Naylor's Natter

Prof Guy Claxton is Emeritus Professor at Winchester University and Visiting Professor of Education at King's College London. He has previously taught and researched at Oxford University, Bristol University and the University of London Institute of Education. An internationally renowned cognitive scientist, Guy s books include Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind; Wise Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning; The Wayward Mind; and Intelligence in the Flesh. Recent books in education include What's the Point of School?; Building Learning Power; and with Bill Lucas and others, New Kinds of Smart, The Learning Powered School; and Educating Ruby. Guy's Building Learning Power approach to teaching is widely used in all kinds of schools across the UK, as well as in Poland, Dubai, Indonesia, India, China, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina. The Naylor's Natter review: Guy Claxton speaks here with the authentic voice of a teacher and the knowledge of an esteemed academic. In this book , he presents the case for nuance and against the simple mindedness that is holding back education. As an avid reader of education books, I have noted the drift towards surface understanding and selective application of educational research. I have witnessed a cavalier attitude towards certain academic research being accepted as received wisdom ,whilst other types dismissed as folk tales produced by snake oil purveyors. The research and evidence movement risks becoming a parody of itself. Sweeping away edu myths whilst simultaneously creating its own through lethal mutations of Direct Instruction, cognitive load theory, retrieval practice and knowledge rich curriculum. Claxton presents a balanced , well-researched and up to date vision for the future of teaching . The middle ground may not be popular , nuance may well not sell out conferences but this pragmatic and accurate model of the future of education is well worth your time and money

The Kindness Principle: Making relational behaviour management work in schools advocates a behaviour management approach rooted in values, acceptance and a genuine understanding of children’s behaviour. In an education system that too often reaches for the carrot-and-stick approach to dealing with poor pupil behaviour, an approach built on kindness and compassion might just provide the cure. The Kindness Principle begins with the idea that relationships should be at the heart of behaviour management and culture, and sets out the ways in which the adoption of relational approaches can help create safer and happier schools. Schools where all staff and learners are valued and understood, where expectations and standards are high, and where kindness and acceptance matter. Dave Whitaker explores why it is so important to understand children – offering techniques and advice on how to work effectively with all children (even the most challenging and troubled ones) without resorting to zero-tolerance, no-excuses and consequence-driven practices. Dave also shares a wealth of real-life experiences from some of the most challenging schools in the country, along with research-informed insights that will help teachers understand children’s behaviour in a new light. To this end he provides a wealth of guidance to help develop effective practice and learn from people who have actually walked the walk and don’t just talk the talk. Furthermore, the topics covered in the book include: restorative approaches, unconditional positive regard, building personal resilience, structures and routines, and the ins and outs of rewards and sanctions. Suitable for teachers, school leaders and anyone working with children.

Naylor’s Natter TDT Takeover Show Notes In this month’s TDT Takeover of Naylor’s Natter, we’re talking leadership, communication, and wellbeing with TDT CEO, David Weston @informed_edu, Barham Primary School Headteacher, Karen Giles @MsKarenGiles and MalCPD Director, Mal Krishnasamy @MalCPD We are also delighted to announce that TDT have been appointed by the Department for Education in England to be a new Lead provider for the new suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for school leadership. Find out more and sign up to get more information about delivering or participating in the new TDT National Professional Qualifications: https://bit.ly/3u3zCIn Download our working paper 'A Culture of improvement': https://tdtrust.org/coi/ Find out more about our Pedagogical Coaching Programme: https://tdtrust.org/pedagogical-coaching/ Sign up to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all things CPD: https://tdtrust.org/newsletter/

Andria Zafirakou, a teacher at Alperton Community School in Brent, won $1 million when she was crowned the best teacher in the world by the Varkey Foundation. Andria was born in north-west London to Greek-Cypriot parents and state-educated in Brent and Camden. She is an art and textiles teacher in Brent on the outskirts of London, one of the world’s most ethnically diverse places. She is passionate about education and changing the lives of young people and underserved communities through creativity. She has worked her entire teaching career of 14 years at Alperton Community School and was promoted to Deputy Head of Art within a year of her arrival. She is now Associate Deputy Headteacher leading on staff professional development. Using the prize money awarded by the Global Teacher prize, Andria founded a charity called Artists in Residence (AiR) with an aim to improve arts education in schools. Andria has also been named in the top ten of The Evening Standard's 1000 Londoners List, a list of the most influential people in London. She is a Culture Leader for the World Economic Forum's as well as a member of their Global Future Leaders Council. Andria sits on the Advisory board for the Cultural Leaders Alliance.

