Learning to Teach

‘Move Me On’ is a ‘problem page’ for those involved in training or mentoring new history teachers. Each one includes a description of a difficulty experienced by a trainee teacher and detailed advice from two experienced mentors or teacher educators about how to respond.  Read more

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  • Move Me On 182: thinks that substantive knowledge is all that matters

    Article

    Lina Power has interpreted an emphasis on knowledge organisers and factual knowledge tests to mean that substantive knowledge is all that matters. Move Me On is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical...

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  • Move Me On 181: navigating the challenges of learning to teach history with visual impairment

    Article

    Fiona Tait, a trainee with visual impairment, was unsure how she would navigate the challenges of learning to teach history... This feature of Teaching History is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents a...

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  • Move Me On 180: feeling unprepared to start as NQT because of Covid-19

    Article

    Una Marson had her training interrupted by school closures in response to Covid-19 and feels unprepared to start as an NQT. Move Me On is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all...

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  • Move Me On 178: trainee sees all observation as assessment

    Article

    Move Me On is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents a situation in initial teacher education/training with an emphasis upon...

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  • Move Me on 177: using questioning effectively

    Article

    This issue’s problem: Christine Pizan is struggling to use questioning effectively. Move Me On is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents...

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  • Move Me On 176: worried about how to deal with his own dyslexia in the classroom

    Article

    Move Me On is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents a situation in initial teacher education/training with an emphasis upon...

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  • Move Me On 175: paying attention to why topics have been included in schemes of work

    Article

    This issue's problem: Martha Partington doesn't pay enough attention to the reasons why particular topics or approaches to them have been included with her department’s schemes of work...

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  • Move Me On 174: Not doing all the thinking for the students

    Article

    This issue’s problem: Alex Spotswood finds that the activities that he devises tend to involve him, rather than his students, doing all the real thinking and processing of information. Alex Spotswood is well established in his main placement and has taken responsibility for regular GCSE and Key Stage 3 teaching. He is highly...

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  • Move Me On 172: Not just relying on the textbook

    Article

    This feature of Teaching History is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents a situation in initial teacher education/training with an...

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  • Move Me On 170: adapting to a second school

    Article

    This feature of Teaching History is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents a situation in initial teacher education/training with an...

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  • Move Me On 151: Getting past a plateau in development

    Article

    This issue's problem: Nancy Astor seems to have reached a plateau in her development as a history teacher. After a difficult start to her training year, Nancy seemed to be making rapid progress, but her development has now slowed and her mentor is concerned that she may not achieve her full...

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  • Move Me On 150: Planning

    Article

    This issue's problem: Simon Montfort is given very little freedom to learn how to plan. Simon considered himself very fortunate when he arrived in his training school. Even on the induction day his mentor had been able to give him copies of the schemes of work for each year group...

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  • Move Me On 143: Trying to tackle everything at once

    Article

    This issue's problem: Emily Hobhouse seems to feel obliged to implement all the new ideas she is learning about at once. Emily Hobhouse has made an impressive start to her PGCE course. She switched to teaching after several years' work in legal practice which meant that she was already used to...

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  • Move Me On 137: Regards PGCE assignments as unhelpful distractions

    Article

    This issue's problem: Ellen Wilkinson regards her PGCE assignments as an unhelpful distraction from the real business of learning to teach. Ellen has just had her first PGCE assignment returned to her by her tutor and is furious about the comments she has received and the indicative Masters level mark it...

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  • Move Me On 133: Relying too much on teacher talk and alienating students

    Article

    This Issue's problem: Margaret Cooper has struggled hard to realise her ambition to train to be a teacher but, now that she is taking responsibility for whole-class teaching, she is finding that her assumptions are being challenged and she is losing confidence...

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  • Move Me On 132: Already the best teacher in the department

    Article

    This issue's problem: Phyllis Wheatley already seems to be the most effective teacher in the department. How can her mentor ensure that she goes on learning? Phyllis Wheatley is several weeks into her second placement and her mentor, Selina, is acutely aware of how impressive her teaching is already. A degree in...

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  • Move Me On 131: Mentor struggling to help trainee learn to plan independently

    Article

    Richard Baxter's mentor is struggling to know how to help him plan independently. Richard Baxter is a relatively young trainee with a background in ancient history. He came to the PGCE course straight after completing his undergraduate degree, and is aware of his relative youth as well as what he...

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  • Move Me On 126: Setting worthwhile homework

    Article

    Val Messalina is a lively and engaging young student teacher who has come straight to the PGCE course after completing her history degree. She has made a positive start to teaching but is quite nervous and tends to look for very clear guidance and support. She is now half way...

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  • Move Me On 123: Teaching Key Stage 3 only once a week

    Article

    This Issue's Problem: Seb Cabot finds it hard only seeing Key Stage 3 classes once a week: he's struggling to build effective teaching relationships and tackle worthwhile enquiries. 

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  • Move Me On 121: Teaching outside subject area

    Article

    This Issue's Problem: Because of the demands of the modular structure on non-specialists, the school's Key Stage 3 schemes of work are extremely detailed, and include individual lesson plans that staff are encouraged to use or adapt depending on their level of confidence. Arnie began by relying on the plan...

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