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Christine Counsell
@Counsell_C
Curriculum leadership, subject communities, knowledge & culture in schools, teacher development, teacher agency. Truth seeker. History geek. Girly swot.
thedignityofthethingblog.wordpress.com
Joined June 2017
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Sep 23, 2018
    Each school subject relates to a distinctive quest for truth. SLT must know how each subject captures this, so the curriculum as a whole teaches awe, humility & respect for truth. My piece in @CharteredColl Impact #SLTchat impact.chartered.college/article/taking…
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Apr 30, 2020
    Replying to @Andrew_Adonis and @Ofstednews
    WHAT??!! Phoning vulnerable children daily & organising their support tirelessly, teaching online &/or making resources by the ton, responding to pupils' Qs & work, planning next yr's curriculum, all amid toddler care & home-educating their own kids. Do you know any teachers?
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Jan 18, 2024
    Finally forced self to write about something worrying me a lot: ‘knowledge-rich gone wrong’. I've placed it within a longer-term view on something else going wrong: assessment. So, 2 cats among the pigeons 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛. In @histassoc TH 193. Short thread 🧵1/6 history.org.uk/publications/r…
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Jan 25, 2020
    I really worry when I see Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in KS2 or KS3 in history or English. There is so much outstanding material available on teaching the #Holocaust in literature and history, such as @UCL_Holocaust & from @histassoc. Seek subject rigour! holocaustlearning.org.uk/latest/the-pro…
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Aug 18, 2020
    For SLT trying to support middle leaders in curriculum design, teaching & evaluation, if you missed my @researchEdhome talk in June, here it is. It culminates in some Qs for helping senior-middle leader conversations reveal (rather than bypass) curriculum: youtube.com/watch?v=nUs1gh…
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    Andrew Sweet
    @AndrewSweet4
    Aug 16, 2020
    Highly recommend @Counsell_C’s presentation on supporting middle leaders need for the curriculum to flourish. @researchEdhome Lots of advice on research led practice. core and hinterlands and building a culture to allow this to happen. #historyteacher
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Mar 15, 2024
    A curriculum should leave pupils bursting to talk – having something to say, a burning to desire to communicate it, confident oral expression, wide vocabulary, skill in argument and a will to listen. The @oracycommission launches today. I'm delighted to be a commissioner.
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    Geoff Barton
    @RealGeoffBarton
    Mar 15, 2024
    “Spoken language opens doors to new knowledge, transforms our ability to learn effectively, and reaffirms some of the most important skills needed in a vibrant democracy – to disagree agreeably & listen critically": today's launch of the @oracycommission: buff.ly/3IFqliO
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Jun 12, 2022
    Drowning in requests for advice on KS3 assessment atm. A good sign? Yes, if it means a hunger to ditch GCSE markschemes. No, if it's a sign subject-rich ITT is declining even more. I've no idea, but here are some history basics that I wrote for @histassoc: history.org.uk/publications/r…
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Jun 4, 2025
    “School is not meant to reflect back a child’s existing world. It is meant to offer new worlds. It is meant to take the child by the hand and lead them to places they never knew existed, places beyond their postcode, places they have every right to belong.” Spot on. 👏
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    Mark McCourt
    @EmathsUK
    May 29, 2025
    NEW BLOG: Stop Designing ‘Relevant’ Curricula for the Poor emaths.co.uk/blog/general-e…
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Mar 23, 2019
    Useful introduction from @DavidDidau on why flight paths (and I'd add target grades & any attempt to link regular assessment, let alone teaching, to either) are damaging nonsense. It's been obvious for years, yet some cling to it like a security blanket. learningspy.co.uk/assessment/how…
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Nov 30, 2019
    The number of history depts that not only plan all KS3 using historical scholarship but get ALL pupils (from Y7) reading long extracts is at last growing rapidly. Numerous @histassoc articles explain exactly how to do this.Try @TIJenner TH174 or @rachelfoster08's classic in TH142
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Feb 7, 2021
    In my history talk to Essex @histassoc yesterday, on teaching 'interpretations of the past', this is a summary of how I replied to the inevitable Qu about using GCSE questions at KS3. The other 90 slides (which are rather more constructive!) will be available via @essex_ha soon.
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Jul 28, 2021
    Why do history teachers get pupils to read at length? What are the history-led rationales? How have these teachers lured pupils into reading more than we dared think possible? All the wisdom in @histassoc June TH What's the Wisdom on..? history.org.uk/publications/c… First 3 pages:
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Jun 22, 2020
    Replying to @Counsell_C
    This is where we finished up: a guide for better (curriculum- centred) conversations betw senior & middle leaders. It is #notachecklist. Repeat: NOT a checklist! Not an audit tool! Use it as a short cut to a bureaucratic management exercise, & it self-combusts. @researchEdhome
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Jun 27, 2021
    Many asking for egs of KS3 summative assessments that assess an expanding domain, incentivise teaching to domain not to test, disincentivise gaming, treat the curriculum (not GCSE markscheme) as progression model and sample substantive & disciplinary from whole curric. Try this:
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    Christine Counsell
    @Counsell_C
    Feb 7, 2021
    Replying to @histassoc and @essex_ha
    Yup. Here you go: