Beyond Survival: The New Teacher Podcast : Recent Episodes
Jamie Thom
A weekly podcast to inspire and motivate teachers in the exciting first few years of their careers. Every week an expert guest will answer a central question to support new teachers to be the best version of themselves in the classroom. There is also a weekly 'Teacher Talk' which gives practical strategies for an aspect of teaching in fifteen minutes. Host Jamie Thom left the classroom in August of 2022 to run a new English PGDE at Napier University in Edinburgh. He is the author of four books on education, his latest come out in February 2023 and is called 'Talking To Teenagers: A guide to skillfull classroom communication.' He is passionate about supporting new teachers.
In this episode, Colin talks to Kirsty Hair of the University of Strathclyde about her fantastic contribution to The Essentials in Learning to Teach by Jamie Thom and Colin McGill.
Kirsty gives excellent answers to the following questions:
- What do you think are the biggest challenges facing early career teachers?
- In your contribution to Essentials in Learning to Teach you talk about resilience - can you tell us a bit more about why resilience is important?
- You've written about the importance of professional dialogue. Why is it important that early career teachers get involved in professional dialogue with colleagues?
- Most student and early career teachers struggle with curricular knowledge. How can ESTs go about developing and strengthening their curricular knowledge?
- What advice do you have about getting involved in the wider life of the school?
Today is the publication of Colin and Jamie's new book 'The Essentials in learning to Teach'. The book is all about how you can thrive and succeed in your year of learning to teach.
In this episode they discuss what motivated them to write the book, and begin to share some practical strategies from the ten essentials that the book is made up of.
If you would like to order a copy of the book it is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essentials-Learning-Teach-Thriving-secondary/dp/1398387479.
In this episode Colin McGill interviews Kirsten Colquhoun to explore some top tips for teachers at the start of their careers. Kirsten is an education consultant, author, and Pastoral Lead with nearly two decades of experience working in schools.
The questions they explore in this interview are:
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing early career teachers?
What advice do you have for planning lessons?
How can novice teachers manage their classroom environment?
How should novice teachers be using the support mechanisms available to them in schools?
How can novice teachers fulfil their pastoral responsibilities?
Hope you enjoy the episode - if so, please do pass it on!
This episode explores the role that gratitude plays in education. It looks at ways you can express thanks to shape positive attitudes and effort in your lessons, and how it can overcome the negativity bias and help us to feel positive about the work we do in education.
I mention in this episode about wanting to hear from listeners, please get in touch via email: jamiethom123@aol.com
Today’s episode is the 100th episode of the podcast! Great to reach this milestone, and thank you so much to all the listeners for the support.
On this episode I am joined by Dr Kathleen Forbes. Kathleen is a senior consultant clinician for Place 2 Be, a mental health charity. For the past seven years Place 2 Be has been working with new teachers to improve their wellbeing and reflective capacity.
In this interview we answer the question: how can new teachers make their relationship with their mentor work?
In answering that central question we also answer:
Could you tell listeners about the work Place 2 Be does with new teachers?
From your experience, what are some of the challenges new teachers can face in working with mentors?
What work can new teachers do to prepare themselves for the mentor-relationship before it begins?
What general strategies do you think will help a student-teacher during the mentor relationship?
Thank you for listening, please do pass it on!
This ten minute talk explores the role that focus has in being a successful teacher. It looks at how we can role-model focus for young people; how we can improve our capacity to focus on young people and relationships; and some practical ways to avoid multi-tasking in the classroom and build our 'focus' muscles.
The guest on this week's episode is Oliver Cook. Ollie is an experienced teacher, who is currently a Pupil Support Leader in a school in Scotland (this is the equivalent of a pastoral role in other parts of the UK and further afield)
In this conversation we explore relational behaviour management, with practical tips for teachers to implement this style in their classrooms. Ollie also answers the following:
What is a relational approach to behaviour management?
What do you feel the strengths of taking this approach are?
What advice might you give a teacher who finds it challenging to regulate their own emotions when managing behaviour?
How do you feel a teacher could make a restorative conversation work with a young person?
I hope you find it helpful, if you do please pass it on!
This ten minute talk explores the vital role that emotional intelligence has to being an effective teacher. It breaks down Daniel Goleman's five key components of Emotional Intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, effective communication and motivation. Looking at practical ways to implement all of them in the classroom.
This week's episode explores how to be the best possible mentor of new teachers. The guest is the wonderful Rachel Alexander. Rachel is a former English teacher and author, who now runs the English PGDE at Moray House in Edinburgh University.
In the episode, which should also be useful for new teachers who are working with a mentor for the first time, we explore:
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What do you enjoy about mentoring new teachers?
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What do you feel are the qualities of a really good mentor?
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For anyone who might be listening who is new to mentoring, what advice might you give them?
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What are some common mistakes that mentors make?
We also explore some case studies:
How to support a new teacher who is struggling with their mental-health
How to support a new teacher who is disorganized
How to support a new teacher who is overwhelmed with feedback.
I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful. If so please do pass it on to others!
Today is the fourth episode in the A-Z of teacher skills series. This ten minute talk explores the importance of being driven as a teacher, and why your own ability to model drive and enthusiasm for young people is vital for success in the classroom. It also gives some practical tools to help you to motivate and encourage young people.
This week we have a vitally important topic that we hope all listeners will benefit from. Colin McGill interviews Lynn McCann and Catrina Lowri on how we can best support neurodivergent teachers to thrive in school.
Lynn McCann is an Autism, ADHD and PDE Specialist teacher and author. She is the owner of Reach out ASC, which is a team of neurodivergent teachers working to support autistic, ADHD and PDE young people in schools.
Catrina Lowri is the founder of Neuroteachers. She is a neurodivergent teacher who has over twenty years experience as a SENCO, special needs and advisory teacher.
In tackling this question, they explore:
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What are the specific issues faced by neurodivergent teachers?
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Why is it important that we have neurodivergent teachers in the teaching profession?
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What can mentors/school leaders/ITE lecturers do to support neurodivergent teachers and student teachers?
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What advice would you give to a neurodivergent student teacher about to embark on a school placement?
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What can we do to improve the retention of neurodivergent teachers?
Thank you for listening. If you find the episode useful, please do pass it on!
Today is the second episode in the A-Z of teacher skills and focusses on c: calm. It explores why being calm is such an important skill for teachers to try to sustain. It then goes on to give some practical tools for how you can remain calm in the work you do in your classroom and schools.
The podcast returns this week after a bit of break. Colin and Jamie have been busy finishing off their new book 'The Essentials in Learning to Teach', which you can pre-order here and which will be out in February.
This episode explores how you can make a really positive impression in schools. It breaks this down into how you can manage the stress of starting in a school, how you can build positive relationships with staff members, and how you can start to form really positive relationships with students.
We hope you find it really useful and look forward to sharing regular episodes with listeners from now!
