Nick Pointer
@nickpointer.bsky.social
Obsessed with education, teaching and learning, professional development and school improvement. Associate Dean at Ambition Institute. Words mine.
For blogs and more: https://nickpointer.com
For blogs and more: https://nickpointer.com
🧠 ResearchEd National this Saturday!
My session is straight after lunch in Room M07:
🎓 14.00-14.40 | Session 5: Consistency Is Killing Us: Reclaiming teacher professionalism and agency through PD at scale
Leaders, teacher educators, professional development leads and mentors - see you there!
My session is straight after lunch in Room M07:
🎓 14.00-14.40 | Session 5: Consistency Is Killing Us: Reclaiming teacher professionalism and agency through PD at scale
Leaders, teacher educators, professional development leads and mentors - see you there!
September 4, 2025 at 12:42 PM
🧠 ResearchEd National this Saturday!
My session is straight after lunch in Room M07:
🎓 14.00-14.40 | Session 5: Consistency Is Killing Us: Reclaiming teacher professionalism and agency through PD at scale
Leaders, teacher educators, professional development leads and mentors - see you there!
My session is straight after lunch in Room M07:
🎓 14.00-14.40 | Session 5: Consistency Is Killing Us: Reclaiming teacher professionalism and agency through PD at scale
Leaders, teacher educators, professional development leads and mentors - see you there!
EdFest Session 4: Professional learning and teacher agency to improve recruitment and retention panel
NFER’s @jackworth.bsky.social:
- UK teachers rate CPD experiences as area they have lowest degree of influence over.
- PD experiences are v.closely associated with teacher retention (or lack of)…!
NFER’s @jackworth.bsky.social:
- UK teachers rate CPD experiences as area they have lowest degree of influence over.
- PD experiences are v.closely associated with teacher retention (or lack of)…!
July 3, 2025 at 12:03 PM
EdFest Session 4: Professional learning and teacher agency to improve recruitment and retention panel
NFER’s @jackworth.bsky.social:
- UK teachers rate CPD experiences as area they have lowest degree of influence over.
- PD experiences are v.closely associated with teacher retention (or lack of)…!
NFER’s @jackworth.bsky.social:
- UK teachers rate CPD experiences as area they have lowest degree of influence over.
- PD experiences are v.closely associated with teacher retention (or lack of)…!
Link to curriculum design - we want to avoid an instrumentalist approach, and ensure that teachers are making high quality choices and when and how to enact formative action in their teaching.
Through: constructive alignment - linking goals to teaching activities to formative action approaches.
Through: constructive alignment - linking goals to teaching activities to formative action approaches.
July 3, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Link to curriculum design - we want to avoid an instrumentalist approach, and ensure that teachers are making high quality choices and when and how to enact formative action in their teaching.
Through: constructive alignment - linking goals to teaching activities to formative action approaches.
Through: constructive alignment - linking goals to teaching activities to formative action approaches.
The final step? Checking and monitoring to see whether the action has made a difference.
This is important not just for the teacher, but for pupils to self-monitor their progress, and to feel more successful following the formative action!
This might be done using a “mirror question”.
This is important not just for the teacher, but for pupils to self-monitor their progress, and to feel more successful following the formative action!
This might be done using a “mirror question”.
July 3, 2025 at 11:21 AM
The final step? Checking and monitoring to see whether the action has made a difference.
This is important not just for the teacher, but for pupils to self-monitor their progress, and to feel more successful following the formative action!
This might be done using a “mirror question”.
This is important not just for the teacher, but for pupils to self-monitor their progress, and to feel more successful following the formative action!
This might be done using a “mirror question”.
And, there are a range of actions we might take off the back of the information gathered, but, in any case, René says we have be able to respond quickly!
How to do this? A pre-requisite first step - predicting problems.
How to do this? A pre-requisite first step - predicting problems.
July 3, 2025 at 11:16 AM
And, there are a range of actions we might take off the back of the information gathered, but, in any case, René says we have be able to respond quickly!
How to do this? A pre-requisite first step - predicting problems.
How to do this? A pre-requisite first step - predicting problems.
And now back to @rkneyber.bsky.social on the active ingredients of formative action that makes a difference.
July 3, 2025 at 11:10 AM
And now back to @rkneyber.bsky.social on the active ingredients of formative action that makes a difference.
@valentinadevid.bsky.social making it clear that these formative action processes need to be top-and-tailed with a) ensuring pupils have a really clear sense of what good looks like, and b) a focus on how meaningful and useful feedback is given.
July 3, 2025 at 11:04 AM
@valentinadevid.bsky.social making it clear that these formative action processes need to be top-and-tailed with a) ensuring pupils have a really clear sense of what good looks like, and b) a focus on how meaningful and useful feedback is given.
Other important differentiators:
- A focus on the difference between *learning* and *performance*.
- Increased discussion around the relevant points in lessons/curricula where teachers might best deploy these approaches.
- A focus on the difference between *learning* and *performance*.
- Increased discussion around the relevant points in lessons/curricula where teachers might best deploy these approaches.
