The Unteachables Podcast

In today’s episode, I am going to be giving you a visual metaphor to approaching challenging classroom behaviour that can be a game changer. This is something that I was taught way back in my first year of teaching and it has stuck with me ever since. It is one of the things that started to really build my own classroom management approach to what it is today.I use it in my own classroom, I discuss this over the table with my own staff,  I have presented this to different schools, I embed it in my online courses, and today, I will be sharing it with you.As the first episode of 2024, I will also be giving you a bit of an overview of all of the exciting things happening  here at The Unteachables Academy, including the release of my first ever book!Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

 I spent the first 5 years of my career feeling like I needed to be ‘all over’ every single facet of the lesson to contain and reduce challenging behaviours. This meant working through almost every weekend and break that I had.Yes, it helped my classroom management! I was able to create lessons that were well-resourced, pitched right, scaffolded brilliantly so students could access them, relevant… all of the things that support us in mitigating some of the challenging behaviours that we may see.What I didn’t release at the time was I was taking two steps forward and three steps back. I wasn’t resting, I wasn’t filling my cup, I wasn’t investing in myself, and I was BURNT OUT. Worse yet, I was on the brink of full-blown compassion fatigue after spending years absorbing the traumas of the young people I worked with. This meant I was missing the biggest piece of the classroom management puzzle.Ensuring I was okay, that I was regulated, that I had the capacity to co-regulate, stay calm, and influence the energy in the room.  As cliched as it sounds, I wasn’t putting my own oxygen mask on before fitting it onto those around me.So as we head into the holidays, this episode is a big reminder that resting is the most important thing that you can do, because the efficacy of your teacher self, is reliant on the health and wellbeing of your real life self. If this sounds like something you need a little bit of a reminder around, or you struggle to set boundaries, then this is the episode for you.This is the last episode of The Unteachables Podcast for 2023 - I will be back Tuesday 8th January! I can’t wait to continue to support you in 2024. Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

2023 has been one of the biggest, and most transformational times in my life. Both professionally, and personally.It has been a year where too many dreams decided to show up at once (I understand how much of an oxymoron that is). So I just had to lean into the beautiful chaos of it all and MAKE it work.I had a baby.I wrote a book.I ran my business.I got married.I was a senior leader.And allll of the things that go along with every single one of the above.In this episode, I reflect on the year that was and go through how I navigated all of it (and came out the other end in relatively one piece).Thank you for listening in to The Unteachables Podcast this year, it’s been amazing to have you along for the ride!ClaireHave a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

As the year draws to a close, things start to get increasingly challenging.You have your head teacher telling you that you need to keep learning until the last minute, even though you KNOW your students are checked out (and let’s be honest, we’re teetering on that edge too). Your students are becoming more and more unsettled. The energy shifts. The disruptions, and the general volume, within the class, increase. Yep, that countdown starts to drag, and drag, the closer we get. We feel like we should be on the wind down to the silly season but the expectations on us get higher whilst it feels like it gets lower for the students. This episode is all about WHY these challenges emerge at this time of year (because there are multiple culprits at play), and what we can actually DO to keep some semblance of control over our classroom spaces. It’s all about being able to inject some much needed fun into the end of year whilst still   maintaining a sense of calm amongst the excitement.In this episode I discuss how to set the stage for more laid-back learning, and explore a structured start to keep your students engaged.  It’s all about thriving in the lead up to the holidays, not simply surviving! Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

One of the things that used to really grind my gears as a teacher was when I was trying to teach a new skill to students, whether it be an analytical response or a piece of creative writing, and they would say something like the following:“I know how to do this already”“This is baby work, I did it in Year 3”,Or the worst one…“Why do I have to learn English, I already speak the language!!”Of course as a teacher I COULD spend a chunk of the lesson explaining until I am blue in the face about how there is a progression of skills, how English as a subject permeates everything we do, how the writing they did in Year 3 is not the writing I am expecting of them.And I did. Often. Now? I understand that all of us, human beings in general, simply don’t know, what we don’t know!!So what do I do instead?I teach them about the conscious competence ladder (not necessarily using that lingo). Listen in to this week’s podcast as I go over what the Conscious Competence Ladder is, and why it is such a valuable theory to support us in teaching our students, and applying in our own practice.Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

