Inside Education on 103.2 Dublin City FM

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this podcast I spoke to Professor Mark Windschitl from the University of Washington about teaching science and especially the science of climate change. As usual with these podcasts we covered a wide range of topics, including the following: What core practices are in teacher education (e.g. teachers need to elicit ideas students already have about the topic being taught). Why, although important, there is much more to teaching than core practices, such as developing respectful and trusting relationships with students. As teachers gain experience, they add nuance and flexibility to the core practices. What ambitious science teaching is: willingness to constantly improve one's practice, to take risks to improve their practice and to base changes on students' response to their teaching. The need for a teacher pursuing ambitious science teaching to understand topics (e.g. the greenhouse effect) in great depth, with flexibility, and connected to children's everyday lives. The biggest ideas in biology that can be taught in a second-level school setting (e.g. how ecosystems function in the world). Trees extend their roots out to other trees and can cause chemical changes in other trees. Selecting candidates for teaching science and engaging in ambitious science teaching How the impact of testing in schools shapes the curriculum. The importance of academically productive discourse in the classroom about science ideas. Productive talk in a classroom is a process of sense-making and meaning making. The need for teachers to have models of ambitious science teaching that is relevant to the setting in which they teach. How to teach children the science of climate change without elevating eco-anxiety. Why solutions need to be threaded into the teaching of climate change The importance of understanding the greenhouse effect and why understanding that is not enough (the need to know about ecosystems, the oceans, the cryosphere – the frozen parts of the earth, and tipping points) The scale of climate change phenomena The idea of “carbon footprint” was introduced by a petroleum company (BP) What schools can do to mitigate the effects of climate change (e.g. making Prom night – the Debs – greener) Plastics pollution is different to climate change but both are connected in many students' minds Students being exposed to sceptical points of view in some areas. Although such perspectives need to be managed carefully, sceptical views might not be as big a problem as we would expect. It may help to focus on the science of the greenhouse effect. The challenge of beef production as part of the climate change discussion The difficulty of conveying the scale of climate change Finding and evaluating climate change data – the challenge of media literacy. Among the known reputable outlets he identifies are: NASA, NOAA, WHO, and the UN. The importance of having a reason when sharing data about climate change. Assessing students' knowledge of climate change How he became interested in education research How he conducts his research to find out how novice teachers become “well-started beginners” Helping novice teachers use agency to move beyond reproducing someone else's teaching How he finds time to write – bringing a notebook with him when going out for a stroll and doing 14 versions of an article before it's ready for publication Who research in education is for and how does it influence practice in education? Is it through instructional coaches? School leaders? Having children do well-structured work in small groups (that is equitable and rigorous) in class, at least part of the time, is hugely beneficial for their learning. Productive academic discourse in science is difficult to find in classrooms in the Unites States. Another research question is why technology failed to deliver for education during COVID Why schools and the communities around them should have porous boundaries The value of a teacher sharing (a) the kind of science they're interested in (b) something about their family and (c) a hobby they have with their class in order to decrease the psychological difference between the teacher and their students. He refers to the book Teaching and its predicaments by David Cohen.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this podcast I discussed social and emotional learning with Professor Sara Rimm-Kaufman from the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. Among the topics discussed were: What social and emotional learning is The implicit and explicit process of learning social and emotional skills How children can learn empathy Her book for teachers: SEL from the Start From listening to respectful communication to respecting others' perspectives Where social emotional learning fits in the regular school curriculum What service learning is and examples of it in practice Three possible categories of service learning solutions: Educate others, change a policy or take direct action. The relationship between service learning and project-based learning How Sara Rimm-Kaufman and her colleagues (including Tracy Harkins and Eileen Merritt) developed Connect Science, a scheme that uses the service learning approach to combine social emotional learning and academic content Applying service learning in different curriculum subject areas The notion of “fidelity of implementation” in education research (and an “intent to treat” analysis) The theme that characterises her research interests: the centrality of social emotional learning (e.g. for racial equity) and the widespread practices in school that have never been studied but would benefit from research into their effectiveness or lack of effectiveness The source of her research interests Her early research on primates and working with Professor Jerry Kagan to subsequently working in schools with children in first grade. Why she likes conducting research in schools, despite the challenges such research brings Relational trust – what it is and why it is important among the adults in a school Who has responsibility for building relational trust among the adult community in a school? Building relational trust with and among children in a school The relation between a teacher's beliefs and their practice – a bidirectional process. She loves the work of Dan Willingham, a former guest on this podcast.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. In this episode I speak to Professor Art Baroody from the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign about matters related to counting and early mathematical development. Professor Baroody shares insights from his extensive research in children's early mathematical learning with anecdotes from his life and work. Among the topics we discuss are: The word “count” is ambiguous; he prefers the terms verbal counting and object counting. Along with subitising, these are foundational for children's sense of number. The rote portion of numbers (up to 12 in English) and the rule-governed portion of numbers (13 onwards in English) Being able to meaningfully count objects means understanding the cardinality principle How a teacher can assess a child's competence in object counting. The “hidden stars” game. The importance of subitising (easily recognising, without counting, the number in a set). If a child can subitise small sets of objects and connect it to their verbal counting knowledge, the child can get insights into the structure of the count sequence and into our number system. The importance of children understanding the “increasing magnitude” principle of numbers. Subitising and learning addition and subtraction concepts The value of playing dice games. The successor principle: Each step in the counting sequence means you added one more. A child who starts out behind in kindergarten, typically gets further behind as school goes on, indicating the importance of informal mathematical knowledge for school readiness. Three components of a hypothetical learning trajectory: a goal, a learning progression, instructional activities that help children move from one level to the next. The relevance of a hypothetical learning trajectory for a teacher's work: questions and instruction need to be developmentally appropriate for children. What number comes after 9? Whether you need to start at 1 or can answer this directly depends on your current level of understanding numbers. How schools typically target instruction at a level that is too low or too high for students. There are many published learning progressions and hypothetical learning trajectories available to teachers now, especially in number, arithmetic and counting development. A child's mathematical power, routine expertise (learning something by rote – hard to apply it to a new problem and easy to forget) and adaptive expertise (learning something with understanding) Mathematical power comes from understanding, engaging in mathematical inquiry, to reason mathematically, to solve problems, having an interest in mathematics and using it. In short, conceptual understanding, mathematical thinking skills, and a positive disposition towards mathematics Example of applying knowledge to finding the area of a parallelogram Why memorising mathematics by rote is crazy. All children, even those with learning disabilities, can develop mathematical power up to lower secondary school level, if properly taught. Teaching mathematics by rote is cheating children. Things that can be discovered are the additive commutativity principle (3+5 = 5+3) Children are capable of much more than we give them credit for. Why getting children to learn off tables of number facts is cheating children. The importance of seeing patterns and relationships in the number tables – make it a thinking exercise and make mathematics learning fun. Working with his mentor Herb Ginsburg The use of manipulatives in teaching mathematics, even to college-level students. The value of children inventing procedures themselves. To understand fraction multiplication, the analogy of multiplication as repeated addition does not suffice. You need a more powerful analogy. A “groups of” analogy is more helpful. And it helps you understand why multiplication doesn't always make something bigger. How to make sense of fraction division. How he conducts his research (Case study; random controlled trials) Substitution errors in reading John Holt's books John Dewey's book, Experience and Education  Why parents and teachers need to be patient The power of examples and non-examples when teaching mathematics.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. In this episode I speak to Professor David T. Hansen from Teachers' College, Columbia University about the philosophy of education and the practice of teaching. Among the topics we discuss are the following: What it means to see teaching as an art, as a political activity and as a moral endeavour. Direct lessons about morality/values/ethics versus the continuous enactment of moral values. What hand-raising and turn-taking reveals about classroom culture and establishing dialogue among students (teachers and their students coming closer and closer apart and further and further together). Teaching as a profession? Teaching as vocation, calling, practice, craft? The attraction of teaching for people who want to live a meaningful life. Reworking his original book, The Call to Teach in 2021 as Reimagining the Call to Teach in response to (a) Accountability movement in the United States, linked to No Child Left Behind; and (b) Having learned more about the practice of teaching. How the implementation of No Child Left Behind in the United States was tone-deaf to classroom life. Huge resources benefited private testing companies rather than professional development for teachers. A poetics of teaching: What poetics means (comes from Aristotle trying to figure out why drama on a stage has the kind of effects it has on the spectators long after the play has ended). In this article, Hansen tries to understand the impact of teaching. Recognising the poetics of teaching; teaching is a rhythmic practice where poetics can be found alongside its drudgery/frustration/failure. How we all fail regularly in teaching but we rarely discuss it. What he means when he says that anyone interviewing a teacher for a job wants to know if the teacher loves life. Finding meaningfulness in teaching Programmes for veteran teachers to rejuvenate, reinspire, renew and refresh themselves. One example of such a programme is a “descriptive review” of a child. The importance of working on craft with initial student candidates; more can be done on the art of teaching – draw out a sense of their own humanity, possibly through story, poetry, film or a painting. How teaching is saturated with “why” questions – invitations to philosophy. Philosophy as theory and as an art of living (wisdom tradition) Cosmopolitanism: being reflectively loyal and reflectively open Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. Plato and John Dewey.  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. Theme tune composed by David Vesey. On this episode of Inside Education, engineer Patricia Scanlon of Soapbox Labs discusses how improving how well software can recognise children's voices can support how teachers teach, assess and give feedback on reading and enhance equity in the classroom. Among the topics discussed are: How children's voices differ to adult voices How voice recognition software has been found to be biased in favour of some populations over others How she became interested in applying speech recognition technology to education after watching her daughter experience the limits of educational software when she was learning to read and do mathematics Applying speech recognition technology to teaching reading – the software acts like a helpful adult who “listens” to and “assesses” the child's reading. The software is used in dyslexia screeners, reading practice products, fluency assessment products, speech therapy. Use of the software at home and in classrooms The use of rapid naming as one of a suite of tasks in a screening tool that aims to predict dyslexia in pre-literate children, thus making earlier intervention possible The promise of voice recognition software for making school more inclusive for children of all abilities Applying the voice recognition software to languages other than English How practising reading can be formatively assessed using voice recognition software Feedback to encourage the student, to correct a child's pronunciation of a sound, or to identify errors for the teacher Why Soapbox Labs's niche is with children's voice recognition software How they worked alongside teachers to develop the software Collecting data and looking at data privacy Future plans for developing the software

