Inside Education - a podcast for educators interested in teaching

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. One thing that often surprises me is how difficult it is for teachers to have an impact on students' health. It's not as if there aren't enough efforts through the curriculum and through various commercial ventures to promote health in schools. This week I look at some interesting research articles about education, health and nutrition and I identify six lessons that teachers might keep in mind if they want to think about educating children about health and nutrition in a way that will stick. The programme is based on research articles that are listed below. The main points raised are:   Health and nutrition in the primary and post-primary school curricula in Ireland Why a teacher’s example matters: Perikkou, A., Gavrieli, A., Kougioufa, M-M., Tzirkali, M., Yannakoulia, M. (2013). A novel approach for increasing fruit consumption in children. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113: 1188-1193. Promoting cooking competence after school: Jarpe-Ratner, E., Folkens, S., Sharma, S., Daro, D., & Edens, N.K. (2016). An experiential cooking and nutrition education program increases cooking self-efficacy and vegetable consumption in children in grades 3-8. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48(10), 697 – 705. Boost students’ academic performance through sleep education: Gruber, R., Somerville, G., Bergmame, L., Fontil, L., & Paguin, S. (2016). School-based sleep education program improves sleep and academic performance of school-age children. Sleep Medicine, 21, 93-100. Alienation from and hiding in physical education class: Carlson, T.B. (1995). We hate gym: Student alienation from physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. 14: 467-477 and Lyngstad, I., Hagen, P-M., Aune, O. (2016). Understanding pupils’ hiding techniques in physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 21(8): 1127-1143. Eliminate or change treats: Shan, L.C., McCafferty, C., Tatlow-Golden, M., O’Rourke, C., Mooney, R., Livingstone, M.B.E., Pourshahidi, L.K., Corish, C., Kearney, J.M., Wall, P., & Murrin, C. Is it still a real treat? Adults’ treat provision to children. Appetite. 2018; 130: 228-235. Changing food habits consistently in multiple dimensions over a sustained period of time. Merrotsy, A., McCarthy, A.L., Flack, J., Lacey, S., & Coppinger, T. Project Spraoi: A two-year longitudinal study on the effectiveness of a school-based nutrition and physical activity intervention on dietary intake, nutritional knowledge and markers of health of Irish schoolchildren. Public Health Nutr. 2019; 22(13), 2489-2499.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme I speak to Lorna Tormey and Pauline O'Reilly from the Home Education Network. Both Lorna and Pauline have decided to educate their children at home and the share the experience for the benefit of listeners who might be interested in doing the same, in the immediate term or in the future. Among the various topics we discuss are: Why they began home educating their children A typical day of home educating Unschooling Autonomous Education John Holt Not following a specific curriculum A weekly routine that constantly changes Giving up a career to home educate Choices about secondary schooling and going to university Learning algebra How different families approach home education Helpful sources of information for home education Steiner Education (bringing together hands, heart and head) Dealing with challenge Dealing with boredom How active parents are as home educators as children grow older Difficult days and creating space for parents’ own projects Support of the Home Education Network Opportunities for children to socialise with other children Play-based learning World schooling Advice for parents who are currently involved in involuntary home education Deschooling

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I speak to my colleague in Marino Institute of Education, Ciara Reilly, about ideas for teaching online and offline while schools are closed. The initial impetus for our discussion was a padlet wall that Ciara developed to support teachers and which is available here. But our conversation covered many additional topics including the following: Where to start in online teaching and learning at primary school in particular. Digital Learning Framework. The value of having children work as a group rather than individually Use a timetable with children Singapore experience Acceptable Use Policies What teachers expect from students Planning for the future and online learning Risk of children spending too much time on screen The value of children being bored Use of iPads and use of textbooks Exam preparation for post-primary students Things you can do offline Hashtag for teachers to use on Twitter: #edshareie And Ciara discusses many resources available to teachers and their students including the following: Padlet Google Classroom Skype Classroom Zoom Google hangouts Aladdin Classdojo G-Suite for Education Microsoft Teams Google Docs Cúla4 Quiver 3D Gonoodle RTE 10 at 10 Body Coach, PE with Joe Bebras Khan Academy Epic Reading App Teach your monster to read Geoguessr Science Foundation Ireland Active School Flag and Run around Ireland challenge Seesaw Edmodo Webwise TikTok Net Nanny Apple Classroom Watchkin Twinkl CJ Fallon EdCo Folens PDST Distance Learning Resources