July 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Other important differentiators:
- A focus on the difference between *learning* and *performance*.
- Increased discussion around the relevant points in lessons/curricula where teachers might best deploy these approaches.
- A focus on the difference between *learning* and *performance*.
- Increased discussion around the relevant points in lessons/curricula where teachers might best deploy these approaches.
Why reframe to ‘Formative Action’?
- Increased emphasis on teachers acting - doing something - with the information elicited, as opposed to a misplaced focus on the idea of assessment.
- Increased emphasis on teachers acting - doing something - with the information elicited, as opposed to a misplaced focus on the idea of assessment.
July 3, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Why reframe to ‘Formative Action’?
- Increased emphasis on teachers acting - doing something - with the information elicited, as opposed to a misplaced focus on the idea of assessment.
- Increased emphasis on teachers acting - doing something - with the information elicited, as opposed to a misplaced focus on the idea of assessment.
EdFest Session 3: Formative Action with René Kneyber @rkneyber.bsky.social and Valentina Devid @valentinadevid.bsky.social
Intro - formative action is another way of talking about formative assessment!
#EducationFestival
Intro - formative action is another way of talking about formative assessment!
#EducationFestival
July 3, 2025 at 10:50 AM
EdFest Session 3: Formative Action with René Kneyber @rkneyber.bsky.social and Valentina Devid @valentinadevid.bsky.social
Intro - formative action is another way of talking about formative assessment!
#EducationFestival
Intro - formative action is another way of talking about formative assessment!
#EducationFestival
Phenomenal provision clearly happening at all levels of the school, with some incredible stories of the impact this has had on the young people Derby Moor work with ⭐️
#EducationFestival
#EducationFestival
July 3, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Phenomenal provision clearly happening at all levels of the school, with some incredible stories of the impact this has had on the young people Derby Moor work with ⭐️
#EducationFestival
#EducationFestival
Thrive - ARP largely for SEMH needs
Nurture - Y7 transition provision for pupils identified as needing support
Innovate - ARP for pupils working significantly below age and with multiple and/or profound needs
- All supported by a key multi-disciplinary/agency team:
Nurture - Y7 transition provision for pupils identified as needing support
Innovate - ARP for pupils working significantly below age and with multiple and/or profound needs
- All supported by a key multi-disciplinary/agency team:
July 3, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Thrive - ARP largely for SEMH needs
Nurture - Y7 transition provision for pupils identified as needing support
Innovate - ARP for pupils working significantly below age and with multiple and/or profound needs
- All supported by a key multi-disciplinary/agency team:
Nurture - Y7 transition provision for pupils identified as needing support
Innovate - ARP for pupils working significantly below age and with multiple and/or profound needs
- All supported by a key multi-disciplinary/agency team:
Other element of EP: Nurture transition for pupils with additional support needs coming in from Year 6.
- Again, re-aligning teaching with main school curriculum, to allow reintegration as a time appropriate to pupil.
- Run by assistant SENCO, decision making about gate keeping by wider SEND team.
- Again, re-aligning teaching with main school curriculum, to allow reintegration as a time appropriate to pupil.
- Run by assistant SENCO, decision making about gate keeping by wider SEND team.
July 3, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Other element of EP: Nurture transition for pupils with additional support needs coming in from Year 6.
- Again, re-aligning teaching with main school curriculum, to allow reintegration as a time appropriate to pupil.
- Run by assistant SENCO, decision making about gate keeping by wider SEND team.
- Again, re-aligning teaching with main school curriculum, to allow reintegration as a time appropriate to pupil.
- Run by assistant SENCO, decision making about gate keeping by wider SEND team.
- New and well resourced facilities.
- Bringing in specialist teachers from mainstream to teach subjects at both KS3 and KS4 - these teachers handpicked as the most effective and most skilled, not just those in time free on timetable.
- QA of T&L same as in mainstream part of school
- Bringing in specialist teachers from mainstream to teach subjects at both KS3 and KS4 - these teachers handpicked as the most effective and most skilled, not just those in time free on timetable.
- QA of T&L same as in mainstream part of school
July 3, 2025 at 9:50 AM
- New and well resourced facilities.
- Bringing in specialist teachers from mainstream to teach subjects at both KS3 and KS4 - these teachers handpicked as the most effective and most skilled, not just those in time free on timetable.
- QA of T&L same as in mainstream part of school
- Bringing in specialist teachers from mainstream to teach subjects at both KS3 and KS4 - these teachers handpicked as the most effective and most skilled, not just those in time free on timetable.
- QA of T&L same as in mainstream part of school
EdFest Session 2: Sarah McAneny-Vincent and Scott Doyle from Spencer Academies Trust on inclusion-by-design.
Starting off by setting out their aspiration - to live the slogan of “Once Derby Moor, always Derby Moor” for all children in the care of the school.
#EducationFestival
Starting off by setting out their aspiration - to live the slogan of “Once Derby Moor, always Derby Moor” for all children in the care of the school.
#EducationFestival
July 3, 2025 at 9:43 AM
EdFest Session 2: Sarah McAneny-Vincent and Scott Doyle from Spencer Academies Trust on inclusion-by-design.
