About Mike Gershon
Mastering Teaching and Learning
World-Leading Expert on Practical Teaching and Learning That Works
Giving Teachers the Tools to Take Their Teaching Where They Want It To Go
Hi Teachers and Leaders 👋
Thanks so much for visiting the site to find out more about what I do 😁
Whether you’re looking to develop your practice, find freedom in your classroom, or give teachers in your school the autonomy they need to teach well and enjoy their jobs, I’m at your service.
Enjoy exploring the site, sign up to the newsletter, and drop me a line if you want to connect.
Mike’s Story
From Coaching to Teaching
In 2007 I was coaching under-13’s football while in a graduate job.
It was the best part of my week.
I loved working with the children, helping them grow, develop and get better at playing as a team.
In late spring of that year, we reached the semi-finals of the local cup competition. A valiant defeat followed, against a much stronger (and better coached) side.
And shortly after I decided I wanted to spend most of my week doing what I loved.
The next year, I trained to teach at UCL Institute of Education, then taught first in Central London at Pimlico Academy, followed by King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds.
From the very beginning, I had a deep fascination and interest in teaching and learning.
A curiosity about how communication in the classroom underpins and facilitates learning.
That interest has driven me ever since, and it can be broken down into three parts:
🎯 First, an interest in the psychology of interactions, of the human mind, and of how that is distinct within the developmental period of childhood and adolescence.
🎯 Second, an interest in what works in the classroom and what research suggests is most effective in terms of supporting learners and raising achievement.
🎯 Third, an interest in how to bring these two strands together in day-to-day teaching. Or, to put it another way: practical strategies that work.
Allied to all of this is an unshakeable belief in the importance of teacher autonomy.
When I first pursued teaching as a career, the independence and freedom it offered was hugely appealing.
And I think every teacher needs to be supported to experience that.
For me, professional autonomy upskills teachers, recognises the expert knowledge and understanding they possess, and gives them the freedom to make decisions that are shaped by their knowledge of their learners.
All the work I’ve done since 2010 has been underpinned by this belief.
For more on which, see below …
15+ Years Helping Teachers and Schools Across the World Achieve Their Teaching and Learning Goals
Training, Resources, Writing, and Professional Development
I started sharing teaching and learning resources during my PGCE.
My goal was to make life easier for my fellow trainees and to share my developing understanding of classroom practice.
These grew over the years into some of the most popular free resources of all time.
So far, they’ve been viewed and downloaded over four million times by teachers in more than 180 countries and territories.
And you can find them here, for free, on the website.
(Fully edited, revised and updated in 2026.)
As the resources gained popularity, two things happened.
First, schools and teachers from across the UK got in touch with me, asking me to deliver training.
Second, the Times Educational Supplement (TES) reached out and invited me to work with them, writing articles and guides on different aspects of classroom practice.
As the demands on my time grew, I decided to start teaching part-time.
And I also made the decision to begin writing books.
I kind of invented the practical teaching and learning genre by accident as a result.
When I was training to teach, I wanted books that were filled with practical strategies focussed on key aspects of classroom practice.
Things like AFL, differentiation and questioning.
Back then, they didn’t exist.
(Unlike today, when there are many brilliant books you can buy on the subject.)
When I took my ideas to a series of publishers in London, they were rebuffed.
Everyone was looking for curriculum-led books.
Or books about specific subject areas.
So I set about publishing them myself.
A few years later, I made the decision to stop teaching altogether and run my business, Gershon Learning Limited, full time.
It was tough a call. I love being in the classroom, after all.
But it was the right one.
Since then, I’ve been able to work with hundreds of schools and tens of thousands of teachers, as well as governments, charities, businesses and regional authorities.
Across the UK and around the world.
Helping all of them with developing teaching and learning and creating autonomy and freedom in the classroom.
I sometimes get asked about my lack of social media presence.
It’s not something I’ve ever really thought about.
I’ve always focussed on doing the work, sharing my expertise in person and online, rather than building a following.
And that’s kept me busy five days a week, forty-odd weeks a year for the last decade and a half.
I do have my newsletter, my blog and LinkedIn.
Those are the best ways to keep up-to-date with what I do.
And now I’ve created Mike Gershon’s Effective Teaching and Learning, the culmination of a decade and a half of working with schools and teachers.
So you can train with me online.
At a time and in a place that works for you.
Plus, when you join as a member, you can contact me directly to tell me what materials you want me to produce next, to help you in your career.
Most people build an audience first and expertise second.
I’ve spent 15 years doing the work before inviting anyone to watch.
For more on which, read on …
Selected Highlights from the Last 15+ Years
Prioritising Teacher Independence and the Practicalities of Effective Teaching
✅ Mike Gershon’s Effective Teaching and Learning
The only teacher development platform that prioritises professional autonomy and which lets teachers leverage my 15+ years of experience. Use it to take control of your career, your classroom and your future. Over 3,000 teachers were part of the first version. Now I’ve built version two, bigger, better and more intuitive than ever before.
✅ In-Person Training and Consultancy with Over 700 Schools
Focussing on areas like assessment for learning, differentiation, questioning, stretch and challenge, metacognition, Bloom’s Taxonomy, feedback and marking, effective observations, supporting vulnerable learners and supporting EAL learners.
✅ 40+ Books on Teaching and Learning
Including many bestsellers, that together have sold 160,000+ copies in the UK and around the world, and been translated into multiple languages.
✅ Some of the Most popular Online Teaching and Learning Resources of All Time
They’ve been viewed and downloaded 4 million+ times by teachers in over 180 countries and territories, via Tes.com and this website.
