Training Courses and Educational Resources for Schools and Teachers

We often tell pupils that mistakes are part of learning — but what if we designed lessons to depend on them?“ Learning traps,” deliberate set-ups that help students learn through their mistakes, are not about tricking them but about crafting situations where getting it wrong becomes the most powerful route to getting it right. They expose faulty reasoning, common misconceptions, or surface-level thinking to deepen understanding. It’s a strategy as old as Socratic dialogue and as sharp as a well-set maths problem. And the evidence supports it. In this blog, you’ll discover five practical types of learning traps — from the ‘almost-right answer’ to the ‘fake success’ trap — each illustrated with classroom examples across subjects. You’ll also find guidance on how to use traps responsibly, along with references to key research on productive failure, retrieval, and metacognitive development.

Enquiry-based learning is a pedagogical approach that lies at the heart of many curricula, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). It encourages students to ask questions, explore ideas, and construct their understanding of the world. However, this approach also raises important questions about its effectiveness for all learners, mainly when prior knowledge is limited.This blog explores the relationship between enquiry-based learning and prior knowledge, highlighting research supporting the need to balance discovery and foundational understanding.

Picture the scene: Classrooms are buzzing with conversation, students debating ideas, explaining their reasoning, and building on each other’s contributions. But what’s the purpose of all this talk? Is it simply a by-product of learning, or could it be something much more? The answer lies in understanding two complementary approaches: learning through talk and learning to talk. These concepts, when combined, create a powerful framework that builds effective communication skills and deepens students' learning across the curriculum.