Ben Rogers
@benrogersedu.bsky.social
UK teacher writing about subject knowledge, cognitive science and literacy. Also physics and primary science. Blogging at readingforlearning.org. author of the Big Ideas in Physics and Primary Science in a Nutshell.
Thanks Mark
No. 2 - one thing every new teacher should know is that good sentence construction is the foundation of good writing and needs to be taught explicitly. Loved the way @benrogersedu.bsky.social applied this idea to chemistry in this @rsc-eic.bsky.social piece.
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
Build better conceptual understanding
How you can model constructing complex sentences to improve learners' mental models
edu.rsc.org
November 1, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Thanks Mark
Reposted by Ben Rogers
🏗️ Sentences are the tools learners use to build mental models. Teacher @benrogersedu.bsky.social shares three techniques for helping learners to construct complex sentences about chemistry 👇
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
October 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
🏗️ Sentences are the tools learners use to build mental models. Teacher @benrogersedu.bsky.social shares three techniques for helping learners to construct complex sentences about chemistry 👇
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
Reposted by Ben Rogers
Discover three ways to improve your chemistry students' sentence writing, tried and tested by @benrogersedu.bsky.social, plus downloadable teacher notes to help plan your lessons ⬇️
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
#iteachchem #edusky
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
#iteachchem #edusky
Build better conceptual understanding
How you can model constructing complex sentences to improve learners' mental models
edu.rsc.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Discover three ways to improve your chemistry students' sentence writing, tried and tested by @benrogersedu.bsky.social, plus downloadable teacher notes to help plan your lessons ⬇️
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
#iteachchem #edusky
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
#iteachchem #edusky
Chemistry has several tools for developing and communicating complex ideas including models and formulas. Sentences are often neglected, but can you imagine a chemistry lesson without complex sentences?
🏗️ Sentences are the tools learners use to build mental models. Teacher @benrogersedu.bsky.social shares three techniques for helping learners to construct complex sentences about chemistry 👇
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
October 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Chemistry has several tools for developing and communicating complex ideas including models and formulas. Sentences are often neglected, but can you imagine a chemistry lesson without complex sentences?
Reposted by Ben Rogers
I am so beyond excited for this 😍
I am very excited to report that my book is now available for pre-order!!
If you like things that fly – be it aircraft, bugs or birds, then this book is for you!
I am also so delighted with the beautiful cover art by @Rachelhillustrates.bsky.social :)
www.penguin.co.uk/books/461507...
If you like things that fly – be it aircraft, bugs or birds, then this book is for you!
I am also so delighted with the beautiful cover art by @Rachelhillustrates.bsky.social :)
www.penguin.co.uk/books/461507...
August 13, 2025 at 8:17 AM
I am so beyond excited for this 😍
New post on the cognitive benefits of writing in full, rich and connected sentences across subjects: readingforlearning.org/2025/07/20/w...
Writing Full (and I Mean Really Full) Sentences in Subjects
When we quiz students for knowledge retrieval, we are helping them remember key knowledge but we aren’t helping them build that knowledge into rich connected schema. This is where sentences c…
readingforlearning.org
July 20, 2025 at 3:05 PM
New post on the cognitive benefits of writing in full, rich and connected sentences across subjects: readingforlearning.org/2025/07/20/w...
New post: the jobs sentences do in science: readingforlearning.org/2025/07/13/j...
Some Jobs Sentences Do in Science
I’ve been thinking a lot about how important sentences are in science. The new DfE Writing Framework puts sentences at the heart of writing in subjects, so here are some sentence types I woul…
readingforlearning.org
July 13, 2025 at 1:37 PM
New post: the jobs sentences do in science: readingforlearning.org/2025/07/13/j...
Reposted by Ben Rogers
Your weekend read ↓
Why questioning in lessons often fails (and what to do about it)
#EduBlogUK #EduSky #UKEd
Why questioning in lessons often fails (and what to do about it)
#EduBlogUK #EduSky #UKEd
New blog post ↓
Why questioning in biology lessons often fails (and what to do about it)
#iTeachBio #SciTeachUK
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
Why questioning in biology lessons often fails (and what to do about it)
#iTeachBio #SciTeachUK
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
Why classroom questioning often fails (and what to do about it)
Questioning often leads to confused students who don't participate. To counter this confusion we need to establish, what Tsui calls, common ground (2004). And there is an elegant method that solves th...
