Tom Needham

English teacher, author of 'Explicit English Teaching' , secondary school senior leader. On Bluesky too: it's better...come take a look!

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

NEW POST: The Application of Theory. https://t.co/XfxsRsRRV0. Research that has informed my practice. @tombennett71 @Xris32 @AlwaysLearnWeb @olicav @teacherhead @bennewmark @joeybagstock @DavidDidau @Rosalindphys @adamboxer1 @daisychristo @Doug_Lemov @mssfax please share

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

Check out the recent MindtheGap episodes with @MrsDexterEYFS (the magic of EYFS) @Tom_Needham_ (Engelmann in Action) and @IamMisterMba (Teach like your heart's on fire!) .. three brilliant people doing amazing work in their schools.
Youtube: https://t.co/Y3GasMzLHm
Podcast https://t.co/6ztjm0QpeL

[Alex Quigley @AlexJQuigley]

One of the trickiest questions in vocabulary instruction is deceptively simple:

Which words should we explicitly teach?

After years working with schools on vocabulary, I explore that challenge here:

https://t.co/FRpWuHalAM

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

New Event! Check out "In Action Masterclasses: Rosenshine, Nuthall, Ausubel and Engelmann" with me, Bennie Kara, Tom Needham and Sarah Cottinghatt. June 25th Online . Live or via recordings https://t.co/h1eShksqeP

[Walkthrus @WALKTHRUs_5]

We’re really proud to be returning to the @EducationFest 2026 as content partners this July - and excited to be hosting the @WALKTHRUs_5 strand across the two days.

Just look at this line-up… an incredible group of speakers exploring teaching, coaching, PD and implementation in action.

Come and join us at Wellington! ���

@teacherhead @MattTeachCoach @LisaWorgan @HaringeyEduc @Steplab_co @Tom_Needham_ Bennie Kara Neil Gilbride

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

Join us in June; @Tom_Needham_ on Engelmann, me on Rosenshine, @SCottinghatt on Ausubel and #benniekara on Nuthall. One ticket for the whole school.

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

Teaching Through Examples: The Power of Direct Instruction with @Tom_Needham_ talking to me and @Emma_Turner75 Geek-out alert!!! https://t.co/ANM7ZfZ2Oj via @YouTube

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

Oh wow - you are going to love this episode - out next week. MindtheGap with @Tom_Needham_ talking about his forthcoming Engelmann's Direct Instruction In Action book. So many brilliant ideas, superbly explained - @Emma_Turner75 and I had a proper geek-out.

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

@LFK_TeachEdu Hope you enjoy it!

[David Didau @DavidDidau]

NEW Is reading comprehension even a thing? And if it is, how should we teach it? https://t.co/ufBG0it41s…

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

New Event! Check out "In Action Masterclasses: Rosenshine, Nuthall, Ausubel and Engelmann" with me, Bennie Kara, Tom Needham and Sarah Cottinghatt. June 25th Online . Live or via recordings. https://t.co/Q7cBp7oliw @eventbritehelp

[Jake @JakeCowling]

Teaching vocabulary shouldn’t mean leaving kids to guess from context.
A story-based, explicit approach, inspired by Engelmann’s Theory of Instruction, can make new words both clear and engaging.

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

@BarbaraBleiman @FayeGriffiths8 @EngMediaCentre Thanks Barbara

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

Can anyone recommend a handwriting intervention for secondary school?

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

@DavidDidau Thanks David

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

@brmorris10 @MrsSpalding Thanks. Much appreciated

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

@intothewayside1 Thanks very much

[Thinking Reading @ThinkReadHQ]

We teach the lowest 10%. No one else does this successfully; some of the best-known ‘reading interventions’ actually ignore or avoid this group.

[Tom Needham @Tom_Needham_]

@UnsworthAcademy Great to hear that the Personal General Approach is useful!

[Unsworth Academy @UnsworthAcademy]

In English, Year 11 have been experimenting with characterisation in non-fiction writing. We're loving a technique shared by @Tom_Needham_ on his blog using fictional stories for emotive impact. Here's how one student applied this to exploring attitudes to crime and punishment.