Links
Appendix 3: Examples of useful websites
Providers of web resources for teachers do so for a range of purposes. Some sites are professional such as subject associations sharing knowledge between professionals, others explicitly support government policy so advice may be changed or withdrawn on ideological grounds, and others are designed to sell you products. The list below includes websites from
- Professional Associations, Teaching Councils and Unions (see also Appendix 2)
- Charities and University Research Centres and social enterprises
- Government funded organisations, and;
- Private companies.
For the most part, we have excluded websites apparently linked with just one individual. Exceptions are where the individuals have clearly researched and published widely in the area.
There are formal and informal networks on various social media sites including: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.
You are advised to check the reliability of any advice – on the web or in print. For teaching to be an evidence-informed profession, teachers need to know the strength of evidence for any pedagogical intervention. By strength of evidence we mean:
- Methods and ethics: Has the advice been gathered by ethical (see the BERA ethical code www.bera.ac.uk) and reliable research methods (See Unit 5.4 and Patterson’s MESHGuides). Usual research instruments are interviews, questionnaires, documentary analysis and observation but there is huge variation of options within each instrument.
- Independence: Were the researchers independent? Who funded the research? Were researchers free to publish adverse findings?
- Quality assurance: Has the advice been independently peer-reviewed? Peer review, by an independent panel of educators, is the normal form of quality assurance used for professional association and professional journal sites. Materials from other sites may or may not be peer reviewed.
- Sample: What is the size and type of the sample used to provide the evidence? What confidence does this give you in the results?
- Transferability: How transferable is the advice likely to be? How similar is the research context to your context. This is not at all to say you reject research and evidence from contexts different to your own but just that you need to bring your professional judgement to bear in applying the findings. Teachers in many countries face similar challenges in maximising the learning of young people and there is a lot to learn from solutions elsewhere.
All websites listed here were accessed in July 2018.
Further information is given only where it is not obvious what the website offers.
The list starts with generic websites followed by a list of sites grouped alphabetically by theme (e.g. Behaviour, Neuroscience, Subject Associations, Unions).
Generic Websites - covering a wide range of areas:
British Education Research Tool in Education (BERTIE)
Education Endowment Foundation: see EEF
Education Evidence Portal (This is a search tool for specific sites but has not been updated since the 2012 decisions of the UK coalition government to close online services for teachers in England. It is useful for historical documents)
Education-line repository of British Education Research Association conferences research papers
EEF (Education Endowment Foundation)
ERIC – USA government Education Resources Information Center
Evidence for Policy and Practice Information Centre This has a list of systematic reviews of practice in education.
MESHGuides (Mapping Education Specialist knowhow)
Seneca Learning- free homework and revision platform
Stanford University Teaching Commons – Resources tab
UK Government
England
Department for Education and inspection Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)
Northern Ireland
Department of Education Northern Ireland and inspection The Education and Training Inspectorate Northern Ireland
Scotland
Education Scotland and The Scottish Government
Wales
Welsh Government and inspection Estyn – the office of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales
YouTube
Additional websites by theme
A
Assessment for learning: see specialist MESHGuides www.meshguides.org and, for example,
D. Wiliam: www.dylanwiliam.org/Dylan_Wiliams_website/Welcome.html
Autism: National Autistic Society: www.nas.org.uk
B
Behaviour
- (September 2014) https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-behaviour-and-attendance-in-schools
- (April 2012) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools
- (July 2013) behaviour checklist https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools
- (July 2013) Guidance for governing bodies https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools-guidance-for-governing-bodies
- (July 2013) Use of reasonable force https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-reasonable-force-in-schools
- (February 2014) Screening, searching and confiscation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/searching-screening-and-confiscation
- (August 2013) Preventing and Tackling Bullying https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying
C
Citizenship:
- British Humanist Association: www.humanism.org.uk/education/education-policy
- Citizenship Foundation: www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk
CitizED subject resource bank: www.citized.info. Accessed 09.04.15 - Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues: http://www.jubileecentre.ac.uk
Code of practice for teaching – see Teaching Councils
Curriculum – national requirements:
- England https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-framework-for-key-stages-1-to-4/the-national-curriculum-in-england-framework-for-key-stages-1-to-4
- Northern Ireland
http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/ - Scotland http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/thecurriculum/whatiscurriculumforexcellence/
- Wales http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/schoolshome/curriculuminwales/arevisedcurriculumforwales/?lang=en
D
Deaf and Hearing Impaired:
- National Deaf Children’s Society: www.ndcs.org.uk;
- BATOD Foundation http://www.batodfoundation.org.uk /
Dialogic teaching:
- Alexander, R. (2015) http://www.robinalexander.org.uk/dialogic-teaching/
- University of Cambridge http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/dialogic/whatis.html
