Becoming PrimaryKieran Green · PGCE learning journal

Theory

Ideas from lectures and seminars

Notes on the theories, concepts and practical approaches explored through taught PGCE sessions—and the questions they raise for my developing classroom practice.

01

Conditions for learning

Attention · Motivation · Behaviour

A whistle-stop tour of attention, motivation and behaviour

Why these are not separate classroom problems—and how routines, belonging and warm, clear expectations can support learning.

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02

How learning develops

Memory · Retrieval · Schemas

I have a cunning schema

Limited working memory, durable long-term memory and why prior knowledge gives new learning somewhere to go.

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Cognitive load · Retrieval · Memory

Cognitive Load, Retrieval and Making Learning Stick

Managing what pupils think about now, while building knowledge they can still access later.

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03

Designing instruction

Modelling · Checking · Independence

Modelling, Rosenshine and Lesson Planning

Making thinking visible, checking understanding and planning the journey towards pupil independence.

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Oracy · Reasoning · Participation

Oracy: Learning to Talk, and Learning Through Talk

Teaching pupils to speak, listen and reason—and giving classroom talk a clear purpose.

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04

Applying the ideas

EYFS · Scaffolding · Foundations

What EYFS Can Teach Us About Learning — Even in Year 6

Play, scaffolding and questioning: looking back at the foundations that support later learning.

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Play · Learning · Teacher orchestration

Thinking about play

What play can make possible—and how teachers might plan, support and step back without mistaking activity for learning.

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