John Arthur Blanchard
Now retired, John first taught in secondary schools. As a local authority adviser and then education consultant, he worked with teachers from reception to advanced level in all kinds of settings, mainstream and special. His writing explores how teaching and learning can be made enjoyable and rewarding. He aims to share researchers' and practitioners' empirical evidence to create pragmatic, practical advice.
Subjects: Education
Biography
I was a teacher in Frankfurt and London before I did my post-graduate training. Then I taught in Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire secondary schools in the UK. I am fascinated by the complexities and sometimes simple realities of interactions with learners; also by how similar are the satisfactions and challenges experienced by many different people in their work: in health and social care, service occupations, industries and businesses. Guided in my PhD by Bill Brookes at the University of Southampton, I explored curriculum development and the role of an outsider. In my advisory role I worked with teachers from reception to advanced level in all kinds of settings, mainstream and special, and later became an independent consultant for schools, local authorities, and higher education institutions. I tutored bachelor's and post-graduate courses. Through my writing I aim to help learners, teachers, teacher educators and anyone involved in education examine their thinking and work with others so as to contribute to their communities' health and wellbeing.Among the individuals whose work has powerfully influenced mine are: M.L.J. (Jane) Abercrombie, Elizabeth (Betty) Adams, Robin Alexander, Michael Armstrong, Albert Bandura, Douglas Barnes, James Britton, Tyrrell Burgess, Margaret Donaldson, Carol Dweck, Michael Fielding, Atul Gawande, Erving Goffman, A.C. Grayling, Kurt Lewin, Alexander Luria, Iain McGilchrist, Margaret Spencer Meek, Stanley Milgram, Susie Orbach, Adam Phillips, Michael Polanyi, Keith Robertson, Carl Rogers, Jean Rudduck, Oliver Sacks, D. Royce Sadler, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Dale Spender, Lev Vygotsky, Gordon Wells, Donald Winnicott, and Maryanne Wolf.
Education
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P.G.C.E., North East London Polytechnic, Barking, UK, 1972
B.A. Hons. and M.A., Oxford University, Oxford, UK, 1970
Ph.D., Southampton University, Southampton, UK, 1990
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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English and languages teaching. Assessment for learning. Making targets useful in teaching and learning. Professional and curriculum development. Appraisal. Decision-making in schools.
Personal Interests
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The outdoors. Books, sport, television and film.
Books
Articles
Learning awareness: constructing formative assessment in the classroom, in the s
Published: Sep 15, 2008 by The Curriculum Journal
Authors: John Blanchard
Subjects:
Education
In the Portsmouth Learning Community Project (2002-07) benefits resulted from teachers’ collaborative action research and learners’ involvement in classroom experimentation and curriculum design in contexts characterised as open to decision-making by learners and practitioners. A framework is offered for things learners and teachers can try to make explicit in lessons and units. Conditions thought essential for sustainable development are outlined.
Targets, Assessment for Learning, and Whole-School Improvement
Published: Jun 15, 2003 by Cambridge Journal of Education
Authors: John Blanchard
Subjects:
Education
How well targets serve whole-school improvement, performance management and individual pupils’ learning depends on pupils’ finding out how well they do and how to improve. Middle/Team leaders play a key role. Guidance is offered about how to: project pupils’ attainments; transfer records at transitions; rationalise summative assignments and assessments; focus on classroom observation and ‘assessment for learning’, including pupils’ assessing themselves and one another.
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