Elizabeth Mountstevens

Becoming a chemistry teacher in England - join our ChemCareers webinar on Wednesday 25th February

Heard about our teacher training scholarship, but not sure what it's about? We support talented people entering secondary chemistry teacher training with bursaries, coaching & more.

Join our upcoming webinar (free for members) to find out how we could help you: https://rsc.li/4rgUwS2 #ChemSky

Interesting study and important to reflect on. Note: participants did their GCSEs before recent curriculum reforms. Also, I’m uncertain of the causal link; seems possible that students who find the pressure of exams affects their mental health would find work pressures similar? Need to read more…

@bennewmark.bsky.social are you going to Scandinavia in person or just via your headphones?!

A bit late with my #FridayFive but looking forward to going to Stockholm and its archipelago in the summer!
Sigrid - Mine right now
Marit Larson - If a song could get me you
Nina Nesbitt - Älskar
Robyn - Be mine
Maria Mena - Belly up

We're so excited to be bringing researchED to East Anglia! Join us in Mildenhall for a day of sharp thinking, honest conversation and ideas you can take straight back to your school.

🎟️Get tickets: tinyurl.com/3553xs3e
Follow #rEDEastAnglia for exciting speaker announcements!

#researchED #UKeduchat

Booking now open for this exciting new one-day programme. Join us on 7 March 2026 at @BristolAquarium for a one-day Masterclass on Retrieval Practice and Memory Strategies.

In partnership with Educake, supported by AQA.

🎟 Book today! https://ow.ly/bwN650XACnJ

Students Who Believe They Can Succeed Make Two Months More Progress in Reading

"These findings add to a growing research base that is demonstrating the link between engagement and academic outcomes."

www.impactedgroup.uk/news-and-blo...

#NationalYearOfReading2026

📹 Have you seen Clips from the Classroom?
🗓️ Every week we spotlight a clip of a school putting evidence into practice

This week Unity Research School, explore the purposeful use of manipulatives to scaffold pupils’ learning.

👀 WATCH NOW: buff.ly/wpzXGGO

The appeal of nonsense How pseudoscience, placebo interventions and invented statistics continue to shape classroom practice despite decades of contrary evidence

Not everything that feels supportive actually helps. Coloured paper and invented retention rates tell a bigger story about why bad ideas persist in schools.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...

New study on cognitive load shows it's not a single, stable thing that students carry through a lesson. It rises, falls, peaks, and interacts with motivation. 1/4

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Are people doing 'eduthreads' any more? Thought I'd give one a go. Some thoughts on the 'revolution' of whole-class feedback (and a cautionary tale).
#EduSky

Poor Proxies for Effective Feedback - Evidence Based Education Over a decade ago, Rob Coe and other researchers at the Sutton Trust authored What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research (2014). In this influential review, the authors identified…

"Over a decade ago, Rob Coe and other researchers at the Sutton Trust authored What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research (2014).

In this influential review, the authors identified several ‘poor proxies’ for learning..."

Blog by Kate Jones

Read it here

Hi #EduSky - it's time for my #Saturday3 in what was a fairly fallow week, possibly due to the teachers having the shock of being back in class! However, I happened to read 3 articles all dealing with the theme of the extent to which we can trust research.

The EEF have created a 'Disciplinary Tree', I think it is like the Whomping Willow but I am not 100% sure. Check it out here - educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-ev...

Modelling Thinking Modelling Thinking: How Science Teachers Can Help Students Tackle GCSE Exam Questions

💫NEW BLOG ALERT 🚨Thinking aloud isn’t just narration—it’s a powerful teaching strategy 🗣️🧠
By modelling how we approach GCSE Science exam questions, we help students plan, monitor, and succeed.
Read more here 👉 researchschool.org.uk/manchester/b...

Did you do questions from the exam linked to common errors or similar questions? I also tried to do the review before the grades but they were almost as distracted by not knowing. I sometimes wonder if it would be better to give them the grades and then review in the next lesson.

Thanks. Bigger exam papers are so tricky to deal with. I used to model the poorly answered questions and then give them time to look through the reset.

That's really useful, thanks. It would work with a lot of different types of task.

That's amazing, thank you!

Anything, I varied the format depending on what I noticed when marking but I know some schools have specific slides they use. Do you use examples needing improvement as well as good ones? Do you use these to illustrate patterns you have identified or do you ask students for strengths and weaknesses?

I'm happy to see examples from science-adjacent subjects!

I'll start the ball rolling with an example of mine from a few years ago.

I'm looking for some examples of whole class feedback as a response to written work in science. Are there any science teachers out there who have some examples that they would be willing to share? @cogscisci.bsky.social @chatbiology.bsky.social @chatchemistry.bsky.social @chatphysics.bsky.social

How ‘process goals’ can improve student performance Research shows that some types of goals are much more likely to lead to academic success, writes Mark Roberts, as he explains how teachers can help students to set them

Are you getting goal setting right in your classroom? Research shows that setting the right kind of goal with students is crucial for motivation and progress, writes @mrenglishteach.bsky.social

Free download ⬇️ I authored an eBook for teachers (and students) about flashcards. Lots of practical tips focusing on using flashcards effectively & efficiently!
2366135.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/236613...

This is a favourite in our household, “ha ha Alfred Wegener”!

Are funny teachers more effective?
This is an interesting study because most studies on this are correlational, this uses randomised controlled experiments.

Joyous ownership of our pupils with SEND The responsibility for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) lies with everyone in a school. While a culture of joyous ownership is necessary, it can be undermined by unre…

#EduBlogClub in 2026 is going to start with the @teachertapp.bsky.social #1 blog from their Christmas countdown - Joyous Ownership Of Our Pupils With SEND.
8pm UK time. I’ll ask three questions over half an hour relating to the blog. Grab a brew and join the convo.
sendmatters.co.uk/2025/08/25/j...

That’s a great idea, thanks for organising!

Helping pupils to transfer their understanding into novel context is a notoriously difficult thing to do, but there are some strategies that you can try out.

Take a look at our sketchnote to get started.