Teaching and Learning Strategy: Back To Basics

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Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2007 and is widely recognised as one of the leading influencers in education in the UK and across the world. In 2015, he was named among The Sunday Times/Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain for his impact on…
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Can one teaching and learning strategy really strip school improvement back to basics?

This post offers a teaching and learning strategy for secondary schools.

More and more schools get in touch with me and repeat the same message: “We need to get back to basics”, says one school leader. “We’re complicating what we do in the classroom; our students are just passive”, says another …

“We need a teaching and learning strategy.” These are just a few phrases I keep hearing from school leaders, time and time again. They get in touch with me because they’ve heard of  Mark. Plan. Teach., or they’ve seen other schools embrace the resources.

Teaching and learning strategy: what is Mark. Plan. Teach.?

This ‘back to basics’ teaching and learning strategy is built around a simple cycle.

MARK → PLAN → TEACH.

The resources and techniques – 30 consistent classroom routines – offer school and college leaders a practical framework – 30 classroom routines (read them all below) that help teachers reduce workload, strengthen routines, and refocus teaching on what students actually learn.

MARK (1–10): feedback that supports students to take action

1. Secure overview = get curriculum bearings before setting off.
2. Not yet = use “not yet” language to build confidence and motivation.
3. Live marking = give feedback in the classroom, in the moment.
4. Marking code = use quick codes so students can self/peer check efficiently.
5. Redrafting = normalise improvement so feedback is acted upon.
6. Spot the gap = identify what is missing, not just what is wrong.
7. Find and fix = teach students how to close their own gaps.
8. Moderate work = calibrate standards so “good” looks the same.
9. Smarter marking = be selective: manageable, meaningful, motivational.
10. Quality above all = protect teacher time; prioritise feedback that changes learning.

PLAN (11–20): clarity beats complexity

11. Clarify learning = be precise about what students must learn, not just do.
12. The “Why?” test = apply the “So why?” test to lesson goals and activities.
13. Imaginative ideas = use creative approaches to deepen understanding.
14. Stickability = plan for what students will remember after time has passed.
15. Simple T&L policy = keep whole-school guidance lean and usable.
16. Challenge = plan for productive struggle, not comfort or panic.
17. Flying starts = design strong openings that reduce drift and build purpose.
18. Differentiate = differentiate over time; scaffold without lowering the ceiling.
19. Stockpile = bank resources and routines that save time later.
20. Reality check = treat planning as a thought process, not a paperwork exercise.

TEACH (21–30): consistency through craft, not compliance

21. Be explicit = clarify outcomes, vocabulary, and what success looks like.
22. Use modelling = show students what excellent work looks like and how it is built.
23. Go with the flow = adapt to learning needs rather than slavishly following a script.
24. Use questioning = plan questions that reveal thinking and move learning forward.
25. Collaboration = make collaborative work purposeful and accountable.
26. Change plans = respond intelligently when behaviour or understanding shifts.
27. On reflection = build time and routines for teachers to reflect on practice.
28. On the move = stay organised and calm when moving rooms and managing transitions.
29. Seven traits = align practice with the traits that repeatedly underpin effective teaching.
30. Coaching systems = develop teachers through coaching, not performative grading.

Teaching and learning strategy: how leaders implement the 30 ideas

Mark. Plan. Teach. has become a familiar reference point for schools because it translates day-to-day classroom craft into a shared language teachers can use across departments without drowning in paperwork. As more secondary schools revisit teaching and learning consistency, many are returning to this framework because it strips away the noise: fewer initiatives, clearer routines, and a sharper focus on the actions that improve students’ learning rather than performative evidence.

I believe schools keep “coming back” to this because the book does something rare: it makes consistency feel achievable. Instead of adding another layer of policy, it encourages school and college leaders to simplify what teachers are asked to do – especially around feedback, planning, and classroom routines. I thought it was worth sharing in this blog, what I’m hearing on the ground.

In practice, getting back to basics matters because consistency is not created by documents; it is created by habits.

Mark. Plan. Teach. works as a reminder that the fundamentals – clear explanations, manageable feedback, purposeful planning, and dependable routines – beat complexity when schools want reliable improvement across dozens of classrooms. School and college leaders can use Mark. Plan. Teach. as a diagnostic tool.

Start by selecting a small set of non-negotiables (for example, two MARK ideas, one PLAN idea, and two TEACH ideas) and embed them for half a term. Departments then revisit the list and add the next set, slowly building consistency without initiative overload. For teachers, the simplest implementation move is to treat the 30 ideas as a professional checklist:

1. Choose one idea to tighten this week,
2. Practise it deliberately,
3. Review the impact on students’ work, and
4. Repeat.

The aim is not perfection; it is predictable routines that reduce workload and improve learning over time. It’s exactly how Mark. Plan. Teach. was first built and road-tested.

Reflection questions for leaders to consider

1. Which five ideas would teachers prioritise to improve teaching and learning consistency this term?
2. Where does teacher workload increase because routines are unclear or repeatedly reinvented?
3. Which MARK routines currently lead to the most student improvement, not the most teacher effort?
4. How would teachers strengthen “stickability” so students remember more over time?
5. What would change if planning expectations were reduced and teacher thinking was increased?
6. Where do students need clearer modelling to understand what quality looks like?
7. How would departments agree what “good” work looks like without creating a surveillance culture?
8. Which classroom routines would school and college leaders want to see consistently in every lesson?
9. How would teachers adapt one idea for primary settings, and one idea for further education settings?
10. What would be removed first to make space for these routines to embed properly?

Students should be working harder than the teacher and Mark. Plan. Teach. shows you how to achieve this, and practically!

The book and, better still, the training, offer schools and teachers an easier way to manage the complexities of classroom life. Get in touch.

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