Mind the Gap: Making Education Work Across the Globe

For this episode, Tom and Emma welcome author, leader, and coach Diana Osagie to the podcast. Diana is a true leadership expert. The conversation explores all factors of leadership, from courage to coaching. Diana’s philosophy is bright and honest and built on the practicality of resilience and respect. Much of the conversation revolves around Diana’s book Courageous Leadership, a must-read for current and future education leaders. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. Tom, Emma, and Diana also discuss Diana’s work with the Academy of Women’s Leadership to deprogram some of the negative internal narratives and external pressures that women in education leadership struggle with.  About the participants: Diana Osagie is an educator, former head teacher, keynote speaker, leadership coach author, and the founder of The Academy of Women’s Leadership. She is the author of Courageous Leadership. Continue the conversation with Diana on Twitter @diana_osagie. 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

For this episode, Tom and Emma welcome author and head teacher Sam Strickland to the podcast. The trio opened season three and the new school year by discussing a major topic in education: behavior. In this discussion, the trio delves into creating and managing behavior-based systems, managing expectations, advice for new educators, and much more. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. Tom, Emma, and Sam also discuss Sam’s new book, The Behaviour Manual: An Educator's Guidebook; Sam outlines his three key audiences, including senior leaders, middle leaders, and classroom teachers. The book is a collection of “short, sharp, and precise” manuals that teachers and administrators can use to architect school and classroom cultures.  About the participants: Sam Strickland began his teaching career as a history teacher in Bedfordshire, having completed his PGCE in secondary history at the University of Cambridge. His career quickly accelerated, becoming a head of history and classics. After several leadership positions, Sam is now the principal of a large all-through school. Sam is the author of three books, including Education Exposed I and II and, most recently, The Behaviour Manual: An Educator's Guidebook. Follow Sam on Twitter @Strickomaster 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, Simplicitus: The Interconnected Primary Curriculum & Effective Subject Leadership Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75

For this episode, Tom and Emma welcome maths educator, author, podcaster, and education thought leader Craig Barton to the podcast. To introduce Craig, the trio discusses his many endeavors in education, including his podcast, two books, interest in variation theory, and, as Tom put it, the “proliferation of Craig Barton products.” Craig's many forrays into entrepreneurship center around his interest in providing useful and experience-driven resources to teachers. Essentially Craig’s hard work goes into creating resources he wishes he had from the start of his education career. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. In the second half of the discussion, Tom, Emma, and Craig dive further into the practicality of Craig’s particular theories, interests, and passion projects. This part of the discussion shows how Craig takes an extremely creative and research-based approach and turns it into real-world teacher training, school planning, and classroom materials. About the participants: Craig Barton has been an educator since 2004 over the past two decades has become a maths leader, author, and entrepreneur. He is the co-creator of Diagnostic Questions, a free website hosting the world’s largest collection of high-quality maths resources, and the Head of Education at Eedi. He launched Mr. Barton Maths Podcast in 2015, allowing him to talk to experts in education research. Since then, he has published two educational books with JohnCatt Educational: How I Wish I’d Taught Maths (2018) and Reflect, Expect, Check, Explain (2020). Follow Craig on Twitter @mrbartonmaths 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  

For this episode, Tom and Emma welcome science teacher, author, and entrepreneur Adam Boxer to the podcast. The conversation begins with a discussion of Carousel Learning, an online learning platform that aims to improve students' content retention through retrieval practice. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. In the second half of the discussion, Tom, Emma, and Adam discuss his presence on EDU Twitter and the discourse he engages with, including behavioral management, education philosophy, and practical experience. The group discusses progressive vs. traditional thinking and Adam’s philosophy of leading with a sense of communal acceptance from a teacher-focused perspective. Adam describes his operational philosophy for his work as a thought leader as “usefulness density” and how that guides him to a creative, passionate, and approachable perspective. About the participants: Adam Boxer is an educator, author, and entrepreneur whose quick wit and dedication to education have led to amazing work, including articles, the Carousel Learning platform, and his book Teaching Secondary Science: A Complete Guide. Follow Adam on Twitter @adamboxer1  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

For this episode, Tom and Emma switch up the format of the podcast. Using a volley approach, they go back and forth asking questions and providing insight on issues in education today. Tom and Emma are both extremely involved in the teacher community, primarily through their daily work as educators, attendance at conferences, and EDU Twitter. In this episode, they take a moment to call upon the struggles of that community and discuss a few intriguing challenges across primary and secondary education. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. On the primary side, the list includes of topics include: proscribed language modules, student engagement, parents helping their students with homework and school projects, curriculum vs topic-based learning, and on the secondary side, the topics include: short and long lunch periods, group/collaborative learning, and GCSEs. Tom and Emma also discuss general issues around education including the publishing and curriculum industries. Overall the conversation shows the variety of problems and solutions educators are grappling with. As the summer recess begins, it is a perfect time to discuss your ideas with your fellow teachers, administrators, and scholars. Join the conversation and tell us your favorite teacher topic on Twitter with #MindTheGap, your question might end up on the next Q&A! 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

For this episode, Tom and Emma chat all things data, community, and policy with educator, leader, and entrepreneur Laura McInerney. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. To start they discuss Laura’s journey from early Teach First pioneer, to her position as editor for Schools Week, to her current position as co-founder of Teacher Tapp, an application that polls teachers on their thoughts concerning discourse in education. In each of her positions, Laura has had a solitary mission: to collect information and put it in the hands of those who need it most.  A major topic in this discussion concerned the demographics of educators using Teacher Tapp and how Laura and her team use their intimate knowledge of the education sector to best represent the data they collect. To learn more about Teacher Tapp and its mission here: https://teachertapp.co.uk/ About the participants: Laura McInerney is an educator, journalist, public speaker, and co-founder of Teacher Tapp.  A lifelong educator and advocate, you can find her numerous articles, interviews, and speaking events on her website: https://lauramcinerney.com/ Follow Laura on Twitter @miss_mcinerney 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