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme I'm delighted to speak to Professor Kathy Hall from University College Cork. In a wide-ranging discussion about teaching, teacher education, research and policy, the topics raised include the following: Becoming a primary teacher in Carysfort College Doing a Bachelor in Arts degree in University College Dublin, with many other primary teachers, followed by a H.Dip Returning to Carysfort to do a postgraduate diploma course in special educational needs Starting a Masters degree in Trinity College, transferring to complete and PhD and becoming a teacher educator in Christchurch Canterbury College Moving to Leeds Metropolitan University and subsequently to the Open University and two years later to University College Cork Her doctoral dissertation on the topic of discovery learning and first language learning Her book, Listening to Stephen Read and its implications for teaching reading Why some children leave school with limited literacy The relationship between policy and teaching literacy How the market influences education in Ireland Assessing student teachers’ preparedness to teach literacy Summative and formative Assessment – Black and William Important Review on Formative Assessment Can anyone teach? The relationship between skills, practice and reflection in teaching School and University roles in teacher education The unifying theme across all her research Discourse analysis as a research method and what you can learn about classrooms from using this method. In this framework she refers to the IRF – initiation, response and feedback – pattern of classroom interaction. Doctoral research topics How different opportunities to learn can exist within the same classroom Problems with competitive classrooms Advice she would give the Minister for Education Etienne Wenger Communities of Practice book Tara Westover Educated

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney This week's podcast is a collaborative one with Darren Ralston from The Ed Narrative podcast. Darren was in Ireland to present a workshop at the annual conference of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI), which was held in Athlone on Saturday last. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are the following:   Integrating technology into one’s teaching The difference between an instructional coach and a learning technology integrator Using virtual reality in the classroom, using Google Expeditions How instructional coaches are organised in US schools Becoming, and working as, an instructional coach Managing his workload as a coach Comparing mentoring and coaching as interpreted in his setting How he got into teaching How he teaches literature How he chooses literature to teach Teaching drama – using comedic improvisation Brave New World 1984 by George Orwell Starting The Ed Narrative Podcast Equipment used for podcasting Selecting guests for podcats Neil Postman

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I interview Finbarr Hurley about his experience teaching in some European Schools and about his thoughts on leadership. He is currently working as a Coordinator with the Centre for School Leadership. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are the following: Wanting to teach from a young age His experience in Mary Immaculate College Proving yourself as a teacher when you begin in a school The importance of changing career post every 5-6 years The importance of figuring out what makes children tick Teaching in Cork and Teaching in Brussels Designing a classroom of the future A synopsis of the European Schools system Learning from working alongside teachers from other countries Moving to an International School in Qatar Working with teaching coaches Involving children in parent-teacher meetings Teaching without textbooks Bringing members of a circus in to work with his students in Germany Identifying what is valued in a school, across the school community Challenges of being a principal in Ireland Providing continuous professional development (CPD) for principals and principals’ needs for CPD Why it’s okay for principals to fail (the first attempt at learning) One of his own principals Simon Senek (Be the last to speak) Andy Hargreaves Book: Wholesome Leadership Luke Jefferson Day, editor of GQ Magazine in London. Simone Marchetti – creativity outside of education The value of sofas in classsrooms