Today is the second episode in the A-Z of teacher skills and focusses on b: belonging. It looks at why creating a culture of belonging is a vital teacher skill. It then goes on to give some practical strategies for how you can ensure young people feel they belong in your classroom.
Today's episode is fantastic conversation between Colin and Hayley Guy. Hayley just completed her PGDE (teacher-education/training) year in Scotland with us at Edinburgh Napier University. In this practical and helpful conversation Colin and Hayley discuss:
- What was the most important piece of learning during your PGDE?
- What advice do you have for managing the PGDE workload while raising a young family?
- What was the biggest challenges you faced during your PGDE and how did you overcome them?
- How has your PGDE year prepared you for being a probationer teacher?
- If you could go back in time to August 2023, what advice would you give yourself?
Thank you for listening, please do pass on the episode to others if you found it helpful.
This is the first in a new series, which explores the A-Z of teacher essential skills. Each short, ten minute episode will be recorded by Colin or Jamie, and give an overview of the particular skill that coincides with that letter in the alphabet.
Today's episode is about assertiveness. It unpicks what exactly assertiveness means in the classroom, and how it needs to be balanced with respectfulness. It then gives some practical strategies on how you can be more assertive, looking at both non-verbal and verbal tips.
We hope you find it useful in your practice!
Welcome back to Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast! Colin McGill, my wonderful new co-host and I, are delighted to welcome you to season three.
This episode looks at new starts, exploring the following:
- What are some of the aims of the podcast in series 3?
- How can teachers make the best start to a new academic year?
- What are some important routines to introduce at the start of the academic year?
- What are some of the intentions you can set at the start of the year to support your well-being and work-life balance.
We hope you really enjoy the episode. Jamie's new running coaching business, Run With Company, that he mentions in the episode can be accessed here: https://www.runwithcompany.com.
Thank you for listening!
This talk gives a brief overview of an online event on Thursday May 23rd from 4 o'clock to 5 o'clock 'A Teaching and Learning Masterclass'.
All the money raised from this event will go directly to charity. For just five pounds you can support the brilliant charity 'Health in Mind' and have an hour of practical guidance no how to improve your teaching from one of the UK's best authors, education consultants and Headteachers Bruce Robertson. You can see all of Bruce's brilliant books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Bruce-Robertson/author/B0CK2MJ2RV?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1715939722&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
You can buy a ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-teaching-and-learning-masterclass-tickets-906718578677?aff=oddtdtcreator
Any donations for my marathon run for Health in Mind would also be massively appreciated: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jamie-thom-1714850068670.
You can read more about Health in Mind and the services they offer to support mental health here: https://health-in-mind.org.uk
As always, thank you so much for listening and supporting the show. We will be back in August, so have a wonderful summer!
This week's guest is Alex Quigley. Alex is a former English teacher and school leader, who now works for the Education charity Education Endowment Foundation. He has written many best selling books, including his latest 'Why Learning Fails'. Alex's website is: https://alexquigley.co.uk
In this episode we answer the question: why does learning fail? In answering that central question , Alex also answers:
What inspired your new book Why Learning Fails?
What role does 'patchy prior knowledge' have in learning and what can teachers do about it?
What role does 'overconfidence' have in learning and what can teachers do about it?
What role does an inability to work independently have in learning and what can teachers do about it?
What advice might you offer teachers at the start of their careers to enjoy a positive career in education?
I hope you really enjoy the episode, if you do please do pass it on. You can get in touch with me via my website https://jamiethom.co.uk
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is the monthly episode with Colin McGill. Colin is my colleague in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, and is the programme leader. You can follow him on Twitter @colinmcgill.
Today we are answering the question: what feedback will really help my learners? In answering that question we also answer:
What is the purpose of feedback?
What are some mistakes teachers make in giving feedback?
What makes verbal feedback effective?
What makes written feedback effective?
How does whole class feedback work and what will help give it impact?
I hope you enjoy the episode! Colin and I are both running the Edinburgh Marathon in two weeks for a brilliant charity Health in Mind. Any sponsorship for us would be massively, massively appreciated!
Jamie: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jamie-thom-1714850068670
Colin: https://www.justgiving.com/page/colin-mcgill-1706570297927
Thank you so much.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Adam Boxer. Adam is a Lead Practitioner, author of 'Teaching Secondary Science: A Complete Guide' and an educational consultant. He is also the director of Carousel Learning: https://www.carousel-learning.com. Adam's blog is https://achemicalorthodoxy.co.uk.
In this episode we answer the central question: What are some of the most common actions from lesson observations? In answering that, we also explore:
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What does education mean to you?
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What inspired your series of blogs on most common actions from observations?
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Your first most common action is 'step away from the speaker'. What does this involve?
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What does 'filling the silence' involve and how do teachers step themselves from doing this?
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What is the issue with students calling out, and how can teachers stop it?
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What is Carousal and how can it benefit new teachers?
Thank you for listening - please do pass on the episode and consider subscribing. If you would like to contact me I have a new website: https://jamiethom.co.uk.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Pete Foster. Pete leads secondary teacher development across a large multi-academy trust. He is also the author of a superb book called 'What do new teachers need to know?'.
For his second interview on the podcast, Peter answers the central question:
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What does education mean to you?
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What are some mistakes new teachers make in planning lessons?
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What helps in planning for better behaviour?
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What helps in planning for better learning?
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What other tips have you got for new teachers to thrive in their classrooms?
The interview is also on the new YouTube channel (Beyond Survival: The New Teacher), so you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOzWFAhH8Qk. Pete was also a guest on the first series of the podcast, and explored what new teachers need to know about cognitive science: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-do-new-teachers-need-to-know-about-cognitive-science/id1643514835?i=1000609311411.
Thank you for listening - please do pass on the episode. If you would like to contact me I have a new website: https://jamiethom.co.uk
This week I launched a new website: https://jamiethom.co.uk. This video introduces the coaching service I offer for teachers and leaders. It explores the benefits of coaching and why you might consider being coached by me. You can read more about the service, and read testimonials from individuals who have been coached by me here: https://jamiethom.co.uk/coaching/.
Thank you for listening, please do get in touch via the website if you are interested in doing some coaching: https://jamiethom.co.uk/contact/.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Tom Sherrington. Tom is an former headteacher, author and educational consultant. He is the author of the WalkThru series. His blog has over ten million views: https://teacherhead.com
In this episode Tom answers the question: what is responsive teaching?
In answering that central question, Tom also answers:
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What mindset will make teachers more responsive in the classroom?
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What strategies help to ensure all young people are thinking in a classroom?
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What helps to support young people in making meaning in lessons?
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Independent practise is an important part of responsive teaching, how can teachers make it effective in their classrooms?
