Research

Ian Gilbert stumbled across a book that finally makes sense of so much of our modern world. It's the book about the city of Vienna at the turn of the last century that you didn't think you needed. Turns out Ultravox were wrong!

Seven-minute read

23 years on, publishers Routledge have asked Ian Gilbert to put together a third edition of his classic text Essential Motivation the Classroom. Here's a taste of what it's all about.

Five-minute read

We asked Associate Dr Sarah Moseley to do the impossible. To take her PhD research on making reading – and from there the whole curriculum – accessible to all children and turn into a blog. We think she did a great job.

Eight-minute read

Ian Gilbert was recently asked to deliver a keynote address and host a panel discussion for the prestigious ACS Cobham International School all about future of education. He put Five Big questions to the panel which you can read here.

Seven-minute read

In January 2025 the OECD published its most recent Trends Shaping Education report. It makes for a fascinating and challenging read (and watch) as well as asking some important questions of educators everywhere.

One-hour read and watch

ELSA, child bereavement specialist and inveterate hugger Lucy Lynch shares her thoughts and experience on the topic of hugging children in school. Why? When? How? And when not to?

Five-minute read

We've been unsure about the 'what works' agenda since the start, arguing that education needs research but also something more nuanced. Here is an update to our piece from a decade ago with a lesson we can learn from medicine. 

Five-minute read

We used to encourage teachers to think of their classrooms as laboratories in which you could experiment with what worked to make it work even better. But what if we think of teachers not as scientists but as inventors? Ian Gilbert explores with the help of James Lovelock.

Seven-minute read

What should all teachers know about the brain, neurological development and the neuroscience of learning? Or Ian Gilbert asked former consultant paediatric neurologist Dr Andrew Xurran. Fascinating stuff!

60-minute watch

Exams are in chaos - but where did they come from? This brief history may help us answer an even bigger question - why on earth do we still have them? 

Five-minute read

Independent Thinking Associate David Hodgson continues his brief exploration of neurodiversity, identifying four skills that will benefit all students

Ten-minute read

Let's change the language around neurodiversity away from the deficit, medical model - so argues Associate David Hodgson in part one of his blog on this important topic. 

Ten-minute read