Teachers Talk Radio

Kathryn is joined by Secondary MFL teacher, Sean Bailey to discuss the challenges and opportunities of speaking tests and the future of MFL.

Toby talks to Sabeena Shah and Jolanta Wlodek about engaging and motivating staff, being creative, innovative and pragmatic, managing an incredible workload and practising self-care.

Nathan Gynn is joined by clinical psychologist and author Doctor Naomi Fisher for an extensive discussion about attendance in schools. They discuss the psychology of attendance: Does attendance matter? What are the barriers to attendance?  Have young people changed? How do young people feel about school? Fines for non-attendance? What powers to individual teachers have? What should schools do more or less of to improve attendance?   All of this and more in a show supported by John Catt Educational. 

Tom is joined by Adam Levick and Charlie Duckett to talk about phonics in secondary schools. The impact of the pandemic has meant that more students are arriving in Year 7 with gaps in their knowledge of word reading - so what can secondary schools do to help?   Plus, Dave Brown shares his experience of cutting down workload with KS5 marking and feedback in essay-based subjects, sharing strategies and insights from his experience working in a sixth form college with many essays to look at.

In this show I talk to author Sally Docherty about the writing process and how to help students become more creative in their own writing. Lots of cracking advice to help students, especially those coming up to their exams.

What if we could redesign the school year so it better suits our families and supports the wellbeing of staff? Warren Harrison of The Premier Academy shares some fascinating insights into what his school have done with the lengths of their school terms and holidays, even changing the start of their school year to June rather than September. There have been huge positive impacts on attendance, curriculum design and workload. How could this work in your school?

A conversation with Professor Esther Leslie of Birkbeck College discussing the purpose of schools, the impact of technology on education, and the need for fostering critical thinking. We reflect on the ideas of Theodore Adorno and Walter Benjamin and explore topics such as the Frankfurt School's critique of instrumental reasoning in education, the potential of modern technologies for democratizing access to culture, and the decline of humanities in current education systems.

Maxine discusses the power of positive thinking, not to be confused with toxic positivity. Joined by Marcus Ray, @MrRteaches to celebrate all that is great about being a teacher. 

We loved this show! Lucy Neuburger chats with Rob and Martin, the innovative minds behind Spelling Shed. This episode peels back the layers of gamification in learning, the importance of spelling in the digital age, and the future of EdTech. Discover how Spelling Shed is revolutionising the way students engage with language, why spelling still matters, and the exciting new features set to launch. Whether you're a teacher looking to invigorate your spelling curriculum or a parent seeking at-home learning tools, this episode is packed with insights and a peek at groundbreaking tech that scans student writing for spelling errors. Find out more about Spelling Shed here.  In the show: What are some of the challenges that teachers have when it comes to spelling? What does teaching spelling effectively mean and why is it important? What skills are essential for pupils to become successful spellers? What mistakes are common when teaching spelling and how can this be fixed? What is the link between spelling, reading and developing key literacy skills? Technology is always evolving. What does that mean for spelling? What is the role of AI when it comes to education in general and what does that mean for spelling? What is the Science of Spelling? Spelling Shed is used across the globe. What does it include and how is it making a difference in schools? How can we use gamification to improve key literacy skills? www.edshed.com www.spellingshed.com www.literacyshedplus.com www.phonicsshed.com

Christopher talks with Dr Helen Rand and Dr Stacy Banwell from the University of Greenwich about feminist pedagogy in the undergraduate seminar room.