The interview is also on the new YouTube channel (Beyond Survival: The New Teacher), so you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1JgMuyVwGQ. Tom was also a guest on the first series of the podcast, and explored how to make your questioning more effective: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-can-new-teachers-improve-their-questioning-skills/id1643514835?i=1000579167758
If you would like to contact me I have a new website: https://jamiethom.co.uk
Thank you for listening, please do pass it on!
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Mary Myatt. Mary has had thirty years in education and is now an education adviser, writer and speaker. Her latest book is with John Tomsett and called 'SEND Huh: Curriculum conversations with SEND leaders.
In this episode Mary answers the question: What do new teachers need to know about teaching young people with additional needs?
In answering that central question, Mary also answers:
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What was the purpose of your book SEND Huh: Curriculum conversations with SEND leaders?
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What kind of mindset you do think it is important for teachers to have when working with students with additional needs?
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What classroom strategies should new teachers think about when teaching young people with additional needs?
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What role does assessment for learning play in teaching young people with additional needs?
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Finally what other general advice might you offer to new teachers at the start of their careers?
The interview is also on the new YouTube channel (Beyond Survival: The New Teacher), so you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqMWYtWr2eg
I don't use any social media anymore, so this podcast relies completely on audience support. Please do pass it on, recommend to others and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with updates.
This episode is this week's 'Teacher Talk': a fifteen minute talk that explores an important aspect of being a new teacher. It is also available to watch on the new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondSurvivalTheNewTeac-rs8tp
This week's talk is on lesson observations. It gives strategies initially to cope with the unusual dynamic of being observed teaching, and then practical ways in which you can thrive while delivering a lesson observation. It also explores how you can make the most of lesson feedback.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Taylor Wilson. Taylor is a voice coach and public speaking expert, with over 25 years of experience in improving communication skills.
This is the first interview that will also be shared on the new YouTube channel (Beyond Survival: The New Teacher), so you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrjyqcUwpxKP90k1hxPlFJg
In this episode we answer: how can new teachers make better use of their voices?
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Why is the voice such an important tool for teachers?
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What are some typical mistakes you see speakers making?
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What steps can teachers make to improve the pace in which they speak?
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What can teachers do to make better use of the pitch of their voices?
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What else can teachers do to manage the clarity of their communication in the classroom?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. You can read more about Taylor and find out how you can work with her here: https://www.tayloredvoice.co.uk/
I don't use any social media anymore, so this podcast relies completely on audience support. Please do pass it on, recommend to others and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with updates.
This episode is one of the talks I am sharing on a new YouTube channel this week. The series is called ‘New Teacher Essentials.’ This episode looks at five ways to improve your questioning in the classroom: convey sincerity; leave thinking time; follow up; signal cold call; and open up the ways students can respond.
The five videos that will be shared this week are on the following: confidence, questioning, behaviour, well-being and getting better.
You can access them here: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondSurvivalTheNewTeac-rs8tp.
Moving forward, the podcasts will also be shared on YouTube, so please consider subscribing and as always I am very grateful if you take the time to pass them on to anyone who might find them helpful.
A very quick episode from me to explain the launch of an exciting new part to the podcast. This week I am launching a new YouTube channel to support new teachers.
As part of this there will be five fifteen minute videos, one released every day this week. I’ve called the series ‘New Teacher Essentials.’
The aim is to provide a week’s worth of hopefuly useful and inspiring content for teachers in the first few years of their career. The five videos are: confidence, questioning, behaviour, well-being and getting better.
You can access the videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondSurvivalTheNewTeac-rs8tp.
Moving forward, the podcasts will also be shared on YouTube, so please consider subscribing and as always I am very grateful if you take the time to pass them on to anyone who might find them helpful.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Rachel Alexander. Rachel is an English teacher, mentor of new teachers and author of a range of excellent books for English teachers.
She also does a huge amount of positive work around mental health. In this interview we answer the central question: How can we look after our own and each other's mental health?
In answering that central question we also explore:
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What has helped you to look after your own mental health as a teacher?
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What do you think is helpful in supporting other colleagues with their mental health in schools?
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What can teachers do to support the mental health of their pupils?
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You do a huge amount of work in supporting new teachers through mentoring and university, what are your top tips for a successful start to a teaching career?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. I am also launching a YouTube channel this week, with a series called 'New Teacher Essentials'. This involves five fifteen minute videos exploring key aspects of teaching at the start of your career: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondSurvivalTheNewTeac-rs8tp.
This episode is this week's 'Teacher Talk': a fifteen minute talk that explores an important aspect of being a new teacher.
This week's talk is on interviews. It breaks down how to succeed in an interview for a teaching position by exploring three key areas: preparation, how to give a good impression on the day, and how to answer some common teaching interview questions.
I hope you find it helpful and supportive in your classroom. If you are preparing for an interview, this episode should also be helpful: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-can-new-teachers-best-prepare-for-interviews/id1643514835?i=1000602327331
I also support teachers through coaching, so if you would like to have a coaching session to support your interview preparation, please get in touch at the following email: jamiethom123@aol.com
Any feedback on how to improve these talks, or areas you would like me to explore, is always much appreciated.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Jonathan Firth and Nasima Riazat. Jonathan is an author, teacher and researcher focused on the psychology of education. Nasima is an author, lecturer and school leader. They are also the authors of an excellent new book 'What Teachers Need to Know about Memory'.
In this episode we answer: what do new teachers need to know about memory?
I also ask Jonathan and Nasima:
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What is memory?
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What is the difference between long term and working memory? Why is this important in the classroom?
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What are some steps teachers can take to support students' capacity to remember information in the classroom?
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Are mnemonics effective in helping students to recall content?
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Any final things about memory that teachers need to know?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. I don't use any social media anymore, so this podcast relies completely on audience support. Please do pass it on, recommend to others and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with updates.
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 week's talk is on motivation in the classroom. It explores some of the motivation traps that we often fall into as teachers, before going on to outline some practical strategies teachers can take to motivate their students.
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is the monthly episode with Colin McGill. Colin is my colleague in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, and is the programme leader. You can follow him on Twitter @colinmcgill.
This episode will be most useful for those who are in their first year of learning to be a teacher, and those who mentor student-teachers. It answers the central question: what can student teachers do to make a positive start with a new class?
In answering that central question we also explore:
What are some of the challenges a student teacher faces in taking over a class at this time of year?
What can a student-teacher do in preparation before the first few lessons?
What will help with securing positive behaviour?
Scenario one: the class really love their class teacher and resent a student-teacher taking over. What can the new teacher do?
Scenario two: the class are totally disengaged with the subject. What can the new teacher do?
You can read more about the PGDE programmes on offer at Edinburgh Napier University here: https://www.napier.ac.uk/courses/study-areas/teaching.
You can also contact Colin and I directly: c.mcgill3@napier.ac.uk and j.thom@napier.ac.uk.
Thank you for listening, please do share the episode with others if you found it helpful.
