School News

Craig Roy, Head of Business & Economics, has recently shared reflections on how ongoing professional learning is helping him become more responsive in the classroom. At Morrison’s Academy, we believe that when staff continue to learn, pupils thrive – an ethos reflected in a newly launched series of staff insights shared on LinkedIn.

A key focus of Craig’s practice has been making pupil thinking visible during lessons, enabling him to respond and adapt in real time. Professional learning, he explains, is most powerful when it directly changes what happens in the classroom as it unfolds. Too often, misconceptions only become visible after a lesson has finished. His focus has been on developing strategies that allow these misconceptions to be identified and addressed in the moment.

Through engagement with ResearchEd conferences and ongoing professional dialogue with colleagues, Craig has refined his use of mini-whiteboards and hinge questions as core classroom strategies. These approaches allow every pupil to respond simultaneously, giving him an immediate and accurate picture of understanding across the class. This real-time insight means he can adjust explanations, revisit misconceptions and reshape tasks on the spot.

The impact has been significant. Lessons are more responsive, misconceptions are addressed before they take root and pupils are supported to build understanding of key concepts. As a result, they are increasingly confident in applying their knowledge to think critically and solve problems independently.

For Craig, ongoing professional learning is central to effective teaching, enabling him to continually refine how he responds to pupils in the classroom and support their understanding as it develops.

This reflection forms part of our Learning Keeps Me… series, which celebrates how professional learning across our school enriches practice and reflects our ethos of staff as lifelong learners. At Morrison’s Academy, we believe that when staff continue to learn, pupils thrive.