Tom Sherrington - Mode A and Mode B Teaching - London

In this episode, I’m talking to Tom Sherrington. Tom is a former headteacher, current education consultant and author. He writes the popular blog teacherhead.com and his books include The Learning Rainforest and best-seller Rosenshine’s Principles in Action. He also co-authors the Teaching WalkThrus series with Oliver Caviglioli and edits the In Action series of education books.

I was really excited to talk to Tom after Eoin MacCarthaigh reminded me of his Mode A and Mode B teaching advice in the book The Learning Rainforest. I subsequently reread this and was immediately struck by how such a distinction and reframing of supposedly conflicting pedagogies could help with ongoing debates in IB education and beyond.

We discuss:

1. The distinction between Mode A and Mode B

2. Whether The Learning Rainforest and the Mode A / Mode B distinction was informed by Tom’s experience of teaching abroad
3. His recommendations for the amount of time spent on Mode B teaching as well as when this occurs in a scheme of learning

4. Tom’s view on Mode B style assessments in the curriculum

5. And finally, any recommendations Tom has for other writers who have explored the Mode B approach

Thanks again to Tom for giving up his time to chat as well as for the fact that his insights and the semantic solution of Mode A and Mode B could be incredibly valuable to departments seeking to have productive conversations about designing student learning.

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Links:

The Learning Rainforest by Tom Sherrington

Tom’s other books

Tom’s blogs

Trivium 21c by Martin Robinson

Hywel Roberts’ books