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney Theme tune composed by David Vesey On this week's podcast I speak to cognitive scientist, Professor Daniel T Willingham from the University of Virginia. We discuss learning to read, learning styles, multiple intelligences, education research and more. The full range of topics includes: Applying the science of learning in school and at home Paradigms of cognitive psychology (reasonable assumptions) How cognitive science replaced behaviourism How cognitive science might inform the teaching of different subjects across the curriculum The relationship between basic science and applied science for teachers Why an opportunity exists for teacher organisations to review science and provide periodic updates for teachers to critique ideas (such as say, grit). Initial teacher education should provide a grounding in the science of learning and subsequently teachers' knowledge needs to be updated as the science evolves (and why the onus for such updating should not be on individual teachers) Among the few reliable publications for teachers he'd recommend are American Educator, and Phi Delta Kappan. Evaluating the relative importance of technical competence (decoding) and motivation in learning to read. The difference between reading a book and listening to an audio book (How prosody helps comprehension in audio books and how regressions help us in comprehending text) and why textbooks are different. Can audiobooks help a child who is having difficulties learning to decode? Criticism of the learning styles theory of the mind – there's no scientific basis to pedagogies based on learning styles. Why style differs to memory and ability and the importance of meaning in learning. Learning styles may offer a different ways for a teacher to think about topics they're going to teach. The construct of mental ability and multiple intelligences. Is intelligence one single construct or is it several independent constructs? Can critical thinking be taught? Can being a good critical thinker in one domain help you think critically in other domains? The importance of seeing the same underlying structure in various guises when practising critical thinking. How he evaluates the value or potential contribution of a research article in education. Contradictions in educational research – parallels with COVID-19 research. Why professional organisations need to tease out research implications for teachers. Why he reads very broadly in education. Daniel Willingham's “2002-style” website. He's on Facebook and Twitter @dtwillingham. His most recent books are Why don't students like school (2nd out now) and Outsmart your brain (August 2022).

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. Theme tune by David Vesey. On podcast 420, I welcome back Stanford University School of Education Professor William (Bill) Damon who was one of the first guests on this year's schedule to discuss his new book, A round of golf with my father: The new psychology of exploring your past to make peace with your present. Among the topics  we discuss on this bonus episode are the following: Different interpretations of what a life story is Life Studies by Robert Lowell Your intention for telling a life story What a life review is and why it can be done at any stage of life How William Damon adapted Robert Butler's life review idea for his purpose. How to go about doing a life review Talk to people who remember your past Records (school and others, ancestry searches) Memory search Putting it all together – focusing on what gave you satisfaction and fulfillment Why he never met his father How school records have changed since the 1950s. How his father's character developed over time, possibly through the demands and experiences of military service in World War II. What he learned about his own character from doing the life review Why character is a movie and not a snapshot Why he believes that psychological theories such as some of Freud's work and the “big five personality traits” are wrong How he went about making a personal story interesting for an audience beyond his immediate circle of family and friends How a life review can help you find a purpose in your life How someone not looking for a purpose can find one His mother's role in his life review His definition of purpose His memories of being taught by some of the pioneering psychologists of the twentieth century, including Erik Erikson and Jerome Kagan who was a guest on Inside Education a few years ago: Podcast 1 and Podcast 2  and who passed away in May 2021. Some of his earlier books: Some do care (with his wife, Anne Colby), Noble Purpose, The Moral Child and Greater Expectations. Why he called the book A Round of Golf with my Father when he never met his father!  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I speak to Deirdre Hodson who works in the European Commission's department for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture in Brussels. She provides a European Union policy perspective on technology and sustainability in education. Among the topics we discuss are: How she came to work in the area of digital education policy and her studies in the area Ben Williamson Neil Selwyn How her studies contributed to her work as a policymaker How the pandemic is likely to impact on policy and practice The need for schools to have digital strategies The importance of the school as a whole being the unit of change and of hearing the student voice The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning How countries reaped the benefits of investment in digital resources in education during the pandemic Asking what we can learn from remote teaching and learning as a result of the pandemic Broadening the education infrastructure to include collaboration with libraries and museums The origin, purpose and launch of the SELFIE diagnostic/planning tool she was involved in developing How SELFIE has been used and a new SELFIE tool for teachers to be launched in October 2021. Report on Artificial Intelligence in Education Examples of interesting practices in digital education across Europe An account of a visit to a school in Finland and the phenomenon-based learning and to one in Austria Sustainability, digital technologies, accessibility and inclusion Risks and threats of technology alongside opportunities (e.g. data protection; student and teacher agency) Differences between aspects of a teacher's job that are routine (e.g. marking) and those that are human (e.g. coaching and mentoring) Neil Selwyn Should robots replace teachers? Challenges of not being able to hold the regular Leaving Certificate examinations in 2020. The value of learning languages Erasmus and E-Twinning: Léargas Neil Selwyn's book Distrusting Educational Technology: Critical Questions for Changing Times