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme I speak to Dr. Liz Dunphy, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in Dublin City University's Institute of Education about her work. Among the topics we discuss are the following:   Choosing a career in teaching over one in law Becoming interested in early childhood education Childcare and the growth of love by John Bowlby Her first teaching job Doing a Masters degree in education in Trinity College Dublin Offering professional development for teachers through the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation Children’s early experience of number as seen through a socio-cultural lens Looking at how the work of educational researchers complement each other rather than adopting a more polarised approach. Her research on early childhood education: mathematics, curriculum, and assessment How the area of early childhood education has evolved nationally and internationally over Liz’s career in education to date Play, Playful pedagogy, and playfulness James McGarrigle – psychologist and a student of Margaret Donaldson Why international models of early childhood education cannot be imported directly to Ireland Jerome Bruner Reggio Emilia model of early childhood education Why developments in the last five years have been positive for early childhood education and care Choosing a pre-school for your child The transition from non-compulsory to compulsory education The qualities she looks for in early childhood education practice The Katie Morag books with Mairi Hedderwick How teachers and children can establish a “shared world” Understanding the child from the perspective of their family Mathematics with reason: The emergent approach to primary mathematics by Sue Atkinson:  Assessment and record keeping in early childhood education settings Vivian Gussin Paley Mollie is Three. The Boy Who Would be a Helicopter. White Teacher was also mentioned: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88364.White_Teacher The Erikson Institute Herb Ginsburg  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I speak to Dr. Karen Edge who is a Reader in Educational Leadership at the University College London Institute of Education. Karen Edge was a keynote speaker at the 2020 annual conference of the Irish Primary Principals' Network, the IPPN. Among the topics we discussed were the following: Helping principals make their job meaningful Constraints on principals working on teaching and learning and working with students and teachers include: to be accountable, to share information, manage data, manage external relations How principals can live a full life outside of work and be a leader in their work Helping principals align their professional priorities with what students, teachers and parents expect of them Supporting a new generation of principals from Generation X (born from 1965 to 1980) in schools designed for Baby Boomer principals who have now retired or who are retiring (those born from 1946 to 1964) Collaborative decision making and Generation X leaders How leadership in education differs across countries and continents and how this is influenced by being an adult in the wider society (and why borrowing policies from other countries may not work in the same way here). Rewards of being principal Why “being busy” is not a badge of honour How schools can productively partner with schools in other countries Among the people she mentioned on the podcast were the following: Dan Freedman- book series Jamie Johnson Judy Goldberg and Wondershift Viv Grant

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I speak to Viv Grant who is Executive Coach and Director of Integrity Coaching. She was a keynote speaker at the 2020 annual conference of the Irish Primary Principals' Network. Among the topics we discuss are the following: Identifying your stories as a school leader: why are you in the profession? What motivates you? What inspires you? What brings you joy? Her story and how she began to articulate it for herself The importance for principals of recognising and articulating their inner, subconscious narrative How underlying thoughts and experiences can affect a principal’s ability to have difficult conversations Becoming aware of when the old narratives no longer serve us Getting our back stage narratives aligned with our front stage performance The role of the Centre for School Leadership What coaching for principals involves Just like social workers and psychologists get “supervision” in their work as a matter of course, so should school principals because as well as being leaders of curriculum and instruction, many of them are practising aspects of psychology and social work. Why school development and human growth and development go hand in hand and why offering coaching to principals is a way of appreciating their taking on this important role. Is coaching something that is needed on an ongoing or on a needs-only basis? How coaching for a principal works Qualities a coach needs to have in order to work with principals How coaching differs from mentoring Why supporting coaching for principals is a good investment for a school Why coaching is the norm in several other sectors How she turned around “failing” primary school How to bring about change at school level The source of a school’s vision Her book called Staying a head: The stress management secrets of successful school leaders The challenge of creating time to develop the inner work of school leadership Pauline Lysaght Jones and Mary Fuller David Whyte’s poetry John O’Donohue      

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I speak to the President (Damian White), Deputy President (Brian O'Doherty) and Chief Executive Officer (Páiric Clerkin) of the Irish Primary Principals' Network at the annual conference of the Network. The IPPN is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Among the topics we discuss are the following: Damian White Workload and making the job of principal more sustainable into the future The PIEW model: Prioritise, Implement, Embed, Wait. Prioritising initiatives in a school. Refers to the Looking at our Schools document. Identifying and making room for urgent new initiatives within the PIEW model. Wellbeing Support groups for principals Working with local education centres Relationship between the Centre for School Leadership, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and the IPPN Relationship between the IPPN and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) On having the Secretary General and not the Minister address the conference   Brian O’Doherty Difference between roles of President/Deputy President and Chief Executive Officer of IPPN Being principal of a large school Working collaboratively with an administrative Deputy Principal Principalship and school budgets The financial and support services unit (FFSU) and reporting procedures Challenges in managing cash flow in schools Questions principals should ask about school finances   Páiric Clerkin Reflecting on life for principals before the IPPN (on the 20th anniversary of its founding) Progress made over the last 20 years The importance of dialogue in our education system Reflecting on factors that brought about the establishment and success of the IPPN The challenge of sustainability for principals The importance of remembering small schools and teaching principals when considering policy changes What he’s reading: Uplifting Leadership: How organisations, teams, and communities raise performance by Hargreaves, Boyle and Harris.