
Education Research Reading Room
The most in-depth education podcast available. Each episode host Ollie Lovell takes a deep dive into an important area of education with an educational thought leader from around the world, from practicing teachers to university professors and everyone in-between. If you're looking to build deep knowledge about education and how learning happens, this is the podcast for you.
Latest episodes

50 snips
Aug 4, 2024 • 2h 7min
ERRR #093. Adam Boxer on the First 10 Minutes of a Lesson
Adam Boxer, a North London chemistry teacher and education writer, discusses the pivotal first ten minutes of a lesson and their impact on student learning. He introduces Carousel, an edtech tool designed to enhance knowledge management for students. The conversation dives into crafting effective questions, balancing procedural and declarative knowledge, and innovative teaching strategies. Adam emphasizes the importance of classroom culture in fostering trust and accountability, and shares practical insights for maximizing engagement right from the start of a lesson.

5 snips
Jul 5, 2024 • 2h 8min
ERRR #092. Harry Fletcher-Wood on Running Effective Professional Development
Harry Fletcher-Wood, a seasoned professional development designer and former history teacher, shares his expertise on enhancing teacher training. He introduces the Catalyst Project, focusing on evidence-based strategies for teacher growth. The conversation highlights the drawbacks of traditional one-off training and advocates for a tailored, ongoing approach. Key topics include the importance of deliberate practice, authentic engagement, and feedback to foster effective learning environments. Harry emphasizes building connections among educators to promote collaboration and sustained professional development.

40 snips
Jun 3, 2024 • 1h 9min
ERRR #091. Greg Ashman on the Essential Elements of a High Performing School
Greg Ashman, a deputy principal at Ballarat Clarendon College and an insightful educational writer, shares his expertise on what makes a school high-performing. He discusses the significance of clear student expectations and tailored professional learning for teachers. Ashman emphasizes the balance between structured lesson planning and teacher autonomy to enhance learning outcomes. The conversation also delves into effective data use and curriculum design to support diverse learners, highlighting practices that contribute to student success.

May 6, 2024 • 2h 21min
ERRR #090. Hunter & Parkinson on the Benefits of Multi-school Organisations
In this episode, Dr. Jordana Hunter & Nick Parkinson from the Grattan Institue discuss lessons from their trip to New York and England to visit 7 multi-school organisations, groups of schools working together under common governance and structures to the benefit of students.

24 snips
Apr 3, 2024 • 2h 35min
ERRR #089. Karen Harris on Teaching Writing (SRSD)
Regents Professor Karen Harris shares insights from over 50 years of refining the SRSD method for teaching writing. Discussion includes the impact of SRSD on student writing quality, explicit instruction challenges, integrating storytelling techniques, using mnemonic devices for reader engagement, enhancing writing skills through rocket projects, and the future of AI-generated writing prompts.

33 snips
Mar 2, 2024 • 1h 6min
ERRR #088. Kristian Still on Test-enhanced Learning
Deputy head academic Kristian Still discusses test-enhanced learning techniques to empower students, focusing on retrieval practice, spacing, and re-learning. He explores strategies for enhancing comprehension of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' with flashcards and interactive games. The importance of teacher well-being for sustainability in education is also highlighted.

4 snips
Feb 3, 2024 • 2h 10min
ERRR #087. Arran Hamilton and Dylan Wiliam on Making Room for Impact (De-implementation)
Exploring de-implementation in education, Arran Hamilton and Dylan Wiliam emphasize giving up old practices for new ones. They discuss challenges in reallocating resources, proposing high-level strategies, and the significance of AI in education. The conversation also touches on effective altruism, efficiency in daily tasks, and promoting a weekly newsletter for educators.

Jan 1, 2024 • 2h 19min
ERRR #086. Gwyn Ap Harri on Building, Breaking, and Fixing a World Famous School
Gwyn Ap Harri, CEO of XP School Trust and realsmart, talks about scaling up challenges and overcoming them. He discusses the successes and challenges of XP School, distinguishes malice from stupidity, explores relational problem solvers and their connection to leadership, and emphasizes the importance of clear line management and accountability. The podcast also touches on measuring the quality of teachers and exploring line management and accountability in organizations.

6 snips
Dec 3, 2023 • 1h 41min
ERRR #085. Jeff Robin on Teaching Like an Artist
Ollie Lovell · ERRR085 Jeff Robin on Teaching Like an Artist This episode we're speaking with Jeff Robin. Jeff is…

101 snips
Nov 1, 2023 • 3h 6min
ERRR #084. Sarah Cottingham on Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning
Former teacher and experienced teacher educator, Sarah Cottingham, discusses Ausubel's Meaningful Learning theory and how it impacts the learning process. The conversation covers the development of rich bodies of knowledge, the importance of connecting new knowledge to prior concepts, facilitating transfer in education, assimilation in learning, progressive differentiation in teaching, anchoring knowledge, engaging students through personal connections, understanding advanced organizers and knowledge organizers, checking for meaning in education, cognitive drive and meaningful learning strategies, and the significance of creating meaningful learning experiences.