Teachers Talk Radio

Mary Bousted is interviewed by Tom Rogers for TTR at the launch of her new book in London (27th April 2022) , covered in the interview - does Mary prefer Corbyn to Starmer, Wilshaw to Gove, Johnson to Cameron - find out! Tom asks Mary about insurance companies acting as unions, OFSTEDs curriculum focus (she has some strong words on that) and the NEU policy on 'zero exclusions'.

Tabitha talks about edutwitter, social media and power in education, and the ethnography of online communities. She also  tells the cautionary tale of the baby board she was on from 2004-2006 and what the apocalypse of divorces, breakdowns, and recrimination can tell us about closeknit online communities

Join Tom for the late show. 

Mary Is joined by Haili Hughes who is a Senior Lecturer in Professional development and Teacher Development Mentor Lead at Sunderland University and Head of Education at Iris Connect. Join the ladies as they discuss all things mentorship.

Flora is joined by headteachers Anthony McGeeney and Mike Fairclough talking about why play in fundamental to children's learning and as Ken Robinson says, 'flourishing'.  How do we develop play, creativity and imagination in our learners across schools and also in our adults? 

listen to a chat with Yejide Egbedire, the savvy chemistry teacher from Lagos, Nigeria. She shared her experience with the Learning Pyramid created by Edgar Dale, the American Educationist. Do all learners really learn best when they teach others? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Dorian is joined by Jabiz Raisdana for an insightful and enriching discussion about how communities can be (re)built following the pandemic and how service learning has the capacity to restore relationships between schools and the local/global community. Jabiz gives a deep, honest and experienced reflection of his own journey and subsequent thoughts on service learning, as well signposting common pitfalls and misconceptions that, with thought and attention, can be mitigated or avoided. Through a range of examples and experiences, Jabiz offers an authentic critical lens on service learning’s capacity to truly affect change and shape dispositions for a more peaceful and sustainable world but highlights that everybody's journey with service is unique and lifelong. Links from the show: Jabiz’s blog http://intrepidflame.blogspot.com/  Service is poem https://intrepidflame.blogspot.com/2021/09/service-is.html  Reach out to Jabiz on Twitter @intrepidteacher Daraja Academy, Kenya https://daraja.org/ & @darajaacademy

In this episode we discuss the qualities a teacher should have and how you can make sure that you have what it takes to be a great teacher!

Join Henry as he chats with the fantastic Debs Butler about her experiences as both mentor and Induction Tutor, and explore what makes great mentoring. Henry also explores some of the key areas of research evidence that sits behind theories of effective mentor practice and some of the implications for school leaders. 

We look at the various issues to do with teaching the new #RSE curriculum in schools. How do schools train staff and implement a cohesive curriculum that covers all the aspects of this challenging topic area. We are joined by Abi a teacher from Essex responsible for delivering RSE and PHSE in her school.

Joining Holly on The Morning Break show today are Charlene Vanderpuye and Natalie Williams, leaders of Little Ashes Preschool in Bedfordshire. They share insight into why the same professional esteem bestowed on primary and secondary teachers is not shown to EYFS practitioners, as well as talking early literacy, forest school and transition to primary school.

Toby and Ed discussed their most memorable moments and teachers from school, considering the old adage 'it's not what you learnt but how you were made to feel that mattered.'  For the first half of the show some of the big edu-topics of the day were discussed from select committee discussions about female Physics uptake and an article in the Guardian by George Monbiot on the evident (or not?) correlation between increased exam pressure and mental health matters in adolescence.

“The alternative is PRUS. A fast track to the criminal justice system”. “They have no leadership, guidance, mentoring”. What really happens to pupils once they leave a mainstream setting? Nathan is joined by Emma Daniels, Sadie Smyth and Amreen Liaqat who are teachers in Alternative Provisions to find out. #exclusion #behaviour #PRU #alternativeprovision

Hugh Dellar and Harry talk about using the lexical approach in class and how it should be used.  They also talk about workers rights and the importance of joining a union.   For more information check out  https://www.lexicallab.com/   https://teflworkersunion.org/    

This morning I has an amazing conversation with Dr Anne Margaret Smith about her teaching career, her work as a dyslexia assessor, immigration, neurodiversity, music and studying to become a speech and language therapist. Dr Anne Margaret Smith started teaching English as a foreign/additional language around 30 years ago. She is also a dyslexia assessor and specialist tutor and has designed an assessment tool to allow us to identify SpLDs in multilingual people. She founded ELT well in 2005, to combine these two fields of education, and offers professional development and resources to language teachers in all contexts. She is currently also training to be a Speech and Language Therapist. For more information, visit:  www.ELTwell.com

Listen to the yearnings of a Nigerian teacher whose learner made an unpleasant post about teachers on his WhatsApp status. If you were in this scenario, what will you have done differently. Leave a comment below. Share your thoughts.