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. In this podcast I explore the topic of education and autism by speaking to a classroom teacher, Graham Manning from Cork, and a university researcher, Professor Steffie van der Steen from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Among the topics we discuss are: How Graham became coordinator of classes for autistic students in school The organisation with which Graham undertook training on helping students develop good sleeping habits. How Steffie became interested in researching autism and the education of students with autism in the Netherlands. The Salamanca Statement on special needs education: Graham’s class arrangements from a student’s perspective Different needs of autistic students from primary to secondary school Graham’s problem with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Inclusive Education in New Brunswick and that province's views on inclusion versus segregation Excellence in practice: visiting homes of students who apply for the special class and managing transitions from primary to secondary school and from secondary to third level. Graham referred to a quote widely attributed to Dr. Stephen Shore that “when you meet one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Steffie’s research findings that are relevant for teachers: assessing young children on science concepts (Marble task and air pressure task); four categories of teachers’ needs in relation to teaching students with special needs: cooperation, academic tools, social aspects, reassurance for insecure newly qualified teachers; her hypothesis about the need to ask students both higher- and lower- order questions. Students learned from years of experience with students with autism and getting to know them. Lessons teachers can take from her experience of assessing young students with special education needs: variation in questions and hands-on tasks. Classroom interactions in Graham’s class for autistic students (Building relationships, subject planning, spending time outdoors, making meals together in the “home room,” creating a safe space) Steffie’s research (with her doctoral student, Lisette de Jonge-Hoekstra) on the relationship between children’s speech and their gestures when working on a task (including “gesture-speech mismatch) Steffie on animal-assisted therapy for students with autism Graham on why there are insufficient special classes in post-primary schools Steffie recommends: https://scholar.google.com/. Graham recommends The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida.  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. This week my guest on the podcast is expert on assessment, feedback and academic integrity, Professor Phillip Dawson from Deakin University. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are the following: How academic integrity is learned throughout our lives – and how even Peppa Pig has been known to flout academic integrity. What a secondary school teacher needs to know about academic integrity – values and technical skills Academic integrity travels with us: Medical students who have more academic integrity problems have more professional integrity problems as doctors Acknowledging student work that is original Scalable feedback practices at feedbackforlearning.org. Text matching software (e.g. Turn-it-in) can help provide feedback at scale. Recognising patterns in errors legitimately made by students on a module Estimated instances of cheating among university students, by “outsourcing” their work, range from 6% to 16% When the student signals that an assignment is tough, the temptation to cheat appears, literally. Intellectual streaking and intellectual candour (Margaret Bearman and Elizabeth Molloy. The importance of faculty sharing their own experiences of receiving feedback with students. Contract cheating and blackmail. Lesley Sefcik and Jon Yorke. University faculty are more likely to spot contract cheating when they are looking out for it. Initial suspicion versus investigation of contract cheating Resources to combat contract cheating from the Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. Cheating and Assessment Project The difference between referencing blunders and contract cheating Where students are more/less likely to cheat: types of work, disciplines The work of Tracey Bretag and colleagues Designing assessments to minimise the likelihood of contract cheating Authentic assessments Benefits of few, enforceable authentic restrictions Review of authentic assessments by Villarroel et al (2020) Article on authentic assessment and authentic feedback by Dawson, Carless and Lee (2021). Assessment rubrics Article by Dawson Article 1 and Article 2 on assessment by James Popham: and Analytical, holistic and co-constructed rubrics Alfie Kohn podcast Winstone and Bowd (2020): the need to disentangle assessment and feedback in higher education Pitt & Norton (2017) Student Responses to feedback Sustainable assessment and evaluative judgment One person who inspires Phillip is his boss, David Boud: https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/people/david-boud. One of David Boud’s articles on sustainable assessment.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I speak to Professor Gregory Cajete from Santa Clara Pueblo and the University of New Mexico about indigenous education and what contemporary western education can learn from such rich traditions. Among the topics we discuss are: Belonging to the Tewa tribe and what is particular about that tribe. Numbers in different tribes such as the Navajo, Cherokee, the Hopi and the Tewa. Being the first member of his family to attend public school Previously native Americans would have attended federal boarding schools (created by Pratt), with a basic academic curriculum Professor Cajete refers to “Charles Pratt” but this may be a mistaken reference to Richard Henry Pratt, to whom the expression “Kill the Indian, save the man” was attributed. Tribal College Union established in the 1970s (36 colleges – like first and second year of colleges; giving 2-year degrees) Defining indigenous education: Distinction between native American students attending US public schools (including the Bureau of Indian affair schools and religious denominational schools) – education as assimilation versus traditional indigenous education including stories, history, customs and language of the people. Relationality as the basis of indigenous education – developing a relationship to the place in which we live In indigenous education people ask the question, “how am I related to this?” versus the predominant “western” question “What is this?” Currently attempts are being made to introduce native American language, culture and traditions into US public schools Epistemology (how we come to know what we know) of indigenous education involves storytelling, ceremony, participation in community, rhythm and dance. Axiology (what is the focus of/what has value in?) of indigenous education is about establishing a balanced relationship with your environment, including human and other-than-human entities; a place-based world view (based on where you live). Logic of indigenous education is ecological and is one of balanced interdependence. It is part of an understanding that everything you do impacts everything around you. The Lakota people say “We are all related.” The “intractable conflict” between indigenous education and public school education in the United States Why the curriculum focused on subject-matter is object-focused and parts-oriented whereas native education is ecological, sustainable and holistic. Shortcomings of the subject-based curriculum include that it doesn’t teach for relationality or about the ecological mandate, the pre-requisite for sustainability; these are “specialised fields” whereas in indigenous education, you learn these from the day you’re born and reinforced consistently throughout one’s lifetime. Consequently you acquire a life-centred focus. Many native artists are entrepreneurial while maintaining a traditional viewpoint. An economic focus is on benefiting the community, not just oneself. Gary Nabhan is not native American but he writes about native forms of agriculture. Enrique Salmón too has written on this topic. Books Greg Cajete has written: Look to the Mountain Igniting the Sparkle: An Indigenous Science Education Model. Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence  Spirit of the Game. Indigenous Community: Rekindling the teachings of the seventh fire. Native Minds Rising: Exploring Transformative Indigenous Education Sacred Journeys: Personal visions of indigenous transformation Values that underpin indigenous education O. Wilson’s biophilic sensibility – caring and empathy for each other, caring and empathy for the natural world and caring and empathy for your soul The indigenous stages of developmental learning; finding the essence of your soul. Question: What does it mean to become a full human being? Chant: One must first find one’s face (you identity), one must then find one’s heart, finally one must find one’s foundation (what you stand on) in the context of relationship, responsibility, respect and resonance, with one’s self, one’s community, one’s place, then with one’s world, within the context of your relationship with the cosmos.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's episode I interview my long-time colleague and fellow vice-president of Marino Institute of Education on the topics of literacy and disadvantage and more. Among the topics we discuss during the podcast are the following: What constitutes a struggling reader Identifying a struggling reader in a class setting Why it is important to move on from focusing on individual sounds and words to help students become fluent readers. The article referred to in the programme can be downloaded here: Effects of Fluency Oriented Instruction on Motivation for Reading of Struggling Readers Fluency oriented instruction and the work of Stephen Stahl, Kathleen Heubach and Bonnie Cramond. The value of repeatedly reading the same text Why fluency oriented instruction is particularly important around first class The value of teachers and parents reading to children, modelling the reading process Why choral reading is helpful in developing fluency – communicatively choral reading Echo reading, antiphonal reading, Why motivation may be the most important factor in learning to read Louise Rosenblatt and the efferent/aesthetic continuum. Story of “Jason” a non-reader who loved Buddy Holly songs How teachers believe that fluency comes after mastery of more cognitive skills of reading and that motivation is important for beginning readers Conducting research in schools serving disadvantaged areas in Dublin Looking at motivation for reading: Self-efficacy for reading Orientation towards reading Perceived difficulty of reading The value for teachers of knowing the science of reading. Read Daniel Willingham’s The Reading Mind Our brains are not wired for reading (alphabet principle; decoding) How parents can promote motivation among children – reading to children and reading with children What it means for a child to be alliterate The role of education in a disadvantaged setting The “network gap” that children in disadvantaged settings experience The extent to which education can ameliorate disadvantage The value of teachers collaborating, especially in a disadvantaged setting (and in planting allotments and solving crossword puzzles and in teacher education too) Role of a principal in a disadvantaged school Derek Sivers’s book notes Ken Robinson Science of reading podcast and blogs (http://textproject.org/teacher-educators/science-of-reading/, https://understandingreading.home.blog/) Timothy Shanahan blog. Autobiographies: John Major, Arnold Schwarzenegger & André Agassi Derek Sivers's book notes and podcast interview

