Principal/CEO @GEMS_ME

Joined December 2015
100 Photos and videos
Michelle Thomas retweeted
I’ve put a load of my most popular files together in a Dropbox folder. Let me know if you’d like the link. Can I also ask that you share this post pretty please 🙏 (as it seems the only way to get anything seen nowadays!). 😊
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
🧱 Provide Scaffolds for Difficult Tasks — Rosenshine’s 8th Principle of Instruction. This week’s ⚗️DistillED unpacks how temporary supports help students reach levels of performance they couldn’t achieve alone — and when to take them away. Includes FREE tools and guides. newsletter.jamieleeclark.com…
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
Teachers like @ClassroomD4 @kyairb @StamStam193 are doing really interesting work using similar routines with relevant content. Check out @StamStam193 here youtu.be/ynAn0CIivqk?si=kIz2…

Very promising study on how 5 rounds of repeated reading can scaffold at- and above-grade level content to build, fluency, stamina, and more: ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/… I would love to see this approach used with a knowledge-building curriculum, rather than random passages.
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
26 Mar 2025
My full 'Adaptive Teaching' module is now available on the the @Inner_Drive CPD Academy. This includes input from myself and @BradleyKBusch on: ✅Adaptive teaching v differentiation ✅Clear learning intentions ✅Prior knowledge ✅Adaptive explanations ✅Adaptive modelling
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
Fluency with poetry! Fluency is more than accuracy and rate - it’s also prosody. And it can be tied to content! I use @TimRasinski1 fluency development lesson to practice fluency 10-15 min a day. Poems are also tied to our content, including math!
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
Direct instruction is joyful & leads pupils to success. Here is a *clip* where I use high frequency & high participation questioning in 3 phases: 1. Check for listening 2. Rehearsal 3. Check for understanding Established routines: all hands up, turn & talk, SLANT & ruler reading
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
I explain step by step why we should teach children WHAT to think, not HOW, and why @jordanbpeterson and @elonmusk are wrong on this. This leads to habit formation, which in turn, produces creativity💪🏽 Often clever ppl don’t get this point about kids and learning. ☺️
Katharine Birbalsingh, Britain’s “Strictest Headmistress,” argues that modern education is failing children by prioritizing creativity and “self-discovery” over knowledge and discipline. She explains why teaching children WHAT to think—building a strong foundation of knowledge—is essential for developing critical thinking, creativity, and independence. Unlike progressive teaching methods, which leave children unprepared for life and vulnerable to manipulative online content, Katharine’s approach emphasizes discipline, habit-building, and high expectations, preparing kids to thrive in the real world. @Miss_Snuffy
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
Two of the biggest myths about direct instruction: 1. Pupils are passive while the teacher talks endlessly. 2. The teacher tells pupils everything so pupils don’t think for themselves. These are completely wrong. 🧵 1/
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
📚 Literacy Tree #CPD Training @jon_hutchinson_ from Reach Academy shared his thoughts: “What I loved most about the training from Literacy Tree is that the facilitators are all clearly obsessed with children's books. That passion is infectious.” 🌈📖 #Awards
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
18 Oct 2024
NEW - Retrieval Practice is one of the most well replicated learning strategies from research. BUT, which type of quizzing is best for which level of expertise? Check out our sketchnote to see our suggestions. For teacher professional learning informed by research, contact us enquiries@impact.wales
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
16 Oct 2024
If you’ve ever wondered about cognitive load, PD, and what to do about it, this is the paper for you. steplab.co/resources/prof
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
NEW! One-pager from the awesome session by @MrsBallAP & @lamb_heart_tea at @researchED1 on 'The Scaffolding Effect'. The session was packed with valuable insights and practical strategies from @EducEndowFoundn @MaryMyatt @MargaretMulhol2 @Inner_Drive RP for a free HQ copy.
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I’ve attempted to summarise the UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers, released last week. I've taken the extensive, lengthy report and attempted to gather my take on the 10 key points, and areas of focus. If you have the time, I highly recommend reading the full report!
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
6 Sep 2024
For anyone looking for a handy all-in-one overview of TLAC 3.0... Helen has done a really nice job of it here...
Replying to @TeachLikeAChamp
Ooo... and a summary might come in handy of the fabulous Teach Like A Champion 3.0 @Doug_Lemov 's 63 wonderful strategies tinyurl.com/3pxwccep
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
***TEACHER HACKS*** The team are building a brilliant series of books designed to support subject pedagogy professional development. Teacher Hacks will zoom in on the most challenging concepts in subjects providing innovative, research-informed strategies to demystify and demonstrate how to approach them in your classroom. The books will be accompanied by a new video platform built by teachers for teachers explaining how to teach the most challenging concepts in lessons. @HughesHaili @SPryke2 @missreardteach @_AndyGibson @lcgeography @SineadMoxham @SisaSilvia4 @Steven_Berryman @DrewWicken @JohnCattEd #TeacherHacks
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
🪜 This one-pager explains why explicit guidance outperforms self-discovery models in learning. Based on the research of @P_A_Kirschner, Clark, and Sweller, it highlights the crucial benefits of immediate feedback and strong support provided by guided instruction. 🔁 REPOST and get a free HQ copy here: jamieleeclark.com/graphics
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
Not just because we are often asked why we are teaching something at this point: why this, why now? It’s also important that individual topics don’t end up in a curriculum cul de sac. You can access the four steps through the curriculum here buff.ly/4bH7IYx

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Michelle Thomas retweeted
*** Adaptive Teaching: Scaffolds, Scale Structure & Style *** “If we are setting simple tasks for struggling pupils, but complex tasks for high prior attainers, how are they ever meant to catch up.” alexquigley.co.uk/adaptive-t… [Access the infographic: alexquigley.co.uk/resources/]
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Michelle Thomas retweeted
*** Adaptive Teaching and Vocabulary Instruction *** "Vocabulary instruction lends itself neatly to ‘micro-adaptations’... they form handy distillations of worldly knowledge that can be questioned, discussed, debated, defined, explained, and tested." alexquigley.co.uk/adaptive-t…
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