Beyond Survival: The New Teacher Podcast

This episode is this week's 'Teacher Talk': a fifteen minute talk that explores an important aspect of classroom practice, with practical strategies for implementing it in your classroom.This talk explores the importance of names for young people, and how we can aim to create a classroom that is 'name rich' and building positive relationships. It also gives some practical tools for how we can learn names. I hope you find it helpful and supportive in your classroom. Any feedback on how to improve these talks, or areas you would like me to explore, is always much appreciated. If you have the time to leave a quick rating or review for the podcast, that would be hugely appreciated. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.

The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast'  is Sam Strickland.  Sam is a headteacher, behavioural specialist and author of a range of brilliant books on education. His latest book is the excellent 'They Don't Behave for Me: Fifty classroom scenarios to support teachers'. You can follow Sam on Twitter @strickomaster.In this interview, Sam answers the central question: How should newer teachers manage behaviour at the start of the year?In answering this central question, we also explore the following:1. What are some mistakes new teachers make with classes at the start of the year? 2. What kind of teacher persona should teachers try to adapt at the start of the year?3. How do you establish good behaviour routines?4. What do you do when a class present very challenging behaviour at the start of the year? 5. Is there any final advice you might offer teachers with behaviour for the rest of the year? I hope you really enjoy the episode. Apologies for some of the sound issues in this recording! Please do pass it on to other teachers if you did find it useful. 

Sam Strickland, an author specializing in classroom behavior scenarios, shares insightful tactics from his book ‘They Don’t Behave for Me’. He discusses how to manage low-level disruptions effectively, strategies to regain focus at the start of lessons, and the impact of negative language on classroom dynamics. Strickland emphasizes the significance of proactive planning to enhance behavior management at the beginning of the academic year, making it an essential read for secondary phase teachers navigating classroom challenges.

In this engaging conversation, Doug Lemov, an influential educator and Managing Director of Uncommon Schools, shares key insights from his book, 'Teach Like a Champion 3.0.' He discusses essential techniques for both novice and experienced teachers, including mastering clear directions and effective focus strategies to improve classroom engagement. Doug highlights the long-term impact educators can have on students’ lives and emphasizes the importance of balancing preparation with spontaneity in teaching, all while navigating the challenges of instant gratification in today's digital age.

Welcome to season two of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher Podcast!' This episode is this week's 'Teacher Talk': a fifteen minute talk that explores an important aspect of classroom practice, with practical strategies for implementing it in your classroom.This talk explores how we can make a really positive first impression with a new class. It explores how we can prepare and manage any nerves we might be experiencing, student behaviour, and the kind of content that might help to enthuse and inspire a new class. I hope you find it helpful and supportive in your classroom. Any feedback on how to improve these talks, or areas you would like me to explore, is always much appreciated. If you have the time to leave a quick rating or review for the podcast, that would be hugely appreciated. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.

This episode is this week's 'Teacher Talk': a fifteen minute talk that explores an important aspect of classroom practice, with practical strategies for implementing it in your classroom.In this final episode of season one, I explore some of the key themes and messages from the 48 episodes that have made up season one. I break that down into three key themes about teachings, and three key themes about well-being. If you have time I would be hugely grateful if you would take five minutes to fill out some reflections on the first series of this podcast. I want the podcast to be as helpful and motivational for new teachers as possible, so honest feedback would be hugely appreciated. The link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BdfsOqlcm7QIMOHWjElgO8Ti01-foLG4jpfikDYWpLs/viewform?edit_requested=true. You can also contact me via Twitter @teachgratitude1 As always, if you have the time to leave a quick review or to subscribe to the show, that is massively appreciated.  The podcast will be back in mid-August. Thank you so much for listening, and have a wonderful summer! 

The guest on the final interview episode of the first series of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast'  is Sarah Philip. Sarah is a psychologist, coach and host of the Curious Conversations podcast. She also does a huge amount of work supporting schools and teachers. In this interview Sarah answers the central question: How can new teachers find balance in their work? In answering that central question, we also explore the following:1. What do you think makes it challenging for teachers to switch off? 2. Why is balance so important for new teachers?3. What do you think are some of the bigger things teachers can do to help switch-off?4. What might be some smaller, micro-actions that teachers can take to help find balance?5. Is there anything else you think is important for teachers to find balance and well-being in their work? If you have time I would be hugely grateful if you would take five minutes to fill out some reflections on the first series of this podcast. I want the podcast to be as helpful and motivational for new teachers as possible, so honest feedback would be hugely appreciated. The link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BdfsOqlcm7QIMOHWjElgO8Ti01-foLG4jpfikDYWpLs/viewform?edit_requested=true. Thank you so much! 

Colin McGill, a programme leader in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, shares his expertise on delivering effective explanations in education. He highlights common mistakes new teachers make and discusses the 'curse of knowledge,' which can hinder clear communication. Colin offers practical strategies to simplify explanations, prevent cognitive overload, and enhance student engagement. He emphasizes the balance between storytelling and clarity while stressing the importance of assessing comprehension in the classroom.

This episode is this week's 'Teacher Talk': a fifteen minute talk that explores an important aspect of classroom practice, with practical strategies for implementing it in your classroom.Today I am using this episode to talk about an online behaviour management training fundraising event I am running. This month a group of staff and students from Edinburgh Napier University are running various distances at the Edinburgh Marathon to raise money for Health in Mind. The online training is on Thursday 18th of May, which Sam Strickland, from 4 o'clock until 5 o'clock. It will explore how we can use language to manage challenging behaviour, before Sam will run through a range of behaviour scenarios and how to manage them. Tickets for the online behaviour training with Sam Strickland, which are only five pounds, are available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-manage-challenging-classroom-behaviour-tickets-628100283857. If you would like to donate five pounds and be included in the education-book raffle, you can do that here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/napierpgde. Thank you so much for your support! 

I am away next week, so today is a bonus interview episode. The guest on today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast'  is Dr Emma Kell. Emma is the founder and director of Those Who Can. She is a teacher, coach and wellbeing expert. She is also the author of a range of excellent education books, including 'How to Survive in Teaching.'  In this interview, Emma answers the central question: What can new teachers do to support their resilience and optimism levels? In answering that central question we also explore the following:1.  What is resilience, and what is it not? 2.  In your research and work with teachers, what have you found to be the main challenges to teacher resilience?3.  What practical steps might teachers take to support their resilience?4.  How might teachers sustain a 'stubbornly optimistic' mindset in their careers? I hope you really enjoy the episode, if you do I would really appreciate if you would take the time to pass on the episode to anyone who you feel would benefit from it. If you have the time to leave a quick rating or review, that is also always hugely appreciated in spreading the word.Also, if you have any feedback on how to improve the show please get in touch  Twitter (@teachgratitude1).