This month's TDT Takeover  In this week's TDT Takeover edition of the Naylor's Natter podcast, we discuss the importance, impact and future of EdTech for teaching with TDT's Head of Education, Maria Cunningham, TDT Project Officer, Dave Price and Lampton School's Head of English, Richard Iglikowski-Broad. Download our working paper 'A Culture of improvement' and sign up for our upcoming video unpicking the findings with authors Maria Cunningham and Bethan Hindley: https://tdtrust.org/coi/ Sign up to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all things CPD: https://tdtrust.org/newsletter/

Roma has been in education for 9 years now after a career in Marketing. She started her blog noonetoldmehowtodothis.com Through it, she shares ideas, reviews, discusses Leadership and Professional development and generally hashes out thoughts to help her navigate the world of education. Through the blog she has found an incredible and supportive community on Twitter. Roma has been championing student voice for the past 5 years and believes that many of the answers to our most pressing questions in education can come through collaboration with students who have learnt the value of collective responsibility

Featuring conversations with teachers and authors .  Please be aware this contains natural breaks where adverts come in during live show.

Join Phil for this uplifting conversation with the wonderful Halil Tamgumus (Mr T). We take in: Leadership Growing up  Back to school  positives of social media Phil and High Noon's Vinyl Suite and we pick Halil's top 3 music choices that define him and his career. Genuinely, one of the best we've done!

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There are no secrets to school improvement. There are no silver bullets and no magic answers. It is far less glamorous. It is a question of identifying numerous actions and applying effort ‘day in, day out’ to improve them. This book contains 89 strategies which leaders have successfully used in primary and secondary schools to make the difference to their pupils. 'This brilliant book is a ‘must have’ for any school leader. It is packed full of realistic strategies that can be adopted, adapted and implemented' - Sarah Paul, Headteacher, Wyberton Primary Academy. ‘Packed to the brim with practical advice for school improvement that is founded in his real-life work.’ - Jayney Cooksley, Headteacher, Briar Hill Primary School. ‘Really resonates with me, the strategies are particularly useful for new Headteachers and those working in stand-alone schools’ - Rebecca Walker, Primary Director, West Norfolk Academies Trust. ‘The title of the book is perfect – there are no ‘silver bullets’ but this strips the mammoth beast of school improvement back to a toolkit that focuses on doing fewer things really well. No bandwagons to jump on, just relentless consistency in tried and tested strategies to provide a great education for all learners.’ - Donna Tandy, Deputy Chief Executive, The Focus Trust. ‘Each page bristles with rich examples of school improvement,’Abby Byford, Director of the ATT Institute ‘Provides simple and easy-to-access advice to school leaders, will be very much welcomed by many,’Rowena Hackwood, CEO, Astrea Academies Trust 'This book is a must have for any school leader looking to bring about positive change, with tried & tested ideas.’Liz White, School Improvement Advisor. ‘Everything I know of Paul’s work is nothing but excellence and ‘No Silver Bullets is no different’Julie Keyes, The Education Consultant. ‘No Silver Bullets offers a valuable and pragmatic approach to ensuring that school improvement strategies ‘stick’. Grounded in Paul Ainsworth’s extensive experience and expertise, this book will be an invaluable resource to any school leader seeking to make sustainable improvements in their school community.’ - Zoë Elder, author of ‘Full On Learning’ ‘A book to not just read once but act as a reference, challenge and reflection as to where you are at on your School Improvement journey and context.' - Stephen Logan, Deputy Head, Malet Lambert School. ‘No Silver Bullets is an excellent guide to key strategies that really make a difference when it comes to school improvement from someone who “walks the talk” with school leaders each and every day.' - Gavin Booth, CEO, Infinity Academies Trust. ‘No Silver Bullets is a reassuring and realistic message that school improvement relies on day to day hard work and clear focus and not an external quick fix being adopted by the school.’ -Leann Lynch, Strategic Teaching and Learning Leader, L.E.A.D. Equate Teaching School Alliance. ‘I have supported over sixty schools in the last six years as I have worked in Director of School Improvement roles across for four Multi-Academy Trusts. I help Headteachers and school leadership teams make their school the best it can be. I rarely suggest drastic changes, instead on each visit, I look for little tweaks which will make the difference to their school. This book contains the suggestions that I make the most often. They are quickly adopted and help drive school improvement.' - Paul K. Ainsworth So whether you are a school leader or a system leader, read through the actions and see which of these small changes can make a big difference to your school.