? Regrettably all too much. Read the full piece at The Critic.
Scoop – COVID edition
Below is my termly newsletter, Online teaching and learning webinar We have been teaching online for 10+ years and stand ready to help any educators who are doing it for the first time. We shall be putting on a webinar, hosted by me and our Director of Education Ed Richardson, on Friday 24th April at 3pm to …
Schools before the state
Love passing these local village schools, which show the important role the church played in educating the poor before the state got involved via the Forster Education Act of 1870.
Will Orr-Ewing 