***POOR PROXIES FOR LEARNING*** We need to be cautious when observing lessons and own biases and not allow our own feelings about how a lesson feels rather than what pupils were actually learning. A lesson might appear quiet, understated or lacking obvious enthusiasm and still involve substantial cognitive work. Equally, a lesson can feel energetic, exciting while pupils learn relatively little. This is what Professor Rob Coe discussed when referring to poor proxies for learning. A quiet classroom is not necessarily a passive classroom. Pupils might be retrieving knowledge, grappling with a difficult question, reading closely, practising independently or carefully constructing an answer. None of these necessarily produces an energetic looking lesson to the observer. The aim is not to create classrooms that look busy. It is to create classrooms in which everyone is encouraged and supported to think hard. Therefore, we shouldn’t be thinking about the energy in the room. We should be considering the thinking taking place. #TheLongdendaleLegacy