The first 5 minutes of a lesson can absolutely be make or break for behaviour.What you do in this time and how you prepare for it can be the deciding factor between a productive, calm, controlled space where students can learn, and a lesson that very quickly continues to descend into chaos.So how to make sure those first 5 minutes are absolutely on point with what is needed to ensure the best success for you and your students?The 3 Es. Listen in as I talk through what these 3 Es are and how you can use them to really get on top, and stay on top, of behaviours throughout the lesson. Best part, they work on a proactive level, mitigating challenges before they arise and saving you a hell of a lot of time on addressing low-level disruptions.If you want to read through this or share it with your team, you can access a copy via my blog right here!Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

Ever wondered how you, as an educator, can foster and nurture a positive and productive relationship with the parents of your more challenging students? This episode guides you through the hurdle-filled journey of positively engaging with parents, even when resistance or blame are at play. This podcast episode dives into four actionable steps that will help shift the overall sentiment of your parent interactions. I share effective strategies for getting off on the right foot, making those difficult calls, and mastering the all-important art of balancing tough conversations with positive ones. By the end, you'll be equipped with the skills to handle these interactions more confidently, changing the dynamics of your communications with parents.Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

There are so many things that I wish somebody had told me before having a baby. Returning to work post-maternity and all of the waves of emotion and challenge involve is one of them.This episode is important not just for those mums needing a bit of solidarity, but for EVERY SINGLE PERSON.We all need to do better at supporting new Mums in the workplace, and an awareness of the struggles is a good place to start. So listen in as I have quite a candid conversation about the past term of work after 10 months home with my little chicken egg.Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

On today’s episode I have the pleasure of talking to Marie Gentles, you might know her best as the expert in BBC documentaries Don’t Exclude Me and Helping our Teens, and now as the author of the book Gentles Guidance: How to Understand, Inspire and Empower Your Kids which has been recently published in June this year. She has also developed Gentle Guidance, where she delivers her own digital Behaviour Training Programme for schools/services and families.  To say that this woman is moving mountains in this space is an understatement.So… when this incredible woman talks about what we need to be doing in the classroom to best support our young people, we all need to be listening, and what a privilege it was to be able to talk about some really important things in the educational space. In this episode:We discuss the importance of felt safety (and how we can provide that for our young people).We debunk some of the common (but understandable) assumptions we can make about the students who display the most challenging behaviours.Marie shares a crucial strategy on how teachers can care for themselves first, so they have the capacity to better support their students.+ a whole range of other valuable bits and bobs!Where to go to get further support from Marie:Website: www.gentlesguidance.comCourse: gentlesguidance.thinkific.comBook: Gentle Guidance - How to Understand, Inspire andEmpower you KidsTV Documentaries: BBC iPlayer: Helping our Teens, Don’t Exclude Me.Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website

Do you ever give instructions for a task to a class full of students, only to have a bunch of hands go up or confused faces looking back at you? Maybe you have low level behaviours buzzing and a disengaged hum the moment you send them off to do their task? Teachers, the answer to tackling these things could be in your clarity of instruction.This episode is designed to arm you with practical strategies to enhance clarity of instruction and student engagement. I delve into the complexities and challenges of teaching in a room filled with 30 different humans with diverse needs and learning styles and uncover strategies to overcome hurdles that can impact a student’s ability to follow instructions. From demonstrating tasks to scaffolding, using real-life examples, encouraging questions, and reflecting on our practice, this episode has you covered.Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resources Join The Behaviour Club My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change' Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables Check out my website