Progress Plain and Simple

What is progress in learning? How do we see progress being made in a lesson? Progress Plain and Simple offers a fresh perspective on teaching, learning and progress in the classroom. Written by an experienced and authoritative teacher and school leader, all the events explore the different ways in which progress can be made in the classroom and how it can be more effectively delivered, identified, evidenced, measured and assessed. 

Rated 5* on Amazon, here are some reviews for the book posted in the Spring / Summer of 2020:

"This book really does have everything you need to know about progress. As an experienced teacher it was refreshing to reflect again on the how and why progress is core to teaching and learning and how to improve future practice. As a subject leader I have already used this book in department training reflecting on writing new schemes of work and assessment. It has been a great help. I would highly recommend." (Head of Department)

"This book really is for anyone involved in education. Beginning with the theory behind progress in teaching, it moves on to sharing activities and strategies for teachers to use in lessons and then how to evaluate the progress being made. Useful for trainee teachers and school leaders alike this is a very practical and informative guide to improving and sustaining pupil progress." (Teacher) 

"A great book that not only outlines strategies for progress across the school, but also gives the reader a multitude of simple to use practical ways in which progress can be demonstrated within the classroom. Easy to follow and a book you can dip in and out of and go back to whenever you need." (MAT CEO)

"Mike Harpham's experience of schools and the challenges of the learning cycle make this book both insightful and engaging for anyone who has experience of the classroom or simply want to understand more about progress in learning. It explores and presents the different ways in which progress can be made and how it can be more effectively delivered. With practical tips and tools, many of the scenarios are situationally based and offer great scope for both teachers, coaches, those leading school and learning environments as well as parents. Not to be missed!" (Education consultant and coach)

Progress Plain and Simple: University Tour 2020 / 21

Really excited to have supported over 1500 trainee teachers nationally this year through the online and face-to-face training linked to my book - Progress Plain and Simple.

As a musician in my younger days, I loved going on tour and sharing my musicianship with audiences across the country. Now I get to do that as an educator and author, sharing my love of learning and teaching with the next generation of teachers! Here's the tour in a nutshell:

Kingston University - September 2020

Average rating: 8.3 / 10 - "Thank you for the session, it was clear and easy to follow and offered some excellent insights into how to encourage students to reach their potential :)"

University of Greenwich - October 2020

Average rating: 9.3 / 10 - "What was really useful was the inclusion of accuracy, resilience and independent learning as measures of progress."

London Metropolitan University - October 2020

Average rating: 9.1 / 10 - "Very informative, good pace and enough time to reflect after each section."

Liverpool Hope University - November 2020

Average rating: 9.25 / 10 - "I am very interested in teaching SEND pupils and so resillience, etc. is a good way to see their progress as using academic strategies sometimes isn't always efficient."

St Mary's University - November 2020

Average rating: 8.5 / 10 - "really helpful to see and understand what progress actually is and how it can be measured / implemented."

University of Hertfordshire - November 2020

Average rating: 9 / 10 - "Super useful session, worth every minute. Regarding the activities, I liked particularly the castles one (rearranging the order of teaching concepts about castles); I also liked going through the students´ grades. And also some of the slides were so beautiful and catchy (for ex: the "Progress over time" slide). Also the lecturer was very keen to answer to questions, and he gave recommendations of books about the topics covered, in case we want to explore these matters on a deeper extent. Thank you, it was great!"

University of East Anglia (UEA) - January 2021

Average rating: 8.1 / 10 - "The discussion on homework, and links to useful websites was really useful."

Manchester Metropolitan University - February 2021

Average rating: 8.9 / 10 - "I really enjoyed this lecture, it has clarified some aspects of progress and has made me think about how small steps and progress needs to look in the classroom. I found it really interesting and refreshing to have a lecture by somebody who has such a vast experience in a school environment and can inform students on what progress looks like from teachers to headteachers and how to overcome challenges. Online lectures can sometimes feel flat and it's hard to stay engaged, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your expertise and advice."

Middlesex University - March 2021

Average rating: 9 / 10 - "Good generic review of progress, especially the final activity to reinforce the idea that what is important is justifying choices."

Nottingham Trent University - May 2021

Average rating: 8.5 / 10 - "Developed understanding of the importance of differentiating between transmission of information and transference. The diagrams were very useful for my ongoing research project as a requirement of my teacher training."

Leicester University - June 2021

If you're interested in including your school / college / university onto the tour (from the UK or internationally), or to find out more - just send me a short message of interest and we can take it from there.

Looking forward to a great year ahead for everyone - despite COVID!