I met an old football friend who reminded me that in the past we used to practice heading with medicine balls to strengthen our neck muscles.  I might have actually done this but I can’t remember.

Given the large and underreported number of rugby and football players with brain damage, we wouldn’t do this anymore.

We should applaud the efforts of educational researchers like Dylan Wiliam, Doug Lemov and John Hattie.  They are trying to codify and explain what works for the best teachers based on the best evidence. The old methods aren’t necessarily the best.

The next time something new comes around, if there’s some science in it we should embrace it. Like my brain, it may later turn out to have holes in it, but until then we should embrace it.

Play up.