What was good about 2012?  Under an umbrella, I propose:  “new techniques and technologies that really work for me and which are not rammed down my throat by either an administrator or by a self interested publisher”.

1. #ukedchat:  I have become fairly regular on Thursday evenings and have learned a great deal.  I have also ignored plenty, but the feeling of talking with others who “feel my pain” has been liberating in the extreme.  Twitter is not the most considered forum, but this works and has made me a better teacher in a number of ways – principally because I am thinking about what I do.  New Year hope:  fewer Ad Hominem attacks when people disagree – there is more than one way to teach and we should be very wary of blind implementation or condemnation.
2. my Blog: jwpblog.wordpress.com  has been brilliant fun and Ia way to genuinely ensure that I reflect and develop my teaching.  I haver tried to keep it to a teaching resources site, but have strayed from time to time.  Examples of much I include below can be found on it.
3. Best cheap resource:  LIQUID CHALK PENS.  Windows are now display boards and there is no better way for engaging the less engaged – Yr 9 prepared poetry by writing their word banks on the very windows they were looking out of – they really went for it and much more was achieved than might have been if only using books.
4. Best teaching idea of the year:  SOLO taxonomy with hexagon planning for essay preparation.  Really has begun to have an impact in Year 13 and hopefully lower down. I used David Didau – How to teach a perfect OFSTED English lesson to clarify my thoughts – most useful book of the year.
5. continuing to develop:  filming of S+L activities and use of cameras generally.
6. I could not work without:  Evernote, Dropbox, CamScanner+ – no wireless in the classrooms, so these keep me sane.
7. Best moment:  Erin’s A in GCSE English Language
8. Most difficult circle to square:  Work-life balance.  Watching Wasps and having support at home is brilliant, as are my colleagues, but this is a serious issue.  We work in one of the most stimulating and exciting jobs there is.  However we are bombarded with paperwork from all sides.  Admin takes up more time  than it should and mainly to hit spurious targets designed to make us better teachers.  Where will it end?
9. .. which brings me to Times Educational Miscreant… (timeseducationalmiscreant.blogspot.com/) which is a constant source of delight.
10. Most influential Twitter poster for me this year:  Geoff Barton.  For those who know -enough said.  For those who don’t-you should!