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I am joined by Professor Stefan Ward from Central Washington University who is currently a Fulbright Scholar in Dublin City University Institute of Education. Among the topics we discuss are: His interest in positive youth development How he became involved in Project Fun Direction and why it is important for young girls What is physical literacy and how is it developed? Physical education in schools in the United States Why games such as Dodge Ball and relay races need to be removed from PE class Specialist physical educators in the United States The Irish physical education curriculum What an effective PE lesson looks like (Moderate to vigorous activity; differentiated instruction; choice; reflection time) Assessment in PE (physical, cognitive, affective) Teaching physical education with minimal equipment (including planning for activities that require minimal equipment such as hiking, soccer). Skill themes in primary and post-primary PE classes Reducing risk of physical injury in PE class Modifying games Teaching physical education in all weathers or with limited facilities Generic and sport-specific strategies for differentiating a physical education lesson, such as tennis: cooperative practice, modify game to make goal easier, award points for attempts, use different equipment – e.g. foam ball, different racquet, give choices for students to be successful at different levels. Duties associated with his university role in the United States Shape America Positive Youth Development – self-determination theory (relatedness, competence and autonomy) Bringing Student PE teachers to volunteer in sports camps abroad in Guam and in Ireland Selecting candidates for a physical education teaching programme Impactful teacher: Tom Martinek Missy Parker Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Book: Youth Development and Physical Activity

Presented and produced by  Seán Delaney. In this episode my guest is Emeritus Professor John Hattie from the University of Melbourne. Among many other contributions to education, he has developed the idea of visible learning. Among the topics we discuss in the podcast are the following: What Professor Hattie means by visible learning How children don’t have the language to talk about their learning Students learning from each other The importance of asking students two questions: What does it mean to be a good learner in this class? What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Impact of a student’s age on making learning visible Three ways of making learning visible: student voice, student artefacts, test scores. He is interested in triangulating across these three sources, in how the teacher interprets that information, and how the teacher decides where to go next with a student’s learning. The same information from a student’s perspective is also important. The love of learning follows, rather than precedes, learning. Every curriculum subject has three parts (i) content, skills (knowing that…), (ii) relationships (knowing how…) and (iii) Transfer. Understanding all three parts is important. Typically 90% of learning is focused on content/skills. John Hattie believes it’s the balance across all three that matters. However, you can’t rush to the deep parts too quickly. His views on learning styles The missing piece of teacher education – looking at students’ learning Research he did to develop the concept of “visible learning” Changing the research question on teaching from “What works?” to “What works best?” Why how teachers think matters more than what teachers do Many teachers deny their expertise When students do a test, the teacher should ask “What did I teach well and what did I not teach well?” What did I learn about which students gained from the teaching and which didn’t? What did I learn about how much I taught? Answering those questions helps teachers decide “where to” next. Ask students to predict how they’ll do in a test? From age 8 on, they’re good at answering this question. His research on feedback. Its impact on students can be variable, even from one day to the next. What is important to look at is the feedback that is received by students (is it heard, understood and actionable?) Why children after age 8 don’t like talking about their errors or what they don’t know…and why they might be more likely to do it through technology The need to learn in groups The value of asking a student how someone got something wrong If you’re not getting things wrong, the work’s too easy Why he dislikes a constructivist approach to teaching and its cousins (problem-based learning, and discovery learning). It’s all about timing and being deliberate. He refers a few times to the card game Canasta. The lack of support available to newly qualified teachers. Evaluative thinking (diagnosis, intervention, implementation, evaluate) as the essence of the teaching profession The difference between teacher as facilitator and teacher as activator (i.e. active listeners, active in the process about how students are going about their learning, intervening at the right time) and why he prefers the latter. Why students need experts. Homework and student achievement. The nature of the homework matters. We can’t assume that students know how to learn. He mentions other researchers in the podcast including: Gert Biesta, Shirley Clarke, Guy Claxton, and Graham Nuthall.

