ABSTRACT

Teaching: the best job in the world. Yet, increasingly, it is considered one of the toughest professions. In recent years, practices have arisen and become widespread which overcomplicate teaching and increase teacher workload, while only having a marginal impact on pupil learning. Simplicity Rules explores how children learn and the most effective ways to teach them, focusing on achieving results using strategies that are low effort and high impact, along with a comprehensive framework underpinning the ideas.

Covering what to teach, talk, practice, starting a lesson, ending a lesson, and feedback alongside practical methods to reduce workload as well as simpler and clearer systems to support teachers in the long term, this book asks:

  • Is this the very best use of my time as a teacher?
  • What is the learning impact for the child?
  • What is the impact on my own workload?
  • Are the results worth this effort?

Promoting a simplification of teaching practices, Simplicity Rules is an essential guide for school teachers of all levels of experience, and school leaders.

chapter 1|11 pages

How children learn

chapter 2|18 pages

Good behaviour

chapter 3|10 pages

What to teach

chapter 4|22 pages

Resources

chapter 5|14 pages

Starting a lesson

chapter 6|9 pages

Reading in a lesson

chapter 7|7 pages

Writing

chapter 8|6 pages

Talk in a lesson

chapter 9|3 pages

Practice in a lesson

chapter 10|4 pages

Ending a lesson

chapter 11|12 pages

Feedback

chapter 12|2 pages

Conclusion