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 week's talk is on self-compassion for teachers. It explores what compassion is, what some of the misconceptions about self-compassion are and some practical steps for helping teachers to apply self-compassion to themselves. This includes: challenging the internal narrator, understanding the role of mistakes, the importance of boundaries and looking at how you can communicate with yourself moving forward.
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Adele Bates. Adele was a teacher for over twenty years working in a range of different contexts. She now works with school leaders and staff to helps pupils with behavioural needs thrive in the classroom. She is the author of the brilliant book 'Miss I don't give a Sh*t', Engaging with Challenging Behaviour in Schools.' You can read more about her on her website: https://adelebateseducation.co.uk.
In this episode we answer: how can new teachers manage challenging behaviour?
I also ask Adele the following:
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What motivated you to write and focus on behaviour?
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What are some mistakes that teachers at the start of their career make with behaviour?
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What steps can teachers make to build positive relationships with all young people?
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What can teachers do with individual students who are presenting challenging behaviour in lessons?
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What can teachers do to manage their own self-care in schools, particularly in the face of challenging behaviour?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. I don't use any social media anymore, so this podcast relies completely on audience support. Please do pass it on, recommend to others and follow the show to keep up with updates.
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.
I am very fortunate to be spending the next three weeks observing the wonderful Edinburgh Napier English PGDE students teaching. The talks over the next three weeks will be some key learnings from these observations.
This talk focusses on the importance of assertiveness in the classroom. It looks at why it is important, how to demonstrate assertiveness, and how to build more assertiveness in your management of behaviour and learning.
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is the monthly episode with Colin McGill. Colin is my colleague in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, and is the programme leader. You can follow him on Twitter @colinmcgill.
This episode explores how to succeed in a lesson observation. The conversation explores the three parts of being observed: what to do in preparation, what to do during the observation and what you can do after the observation. We also answer the following questions:
- What was the worst observation you had as a teacher?
- What helps in terms of planning and preparation for an observation?
- What helps to keep calm in the build up for an observation?
- What are some common mistakes teachers make during an observation?
- What are the kind of things you look for as an observer?
- What helps to make the most out of lesson observation feedback?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. Please do pass it on to other teachers if you did find it useful.
You can read more about the PGDE programmes on offer at Edinburgh Napier University here: https://www.napier.ac.uk/courses/study-areas/teaching.
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.
I am very fortunate to be spending the next three weeks observing the wonderful Edinburgh Napier English PGDE students teaching. The talks over the next three weeks will be some key learnings from these observations. This talk focusses on something I am also working on in my own teaching: how to manage and prevent off-task chatter and conversations. It explores three key ways: establishing classroom norms, creating a clarity of purpose and intent, and purposeful timings.
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Sarah Philip, back for her second appearance on the show. 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 create psychological safety in their classrooms? In answering that central question, we also explore the following:
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How would you define psychological safety and why is it important?
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How can teachers create a culture of belonging in their classrooms?
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What role do mistakes have in creating psychological safety?
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How can teachers encourage self-expression from young people?
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What role does feedback have?
The workshop that we discuss in the interview is available to sign up for here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-psychological-safety-tickets-743651470567.
Thank you so much for listening, please do pass it on if you enjoy the episode!
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 is an extract from my book 'Teacher Resilience: Managing stress and anxiety to thrive in the classroom', which came out three years ago this week. The chapter is called 'Self-Talk' and the extract focusses on how to work against negative internal talk. It gives a range of practical strategies to apply.
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1. You can listen to the Well Teacher podcast which I mention in the episode here.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Andy Mclaughlin. Andy is a former senior leader and digital development officer, who now runs the History PGDE at Aberdeen University.
This episode explores technology in teaching, answering the question: how can new teachers make good use of technology in their teaching? In doing so, we explore the following questions:
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What are some of the main reasons new teachers should engage with technology?
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Are there are things new teachers should be reflective about if they do decide to experiment with technology?
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What are two or three pieces of technology that you think new teachers should think about using in their lessons?
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What do you think about the use of AI in education? (only if you are happy talking through this - I'm just interested in your thoughts!)
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You support a lot of teachers at the start of their careers, is there any more general advice you would like to offer?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. Please do pass it on to other teachers if you did find it useful.
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 concept of the circle of influence. Based on habit one from Stephen Covey's book 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People', it looks at what is in a teacher's circle of influence in terms of looking after our well-being and building positive relationships.
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is the monthly episode with Colin McGill. Colin is my colleague in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, and is the programme leader. You can follow him on Twitter @colinmcgill.
This episode explores perfectionism in teaching, and how the teachers at the start of their careers can practically apply the philosophy 'good is good enough'. In doing so, we explore the following questions:
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How would you define perfectionism?
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What do you think leads to perfectionism at the start of teacher's careers?
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What are the risks of perfectionism for teachers?
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What do you mean by the concept 'good is good enough'
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How can teachers embrace this philosophy practically?
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What other advice might you offer to teachers to challenge perfectionism?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. Please do pass it on to other teachers if you did find it useful. You can read more about the PGDE programmes on offer at Edinburgh Napier University here: https://www.napier.ac.uk/courses/study-areas/teaching.
Ten years ago, today's guest and I worked in a school that was undoubtedly toxic. I was an assistant headteacher, and Elizabeth Bowey was an NQT (known as an ECT or probationer now).
In this very personal episode, we explore what made this school a toxic environment to work in. Elizabeth shares what teachers can do if they find themselves in a toxic environment and also answers the following questions:
- What does education mean to you?
- What is your own experience of toxicity in schools?
- How would listeners know if they are in a toxic school?
- If a teacher does find themselves in a toxic environment, what can they do?
- What steps might newer teachers take if they experience toxic management?
- Any final advice for teachers at the start of their careers?
I wanted to record this episode with Elizabeth to raise awareness about toxicity in schools and I appreciate it may resonate with some listeners, or prove to be a difficult listen. If you would value a conversation with me about it, or indeed some advice, please get in touch via Twitter @teachgratitude1, or email me at jamiethom123@aol.com.
This month's education book of the month is Sam Chrome's brilliant 'The Power Of Teams'. The Power of Teams explores evidence from across sectors, including education, to find out what high-performing teams share, and how we can adapt the most effective teamwork strategies to the unique environment of a school.
Sam Chrome, who is also a director of education, coach and deputy headteacher, answers the central question: How can new teachers thrive as part of a team?In answering that central question, Sam also answers:
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What motivated you to write about team-work?
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Why should team-work matter for teachers at the start of their careers?
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What steps can teachers at the start of their career to feel like they are part of a team?
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How can newer teachers make their voices and views heard in teams?
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Any other advice about team-work for newer teachers?
In a far reaching conversation, we also explore how meetings can be run more effectively and career development for new teachers.
I hope you find it really useful. If you do, please pass it on!