On this week's podcast I address the topic of academic integrity, a concern at all levels of the education system. My guest is Professor Diane Pecorari from the City University of Hong Kong, who is an expert in this area. Among the topics we discuss on the episode are the following: Intertextuality – borrowing from earlier texts Plagiarism involves deception Plagiarism inside and outside education settings Accidental “plagiarism” and the need to differentiate it from deliberate deception Advocating a pedagogical response to plagiarism (punishing versus coaching and supporting) How widespread plagiarism is in higher education settings Causes of plagiarism Students may feel inadequate to a task facing them because of the expansion of access to university education and increasingly educating students through a language that is not their own leading to plagiarism Preventing plagiarism – rules, detection mechanisms, penalties; admitting students with proficiency in the language of instruction and with sufficient academic preparation for studying the subject they’re going to study; giving students the skills they need to use quotations and to develop their voices as writers. Text-matching software such as Turnitin and Urkund. Risk of false positives and false negatives. Deterring plagiarism through penalties Patch writing (coined by Rebecca Howard) as a particular kind of plagiarism Essay mills and contract cheating – challenges to detect. Risk of students being blackmailed or ripped off. Predatory publishing and predatory conferences: no quality control mechanisms and whose sole purpose is to make a profit. Avoid them by looking for journals in which authors you respect publish, look at who is on the editorial board, consider the proportionality of any fee that is requested and consider the time taken to have an article published. Use this website to identify reputable journals. How her interest in this area was sparked English for Academic Purposes versus English as an additional language Content of an English for Academic Purposes course Hot topics in research on English for Academic Purposes What schools are for Academic Tribes and Territories by Tony Becher and Paul R. Trowler. Methodical, patient clear teachers are what we all need.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. In this episode I speak to two experts on curriculum integration from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, Professor Susan Drake and Dr. Joanne Reid. Among the topics we discuss are the following: Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary connections among subjects SAMPLE TOPICS FOR INTEGRATION: War, water, homelessness, food waste in the cafeteria, traffic patterns in a school, sustainability, patterns, change, conflict, trace origin of everyday item (Coffee, chocolate etc.), medieval fair. Finnish requirement that students do a phenomenon-based learning unit each year based around transversal competencies (21st century) Project-based learning examples Students present their work to an authentic audience Finding themes for integration (look out your window!) Project-based learning on Edutopia Buck Institute and Project-based learning Benefits of integration: more fun, students are engaged, fewer behaviour problems, social and emotional development, wellbeing, relevance, focus on whole person. Teachers who collaborate are more energised and creative OECD Report: Curriculum Overload: A Way Forward. Student achievement and integrated curricula Obstacles to integration: textbooks, timetabling, subject-specific responsibilities, Origin of Integrated teaching and its relation to constructivism which is relevant, interactive, real-world, choice, inquiry-based. The Eight Year Study with Ralph Tyler, Hilda Taba and others. It was written up by Aikin. Balancing integration and disciplinary integrity Cross-curricular and teaching to the big ideas compared to integrated curriculum Explanation of their curriculum framework: KDB: Know, Do, Be Twenty-first century competencies: Communication (reading, writing, oral communication, listening, media literacy), critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, global competency, design thinking, digital skills, data literacy, financial literacy. How they conduct research on integrated curriculum Gordon Vars and research on integrated curriculum. Bluewater study What happened when standards/accountability model arrived in schools in the 1990s. How the pandemic has impacted on assessment Assessment and integration. Benefits of students seeing the value of their work in the wider world (having an audience outside the classroom). Finding out more about integrated curriculum and its history. John Dewey and William Heard Kilpatrick and The Project Method. James Beane. Twenty-first century life skills High Tech High Getting started with integration : Genius Hour. More here. Student-led teaching How integrated curriculum is for students of all ages. bell hooks Inside the Black Box by Paul Black and Dylan William In addition, Susan and Joanne compiled a list of resources with additional information about curriculum integration: Drake, S. M. & Reid, J. L. (2020). How education can shape a new story in a post-pandemic world. Brock Education, 29(2), 6-12  Drake, S. M. & Reid, J. L. (2020). 21st Century competencies in light of the history of integrated curriculum. In “Rethinking what has been rethought consistently over the millennia: A global perspective on the future of education”. Frontiers in Education Journal, 5(122), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00122 Drake, S.M. & Reid, J.L. (in press). Integrated curriculum In J. Flinders & P, Hiebowitsh (Eds.) Routledge Encyclopedia of Education. New York: Routledge Drake, S.M. & Reid, J. L. (2018). Integrated curriculum as an effective way to teach 21st Century capabilities. Asia Pacific Journal of Educational Research, 1(1), https://doi.org/10.0000/APJER.2018.1.1.031 Drake, S.M. & Reid, J. L. (2018). Integrated curriculum for the 21st Century. In J. Miller, M. Binder, S. Crowell, K. Nigh and B. Novak (Eds). International handbook in holistic education (pp.118-128) New York: Routledge. Drake, S.M. & Reid, J. L. (2017). Interdisciplinary assessment in the 21st Century.                   file:///Users/sdrake/Desktop/IEJEE_57fa80bd928bb_last_article_57fa813187fad.pdfIn Steve Pec (Ed). Scholarship of teaching and learning Part 3 (pp. 1-8) Stuyvesant Falls, NY: Rapid Intellect Group. http://www.rapidintellect.com/AE/ec5771v14.pdf Savage, M. & Drake, S. (2016). Living transdisciplinarity: Teachers’ experiences with the International Baccalaurete Primary years Programme. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education. (19), 1-19, file:///Users/sdrake/Desktop/IEJEE_57fa80bd928bb_last_article_57fa813187fad.pdf Drake, S.M. & Savage, M. (2016). Negotiating accountability and integrated curriculum in a global context. International Journal of Learning, Teaching, and Educational Research, 15, 6. http://www.ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter/article/view/639 Drake, S.M. (2015).  Designing across the curriculum for “sustainable well-being”: A 21st Century approach. In F. Deer, T. Falkenberg, B. McMillan & L. Simms (Eds.). Sustainable Well-Being: Concepts, Issues, and Educational Practice (pp. 57-77). Winnipeg, MB: EWSB Press. http://www.eswb-press.org/uploads/1/2/8/9/12899389/sustainable_well-being_2014.pdf.  Drake. S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment Engaging students for the 21st century. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press. Drake S & Burns R. (2004). Meeting standards with integrated curriculum. Alexandria, VA:ASCD. Susan says “it is the easiest "how to" book” and Joanne agrees. It is almost like a manual. Very good even if it seems old now. Project-based learning – sites for ideas https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/project-based-learning/ https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning https://iearn.org  (collaborative international projects)  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast Education Historian Dr. Thomas Walsh applies a historical perspective to analyse cotemporary policy and practice in curriculum, early childhood education and more. Among the topics we discuss are: The career trajectory that brought him to working in the Education Department of Maynooth University. Working in the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education Influence of nationalism and Catholicism on the curriculum of the 1920s The Commission on Manual and Practical Instruction and its influence on the 1900 curriculum Removing subjects to focus on the Irish language in the 1920s Becoming interested in the study of curriculum and curriculum change over most of a century Influence of John Coolahan on Tom’s work How a historical perspective on curriculum enriches our understanding of curriculum today The Stanley Letter from 1831. The importance of context in curriculum development Policy as text and policy as discourse (Ball). Curriculum implementation – dance between policy and practice Influences on curriculum change in Ireland – timing and context affect the influences Immigrant, internationally educated teachers and controlling who can become a teacher Migrant Teacher Project and Turn to Teaching Project (Maynooth) Team teaching: when it happens; what needs to happen for it to be successful? Planning for team teaching. Policy and practice in relation to team teaching Resources for team teaching (PDST and Maynooth websites) Early Childhood Education in Ireland today Legacy of Professor John Coolahan. He featured on two episodes of Inside Education, here and here. School placement: from supervisor to placement tutor. What’s in a name change? Gert Biesta article, Resisting the seduction of the global measurement industry: notes on the social psychology of PISA and book, The Beautiful Risk of Education.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I interview the editors of a book titled Challenging perceptions of Africa in schools: Critical approaches to global justice education. They are my colleague Dr. Barbara O'Toole, from the Marino Institute of Education and Dr. Ebun Joseph and Dr. David Nyaluke from University College Dublin. Among the topics we discussed on the programme are the following: How our education system is focused on a Eurocentric view of people from Africa Chimamanda and the Danger of a single story What teachers are doing well when presenting Africa to their students How history is taught impacts on the past and on life today The need to hear the story of Africa from a different perspective How our system encourages us to perform racism The benefits of reading African authors to see how they represent Africa The need to present a balanced story of Africa Why discussing Africa with a deficit perspective needs to be balanced with a discussion of its strengths Negative portrayal of Africa in Irish primary school textbooks The need for unlearning: self-questioning and reflection What critical race theory is (a theoretical framework and an analytical framework) White Teacher by Vivian Gussin Paley Knowledge justice The River Between by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe Books by Ali Mazrui. How Europe is portrayed in African education Decolonising education and Alice Feldman How this affects every subject across the curriculum Just Connections, Just Trade resource for teachers The importance to develop a race consciousness and how race impacts on people’s experiences There is a stereotype in all our work – we need to think about how we can erase them Being in a crisis of knowledge and a crisis of solutions Moving to a mindset of social justice can permeate every aspect of a teacher’s teaching Relative size of Africa compared to Europe and the United States

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme I am delighted to interview my colleague, Dr. Jennifer O'Sullivan on the topic of teaching reading. Specifically, we explore the areas of phonemic awareness, phonological awareness and picture books. Jennifer also recommends several useful resources for teaching reading. Among the topics we discuss and the resources mentioned are the following: Jennifer's route to becoming a teacher The joys and challenges of teaching in a junior school that had disadvantaged status Doing a master’s degree in literacy. Specific challenges teachers experience in their first year of teaching The research base for how children learn to read The path to learning to read: alphabetic principle, apply sounds of language to print on page, decoding, comprehending meaning The importance of teacher content knowledge in diagnosing what a child needs to work on when learning to read The importance of phonological awareness and what phonemic awareness is Why not to introduce phonics to children too soon; start with speech and then move to print (rather than working from print to sounds). The need to teach children how to separate sounds in words and to blend them back together. The need to explicitly teach that, for example, a word like “eight” has only two sounds but five letters and that this makes the subsequent introduction of phonics easier for children. The App she’s developing to assess phonological awareness Why dyslexia is caused by a phonological deficit Visual literacy and close reading Reading a picture Picture books to use in primary school: Anthony Browne Jon Klassen I want my hat back The Arrival by Shaun Tan. The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch. How to use picture books in school: discussing difficult topics, developing empathy, developing vocabulary, springboard for writing, visual literacy, challenging stereotypes. What parents can do at home to help their child read better Literacy in the kitchen video with Clara Fiortentini. Model reading for children Choose books children enjoy: e.g. David Walliams. A billboard message for all teachers Jan Hasbrouck. Mark Seidenberg: Language at the Speed of Sight Louisa Moats (What do we need to know as teachers to teach reading?). Book, Speech to Print. Clara Fiorentini’s Little Miss Teacher blog. Here is a link to the interview I did with Clara Fiortentin. The Literacy Channel on YouTube.  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. My guest on the podcast this week is Dr. Pam Moran who is the Executive Director of the Virginia School Consortium for Learning and is a former superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools. Among the points we discussed in the podcast were the following: The role of a superintendent in US education Desmos software that is used to teach mathematics. The reintroduction of maker skills into US education in response to narrow testing and the benefits of it MAKER LEARNING Students who take making courses Safety in maker learning Involving the wider family in maker learning How maker learning is reflected in the school curriculum PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS Her thoughts on professional development that works best for teachers Professional development to help teachers teach online Flipgrid EDUCATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY What schools need to do to be more relevant to the twenty-first century (automation, climate change, working from home, demographic changes, superficial learning for tests) Edward Hess books: Learn or Die, Humility is the New Smart and Hyper Learning: Learning at the speed of change) How she would reform the mathematics and science curriculum to make it more relevant for students The book she co-authored, Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools. Reimagining education using zero-based thinking Ira Socol. Yong Zhao episode on Inside Education. Catherine Cronin's interview on Inside Education. Pam O’Brien, Mags Almond, John Heffernan. Maya Angelou, Séamus Heaney Stories from the Pandemic. Website of Pam Moran and Ira Socol

