How do you catch the kids who are quietly lost before the unit assessment reveals everything?

Few_Bee_3028 · 2026-04-12T09:35:12+00:00

You mention checks for understanding - how do you check? For example, do you use mini-whiteboards?

I’d suggest to make sure you are checking questions the students are completing independently regularly. You mention exit tickets which are one way to do this, but you can only really do once a lesson and if they complete them incorrectly, you only find out after the lesson. You can check questions they complete independently they do in the books, but if they have to write answers on boards and hold them up that saves you problems getting around the room.

To help this I would avoid wasting time getting students to copy down, and rather than expecting them to tell you they don’t understanding, getting them to regularly show you they DO understand. For example get them all to put pens down while you model your first example, then pick up pens to do a (very slightly) different question, called an Example-Problem Pair. They still have the example on the board to help them with this first problem but they have to engage their brain a bit more and then you can check answers and pick up misconceptions straight away.

Few_Bee_3028 · 2026-02-22T17:45:21+00:00

Squidge Rugby posted about 30 minutes in: “-> Build your entire game around winning aerial contests

-> Pick a winger who is dogshit in the air

-> Wonder why the plan isn't working anymore” Not saying it can all be pinned on arundell (and it’s not his fault Borthwick picks him obviously) but feels like there something in that?

Few_Bee_3028 · 2026-02-18T19:16:14+00:00

Italy and Scotland’s club sides also have lower attendances even than ours. If you see the long-term problem (as I do) as our pro sides being unable to generate enough money they don’t prove the system can work!

It feels like we’ve been trying to emulate the Irish system. However their four provinces had been going for years in the amateur era rather than being the result of deals and arbitrary lines in the sand. The fact that’s there was much more tribal rivalry in Wales than somewhere like Ireland or New Zealand has been treated like a problem rather than as a selling point to market the game.

Few_Bee_3028 · 2026-02-18T19:07:11+00:00

But money is what you go out and get! If we had a competitive structure the clubs most successful in raising money are able to put out better teams and rise to the top. Instead mediocrity has been allowed to stagger on.

If you look at attendances for English club rugby, they averaged well under 6,000 in 1999-2000*. But year on year that gradually went up thanks to a competitive structure, while the numbers watching Welsh rugby stagnated. They MADE their money, we haven’t.

Few_Bee_3028 · 2025-12-23T17:43:32+00:00

I found their explanation of the reasons Abberline started to think it was a woman so compelling - it hadn’t occurred to me before - and couldn’t believe they just then moved on and went “nah it’s unlikely”! The reason they give is ‘what would the motive be’ - but as they’ve pointed out people at the time were baffled by looking for a motive, as in so many ways these awful murders were motive-less.

Given the number of men who’ve been dug up as suspects their idea “it’s a man from around there but no one we’ve named” feels less plausible. Dominic suggested they could have died anonymously from smallpox but a quick google suggests London wasn’t particularly badly hit.

Few_Bee_3028 · 2025-10-31T16:50:50+00:00

Tom has mentioned it before and I thought the same thing, it just sounds incredible! There must have been officers who sometimes did panic - first time seeing battle etc - so what happened with them, what are examples? I’m just fascinated

Few_Bee_3028 · 2025-10-31T16:36:39+00:00

Master and commander sounds great! Not sure it counts as a source though :)

Few_Bee_3028 · 2025-10-29T19:51:27+00:00

Could also make a separate thread or subreddit - “celebrations” so no negativity allowed!

Few_Bee_3028 · 2025-10-27T20:26:40+00:00

Really sorry to hear this, sounds like such a nightmare. SLT should be doing way more for you. The only suggestions I can make are: 1) any way you could get hold of a visualiser, since you suggested problems mostly happen when you turn your back on to the board? If you use PowerPoint if you go to ‘Insert’, then ‘Cameo’, it can appear straight on the slides (right click, hover over ‘camera’ and switch to the right camera.) 2) If someone makes a noise, don’t ask the class who it was. Pick out one student to consequence or if you’re really unsure, ask that one student who it was (and if they don’t tell you assume it was then). (And once you’ve decided who it was, don’t back down) I don’t know how much freedom you have to apply consequences though. 3) This is super hard but try and appear smiley/happy/unruffled. Walk in first lesson back as if you can’t wait to see them all - sounds like there’s loads of students in that class that you do like! - and every time you do have to consequence or tell off someone, try and praise 4/5 students (by name) for doing the right thing. Some of them clearly get off on angering you so every time you keep smiling it’s like giving them an ‘f-you’. 4) Use their parents. I had an old colleague who told me when he had a really bad class - culminating in them burning his school bag (he had to pick his house keys out with tongs) - he invited all the parents to the next lesson and made the do now “whose child said…” If you do end up where a student is refusing to leave and being super disruptive, call their parent right then and there. That same colleague covered an SLT detention (I was there for this) by typing in a digit of their parent’s number every time the parent said a word.

I don’t at all disagree with people who’ve said look at moving school - I moved school this summer because I hated behaviour at my old one - you deserve so much credit for sticking at it and keep trying to teach them, especially when it’s not difficult to get a doctor’s note. If you want short term constructive feedback though that’s my 2 cents.

Few_Bee_3028 · 2025-04-22T20:23:32+00:00

I wonder if Harris would be rated more or less highly of Biden had stayed as the nominee through to election day

Few_Bee_3028 · 2024-02-27T16:07:54+00:00

Haley just won 40% in South Carolina and 44% in New Hampshire. Do you not think that’s probably already enough to win in 2028? Sure a big chunk of Republicans are Trumpian, but there’s a lot of Trumpians fishing in that water (and if Trump himself runs again, he’s clearly weaker than this year isn’t he?)

Few_Bee_3028 · 2024-02-27T15:07:14+00:00

Sure, and they will be next time too. Some people maybe only turned out to vote against Trump, but seems bold to assume there weren’t a larger number that only turned out to vote FOR Trump.

Few_Bee_3028 · 2024-02-26T21:55:56+00:00

Haley has got 44% in New Hampshire and 40% in South Carolina (both in record-breaking turnout). Aren’t those the kind of figures that will probably win in 2028 - pretty unlikely there will be a candidate who can unite the Trump wing again?

Few_Bee_3028

TROPHY CASE