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 some of the traps we fall into when we manage behaviour, and how to be self-aware of them. It then goes on to look at some key tips including: knowing your audience, positive to negative ratio and the notion of choices.
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Sophie Green. Sophie has just finished a very successful probationer year, her first year of teaching in Scotland. In this episode she answers the question: how can new teachers thrive in their first year in a school?In answering that central question, she also answers:
- What were the main differences from your PGDE to your first year in a school?
- What helped you to manage behaviour and build positive relationships in your own classroom?
- What helped you feel part of the wider school community?
- What helped you to manage workload and your own well-being during the year?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. Please do pass it on to other teachers if you did find it useful.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is the monthly episode with Colin McGill. Colin is my colleague in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, and is the programme leader. You can follow him on Twitter @colinmcgill.
This episode explore how new teachers can build positive relationships. Colin answers the following questions:
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What are some of the common mistakes new teachers make with forming relationships?
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How can a teacher's lesson content help in building positive relationships in a class?
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How can a teacher's communication help in building positive relationships?
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How can a teacher go about building a positive relationship with a more challenging student?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. Please do pass it on to other teachers if you did find it useful.
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 power of curiosity in teaching. It explores practical strategies for how you can build more curiosity into your lessons and how you can take a curiosity mindset into your improvement as a teacher.
It also gives an overview at the end of the talk of 'The Curious Teacher' conference that we are hosting at Edinburgh Napier University on Saturday the 30th of September. The conference is packed full of inspiring workshops and speakers, and is only 24 pounds. You can read about the workshops here: https://sway.office.com/VeiSW1HZteEpMBC5?ref=Link&loc=play
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.
As always, please do pass this on to anyone else who you think might find it helpful and supportive. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Shannon Docherty. Shannon completed her PGDE (post graduate diploma in education) last year. This is the teacher-training year in Scotland.
In this interview she shares some brilliant tips on how you can thrive and succeed in this challenging year learning to be a teacher.
She answers the following questions:
- What do you enjoy most about your PGDE?
- What did you find most challenging?
- What tips would you give to someone about to start their PGDE in August/September?
- What helped you to manage your own well-being during your year?
- Any final advice for someone starting a PGDE?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. Please do pass it on to other teachers if you did find it useful.
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:
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What are some mistakes new teachers make with classes at the start of the year?
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What kind of teacher persona should teachers try to adapt at the start of the year?
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How do you establish good behaviour routines?
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What do you do when a class present very challenging behaviour at the start of the year?
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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.
This episode is the first of the new monthly education book of the month series. Each month I pick one education book that I feel listeners would really benefit from, and give some takeaways for listeners to implement.
In this fifteen minute talk, I give some key takeaways from Sam Strickland's excellent ‘They Don’t Behave for Me’ 50 classroom behaviour scenarios to support secondary phase teachers.'
I explore three of the scenarios that Sam writes about in the book, summarising some of Sam's ideas about what you can do to improve the situation:
- How do you manage low-level disruptions in your classroom?
- What can you do if your lessons are starting off without any focus, and with poor behaviour.
- What can you do if your language is overly negative in your classroom?
Sam's book is really excellent and is so helpful at the start of an academic year, to start to proactively plan for how to manage behaviour. It is available here.
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 Doug Lemov. Doug is an American educator and author. He is currently Managing Director of Uncommon Schools, a non-profit charter management organisation that manages 42 charter schools across New York, New Jersey and Boston.
He is the author of a range of books, including 'Teach like a Champion' which has had a significant impact in the quality of teaching across the world. The latest version, 'Teach like a Champion 3.0' is out now. You can follow Doug on Twitter @Doug_lemov.
In this interview, Doug answers the central question: What 'Teach Like a Champion' techniques should teachers prioritise?
In answering that central question we explore four key 'Teach Like a Champion' techniques:
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What is the first technique newer teachers should focus on?
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What is another technique newer teachers should focus on?
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For teachers who have been teaching longer, what technique would improve their practice?
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What would be a final technique more experienced teachers could build into their teaching?
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).
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:
- What do you think makes it challenging for teachers to switch off?
- Why is balance so important for new teachers?
- What do you think are some of the bigger things teachers can do to help switch-off?
- What might be some smaller, micro-actions that teachers can take to help find balance?
- 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!
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is the monthly masterclass with Colin McGill. Colin is my colleague in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, and is the programme leader.
This episode is a masterclass in explanations. Colin answers the following questions:
- In your work with new teachers, what mistakes are often made when delivering explanations?
- What is the curse of knowledge and how does it impact explanations?
- How can new teachers simplify explanations and avoid overloading students?
- What helps to make explanations more memorable?
- Any other tips for improving explanations in the classroom?
We hope you enjoy the episode! Colin and I are working on a new book for student teachers, and would love to hear your views. Please contact us on j.thom@napier.ac.uk and c.mcgill3@napier.ac.uk if you would like to contribute to the book with your experience of learning to teach.
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).
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Peter Foster. Peter leads secondary teacher development across a large multi-academy trust. He is also the author of a superb new book called 'What do new teachers need to know?', which is out on Wednesday 19th of April.
In this interview, Peter answers the central question: What do new teachers need to know about cognitive science.
In answering that central question we also explore the following:
1. What does the evidence say about what learning is and what impact should that have on teachers' planning?
2. What is cognitive load theory and what are its implications for new teachers?
3. What is retrieval practice and how can teachers introduce it to their lessons?
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).
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 is a departure for the usual format. In it, I share a piece of writing from a former student of mine. It is anonymous and shared with permission, and is entitled: 'My experience of school undiagnosed with ASD'. It provides an honest and brave account of her experiences in the classroom.
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 Karen Watson. Karen Watson is an Additional Support Needs (ASN) educator, inclusion champion and teacher. She is also the author of the excellent book 'Good Autism Practice for Teachers'.
In this interview, Karen answers the central question: how can teachers best support autistic students? In answering that central question we explore the following questions:
1. How would you define autism for listeners?
2. What mistakes do you think teachers often make it supporting autistic students?
3.What role does language have in supporting autistic students and forming positive relationship?
4.How can new teachers provide structure and routine to support autistic students?
5. Is there any further advice you might offer new teachers to best support autistic students?
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).
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Bruce Robertson. Bruce is a headteacher, consultant and author of the excellent 'Teaching Delusion' trilogy. His new book 'Power up your Pedagogy,' is a brilliant visual guide to how to develop your teaching.
In this interview, Bruce answers the central question: how can new teachers power up their pedagogy?In answering that central question we explore two main themes: how to improve the management of behaviour and attitudes in your class, and how to improve how you present new information.
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).
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 what we can do to improve the quality of explanations in our classrooms. It explores why delivering powerful explanations is such a nuanced skill, before going on to look at three areas to focus on to improve how you deliver explanations:
- The physicality of how you communicate
- The confidence you have in your subject knowledge
- Your understanding of the curse of knowledge.