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com
May 24, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Your weekend read ↓
Why questioning in lessons often fails (and what to do about it)
#EduBlogUK #EduSky #UKEd
Why questioning in lessons often fails (and what to do about it)
#EduBlogUK #EduSky #UKEd
Inspired by The Writing Revolution, here's a physics version of but, because, so: readingforlearning.org/2025/06/26/a...
June 26, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Inspired by The Writing Revolution, here's a physics version of but, because, so: readingforlearning.org/2025/06/26/a...
Reposted by Ben Rogers
Redesigning our Year 9 curriculum to include Semmelweis and Snow, and vaccinations. Explaining through causality is part of our curricular metacontent. So these models build on a culture of explaining.
I explain metacontent here:
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
#iTeachBio #chatbiology
I explain metacontent here:
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
#iTeachBio #chatbiology
May 30, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Redesigning our Year 9 curriculum to include Semmelweis and Snow, and vaccinations. Explaining through causality is part of our curricular metacontent. So these models build on a culture of explaining.
I explain metacontent here:
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
#iTeachBio #chatbiology
I explain metacontent here:
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
#iTeachBio #chatbiology
Reposted by Ben Rogers
Teaching students how to write better sentences in science (a 3min video): drive.google.com/file/d/1D87U...
sentence expander
drive.google.com
April 14, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Teaching students how to write better sentences in science (a 3min video): drive.google.com/file/d/1D87U...
Reposted by Ben Rogers
How to teach sentence writing in science to develop deeper understanding. A new post readingforlearning.org/2025/04/15/b...
Build better sentences in science writing
How can we ensure students understand complex scientific ideas, beyond just recalling facts? Developing their ability to write clear, precise sentences about science is a powerful, often overlooked…
readingforlearning.org
April 15, 2025 at 5:31 PM
How to teach sentence writing in science to develop deeper understanding. A new post readingforlearning.org/2025/04/15/b...
Reposted by Ben Rogers
A key aim of chemistry education is to help young people understand the world they live in. Here is my new EiC article on how to teach chemistry for understanding the world: edu.rsc.org/endpoint/why...
edu.rsc.org
April 28, 2025 at 9:27 AM
A key aim of chemistry education is to help young people understand the world they live in. Here is my new EiC article on how to teach chemistry for understanding the world: edu.rsc.org/endpoint/why...
This is very good - linking cognitive science, knowledge and the science of reading. Lots of sticky notes! @natwexler.bsky.social
May 29, 2025 at 3:45 PM
This is very good - linking cognitive science, knowledge and the science of reading. Lots of sticky notes! @natwexler.bsky.social
I found this really thought provoking this morning - thanks Carl.
NEW POST: A new study shows that silent thinking boosts learning, but only under specific circumstances.
carlhendrick.substack.com/p/does-think...
carlhendrick.substack.com/p/does-think...
Does thinking silently about answers help you learn?
Teachers often assume students think along silently when others answer. A new study shows that unless they're actively engaged, they might not be learning much.
carlhendrick.substack.com
May 25, 2025 at 9:54 AM
I found this really thought provoking this morning - thanks Carl.
I got a lot out of this Alex - thank you.
🚨 NEW 🚨
Teachers have heard of Barak Rosenshine’s principles of instruction, but what about his essential insights into ‘knowledge structures’?
‘Rosenshine on knowledge structures’
alexquigley.co.uk/rosenshine-o...
Teachers have heard of Barak Rosenshine’s principles of instruction, but what about his essential insights into ‘knowledge structures’?
‘Rosenshine on knowledge structures’
alexquigley.co.uk/rosenshine-o...
Rosenshine on Knowledge Structures
Barak Rosenshine is most famous for his principles of instruction, but what did he have to say about building knowledge?
In his writing on ‘Advances in research on instruction’, he put forward the i...
alexquigley.co.uk
May 25, 2025 at 9:50 AM
I got a lot out of this Alex - thank you.