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I discuss drama and theatre in education with Madeline Michel, a teacher in Monticello High School in Charlottesville Virginia. Madeline was the 2019 winner of the Tony award for excellence in theatre education. Among the topics we discuss in the course of the podcast are the following: How she approaches theatre education How a sports –competitive – paradigm is mistakenly applied to the arts Theatre in education versus drama in education How she tried to make her class more diverse Teaching multiple grades in her classes Letting students know that their stories and their talents are important Her credo: art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable How she became interested in theatre in education What she reads How education is a microcosm of the wider world Stimulating teenagers to write plays The first day in her drama class and building community Collaborating with other teachers Staging a school production The importance of dance and movement in a production The shortcomings of drama on Zoom What students learn through drama Assessing drama Winning the Tony Award for Theatre in Education She recommends the Nice White Parents podcast: (about school segregation in New York City) Thanks to John Heffernan who suggested Madeline as a guest for the podcast.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast my guest is Professor William (Bill) Damon from Stanford University Graduate School of Education where he directs the Stanford Center on Adolescence. He is the author of many books, including The Path to Purpose. We discuss how students can be helped to find purpose in life. Among the topics discussed on this week's programme are: Many young people looking for something to believe in - about a quarter of them “drifting” Responses to being adrift: hedonism, anxiety. Being adrift originates in not finding something that is a positive direction for themselves. Profile of young people who are drifting How young people have found purpose in previous eras (national, economic…) Difference between seeking a purpose and seeking a meaning in life How having a sense of purpose can help you have a psychological balance Any activity can be purposeful if you believe in it, do it well and give it your all How teachers can model a purposeful life for their students Profiles in purpose A teacher’s role in helping students find their purpose When parents dislike the purpose chosen by their daughter or son Most of us have multiple purposes in life The link between purpose and entrepreneurship Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal The relationship between mission, commitment and purpose Where people find purpose The importance of “why” questions for teachers How exams could be purposeful Barriers students encounter in trying to find their purpose in life How he conducts his research Questions to help people find their purpose Diane Ravitch

On this week's programme I speak to Paddy Madden about teaching and learning outdoors. Among the topics we discuss are: How weather engages the senses when we learn outdoors Benefits of teaching outdoors Forest bathing Noticing Nature Cloud watching, listening to the sound of birds, smelling flowers. Daily 15-minute walkabout Teaching outdoors across the curriculum Book: Sue Waite Children Learning Outside the classroom A silly symphony Preparing for outdoor learning Learning outcomes Ways of Knowing by John Quinn A spiral curriculum – revisiting topics at a more complex level Teaching outdoors in September What to do when a wasp enters your classroom Spiders Planting a square metre of wheat Integration across the curriculum using topic of wheat Painting – called The Gleaners (I mistakenly called it “The Garners” in the recording) Places to visit at this time of year Fruit and seed walk: Dry fruit (e.g. helicopters, nuts) and succulent fruit (blackberries, rowan berries, sloes) How school grounds can sometimes be barren Paddy’s vision of ideal school grounds Creating raised beds in a school grounds Furniture for outdoors learning Making a pond safe for a school setting Making clipboards from recycled corroboard How to position a bird box correctly The value of a compass in school for showing directions Why he dislikes terms such as a “bug hotel” or a “bug viewer” Working outdoors in an urban environment Using window boxes to grow food Using binoculars with early finishers The “Engage with Nature” website Nature as a stage The value of unstructured play Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv John Feehan’s books Richard Louv: "The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need." Sacha Hamilton, the Duchess of Abercorn and activities of the Pushkin Trust

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. This week on the programme I interview five colleagues who participated recently in an Erasmus+ project titled EDUCATE. This project involved developing materials for teachers, providing providing professional development, and conducting research on how to combine challenge and differentiated instruction in the teaching of mathematics at pre-primary, primary and post-primary levels. Project materials are available here. The guests on the programme are Charalambos Charalambous from the University of Cyprus, Ann Marie Gurhy from the Marino Institute of Education, Despina Potari from the University of Athens, João Pedro da Ponte from the University of Lisbon, and Evridiki Kasapi from the University of Cyprus. Among the topics we discuss are: Realising that mathematics is more than memorisation and drill and practice. How the study of differentiated instruction and challenge in mathematics came about What it means to introduce challenge to mathematics tasks An overview of differentiated instruction Using enablers and extenders to promote differentiated instruction Why a teacher needs to know a student’s cognitive, social and affective needs in order to differentiate Observing teachers’ needs in differentiating and providing challenge through reading research and observing lessons Developing materials to support teachers Using video clubs as a model of teacher professional development Challenges teacher encounter when working with challenging tasks The difference between video clubs and lesson study Overview of the modules created as part of the project (each module is based around a number of cases of practice)

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. This week on the podcast my guest is Derek Sivers, a musician who founded the CD company CD Baby before leaving it to write and practise philosophy. His website is well worth checking out. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are: We all have the ability to be smart or to be stupid and how some environments reward stupidity and others reward being smart Thriving educationally in and out of school: being engaged and receiving direct feedback The power of finding the intersection between students’ interests and a nudge from parents’ towards learning/growing experiences Why being smart (critical thinking, challenge assumptions, look past the obvious, to question the world) is more impressive than being educated (you’ve done the assignments) Naval Ravikant is an example of someone he thinks is smart. Smart is something you do, not something you are A list of books Derek Sivers has read and the notes he made on them. A great teacher or educator interrupts expectations: teaching a mindset (questioning assumptions, interrupting expectations) rather than delivering information. Teaching students how to carry on or learn on their own, to be smart out in the world). You don’t have to copy the teacher's example all the time; as long as you get the gist of an idea, you can get creative within it. Impact of Kimo Williams on Derek. Why the typical school curriculum goes way too slowly Being in awe at the patience of public school teachers Intrinsic interest in music following an initial foundation in music Moving from being passive in the education system to taking control of his own education: from mediocrity to excelling. His love of learning came after school The importance of having something to pursue, something you want, something you’re driven towards – whatever it is. By learning to be great at that one thing, you learn everything else (how to learn, improve, practise, mastery) as a side effect. How well his education prepared him for being an entrepreneur Why he things entrepreneurship cannot be taught successfully (it’s very holistic, about psychology, thinking about things from the customer’s, client’s, partner’s point of view), being out in the world staying at the forefront of people’s minds, bring flexible. Seeing learning as a key to his success; loving having his brain tickled – learning new ways of looking at things The need to have a focus for what you want in life. His current focus is on being a great writer, programmer and dad. Recognising that sometimes we just stumble into things (e.g. circumstance or a recommendation from someone we admire) or deliberately spreading out in other directions. Audio version of The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson:(listened to after hearing a podcast between Tyler Cowen and Emily Wilson) Avoiding distraction by finding work that is not so easy that it’s boring and not so difficult that it’s overwhelming as described in Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Maintaining focus by hating having something unfinished Learning for the sake of creating something Pain and anger as sources of ideas. Things he wants to create (build a house from scratch; a company that will host websites after you die); a forum on which to highlight the next generation of musicians (BMajor); build a 100-acre forest over 15 years; create an app to connect people who like talking on the phone; and Cloud Free a service to teach people technical independence Finding something that is endlessly interesting (computer programming for him) Learning from different media and perspectives: reading diverse books, listening, multi-media videos, courses that give assignments Mastery School (with coaches) sivers.org/masch: Pick something to do and make it happen The Flipped Classroom He recommends the following books, article and pieces of music in the course of the interview: Total recall Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autobiography Guns, germs and steel by Jared Diamond Cows, pigs, wars and witches by Marvin Harris. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Charlie Tips on How to Raise Your Kids as Billionaires Black Sabbath Iron Man Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme school librarian from the Albemarle School System in the State of Virginia in the United States, Ida Mae Craddock (Mae) makes the case for having a school librarian in every school. We discuss her work as a school librarian. Among the topics covered are: A description of the school she teaches in Allocation of librarians to schools in Virigina The job of school librarian Describing the library and the services offered Doing a masters in library science (Old Dominion University) Content of masters course The challenge and importance of locating resources that are relevant and used Developing the library collection The library of things “Being stuck at home is no fun, being stuck at home with no books is tragic.” Cataloguing library materials The kind of literature that is popular among the students in the school she works in Loss of library stock Value of having a librarian in a school The history of school libraries The future of school libraries – innovation hubs Writing regularly for School Librarian Connection and School Library Journal The Maker Educator Collective Laser cutting and 3-D printing CRICKETS – Computer Aided Cutting Teaching as a subversive activity by Neil Postman Walden by Thoreau