My book 'Talking to Teenagers: A guide to skillful classroom communication', explores the ideas in the talk in more detail.
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 Dr Heather Earnshaw. Heather is my wonderful colleague at Edinburgh Napier University, where she leads the Physics PGDE. She also has a huge amount of experience in working with schools and organisations in tacking inequalities, and lead Education Scotland's Improving Gender Balance and Equalities programme.
In today's episode we answer the question: How can teachers be more aware of their unconscious bias in the classroom? In answering that central question, we also explore the following:
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What is unconscious bias?
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How can unconscious bias influence what happens in the classroom?
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What are some practical ways teachers can address their unconscious bias in the classroom?
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How can teachers encourage their students to reflect on their unconscious bias?
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).
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 what we can do to improve the quality of listening in classrooms. It explores why it is important that we focus on listening skills, before looking at ways in which we can develop it. That improvement of listening is broken down into two parts: how we role model curiosity and effective listening, and how we proactively teach our students to listen intently.
My book 'Talking to Teenagers: A guide to skillful classroom communication', explores the ideas in the talk in more detail.
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. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
Today's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is a new monthly themed episode with Colin McGill. Colin is my colleague in the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, and is the programme leader.
Each month Colin will be answering listeners' questions on a particular theme. This episode focusses on behaviour.
Colin answers the following questions:
1. What was the most challenging class you taught and what did you do?
2. What can you do to manage the behaviour of a very chatty class?
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How can you manage the behaviour of a very challenging student who is constantly disrupting the lessons?
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What can you do to manage difficult behaviour in the corridors and begin a lesson in a calm and focussed way?
We hope you enjoy the episode! Colin and I are working on a new book for student teachers, and would love to hear your views. Please contact us on j.thom@napier.ac.uk and c.mcgill3@napier.ac.uk if you would like to contribute to the book with your experience of learning to teach.
Next month we will focus on explanations, so please do send on your questions to the above addresses.
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 resilience and how we can train ourselves to develop a resilient mindset. After exploring what resilience is, and how it manifests in teachers, the talk goes on to explore four ways we can learn how to take a resilient mindset forward in the work we do in education.
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. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
This week I have started studying for a diploma in coaching to qualify as an International Coach Federation registered professional coach.
I'm looking for individuals who might be interested in doing some coaching with me, all for free. This will be hopefully supportive and useful for the potential coach, and help me to develop my coaching skills. This brief ten minute episode gives an overview of the following:
What is my previous coaching experience?
Why can being coached be such a powerful and useful experience?
What are some potential areas you could use coaching for?
If this sounds like something you might be interested in doing, please get in touch via the following:
Via Twitter @teachgratitude1
Send me an mail: Jamiethom123@aol.com
Look forward to hearing from you!
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Dr Lucy Kelly. Lucy is an Associate Professor of Education at Bristol University and runs their English PGDE. She is also the author of a wonderful new book 'Reimagining the Diary: Reflective practice as a positive tool for educator wellbeing'. You can follow Lucy on Twitter at @drlucykelly.
In today's episode we answer the question: Why is the diary the secret to teacher well-being and improved reflection? In answering that central question, we also explore the following:
1. When did your interest in the diary as a tool for teachers start?
2. How might the diary support teachers ability to reflect effectively?
3. How might a diary practice support teachers' well-being?
4. How can teachers make using a diary a habit?
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).
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 effective revision strategies that you can share with your students as we approach examinations. The first part of the talk looks at some of the revision traps that young people fall into, that don't support them with effective retention of knowledge. The second part looks at some practical, evidence-based strategies that will help them to make the most of their revision time and prepare well for their exams.
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. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Andrew Taylor. Andrew worked in schools for 16 years as a class teacher and senior leader. He now works for the University of Worcester, supporting trainee teachers and helping to improve the provision for ECTs. You can follow Andrew’s popular ECT Twitter account @MrTs_NQTs for advice, support and daily tips for new teachers. His excellent new book is called 'You Got This: Thriving as an Early Career Teacher with Mr T'.
In today's episode we answer the question: how can new teachers best prepare for interviews. In answering that central questions we also look at:
- How can new teachers work out what school is right for them to apply to?
- What advice might you give about writing a personal statement for a new role?
- If a new teacher has been asked to teach a part of a lesson for their interview, how should they approach it?
- How should new teachers best prepare for an interview, and what are your top tips for succeeding in a teaching interview?
- Any final advice for teachers at the start of their career?
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).
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 to manage behaviour at the start of a lesson. It gives some advice on what you can do before the lesson starts in order to secure the conditions for positive behaviour, followed by what you can then do once the students have arrived at the lesson. It also gives some phrases and tools you can use if there is misbehaviour as students enter the lesson and you attempt to start the learning.
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. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
Today's episode is a bonus Teacher Talk. My new book 'Talking To Teenagers: A Guide to Skilful Classroom Communication' is out today (24th February).
In this talk, I give a fifteen minute overview of the purpose and motivation for writing 'Talking to Teenagers', and an introduction to the five communication principles that are the basis of the book:
- Understand the complexity of the teenage audience
- Master the non-verbal
- Script and teach behaviour
- LEAP in classroom discussion.
- Drive motivation, build habits.
I hope you enjoy the episode! If you are interested in the book, it is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Talking-Teenagers-skilful-classroom-communication/dp/1398386502, and also via the publishers John Catt Educational: https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/talking-to-teenagers-a-guide-to-skilful-classroom-communication?_pos=1&_psq=talking%20to%20tee&_ss=e&_v=1.0&variant=43070012424347.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Jade Pearce. Jade is a former senior leader who is now Director of Programmes at GAT Institute. She is also the author of the excellent book 'What Every Teacher Needs to Know'. You can follow Jade on Twitter @PearceMrs.
Today we will be answering the question: what does evidence-informed teaching look like? In exploring that central question, we also answer the following:
- What does evidence informed explicit instruction look like?
- What does evidence informed questioning look like?
- What does evidence informed retrieval practice look like?
- What does evidence informed feedback look like?
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 via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through 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.
This talk is part two of a focus on questioning. Last week's talk focussed on five questioning traps, this week looks at five effective questioning strategies.
- Validate participation
- Wait time
- Sensitive Cold Call
- Encourage mass participation
- Probing
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. 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.
This talk explores the value of questioning and some of the common classroom questioning traps to avoid. It explores five potential questioning pitfalls:
- Guess what is in the head
- Closed questions dominating
- Not leaving sufficient thinking time
- Checking for understanding through 'any questions?'
- Acceptance and over-praise.
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. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Fiona Leadbeter. Fiona is a Principle Teacher of Expressive Arts in Scotland and runs the excellent teaching and learning blog 'The Perfectly Imperfect Educator at https://fleadbeater.wordpress.com.
Today we will be answering the question: what do new teachers need to know about cognitive load theory? In exploring that central question, we also answer the following:
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What is cognitive load theory and where did it come from?
