Mind the Gap: Making Education Work Across the Globe

Educational power couple Dr Pippa and Bradley Busch discuss the effects of COVID on children's development, how to make the school environment more low stakes, and their favorite classroom strategies to help pupils learn better.

Lekha Sharma, School Improvement Lead for the Avanti Schools Trust, joins Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner on Mind The Gap. They explore building a positive school culture, its connection to curriculum, and the role of small interactions. The episode also discusses transforming negative cultures, importance of trust-building, and upcoming world education summit.

Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner reflect on the profound insights and powerful moments shared by their guests. They discuss the importance of accessible primary education and leaving a lasting legacy through teaching. The duo explores the significance of routines and norms for successful learning environments. They appreciate the expertise shared by Dylan Wiliam, Efrat Furst, and Sarah Cottingham. Tom and Emma highlight inspiring individuals who have impacted the education community. Mind The Gap goes beyond interviews, providing a space for meaningful conversations and professional development.

In this episode, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Ben Newmark to discuss breaking barriers and embracing individual differences in education. They challenge conventional thinking on educating clever children and highlight the importance of not categorizing all students under SEND. The podcast emphasizes the need for a more inclusive and personalized approach to education that empowers students of all abilities to reach their full potential.

On the latest installment of the Mr Barton Maths Podcast, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner assume the roles of guests and engage in a lively discussion. For this special episode, Craig Barton and Ollie Lovell are joined by Emma Turner and Tom Sherrington to discuss coaching, the view from the back of a lesson, pre-testing, implied competencies, and more! Access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-6 Ollie Lovell is a maths and science teacher from Australia, an author, and my longtime, bitter podcasting rival. We have decided to get together once a month to share three things we have each learned and get the other’s take on it. This month, we have guests! We are joined by the fantastic primary specialist Emma Turner and Walkthrus guru Tom Sherrington from the Mind the Gap podcast. This episode was initially published on Mr Barton Maths Podcast. Craig Barton interviews guests from the wonderful world of education about their approaches to teaching, educational research, and more. All show notes, resources, and videos here: https://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/

Teacher training, coaching, and the challenges of implementation are explored in this episode. The guests discuss the value of listening to personal experiences, the need for a holistic approach to teacher training, and the role of instructional coaching. They also highlight the challenges of implementing coaching in schools and the potential benefits of integrating coaching into the early stages of a teacher's career.

Alom Shaha, a teacher with over 25 years of experience, joins hosts Tom and Emma to discuss his journey into teaching and the challenges faced by educators. They also touch on topics such as his upcoming children's book, the importance of nurturing curiosity, and the need for accessible science education for non-scientist teachers.

Caroline Derbyshire, an education advocate and expert in creating a positive and supportive environment for educators, joins Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner to discuss the importance of cultivating excellence and empowering teachers. They highlight the significance of creating a culture of excellence in education, granting teachers independence and assistance for professional development, and the challenges in education policy and funding. The importance of school audits and expressing gratitude to the audience is also discussed.

On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington, and Emma Turner have the pleasure of being joined by Hywel Roberts, a highly accomplished author, educator, storyteller, and humorist. This episode provides a holistic perspective on how to create an effective learning environment in the classroom. The trio discussed the importance of enthusiasm, engagement, imagination, protection, storytelling, and agile education to make abstract concepts accessible and captivate students. They explored the use of warmth, humor, and storytelling to draw students in, the need for imagination pedagogy and protecting students in learning, and the empowering elements of storytelling and imagination in education.  Lastly, the conversation highlighted the need to develop the ability to imagine processes and embrace agile education for a more innovative approach to teaching and learning. About the participants:  Hywel Roberts has been a teacher for over thirty years. His reputation has grown hugely since he stepped out of the full-time classroom. Hywel has found an incredible and innovative niche in the world of model teaching, contributing to and advising curriculum designers and innovators from Barnsley to Brussels, from Cairo to Cleethorpes. Hywel leads the PGCE program in Drama at Huddersfield University and contributes to the Master's program in Drama and Creative Writing at Leeds Beckett University. Hywel is a regular contributor to conferences, including The Sunday Telegraph Festival of Education, Northern Rocks, Practical Pedagogies, and The University of Belfast Thinking Conference. Hywel is the author of Oops! Getting Children to Learn Accidentally and Uncharted Territories. He writes a regular column for the Times Educational Supplement about his encounters as a ‘traveling teacher’ and a weekly show ‘Hywel’s Teacher Stories’ on Teacher Hug Radio. Hywel’s number one Bestseller on Amazon, Botheredness was published this year. Hywel is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Charted College of Teaching. Follow Hywel on Twitter: @hywel_roberts 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: Five-step guides to instructional coaching, Teaching WalkThrus 2: Five-step guides to instructional coaching, Teaching WalkThrus 3: Five-step guides to instructional coaching, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action, and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. 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 is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. Turner is the author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners,  Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education, Simplicitus: The Interconnected Primary Curriculum & Effective Subject Leadership, and Simplicitus Altius: Leading the Interconnected Primary Curriculum. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75.

In this episode of Mind The Gap, Tom and Emma reflect on past guests and Emma’s new book Simplicitus Altius: Leading the Interconnected Primary Curriculum. Tom and Emma discuss the lack of shock within the profession regarding the amount of stress people feel and how it potentially can lead to such tragedies is surprising. We must look at the high-stress system to make it more supportive and encourage leaders to improve. Our guests, emphasized the importance of finding the right match for a school, leading with passion, worth, and a deep sense of achievement. This episode also touched on the concept of multi novice status, recognizing that children arrive at secondary school with more proficiency in certain subjects, while still developing in others. It can be challenging to teach standalone subjects in primary school, especially with children still novice in multiple areas simultaneously. Thus, the primary curriculum should be taught in interconnected ways rather than as isolated subjects. Overall, this episode offers critiques, reflections, and insights into the education profession while providing resources for teachers and school leaders to improve their practice. About the participants: 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. 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 is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. Turner is the author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners,  Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education, and Simplicitus: The Interconnected Primary Curriculum & Effective Subject Leadership. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75.