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this 400th episode of Inside Education I am delighted to be joined by the co-presenter of my favourite podcast, Speak-up Storytelling. Matthew Dicks is also an elementary school teacher and the author of Storyworthy: Engage, teach, persuade, and change your life through the power of storytelling. He blogs and shares other resources at his website. Matthew shares a story with listeners to this week's podcast and among the other topics we discuss are: Becoming a teacher Studying in a community college while working in McDonalds before winning scholarships to university Manipulating his dream to fit his reality instead of manipulating his reality to fit his dream What he likes and dislikes about teaching Teaching children writing like an editor treats a writer (giving them time, choice, audience, purpose) The importance of letting a child share their writing and how to respond to the child’s writing Providing feedback for students on their writing Why he writes The kind of stories he tells on stage The idea he developed called “homework for life” How he uses storytelling in his elementary school teaching Improvisational story telling games The consequence of storytelling and story-writing being acts “of courage” Sharing writing as a celebratory moment Having a stage, curtains, lighting and a sound system in his class Teaching Shakespeare to fifth grade students “Whatever your passion is, bring it to the classroom” Albert Cullum Shakespeare in the classroom A typical day in his classroom Disliking school as a student Why he teaches to the students who don’t want to be in class; not assuming that any student wants to be in school on any given day How his approach to planning has changed He is a problem-solving, big-picture person – not someone who likes to write a unit of work or draft a school plan Managing behaviour in the classroom Why he dislikes homework: children should read every day and learn to study. He prefers long-term assignments over short-term ones Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath Using competence in storytelling to be a better interviewee when you go for a job Telling a story  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast my guest is website entrepreneur, bestselling author and performance nutritionist, Daniel Davey. Daniel Davey is the senior performance nutritionist with Leinster Rugby and with the Dublin Senior Football team. The focus of our conversation is nutrition and education. Among the topics we discuss are the following: What made him decide to study nutrition Memories of preparing food and cooking at home from a young age Studying home economics at school and agricultural science at college Making the connection between nutrition and sport Importance of a positive relationship with food His message for students when he visits schools Challenges in applying principles of healthy nutrition in our lives How he sees his role in promoting nutrition as that of a coach Why he does not prepare meal plans for the athletes he works with Questions he is asked by students in schools Attempts to use schools in the fight against childhood obesity Why he prefers the healthy plates to that of the food pyramid Taking responsibility for the food you eat Why it’s good to raise your own awareness and curiosity about food Making the classroom a safe space to talk about food The power of questions when talking about nutrition Work of a nutritionist is to facilitate and empower Relationship between nutrition and physical exercise How coaches of school sports teams can promote good nutrition with their members Elite school sports performance and nutrition – place of supplements Advice for parents around school lunches Positive and negative impacts of teachers on him His continuing professional development How our nutrition practices have set us up to fail in school What inspires him

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's episode I speak to Professor Yong Zhao from the School of Education at the University of Kansas. Among the topics we discuss on the episode are the following: We currently have the opportunity to reimagine education without schools: Do we have to do these subjects? Do we have to teach this much? A good time to teach global understanding, empathy and competency Innovation in education The importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset The Digital Pencil Alternative ways of organising the education of young people Difficulty of finding like-minded people in a small school Globalisation as the “death of physical distance” Globalisation is localisation of global forces Implications of globalisation for teachers Why everyone should have a local identity and affirm the identities of others Your uniqueness can only become valuable when it’s valuable to others Why schools encourage people to be independent and selfish rather than interdependent Schools as a place to bring about a better society Students as job creators versus job hunters Enhancing entrepreneurship in students Unintended consequences of education policies PISA test scores and the illusions of excellence, science, progress. His experience of being educated in China The impact of technology on education To compete with a machine, a person must avoid becoming one! Be unique and great in your own way; understand yourself, your talents and virtues. "Creative" means identifying problems worth solving Empty creativity versus good creativity – the need to have a domain to excel in What schools should be for: a place to equalise community resources David Berliner and Bruce J. Biddle The Manufactured Crisis. David Berliner as a former guest on the podcast Diane Ravitch’s blog: https://dianeravitch.net/ If we want a better life in the future, we need to help our children create a better life for us

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I bring you my interview with Alfie Kohn, who writes and speaks about education, especially in areas such as homework, standardised testing and punishments and rewards. Among the items we discuss on the podcast are the following: Fostering students’ curiosity and encouraging them to think deeply Teachers participating with children in an exploration of ideas to move beyond factual knowledge How teachers can teach to promote students’ thinking The inverse relationship between teacher control and student learning Why learning starts with a question John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Ed Deci and Richard Ryan (Self-determination theory) Why rewards and punishment don’t help children learn Why saying “Good job” to your students is the equivalent of a “verbal doggy biscuit” Children who are frequently praised are less generous than their peers How children know when they’re being controlled and how they respond to it How teachers can respond to students’ work and respect the child’s autonomy Implementing a no-homework policy in a school Why he believes that giving homework to children constitutes malpractice. Excitement (about learning) drives excellence Standardised tests and teacher accountability; Authentic assessments – tap into projects done by students over time Why standardised teaching tells you only two things: (i) how much time was given to teaching test taking and (ii) how big the houses are near the school. Differences between role of parent and teacher: Unconditional parenting and unconditional teaching Punished by Rewards Unconditional Parenting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's programme I speak to Professor Mark Morgan from Dublin City University about psychology, education, his career and his thoughts on education. Among the topics we discuss are the following: How he became interested in psychology as a student teacher in St. Patrick’s College Being taught by John McNamara (who was known for his study of bilingualism) Completing postgraduate studies in London Being appointed as lecturer in St. Patrick’s College Having Albert Bandura as a tutor when offered a fellowship at Stanford University The idea of self efficacy His interest in TV and violence, resilience and substance misuse prevention The use of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods data in psychology His doctoral research on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation His research on adversity and resilience What teachers can do to be more resilient How he planned his classes as a teacher educator How early home and school experiences influenced his subsequent interests and ideas Why psychology is useful for student teachers How the field of educational psychology has evolved over the last 50 years His involvement in the Growing Up in Ireland study Learning in later years He recommended Albert Bandura's book Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney This week I bring you an interview with the new Chief Executive Officer of Educate Together, Dr. Emer Nowlan in the week she takes up her new appointment. Among the topics we discuss are: Her career in education to date: becoming a PE teacher, running a language school in Portugal Doing a masters and doctorate in UCD Being project manager for setting up second level Educate Together schools Working on the Migrant Teacher Project Challenges faced by migrant teachers who wish to teach in Ireland Lessons learned from the Migrant Teacher Project to date Anticipating her new role as CEO of Educate Together Plans for establishing new Educate Together schools How Educate Together has evolved over the last 40 years What equality-based education looks like How to promote equality-based education without stereotyping Educate Together’s role as school patron Enrolment policies for schools The work of CEO in Educate Together Her priorities for her term as CEO Challenges facing the Educate Together sector Characteristics of a principal in an Educate Together school Facilitating denominational religious instruction in Educate Together Schools She names some people whose work she admires. Michael Apple Henry Giroux Áine Hyland Simon Lewis Kathleen Lynch  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I speak to Professor Paola Valero from Stockholm University about the political aspects of teaching in general and of teaching mathematics in particular. Professor Valero was in Ireland as a keynote speaker at the 2019 Mathematics Education in Ireland conference, which was held in Dublin City University in October. This podcast will be of interest to anyone who likes to stand back from their teaching and think about the why, what and how of their work. Among the topics we discuss in the podcast are: The difference between teacher knowledge and researcher knowledge and why both need to work together Responsibilities of researchers (in education) Relevance of her work on the politics of mathematics education for teachers Why teachers’ work is inevitably political, whether or not that is acknowledged How can teachers become more aware of their political stance (from 12’06”) What it means to be a teacher-intellectual What is political specifically in mathematics education Working with powerful and empowering knowledge It is a desired area of competence/it is highly valued Mathematics is widely assessed A brief history of how the status of mathematics in schools evolved How less was expected of girls in mathematics education The experience of learning mathematics for immigrants and people with disabilities How teachers can respond to the political nature of mathematics She recommended the work of Ole Skovsmose and in particular the chapter he co-wrote with Lene Nielsen, Critical Mathematics Education.