Starting off by setting out their aspiration - to live the slogan of “Once Derby Moor, always Derby Moor” for all children in the care of the school.
#EducationFestival
Starting off by setting out their aspiration - to live the slogan of “Once Derby Moor, always Derby Moor” for all children in the care of the school.
#EducationFestival
And finally @douglemov.bsky.social sharing a great starter kit for how we can use cold call in a way that’s warm, invitational and inclusive 🙌🏽
#EducationFest
#EducationFest
July 3, 2025 at 9:15 AM
And finally @douglemov.bsky.social sharing a great starter kit for how we can use cold call in a way that’s warm, invitational and inclusive 🙌🏽
#EducationFest
#EducationFest
Back with @bradleybusch.bsky.social, explaining how incredibly warm and inclusive use of cold calling can increase pupil volunteering of answers over time and reduce “social loafing”!
July 3, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Back with @bradleybusch.bsky.social, explaining how incredibly warm and inclusive use of cold calling can increase pupil volunteering of answers over time and reduce “social loafing”!
Why is this relevant? @douglemov.bsky.social tells us that in class, teachers and students constantly have to make decisions that are a) rapid and b) complex! And the risk is that our working memories are liable to being overloaded by the cognitive load of making decisions in the classroom
July 3, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Why is this relevant? @douglemov.bsky.social tells us that in class, teachers and students constantly have to make decisions that are a) rapid and b) complex! And the risk is that our working memories are liable to being overloaded by the cognitive load of making decisions in the classroom
EdFest Session 1: @bradleybusch.bsky.social introducing Hick’s Law, where the greater the number of options we have, the longer it takes us to make a decision.
Conclusion? Too much freedom and autonomy can be overwhelming - particularly when we need to make choices that are a) quick and b) complex
Conclusion? Too much freedom and autonomy can be overwhelming - particularly when we need to make choices that are a) quick and b) complex
July 3, 2025 at 8:36 AM
EdFest Session 1: @bradleybusch.bsky.social introducing Hick’s Law, where the greater the number of options we have, the longer it takes us to make a decision.
Conclusion? Too much freedom and autonomy can be overwhelming - particularly when we need to make choices that are a) quick and b) complex
Conclusion? Too much freedom and autonomy can be overwhelming - particularly when we need to make choices that are a) quick and b) complex
Stunning day in Cornwall for Inspiring the South West curriculum conference!
Thanks to @celtacademies.bsky.social and @moremorrow.bsky.social for having me - this is such an exciting time for schools in the SW - really pleased to be here to talk about the curriculum and CPD.
#InspiringSW
Thanks to @celtacademies.bsky.social and @moremorrow.bsky.social for having me - this is such an exciting time for schools in the SW - really pleased to be here to talk about the curriculum and CPD.
#InspiringSW
March 1, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Stunning day in Cornwall for Inspiring the South West curriculum conference!
Thanks to @celtacademies.bsky.social and @moremorrow.bsky.social for having me - this is such an exciting time for schools in the SW - really pleased to be here to talk about the curriculum and CPD.
#InspiringSW
Thanks to @celtacademies.bsky.social and @moremorrow.bsky.social for having me - this is such an exciting time for schools in the SW - really pleased to be here to talk about the curriculum and CPD.
#InspiringSW
Such a pleasure to co-facilitate "Implementing CPD so it Sticks" with @singhamarbeerg.bsky.social.
A great group who had some fab discussions about teacher professional development that's both impactful and sustainable.
My first time working with @innerdrive.bsky.social - thanks for having me! 🤓
A great group who had some fab discussions about teacher professional development that's both impactful and sustainable.
My first time working with @innerdrive.bsky.social - thanks for having me! 🤓
February 10, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Such a pleasure to co-facilitate "Implementing CPD so it Sticks" with @singhamarbeerg.bsky.social.
A great group who had some fab discussions about teacher professional development that's both impactful and sustainable.
My first time working with @innerdrive.bsky.social - thanks for having me! 🤓
A great group who had some fab discussions about teacher professional development that's both impactful and sustainable.
My first time working with @innerdrive.bsky.social - thanks for having me! 🤓
Brooding post-Darragh sunset in the south-west. Not a bad view to be marking assignments to…
December 8, 2024 at 4:37 PM
Brooding post-Darragh sunset in the south-west. Not a bad view to be marking assignments to…
As one who puts a fair bit of emphasis on google reviews for places to eat and drink (perhaps too much?), I don’t love it when companies try to manipulate or pressure customers into giving 5-star reviews…
This particular angle is a new one to me - adding a guilt trip into the mix! Dislike.
This particular angle is a new one to me - adding a guilt trip into the mix! Dislike.
September 16, 2024 at 9:52 AM
As one who puts a fair bit of emphasis on google reviews for places to eat and drink (perhaps too much?), I don’t love it when companies try to manipulate or pressure customers into giving 5-star reviews…
This particular angle is a new one to me - adding a guilt trip into the mix! Dislike.
This particular angle is a new one to me - adding a guilt trip into the mix! Dislike.