top of page
BLOG
TEACHER TRAINING INSIGHTS
SUPPORTING YOUR TEACHING JOURNEY
Explore helpful articles, guidance, and updates for aspiring and practising teachers in the Further Education and Skills sector. Our blog shares practical teaching advice, qualification guidance, QTLS support, and professional development insights to help you build confidence, strengthen your practice, and progress in your teaching career.


Thinking About QTLS? What You Need to Know for the 2026 Cohort
For many teachers and trainers working in Further Education and Skills, achieving Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status is an important professional milestone. QTLS is recognised across the education sector and provides professional recognition for experienced teachers and trainers who can demonstrate their ability to meet the Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers. If you are considering applying for QTLS, now is a good time to start preparing. What i
4 min read


Rethinking Classroom Behaviour Management: From Managing Behaviour to Building Behaviour Literacy
By Dr. Joseph Tyler I’ve been working in education for just over 20 years now. The last decade has largely been in higher education, but earlier in my career, I spent a significant amount of time in schools and alternative provisions, working closely with learners who were often described as “challenging.” Behaviour was not something theoretical in those environments; it was immediate, visible, and, at times, deeply complex. And like many educators, I spent years focusing on
4 min read


Why Teaching Begins Before the Teaching Starts
By Doctor Joseph Tyler There’s a moment at the beginning of every session that often gets overlooked. It’s the moment before the content. Before the slides.Before the “lesson” officially begins. And in many ways, it’s the most important part. A Simple Question That Changes Everything Over the years, whether teaching in primary classrooms, secondary schools, further education, or now in higher education, I’ve found myself returning to the same starting point. Before anything e
3 min read


7 Things Outstanding Teachers Do Differently
A teacher engages with her students in a lively classroom discussion, as one student eagerly raises their hand to participate. By Dr Joseph Tyler There is a persistent belief in education that outstanding teaching is largely a matter of performance, clarity of explanation, pace, energy, and presence. While these elements are not unimportant, they are insufficient. The central problem of teaching is that learning is invisible, and therefore the quality of teaching cannot be ju
5 min read


Why Great Teachers Never Stop Learning: The Importance of Continuous Professional Development
By Joseph Tyler (Doctoral Researcher) Teacher Training UK A teacher engages with enthusiastic students during a lively classroom discussion, creating a positive and interactive learning environment. Teaching is one of the most complex professions in the world. Unlike many other fields, teachers make hundreds of decisions every day in environments that are constantly changing. Each class is different, every learner brings unique experiences, and no lesson ever unfolds exactly
4 min read


Education for Emancipation: What It Means to Be Educated (Part 2)
Beyond grades and outcomes, education shapes how learners understand the world. This article explores what it really means to be educated.
11 min read


Education for Emancipation: What It Means to Be Educated (Part 1)
This article invites readers to rethink what it means to be educated, offering an opportunity to reflect on what being educated truly involves.
12 min read


Top Tips for Teachers in the New Year: What I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Teaching
Teacher engaging with students in a lively group discussion, fostering a positive start to the new academic year. Joseph Tyler (Doctoral Researcher) Top Tips for Teachers in the New Year Introduction: A New Year Is a Design Opportunity As a new year begins, teachers are often encouraged to “try something new”. New strategies. New tools. New initiatives. Yet after more than two decades in education, I’ve come to believe that improvement in teaching rarely comes from novelty. I
5 min read


Teaching Is Not Learning: Why the Distinction Matters for Educational Practice
Teaching is something we do; learning is something that happens. The danger in education is not that teaching lacks effort or care, but that learning is too often assumed rather than examined. A lesson can be calm, well structured, and confidently delivered, yet still leave learners unchanged. When we focus only on teaching performance, we risk mistaking activity for impact. Learning, by contrast, is visible not in what is covered, but in what learners can explain, apply, and
16 min read


Routes into Teaching 2026: A Clear, Friendly Guide to QTS, QTLS and iQTS
Understanding the recognised routes into teaching 2026 that lead to Qualified Teacher Status in the UK If you’re thinking about teaching in 2026, you’re not alone. Teaching is one of those professions people arrive at from all directions. Some know from school that it’s what they want to do. Others come to it later, after a career change, redundancy, or simply the realisation that they want to give something back and make a difference. What many people don’t expect is just ho
8 min read


Level 5 Diploma in Teaching: Everything You Need to Know Before You Enrol
Whether you’re changing careers, building on teaching experience, or stepping into education for the first time, enrolling on the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (FE and Skills) is a decision worth exploring carefully. This blog will walk you through what the course involves, who it's for, and why more aspiring educators are choosing flexible, online training options through trusted providers like Teacher Training UK . What Is the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching? The Level 5 Diploma
3 min read


5 Rules for Teaching That Work (For Everyone)
Why Educational Failure Is Often Designed, and How to Fix It By Joe Toko Introduction: Design or Disaster? The Moral Weight of Teaching Every teacher knows the uneasy silence that can creep into a classroom. Students appear to be listening, they may even give the right answers, but weeks later the knowledge has evaporated. Too often we confuse performance for learning, engagement for understanding, or memorisation for mastery. When some students succeed and others fail, we as
4 min read


How to Become a Teacher in Further Education: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re considering a career change or looking to share your expertise with the next generation, becoming a teacher in Further...
3 min read


Starting with ASK: Rethinking Teaching, Learning and Assessment in the Age of AI
Introduction Education today faces profound challenges and opportunities. Nowhere is this truer than in the education and skills sector ,...
4 min read


Essential Tech Tools Every FE Teacher Should Know About
Introduction The Further Education (FE) sector has undergone a significant digital transformation over the past decade. While the...
4 min read


The Illusion of Consciousness and Learning in AI: Why Educators Must Understand the Difference
Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly infiltrated our classrooms, our lecture theatres, and even our marking piles. It...
4 min read


The Importance of Critical Thinking in the Further Education and Skills Sector
By Teacher Training UK “We are preparing young people not for the world of today, but for the world of tomorrow, a world we cannot yet...
4 min read


Rethinking Feedback: Is It Really Feeding Forward?
Feedback is widely recognised as one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Yet in many...
4 min read


The Importance of Developing a Good Rapport with Students: Implications for Teacher Education
Introduction Teaching is, at its core, a relational activity. While subject knowledge and pedagogical strategies are undoubtedly...
4 min read


The Simple Solution That Could Transform Teaching: Lessons from Surgery, Aviation, and Construction
Dr. Atul Gawande, a prominent surgeon and public health researcher, faced a harrowing realization during his career: thousands of...
4 min read
bottom of page