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What are some of the misunderstandings about cognitive load theory?
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What practically should new teachers do with cognitive load in the classroom?
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What other teaching and learning advice might you offer new teachers in managing their students' cognitive load?
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 via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Ben Karlin. Ben is a former English teacher and senior leader, who now works at Ambition Institute, where he designs programmes to support teachers and school leaders to keep getting better. He is also the co-author of 'The Teaching and Learning Playbook', which has over 100 techniques for teachers to improve their practice.
Today we will be answering the question: what routines should new teachers use in their lessons? In exploring that central question, we also answer the following:
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Why do you think routines are important in the classroom?
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How might a new teacher start to build new routines into their teaching?
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What routines might be useful for teachers to implement at the start of lessons?
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What routines are most helpful for securing student learning?
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 via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through 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.
This talk explores how to best teach and support quieter students. It explores three key areas:
- Noticing and building relationships
- Scaffolding verbal contributions
- Celebrating quiet strengths.
I hope you find it helpful and supportive in your classroom. My book, 'A Quiet Education, which I mention in the talk, is available here. Any feedback on how to improve these talks, or areas you would like me to explore, is always much appreciated. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Mark Roberts. Mark is an English teacher and Director of Research in a school in Northern Ireland. He is also the author of a range of brilliant books on education. His latest book is the excellent 'The Boy Question: How to Teach Boys to Succeed in School'. You can follow Mark on Twitter at @mr_englishteach.
Today we will be answering the question: what will help boys to succeed in school? In exploring that central question, we also answer the following:
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What are some of the mistakes you have seen teachers make when teaching boys?
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What advice would you give new teachers in managing the behaviour of boys?
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What helps to support boys' learning?
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What about motivation when it comes to boys?
I hope you really enjoy the episode. If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through 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.
This talk explores the benefits of becoming a slow teacher. It looks at three benefits of applying a slower approach to teaching:
- Improving perspective and planning
- Improving teacher presence and explanations
- Enabling real teacher improvement
I hope you find it helpful and supportive in your classroom. My book, 'Slow Teaching', which I mention in the talk, is available here. Any feedback on how to improve these talks, or areas you would like me to explore, is always much appreciated. Please contact me on Twitter @teachgratitude1.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Craig Barton. Craig hosts the brilliant podcast 'Tips for Teachers', which you can find at https://tipsforteachers.co.uk. He is the author of three excellent books on teaching, including 'Tips for Teachers' which has just come out this month and has over four hundred tips for teachers. You can follow Craig on Twitter at @mrbartonmaths.
In this interview, Craig picks out five tips from his book and interviews with teachers that he feels are most essential for new teachers. In short, the five tips are:
- Strategies to encourage mass participation
- The importance of thinking time.
- How to improve think, pair share.
- Learner generated examples.
- Assigning confidence levels.
I hope you really enjoy the episode. If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
This episode is the first of a weekly '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 language choices we can make as teachers to influence classroom behaviour. It explores three key areas:
- Civility and manners
- Naming specific behaviours
- Depersonalising behaviour feedback.
I hope you find it helpful and supportive in securing positive behaviour in your classroom.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is my brilliant colleague at Napier University, Colin McGill - back for his second appearance. After a successful career as a Chemistry Teacher and Curriculum Leader, Colin is now the PGDE programme leader for Teacher Education at Napier University. You can follow Colin on Twitter @colinmcgill
In this interview, Colin answers the central question: Why chose a career in teaching?
In answering that central question, we also explore the following in the interview:
What made you go into teaching?
What do you see as the main benefits of a teaching career?
What are the main challenges new teachers face, and how can they overcome them?
What advice would you give someone thinking about going into teaching?
What is unique about the course at Napier for teacher education?
If you know anyone who is considering a career in teaching, please do pass it on! If you would like to talk further about the PGDE at Edinburgh Napier, please email C.McGill3@napier.ac.uk or J.Thom@napier.ac.uk.
I hope you really enjoy the episode. If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Kat Howard. Kat is a former senior leader, who is now the director for a large Multi-Academy Trust Teaching School Hub. She is also the author of 'Stop Talking About Wellbeing: a Pragmatic Approach to Teacher Workload' and co-author of 'Symbiosis: the Curriculum and the Classroom.'
In this interview, Kat answers the central question: What will help new teachers to improve their teaching?
In answering that central question, we also explore the following in the interview:
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Teachers at the start of their career are focussed on improvement, but what mistakes do they make in this desire to get better quickly?
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What sort of mindset will help new teachers to develop?
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How can new teachers make their improvement manageable?
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Case study: Peter, an Early Career Teacher, wants to improve modelling in his classroom. How can he go about improving this aspect of his practice?
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Is there any other advice you could offer to teachers at the start of their careers?
I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1). This will be the last episode of 2022, so I really hope listeners have a wonderful festive period!
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Emma Turner. Emma is a former Primary school teacher and headteacher, who now is the CPD lead for the Discovery Trust. She is also the author of four brilliant education books, that cover a range of topics from curriculum to flexible working. You can follow her on Twitter @Emma_Turner75.
In this interview, Emma answers the central question: How can new teachers set boundaries and find a work-life balance?
In answering that central question, we also explore the following in the interview:
- Why do you think it is so hard for new teachers to have any sort of work-life balance?
- What are the essentials that you think new teachers should prioritise?
- How can new teachers set appropriate boundaries?
- What advice would you give a new teacher who struggles to say no?
- Have you got any final advice you might offer new teachers at the start of their career?
I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
This week's episode is the monthly live coaching episode. This involves a teacher at the start of their career coming on the podcast to explore an issue or question they have.
This week's episode is with Anna Green. Anna is doing her PGDE (teacher education year) and wanted to explore how she can continue to develop her teaching, and what aspects of her teaching skills she should priortise.
I hope you find the episode useful. As always, any feedback is gratefully received, and I would love to hear from you if you would like to be a guest or take part in a live coaching conversation. Please contact me through Twitter @teachgratitude1, or through www.slowteaching.co.uk.
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is with Dr Hazel Harrison. Hazel is a Clinical Psychologist and founder of Think Avellana. She does a huge amount of work supporting schools across the UK, alongside working with a diverse range of clients from the BBC to the Premier League. You can follow her on Twitter at @thinkavellana.
In this interview, Hazel answers the central question: What can new teachers do to support their wellbeing in the build up to Christmas?
In answering this central question, we also explore the following:
- What do you believe are the main well-being challenges for teachers?
- What mindset could a new teacher take that will support their well-being?
- What are the practical steps new teachers might take to support their well-being?
- What advice might you offer for new teachers to help them manage their emotions?
I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through 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 three brilliant books on education. His latest book is 'The Behaviour Manual'. You can follow Sam on Twitter @strickomaster.
