Responding to Advice by @timcscarborough

Name: Tim Scarborough
Twitter name: @timcscarborough
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): English
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? Responding to advice

1: Be polite, even if you disagree. You may have a real issue with someone’s teaching philosophy, but at least listen to their reasoning first.

2: Test it (within reason). There will be some things that you’ve tried and know won’t work, but most people don’t throw out advice without some evidence, so ask them why.

3: Confront it with evidence. If you don’t buy it, or if you know it doesn’t stand up, try to show that it’s unsupported – many recent fads have been comprehensively debunked.

4: Don’t take on too much. There’s no value in trying to adopt six new ideas in one term and doing none of them well; pick one and give it a fair go.

5: Be consistent in what you adopt. Use caution when taking a ‘fusion’ approach that includes elements of progressive and traditional teaching; it muddies your results.

Advice by @Bigkid4

Name: None given
Twitter name: Bigkid4
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): Mathematics
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? Advice

1: You will get a lot of advice from a lot of different people. Do not try to implement all of it at the same time.

2: Advice you agree with is not necessarily GOOD advice, Conversely advice you disagree with is not necessarily BAD advice.

3: You can disregard advice. If someone has a problem with you not taking their advice then what they’re offering is not advice.

4: Not all techniques, methods and styles are transferable If something works for someone else it doesn’t necessarily mean it is right for you.

5: Most people that offer advice mean well. Remember that when someone’s advice turns out to be terrible.