✅ 100+ Guides to Classroom Practice
Including for organisations like TES, Barclays Life Skills, the Education Endowment Foundation, The Key for School Leaders, WWF, Welsh Government, Cognita Schools Group and others.
✅ Two-Time Judge at the TES Schools Awards
I’ve twice sat on the TES Awards Judging Panel and had the honour of contributing to the process of selecting winners at the prestigious annual TES Schools Awards.
✅ One-Time Winner and Twice Runner-Up at the BETT Awards
I’m a one-time winner at the BETT Awards working in collaboration with TES Institute, and a twice runner-up for my online platforms Help Your Child to Learn and Supporting Vulnerable Learners Through Effective Teaching and Learning.
✅ Supported Schools Across the UK and Around the World
I’ve travelled to all four corners of the UK and to Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Italy, Romania, Bahrain, Kuwait and The Falkland Islands to work with schools and teachers on developing teaching and learning.
✅ Observed 1,000+ Lessons
Across EYFS, primary, secondary and FE, helping and supporting teachers to develop their practice through constructive feedback, coaching, mentoring and professional dialogue.
✅ Developed, Produced and Presented Multiple Courses and Resource Packages
For schools, governments, charities and regional authorities, including:
Supporting ASD Learners in Mainstream Classrooms, Outstanding Teaching, Growth Mindsets in the Classroom, Developing Teaching and Learning, Education for Sustainable Development (with WWF), Teaching Employability Skills (with Barclays Life Skills), Maximising the Impact of TAs (with the EEF), Tomorrow’s Teachers (with TES), Help Your Child to Learn, Help Your Teen to Learn, Revise with Mike, Trauma Informed Schools Best Practice, and Developing Effective Observations.
Discover How Mike Can Help You Achieve Your Goals
Take Your Teaching Where You Want It To Go
For Teachers
If you’re a teacher who wants to develop your practice, find new ideas and take control of your career, there’s lots on the site for you to explore.
🎯 Mike Gershon’s Effective Teaching and Learning
The professional development platform that prioritises teacher autonomy.
Leverage my 15+ years of experience and use it to take control of your career, your classroom and your future, starting today.
Unlock 30 courses, 900+ practical strategies, three exclusive member-only bonuses, and a growing library of insightful webinars. No contract, no commitment, and cancel any time, giving you total control of your membership.
Over 3,000 teachers used the first version of the platform to develop their skills and further their careers. Now I’ve taken what I learned from them and used it to develop a bigger, better, more intuitive platform that puts you in control of your professional development.
Discover 400+ blogs, articles and guides you can use to deepen your thinking, spark your creativity, and develop your classroom practice.
I’ve taken ten of my most popular books and fully revised, edited and updated them for the modern classroom. Then turned them into easy-to-use, fully searchable blogs, articles and guides that are FREE for everyone.
Instantly access ideas and strategies covering assessment for learning, differentiation and adaptive teaching, supporting EAL learners, Bloom’s Taxonomy, growth mindsets, positive behaviour management, questioning, talk, discussion and oracy, feedback and marking, and training to teach.
Available right now, for you to download and use in your teaching, for FREE.
I’ve been through all the resources and brought them fully up-to-date.
Everything has had a complete visual redesign, making the materials easier and more satisfying to use than ever before.
Plus, I’ve done a complete edit and revision of every single resource, ensuring they meet the needs of teachers working in classrooms right now.
Containing all the blogs, articles and guides from the Knowledge Base, as well as all my free resources for teachers, fully searchable so you can pinpoint what you’re looking for.
The blog is regularly updated with new ideas, strategies and insights for you to try out in your teaching.
Sign up to my newsletter to ensure priority access to new posts.
🎯 My Books
You can find all my books listed on this page, as well as the story of how I came to write and publish them.
The ten books from my bestselling ‘How To …’ series can be read for FREE through the Knowledge Base, where I’ve fully edited, revised and updated them for the demands of modern teaching.
For paperback and Kindle versions of all my books, visit Amazon.
Discover How Mike Can Help You Achieve Your Goals
Retain, Develop and Inspire Your Staff
For Schools
If you’re a school leader who wants to support your teachers to find their freedom, develop their thinking around teaching and learning, and teach lessons that prioritise their professional decision-making, there’s lots here to help you (as well as all of the above).
🎯 Mike Gershon’s INSET, Training and CPD
Here you’ll find details of the ten expert training sessions I offer to schools.
These focus on areas like metacognition, stretch and challenge, questioning, differentiation and adaptive teaching, and AFL.
You can discover exactly what each session covers, how it can help your school, and what additional support you’ll get from me.
There are also testimonials from some of my most recent engagements so you can get a flavour of what a full day, half-day or twilight session will be like for you and your staff.
🎯 Mike Gershon’s Effective Teaching and Learning: School Licences
Unlock 30 courses covering 10 key areas of teaching and learning, 900+ practical strategies, practical guides, big picture videos, exclusive webinars and supporting ASD learners materials for the teachers in your school.
This is trust-based professional development that prioritises teacher autonomy.
If you are a school that believes in the importance of teachers having ownership of their teaching, then this is the platform for you.
Find out what it means to do professional development differently, and to do it in a way that puts teacher autonomy, teacher purpose and teacher mastery at the heart of everything.
🎯 School Improvement Services from Mike Gershon
Explore the key school improvement services I offer.
This includes targeted, ongoing and bespoke support packages, as well as leadership training, and a curated selection of exclusive resource suites:
Developing Teaching and Learning, Revise with Mike, Help Your Child to Learn (for primary) and Help Your Teen to Learn (for secondary).
For anything else, get in touch and start a conversation.