Lucy has a wonderfully inspiring chat with Lindsey MacDonald - CEO of Magic Breakfast. They discuss how vital breakfast is in order to help children learn as well as how teachers can support nutrition education in schools. 

Digital games in education: Why, how and when to use them with learners. Listen to the end of the show for a special digital gift! The link to the research I mentioned is here: Video game playing and literacy: a survey of young people aged 11 to 16

Shaniqua discusses everything homework related with, fellow teacher, Deaglan McAloran.  Is it worth the hassle? Does it benefit students? Should non-completion be sanctioned?  Shaniqua and Deaglan delve into the impact of homework and how it affects teachers, support staff, parents/carers and students. 

Joined by Jeff Pedley to discuss the European School System - 13 schools across six countries which provide education for children of EU emploment.

Tabitha talks about the role of national literary canons in constructing the ‘imagined communities’ we call nations. Empire, colonisation, völkisch nationalism and miserable reading lists! How do Marine Le Pen and the French far right use the canon to reinforce their islamophobia? What do the US canon wars of the 1980s and 90s tell us about the USA's view of itself in the world? How do other nations with settler-colonial histories like Australia, Canada and Chile construct their school canons? Why isn't there a UK school canon? And much more

Christopher discusses chess teaching in schools with Malcolm Pein of Chess in Schools and Communities and callers Natasha and Hari, covering everything from teaching primary school children about stalemate to the potential of chess as an engine of social mobility.

A general description on the topic of student behaviour in UK schools with a reflection on what training is available to teachers who start in the profession. Some strategies to develop in the context of inclusive education. Lily and Matt share their personal experience as secondary school educators in the UK.  

Pastoral CPD Clinics hit double figures today and it was all about the role of Head of Sixth Form. In this episode, Kalil is joined by Claire Green who is a Director of Sixth Form as she shares some invaluable insight into what the role entails and also what makes it such a great career. From curriculum design, to recruitment, to safeguarding, to pastoral, Claire drops some great gems and this is definitely worth a listen if you want to find out more about Post-16 leadership.   As always, follow Kalil on twitter @Kalil_R91 and use #PastoralCPD to find out about previous shows and/or suggest new show topics.

Join Sobia with Rachel Macfarlane discussing Strategic Leadership and School Improvement. She's also joined with Julian Hall, an award winning Entrepreneur. 

Emma interviews Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK and President of Humanists International and asks him why he campaigns against faith schools in the UK.

In his debut show, Paul Hamilton chats with Dr. Callum Watson and Taff Gillingham about historical accuracy and whether it is important to get the facts right when teaching about the past.

What is the largest class size you have ever taught? What do you think could have been done to manage the situation? Listen to Bisayo and Veronica, high school teachers from Lagos Nigeria, as they discuss the possible way forward. Join the conversation and leave a comment below. 

Dorian is joined by Nick Alchin, Head of United World Colleges SEA East for an important, engaging and invigorating conversation surrounding the future of global education. Seldom shy of large sinewy topics on The Morning Break, we attempt to distil how sustainability, peace, inclusion, innovation and partnerships can all coalesce to help shape the future of education - in an hour! Nick shares how his experiences as a student, teacher and leader have all added key brushstrokes towards his own understanding of how vital quality education is in order to ensure a sustainable and peaceful future. Nick concedes that previous generations have created and exacerbated global issues but that we still have the capacity to address these issues through education. The 5 threads we touch upon are all examined in great depth at the UWCSEA Forum which was held over 2 days where keynote speakers presented analysis for the importance of them and the challenges that lie ahead. The Forum also showcased how UWCSEA are living and breathing these threads in their school, demonstrating clearly that ‘it takes a village’ and that through well planned partnerships between all interest groups, we have the capacity to make the difference and be hopeful for the future. Huge topic that is sure to get you thinking and reflecting about your views on the subject and we hope you carry on these conversations with others in your schools. Links mentioned in the show: Forum website https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/uwcsea-forum/agenda   Reach out to Nick via Twitter @nicholas_alchin  Nick’s blog http://nickalchinuwcsea.blogspot.com/  

Toby discusses what we remember from our school days!