Who knew - sometimes when pupils are reading in class, they aren't paying full attention! Evidence here: readingforlearning.org/2025/05/24/t...
This week’s surprising news: some readers aren’t concentrating as hard as we’d like.
My Trust has an online reading programme which sets quizzes based on short texts. The pupils have a choice of text at the right level for them. The quiz pass rate is 8/10. We’ve analysed quiz…
readingforlearning.org
May 24, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Who knew - sometimes when pupils are reading in class, they aren't paying full attention! Evidence here: readingforlearning.org/2025/05/24/t...
How closely do you need to support readers' comprehension? For some readers, a lot. readingforlearning.org/2025/05/24/t...
This week’s surprising news: some readers aren’t concentrating as hard as we’d like.
My Trust has an online reading programme which sets quizzes based on short texts. The pupils have a choice of text at the right level for them. The quiz pass rate is 8/10. We’ve analysed quiz…
readingforlearning.org
May 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
How closely do you need to support readers' comprehension? For some readers, a lot. readingforlearning.org/2025/05/24/t...
Reposted by Ben Rogers
Are you a mathematics teacher in the UK?
Or do you work in a job that requires the regular use of mathematics?
Or do you work in a job that requires the regular use of mathematics?
May 22, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Are you a mathematics teacher in the UK?
Or do you work in a job that requires the regular use of mathematics?
Or do you work in a job that requires the regular use of mathematics?
A new post - using short connected texts to enrich the content you've taught: readingforlearning.org/2025/05/18/a...
May 18, 2025 at 1:33 PM
A new post - using short connected texts to enrich the content you've taught: readingforlearning.org/2025/05/18/a...
Inspired by the DfEs new secondary school literacy publication, here's a practical new post about reading comprehension readingforlearning.org/2025/05/11/w...
Words Flowing Through Me: Nothing Going In
Sometimes when I read, the words just flow through me. The meaning doesn’t go in. Comprehension isn’t passive: it takes effort to extract the meaning. If I’m reading for a purpose, or if I’m readin…
readingforlearning.org
May 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Inspired by the DfEs new secondary school literacy publication, here's a practical new post about reading comprehension readingforlearning.org/2025/05/11/w...
I'm on the great Physics Teaching Podcast! "Modelling Electricity with Ben Rogers is live! Join Robin, Rosie and friend-of-the-Podcast-and-author for a delectable selection of ways to teach electricity spanning from year 4 all the way through to some fun ideas for year 12 A-level classes."
May 11, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I'm on the great Physics Teaching Podcast! "Modelling Electricity with Ben Rogers is live! Join Robin, Rosie and friend-of-the-Podcast-and-author for a delectable selection of ways to teach electricity spanning from year 4 all the way through to some fun ideas for year 12 A-level classes."
New post - teaching reading comprehension strategies - classroom tips readingforlearning.org/2025/05/11/w...
Words Flowing Through Me: Nothing Going In
Sometimes when I read, the words just flow through me. The meaning doesn’t go in. Comprehension isn’t passive: it takes effort to extract the meaning. If I’m reading for a purpose, or if I’m readin…
readingforlearning.org
May 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
New post - teaching reading comprehension strategies - classroom tips readingforlearning.org/2025/05/11/w...
I'm listening to Science of Reading: The Podcast | A guide to integrating knowledge building into your classroom, with Jackie Relyea, Ph.D. on Podbean, check it out! www.podbean.com/ea/dir-csynn...
A guide to integrating knowledge building into your classroom, with Jackie Relyea, Ph.D.
In this special episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Jackie Relyea, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at North Carolina State University, who’ll give y...
www.podbean.com
May 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I'm listening to Science of Reading: The Podcast | A guide to integrating knowledge building into your classroom, with Jackie Relyea, Ph.D. on Podbean, check it out! www.podbean.com/ea/dir-csynn...
Question: to what extent is your subject about understanding the world and how much about preparation for the next stage in learning? I think it's something like this for science.
May 9, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Question: to what extent is your subject about understanding the world and how much about preparation for the next stage in learning? I think it's something like this for science.