Mind the Gap: Making Education Work Across the Globe

On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Nikki Sullivan and Rachel Higginson to delve into the significance of oracy in education. The discussion explores the multifaceted role of oracy, emphasizing its importance not just in speaking and listening but in fostering confident and effective communication. Nikki and Rachel highlight the necessity of integrating speaking and listening skills into the wider curriculum, as well as the importance of creating communication-conducive learning environments and the value of teacher oracy in fostering a supportive culture within schools. Throughout the episode, the group provides practical examples and strategies for developing presentation skills in students, advocating for a balance between structured guidance and natural expression. Nikki Sullivan is Deputy Headteacher working in a comprehensive secondary school in Bradford. She has worked in both pastoral and academic senior leadership and now leads on teaching & learning and staff development. Nikki is working on a new book called Unlocking Oracy which will be coming out soon. Follow her on X @Nikki__Sullivan Rachel Higginson has been working in education for 25 years. Her aim is to support young people to develop the knowledge, skills and character to make a difference in the modern world. She is a keynote speaker, school improvement facilitator, curriculum designer, primary adviser, a collaborator with Myatt & Co, and also the curator of the Finding my Voice project. Follow her on X ⁠@creativeHigg Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/

Bron Ryrie Jones and Tom Sherrington discuss responsive teaching, emphasizing the challenges of overcoming embedded habits. They share practical strategies like cold calling and reframing questions, stressing the importance of student participation. The conversation highlights the gap between teaching intentions and classroom dynamics, advocating for short feedback loops and planned checks for understanding to make responsive teaching seamless.

Jade Pearce and Isaac Moore discuss 'Desirable Difficulties in Action' on the podcast. They delve into challenging pedagogical strategies like spacing, interleaving, and retrieval practice. The conversation emphasizes deep thinking, hard work, and effective memory recall techniques for better learning outcomes.

In this head to head episode of Mind the Gap, Tom and Emma discuss educational ideas that have recently captivated them, as well as some of the latest developments in the field. Emma has been thinking about the ways in which even beautifully designed curricula need well thought out task design to keep classes from becoming too formulaic across subjects. Tom, on the other hand, is looking at the newly announced panel on oracy, acknowledging both that people tend to worry about government mandates, but also that we need more pupils speaking with confidence. Later, Emma brings up the idea of expertise, inspired by the book Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery by Roger Kneebone. Finally, the two discuss the limits on classroom observation and Tom gives his thoughts about the recent conferences he attended across the pond in the United States, including a ResearchEd. Listen to the full episode to hear all about it. Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/

On this episode of Mind The Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by René Kneyber and Valentina Devid, co-founders of Toets Revolutie in the Netherlands and co-authors of the upcoming book Formative action: From instrument to design. The four of them talk about the concept of formative action, which is purposefully named to steer clear of the sometimes-problematic term 'assessment'. They walk through the five steps involved in formative action, and highlight how it can be empowering for both teachers - aiding their learning processes - and students - giving them agency and independence. René Kneyber is a former mathematics teacher and currently a consultant and book publisher in the Netherlands. He has written and edited multiple high-profile books on classroom authority and discipline, including the Dutch book Het Alternatief and the Dutch translation of Embedding Formative Assessment by Dylan Wiliam. Follow him on Twitter @rkneyber_EN Valentina Devid is a co-founder and trainer at Toets Revolutie. She is an experienced secondary school teacher, assessment expert, speaker, and education consultant now primarily focussed on formative assessment. Follow her on Twitter @valentinadevid Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/

Carl Hendrick discusses how education research can be compared to compiling classic rock albums for teachers, emphasizing the importance of play-based learning in early education. The discussion explores the challenges of applying research in the classroom and the need for teachers to engage with educational research to enhance their practices.

Jon Hutchinson discusses the importance of curricular coherence in education, emphasizing the journey of each student. The conversation explores Reach's initiatives, instructional coaching, and community engagement to improve educational systems.

Experienced school leader Amanda Wilson discusses the importance of confidence, authenticity, and empowerment in aspiring black school leaders. She highlights the challenges faced by black educators in leadership roles, emphasizes the need for representation in education, and shares insights on her upcoming projects and networking efforts.

Professor Rob Coe joins Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner to discuss his work on evidence-based education. They delve into the EEF Toolkit and the Sutton Trust report, challenging educators' beliefs. They also explore the latest craze of instructional coaching and what the research actually says about it.

Zaretta Hammond, education expert, discusses the 'ready for rigor' framework and the importance of culturally responsive teaching. They delve into understanding culture in teaching, instructional decision-making, therapeutic alliance, and building rapport in the classroom.