For this episode, Tom and Emma chat with Kieran Mackle, an author, podcast host, and primary school maths leader. The conversation begins with a discussion on mathematics strategy for teachers. Kieran’s most recent book, Thinking Deeply About Primary Mathematics, discusses hundreds of strategies for teachers with researched and practiced methodologies. One major topic that Tom, Emma, and Kieran discuss is the structural discourse around maths education and foundational learning, particularly pedagogical differences concerning mental maths and formal algorithm. Kieran puts forth a system of using consistency as a goal for a national curriculum that focuses on skill generation and mathematical fluency rather than content coverage. Kieran’s philosophy largely stems from mathematical maturation, a concept from Mark McCourt’s book Teaching For Mastery, a seminal work on the subject. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. Later in the discussion, the group focuses on scheme implementation in primary mathematics. Kieran focuses primarily on the power of time when it comes to introducing pedagogical schemes into primary learning. Taking time to decide on a scheme and evaluate its potency is essential. About the participants: Kieran Mackle is a 15+ year primary mathematics educator and leader. He is also the author of several books and articles including Tackling Misconceptions in Primary Mathematics and Thinking Deeply About Primary Mathematics. In addition, Kieran hosts the Thinking Deeply About Primary Education [TDAPE] podcast, inviting educators to discuss strategies, problems, and solutions facing primary education today. Follow Kieran on Twitter @Kieran_M_Ed 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. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75

For this episode, Tom and Emma chat about several recent accomplishments, a special anniversary for Tom, and a new program Baccalaureate that Tom is interested in. To start, Emma’s new book Simplicitus: The Interconnected Primary Curriculum & Effective Subject Leadership is available for purchase and has already reached Amazon's bestseller levels of success. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. Next on the list for exciting celebrations is the 10-year anniversary of Tom’s Teacherhead blog. What began as a way for Tom to share ideas with fellow educators has become a site with over 7.5 million views and hundreds of articles that have been read in nearly every corner of the world (except, as Tom points out, the West Sahara). Tom's following in the education community includes a number of experts, educators, and researchers. Tom then discusses his and other English educators' work on creating a framework for a National Baccalaureate program. Based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) system, the program Tom is supporting would increase access to a more well-rounded and student-driven curriculum than anything currently available to students in England. A major focus for Tom is how disparate he feels the education system can be due to socioeconomic limitations. Tom hopes a more well-rounded Baccalaureate initiative could address that gap. 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

For this episode, Tom and Emma chat with Christopher Such, an #author and primary teacher from Peterborough. In the first part of their conversation, the group discusses Christopher’s focus on literacy and teaching reading in primary school. Christopher’s book on teaching reading (The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading) has recently been buzzing through the UK #education world. The book's strength comes from Christopher's experience teaching primary reading, particularly his ability to connect with the learner and the dynamics of what makes a great reader. Rather than provide a step-by-step approach to teaching reading, Christopher’s book offers a #framework for education that contextualizes teaching reading in their own experience and lesson plans. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. In the second part of the discussion, Tom, Emma, and Christopher discuss the science of teaching reading. Christopher's scientific approach is revolutionary and combines concepts from other researchers in education in a workable and well-thought-out model. Christopher has a background in science, having received a bachelor's and master's in chemistry, and his book came from a want for more scientific exploration of reading. He expertly combines the experimental with the practical applications of reading theory. Mind the Gap is presented by John Catt Educational, a leading independent publisher that has supported teachers and school leaders with research-based, easy-to-use professional development publications since 1959. Learn more about books from Tom, Emma, and many other world-class authors at us.johncattbookshop.com (US) or johncattbookshop.com (International). About the participants: Christopher Such is a key stage one primary teacher and curriculum leader from Peterborough. He has worked in education for thirteen years, including spells in every key stage from foundation to A-Level, teaching primarily in upper key stage 2. He is also the author of The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading and articles on various topics in education. Follow Christopher on Twitter @Suchmo83 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 and Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75

For this episode, Tom and Emma chat about their exciting and upcoming projects, particularly Emma’s soon-to-be-published Simplicitus and Tom’s WalkThrus 3. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode. To start, the duo discusses Emma’s upcoming publication, Simplicitus, an extraordinary collection of resources about primary curriculum. A major focus of the book is rooting curriculum in the actualities of primary education, particularly finding interconnected disciplines and creating complementary units. Overall, Emma’s new book focuses on interdependent learning and how it plays out in primary classrooms. Tom also has some exciting projects. He is currently recording the audiobook of The Learning Rain Forest and tells a funny story from the recording booth. Tom and Emma discuss the learning process and how their two strategies from Simplicitus and The Learning Rain Forest connect via curriculum. In other exciting news, the third installation of the WalkThrus series is available now. The collaboration between Tom and education leader Oliver Caviglioli brings together several resources and over 20 experts from across the U.K. Tom and Oliver are also planning a series of trainings for teachers to become walk thru certified, giving more capacity to support schools. It is an exciting time for the Mind The Gap podcast team, with more exciting interviews on the way! To find full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MindtheGapwithTomEmma/. 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 and Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75