Ben Rogers

Thanks Mark

🏗️ Sentences are the tools learners use to build mental models. Teacher @benrogersedu.bsky.social shares three techniques for helping learners to construct complex sentences about chemistry 👇
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...

Build better conceptual understanding How you can model constructing complex sentences to improve learners' mental models

Discover three ways to improve your chemistry students' sentence writing, tried and tested by @benrogersedu.bsky.social, plus downloadable teacher notes to help plan your lessons ⬇️
edu.rsc.org/ideas/build-...
#iteachchem #edusky

Chemistry has several tools for developing and communicating complex ideas including models and formulas. Sentences are often neglected, but can you imagine a chemistry lesson without complex sentences?

1. That's definitely procrastinating and 2. Nice font.

I am so beyond excited for this 😍

Writing Full (and I Mean Really Full) Sentences in Subjects When we quiz students for knowledge retrieval, we are helping them remember key knowledge but we aren’t helping them build that knowledge into rich connected schema. This is where sentences c…

New post on the cognitive benefits of writing in full, rich and connected sentences across subjects: readingforlearning.org/2025/07/20/w...

Some Jobs Sentences Do in Science I’ve been thinking a lot about how important sentences are in science. The new DfE Writing Framework puts sentences at the heart of writing in subjects, so here are some sentence types I woul…

New post: the jobs sentences do in science: readingforlearning.org/2025/07/13/j...

Yes it did!

Interesting... 'after' in your examples implies causality. A physics example might be 'after the parachute opens, the speed decreases.' But you could also use it in a purely sequence sense: "After adding the chemical, heat gently."

Your weekend read ↓

Why questioning in lessons often fails (and what to do about it)

#EduBlogUK #EduSky #UKEd

Inspired by The Writing Revolution, here's a physics version of but, because, so: readingforlearning.org/2025/06/26/a...

I read the paragraph: background knowledge helps a lot. Although I'm a physics graduate, I've watched numerous TV Dickens adaptations (inc Bleak House) - Victorian London is always presented like this. I have vague ideas about Lincoln's Inn. It's enough to catch hold of the meaning.

Really interesting article - thanks Natalie. It would be interesting to see how UK English undergrads performed. We teach a 19th c text at GCSE (16yo) for all students (typically not Dickins - unless Christmas Carol) and I believe another at A-level (18yo) for students who study lit.

Redesigning our Year 9 curriculum to include Semmelweis and Snow, and vaccinations. Explaining through causality is part of our curricular metacontent. So these models build on a culture of explaining.
I explain metacontent here:
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
#iTeachBio #chatbiology

Teaching students how to write better sentences in science (a 3min video): drive.google.com/file/d/1D87U...

Build better sentences in science writing How can we ensure students understand complex scientific ideas, beyond just recalling facts? Developing their ability to write clear, precise sentences about science is a powerful, often overlooked…

How to teach sentence writing in science to develop deeper understanding. A new post readingforlearning.org/2025/04/15/b...

A key aim of chemistry education is to help young people understand the world they live in. Here is my new EiC article on how to teach chemistry for understanding the world: edu.rsc.org/endpoint/why...

This is very good - linking cognitive science, knowledge and the science of reading. Lots of sticky notes! @natwexler.bsky.social

I enjoyed this book, which is related: Scientific Babel by Michael Gordin

I found this really thought provoking this morning - thanks Carl.

I got a lot out of this Alex - thank you.

Concentration is difficult, and I suspect many children need help to remain focused. Don't we all sometimes?

So, teachers can't just use casual checking (it's definitely not an extra PPA) - you need to check relentlessly and support. It's not an easy solution. But it's great when it's used well.

When pupils use it well, they make big fluency and comprehension gains (we've tested by comparing the programme's data to external reading assignments). It's the pupils who don't that we need to worry about.

The same!

This week’s surprising news: some readers aren’t concentrating as hard as we’d like. My Trust has an online reading programme which sets quizzes based on short texts. The pupils have a choice of text at the right level for them. The quiz pass rate is 8/10. We’ve analysed quiz…

Who knew - sometimes when pupils are reading in class, they aren't paying full attention! Evidence here: readingforlearning.org/2025/05/24/t...

I'm less worried about GCSE - unless the assessment system changes, I don't think anything I can say will have any impact. But KS3 should emphasize understanding the world over GCSE prep.

This week’s surprising news: some readers aren’t concentrating as hard as we’d like. My Trust has an online reading programme which sets quizzes based on short texts. The pupils have a choice of text at the right level for them. The quiz pass rate is 8/10. We’ve analysed quiz…

How closely do you need to support readers' comprehension? For some readers, a lot. readingforlearning.org/2025/05/24/t...

Are you a mathematics teacher in the UK?
Or do you work in a job that requires the regular use of mathematics?