In this interview, Sam answers the central question: What can new teachers do when behaviour starts to slip in their lessons?
In answering this central question, we also explore the following:
What general actions or routines might a new teacher introduce to manage behaviour standards?
Scenario 1: the class as a whole are extremely chatty and lack focus. What approaches might the teacher take?
*Scenario 2: there are three disruptive students who are really impacting learning. What approaches might the teacher take?
Is there any further advice you might offer new teachers at the start of their careers?*
I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
The guest on this week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: the new teacher podcast' is Bruce Robertson. Bruce is a headteacher, consultant and author of the excellent 'Teaching Delusion' trilogy.
In this interview, Bruce answers the central question:
How can new teachers improve their differentiation in the classroom?
In answering this central question, we also explore the following:
1. What is the purpose of differentiation in the classroom?
2. From your observations of new teachers, where do they tend to make mistakes with differentiation?
3. What are the differentiation techniques you feel are most effective in the classroom?
4. What other advice might you offer teachers at the start of their careers?I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
This week's guest on 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher Podcast' is Dr John Coleman. John Coleman is a psychologist with a long-standing interest in adolescence. He has written a number of books on the teenage years, and has an international reputation for his work on adolescence. In 2001 he was awarded the OBE by the Queen for his work on youth. His latest book is 'The Teacher and the Teenage Brain'.
In this interview, John answers the central question: What do new teachers need to know about teenagers?In answering this central question, we also explore the following:
- Why is it important that teachers understand teenage development?
- What happens to the brain during the teenage years?
- Why is peer approval so important for teenagers?
- Why do some teenagers present behavioural issues in the classroom, and how can teachers manage that?
- What other advice might you give teachers for working with teenagers?
I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback on how to improve the show, or would like to come on the podcast for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
This special bonus episode is for student teachers who are about to go on their first teaching placement. The guest is my brilliant colleague at Napier University in Edinburgh, Colin McGill. After a successful career as a Chemistry Teacher and Curriculum Leader, Colin is now the PGDE programme leader for Teacher Education at Napier University. You can follow Colin on Twitter @colinmcgill
In this episode we answer the question: How can student teachers succeed in their first teaching placements? In exploring that central question we also explore:
- What are some of the mistakes student teachers often make in their first teaching placements?
- What mindset should student teachers take into the first placement?
- What tips would you give about managing their time?
- A main worry for student teachers is managing behaviour, what approach would you suggest they take?
I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback for the show, or would like to come on the show for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
The guest on this week's show is Aidan Severs. Aidan is a former primary school teacher and senior leader, who now runs a very successful consultancy business that provides support for schools across the UK.
In this episode we explore the question: How can new teachers simplify their teaching for impact? In answering that central question we also explore:
- How do teachers often over-complicate teaching?
- What steps can new teachers take in planning to streamline lessons?
- What can new teachers aim to simplify during the lesson itself?
- How might this simplify philosophy apply to teachers managing their workload and work-life balance?
- What other advice might you give new teachers at the start of their careers?
I hope you really enjoy the episode! If you have any feedback for the show, or would like to come on the show for one of the live coaching episodes, please get in touch via www.slowteaching.co.uk, or through Twitter (@teachgratitude1).
This week's episode is the first of a monthly new teacher voice episode. This involves a new teacher coming on to the podcast for a coaching conversation about a particular issue they are facing in their careers.
Rosa Albashir is the guest on this episode. She asks the question: How can I develop confidence in a new school setting?
In exploring this topic, we discuss how: new teachers can be honest and vulnerable with their mentors; how to orchestrate assimilating themselves in new school contexts; how to build positive relationships with other staff members; and how to mange feelings of self-doubt when joining a new school.
I hope you find this episode useful! If you would be interested in being a new teacher voice episode, please do get in touch with me via Twitter (@teachgratitude1) or my website www.slowteaching.co.uk.
This week Rachel Ball is the guest on the podcast. Rachel is an Assistant headteacher in charge of Teaching and Learning. She also writes an excellent blog at https://theeducationalimposters.wordpress.com.
In this episode we explore the question: how can new teachers overcome impostor syndrome? In answering that central question we also explore:
- What is impostor syndrome and what impact can it have?
- What strategies might new teachers employ to tackle that negative inner narrative?
- What role does CPD and learning play in helping you develop inner confidence?
- What role does a mentor or coach play in overcoming imposture syndrome?
- What other advice might you offer to new teachers struggling with self-doubt?
I hope you really enjoy the episode!
This week Adrian Bethune is the guest on the podcast. Adrian is a primary teacher, author of
‘Well Being in the Primary Classroom’, co-author of ‘Teacher Wellbeing and Self Care’ with Emma Kell and founder of Teach Happy.
In this episode we explore the question: what are the wellbeing essentials for teachers in the first five years of their careers? In answering that question we also explore:
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Why do you think well-being should be a priority for teachers at the start of their career?
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How can new teachers maintain a sense of perspective?
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What self-care should teachers prioritise?
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What other well-being advice might you offer to teachers in the first few years of their career?
I hope you really enjoy the episode!
This week Tom Sherrington is the guest on the podcast. Tom is a former headteacher with an extensive influence and reach in education. He is the author of a number of brilliant education books, including the excellent 'WalkThru' series. He is now an educational consultant, running training in schools across the UK.
In this episode we explore the question: how can new teachers improve their questioning skills in the classroom? In answering that central question we also explore:
- What is the purpose of questioning in the classroom?
- From your observations of teachers, where do they tend to make mistakes with questioning?
- What are the questioning techniques you feel are most effective in the classroom?
- What other advice might you offer to teachers in the first few years of their career?
I hope you enjoy the episode!
This week's guest is Professor Christian Van Nieuwerburgh. Christian is a leading academic in the field of coaching and positive psychology. He is a passionate about the application of coaching and positive psychology in education, and is the global director of Growth Coaching International.
In this episode we answer the question: How can new teachers stay positive throughout the year? To answer this central question we explore the following:
- What do you know now that you wish you had known at the start of your career?
- Can you give listeners a brief overview of what positive psychology is?
- What are some positive psychology interventions that might benefit teachers?
- What role do relationships have in sustaining a positive mindset for teachers?
- Are there any other tips you might have for teachers in self-care and sustaining a positive mindset?
I hope you really enjoy the episode!
This week's episode of 'Beyond Survival: The New Teacher podcast' is with Cath Baxter. Cath is a professional Voice Coach and Public Speaking expert. She is one of the leading Voice Coaches in the UK with 20 years experience.
Cath is answering the question: How can new teachers appear confident in the classroom?
In our conversation we also explore the following:
- What can new teachers do to help with feelings of anxiety and nervousness?
- How can new teachers use their body language for maximum impact?
- How can new teachers use their voice to secure attention and impact in the classroom?
- Is there anything else that new teachers can do to improve communication in their classrooms?
I hope you really enjoy the episode!