In episode 9 of Mind the Gap: Making Education Work Across the Globe, hosts Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner explore a new, deeper discussion format where they dive into timely topics without a guest.

First (1:26), they share takeaways from the previous episode of Mind the Gap, featuring an interview with Mark McCourt, renowned expert on teaching for mastery. They describe not only what viewers and listeners should look out for in the interview, but also what resonates most about Mark’s work overall. Next (10:25), Tom and Emma highlight books they’ve been reading, including Back on Track by Mary Myatt, It Takes 5 Years to Become a Teacher, and Tom Bennett’s Running the Room.

The discussion then moves into the three main topics:

1. Problems with school criticism (19:26) - The hosts discuss the criticisms of schools and school systems, including from those who don’t work in education. What criticisms are fair or unfair, and what toll do they take?
2. Do we have our CPD systems right? (29:29) - Discussion of top-heavy systems of continuous professional development (CPD), whether or not they’re working, and how to streamline them.
3. The Early Career Framework rollout (42:48) - The UK’s rollout of the framework for teachers in the early stages of their career.

Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode.

Mind the Gap is produced by MindRocket Media Group, presented by John Catt Educational. Learn more about world-class authors at us.johncattbookshop.com (US) or johncattbookshop.com (International).

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner spent 20 years as a primary teacher before joining Discovery Schools Academy Trust, where she is currently the Research and CPD lead. She is author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75