E
English as an additional language:
- N. Flynn (2015) Teaching English as an Additional Language MESHGuide. University of Winchester, UK: www.meshguides.org/category/meshguides-published/general-pedagogy/english-as-an-additional-language-general-pedagogy/
- Equal and Human Rights Commission (EHRC): www.equalityhumanrights.com
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation (focus: poverty and injustice): www.jrf.org.uk
Ethics:
- Professional – see Teaching Councils
- Research – see BERA
Europe: European Schoolnet (EUN): www.eun.org
H
Handwriting
- National Handwriting Association: www.nha-handwriting.org.uk
Health:
- British Nutrition Foundation: www.nutrition.org.uk
- Food Standards Agency: www.eatwell.gov.uk
- NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence): www.nice.org.uk/guidance
I
Intelligences: H. Gardner: http://howardgardner.com/multiple-intelligences
L
Lesson study:
Learning theories:
- see the specialist sites in this list
- G. Claxton (2015) Building Learning Power: www.buildinglearningpower.co.uk/
N
Names (remembering):
- Buzan: www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/psychology/buzan-on-how-remember-names-and-faces
- TeacherVision: www.teachervision.com/teaching-methods/classroom-management/6708.html
- National Qualifications Framework (NQF): https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean
Neuroscience:
- S. Blakemore: www.ted.com/talks/sarah_jayne_blakemore_the_mysterious_workings_of_the_adolescent_brain?language=en
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education led by Professor Usha Goswami: www.cne.psychol.cam.ac.uk/people/ucg10@cam.ac.uk
- Neuroscience for Kids: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
- Royal Society: http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/brain-waves/education-lifelong-learning
- The Brain from Top to Bottom: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca
- The International Mind, Brain and Education Society: www.imbes.org
P
Philosophy
- Philosophy of Education www.philosophy-of-education.org/resources/students/video-listing.html
Projects:
- Collaborative projects across Europe – E-twinning: www.etwinning.net/en/pub/index.htm
- WebQuests UK: www.webquestuk.org.uk/
R
Research methods/research ethics:
- British Educational Research Association: www.bera.ac.uk
- E. Patterson (2016) Research Methods 1: How to Get Started on a Literature Review MESHGuide, University of Winchester: www.meshguides.org/
- E. Patterson (2016) Research Methods 2: Developing Your Research Design MESHGuide, University of Winchester: www.meshguides.org/
- E. Patterson (2016) Research Methods 3: Considering Ethics in Your Research MESHGuide, University of Winchester: www.meshguides.org/
Risk:
- CLEAPSS: www.cleapss.org.uk/attachments/article/0/L196.pdf?Secondary/Science/Guides/
- Eaton Vale Schools Activity Centre: www.eatonvale.co.uk/schools/riskassessments.aspx
- Health and Safety Executive: www.hse.gov.uk/risk/classroom-checklist.htm
S
Safer Internet Day: https://www.saferinternetday.org
SEND: see also deaf, dyslexia:
- NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs): www.nasen.org.uk/ and www.nasen.org.uk/onlinesendcpd/
- M. Blamires and others (2014) Special Educational Needs and Disability: Enabling Pupil Participation MESHGuide: www.meshguides.org/category/special-needs-2/enabling-pupil-participation-special-needs-2/
- The Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PATOSS): www.patoss-dyslexia.org
- Royal National Institute for the Blind: www.rnib.org.uk
Subject associations are represented by the Council for Subject Associations: www.subjectassociation.org.uk/. Here is the list of subject associations: www.subjectassociation.org.uk/members_links.aspx
T
Teacher Support Network: www.teachersupport.info (24-hour confidential counselling)
Teacher Training Resource Bank:
- www.ttrb3.org.uk/, maintained by Mike Blamires
- http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101021152907/ www.ttrb.ac.uk/
Teachers’ councils:
- England (GTCE, closed by UK government 2011, College of Teaching now being developed (2016)): http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20111213132132/http:/www.gtce.org.uk
- Northern Ireland: www.gtcni.org.uk/
- Scotland: www.gtcs.org.uk/home/home.aspx
- Wales: www.teachertrainingcymru.org/node/26
Teacher Standards:
- England: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1662/schedule/2/made
- Northern Ireland: www.deni.gov.uk/index/school-staff/teachers-teachinginnorthernireland_pg.htm
- Scotland: www.gtcs.org.uk/standards/
- Wales: http://gov.wales/topics/educationandskills/publications/circulars/becomingateacher/?lang=en
Teaching and Learning: As well as MESHGuides (www.meshguides.org) and Education Endowment Foundation and EPPI Centre above, see the specialist sites listed here and British Council/British Broadcasting Corporation Learning Styles and Teaching: www.teachingenglish. org.uk/articles/learning-styles-teaching
Thinking: see also Dialogic teaching:
- Education Scotland (2015) Skills in Practice: Thinking Skills: www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/s/skillsinpracticethinkingskills/knowing.asp
- University of Cambridge, Thinking Together: https://thinkingtogether.educ.cam.ac.uk/
- University of Cambridge/Professor Neil Mercer (2015) Thinking Together:
http://thinkingtogether.educ.cam.ac.uk/resources/
Transitions: www.dundee.ac.uk/eswce/research/resources/
U
Unions: some professional associations listed on the CfSA site (www.subjectassociation.org.uk) are also unions and some invest in research.
- Association of Teachers and Lecturers, England, Wales and Northern Ireland (ATL): www.atl.org.uk/
- Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, Northern Ireland: www.into.ie/NI/
- National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (NASUWT): www.nasuwt.org.uk/
- National Union of Teachers, England and Wales (NUT): www.teachers.org.uk/
- Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, Scotland: www.ssta.org.uk
- The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Scotland: www.eis.org.uk/
- Ulster Teachers Union, Northern Ireland: www.utu.edu/
- Voice, previously the Professional Association of Teachers, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: www.voicetheunion.org.uk/