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I am joined by author Dave Rudden who created the Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy. Dave talks about his own writing, about teaching writing to adults and children and he discusses the bullying that was a feature of his life in post-primary school. The specific topics discussed on the podcast are: How he began writing Knights of the Borrowed Dark as a college assignment The premise of the series Who the audience for the books is His experience in the classroom and what attracts him to writing His school visits His writing practice How he learned to write and what teachers can do to help children learn to write Getting into drama and theatre to overcome shyness Getting into live storytelling in Dublin and moving onto writing short stories and then to a Masters in Creative Writing Why Terry Pratchett is a role model He also likes Irish authors Sarah Maria Griffin, Deirdre Sullivan, Catherine Doyle. The benefits of doing a masters course in creative writing Why you don’t have to do a masters course to be a successful writer Differences in teaching writing to children and adults How teachers can teach children to write Explaining why words are weapons, writing is a muscle, and you don’t have to get it right first time The recipe for a character The recipe for a plot Stretch Goals What schools are for How teachers can support children who experience bullying A teacher who had a significant impact on him Who or what inspires him A favourite book or writer or blog about writing: Chuck Wendig, On Writing by Stephen King Neil Gaiman’s Commencement Speech: Make Good Art

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. This week's podcast is a solo episode in which I riff on the topic of homework. Your feedback and thoughts on the topic and on the podcast are welcome as always. Among the topics mentioned on the podcast are the following: Is time spent on school homework a good return on investment? Overview of podcast Why teachers give homework The Goldilocks principle and setting tasks for students, both in class and for homework Why research on homework can be problematic Lessons from research that can help children benefit from doing homework The “Matthew Effect” in homework Acquiring the habit of doing homework Image of rider, elephant and path from the books Switch and The Happiness Hypothesis. I also drew on ideas from Atomic Habits in the podcast. Questions to ask your child about homework Teaching your child strategies for doing homework How teachers can make homework more interesting for children When parents and teachers provide contradictory information for children Study strategies teachers can teach children  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I bring you interviews from students, teachers and organisers who attended the National Finals of Scifest 2019 in Marino Institute of Education on Friday, 22 November. Among the guests I speak to are the following: Sheila Porter, the founder and CEO of Scifest Aideen Hodgins from TU Dublin – Blanchardstown Students Ella, Eva and Willemijn from Loreto Balbriggan Students Caomhán Budhlaeir and Illann Wall from Presentation Brothers’ College, Cork Teacher Kristina Troy from Kishoge Community College Overall Winner Timothy McGrath from Killorglin Community College Former winner Aaron Hannon Eoin Gill from Waterford Institute of Technology. Rory Geoghegan

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme I bring you an interview with Liam Murray who is secretary of Ficheall, a network of teachers around Ireland who teach chess in primary school. Among the topics discussed and the resources mentioned are the following: Is chess a curricular or extra-curricular activity? What students learn from playing chess: developing their social, cognitive and mental fitness skills How he organises chess teaching in his own classroom, using the lesson plans on the website and adopting a “(mini-) game-based” approach Organising a school chess tournament Helping students lose and win gracefully Using a points system to decide who wins a game of chess with limited time to play Describing the game of chess (what is meant by checkmate and castling?) History of the game How chess compares to draughts How children respond to playing chess How Liam first became involved in teaching chess in schools when he was a student teaher How different children respond to learning or playing chess Playing face to face versus playing on apps or computers Children getting better at chess over time The “Masters” competition (for fifth and sixth class) and the “Budding Masters” competition (for third and fourth class). Children playing chess from first class onwards Why it’s good to play chess with players who are better than you (“If you’re not losing, you’re not learning”) Resources available on the Ficheall website The Ficheall network of teachers How inter-school chess tournaments are organised (the “Swiss System, ” timing games) The role of chess arbiters in inter-school tournaments Relationship of Ficheall to Moves for Life How Liam got interested in chess himself Follow-on opportunities for children to play chess Opportunities for playing chess in post primary schools (Leinster Schools Chess Association) The use of clocks in professional chess games What is school for/what are schools for Volunteering with Graham Jones and the Solas Project How he is inspired by the selfless dedication of teachers Evidence-Based Teachers’ Network Anseo podcasts Book Bounce by Matthew Syed. Book Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed. Book Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I speak to Professor Nell Duke from the University of Michigan School of Education about literacy education and project-based instruction. Professor Duke was a keynote speaker at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Literacy Association of Ireland. Among the wide range of topics we discuss on the podcast and the resources mentioned are the following:   The role of project-based literacy in promoting reading and writing development The importance of purpose and audience for children’s writing Sources of project ideas: Edutopia, PBL works, Nell’s website Identifying sources of project in local communities Incorporating student voice and choice into projects Teacher preparation to design the flow of a project work with students Nell’s website – Inside Information Downloadables The importance of audience beyond teachers, parents and grandparents Working alone versus working in groups on projects At what age can children begin to work on project-based literacy? The ideal duration of a project The balance of literacy goals and cross-curricular goals in project-based literacy instruction Educating children from an early age about trustworthy sources. The use of the mnemonic WWWDOT (Who? Why? When? Does it meet my needs? Organisation of site/text? To Do List for future) Molly of Denali Helping students move beyond bland responses to peers’ work Various templates mentioned available here. Why reading is so hard for many students to master The DRIVE model of reading (Deploying Reading in Varied Environments) The value of teaching sound-letter relationships; deliberately teaching phonics, morphology and text structure Gaps between research on reading instruction and the practice of reading instruction Reliable sources of research evidence for teachers: Institute of Education Sciences What Works Clearinghouse; Practice guides. Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators General Education Leadership Network Early Literacy Task Force and Literacy Essentials. International Literacy Association. Literacy Association of Ireland. Responding to differences among students in a literacy classroom: small group literacy instruction Why it’s important to teach reading and writing together. See work by Gram and Hebert (2010). What parents can do in the home to promote literacy achievement What a typical working day is like for her and how she manages her time Knowing what not to do in teaching Not this but that book series. What schools are for She loves reading: Reading Research Quarterly (Journal of the International Literacy Association), Scientific Studies of Reading, Review of Educational Research. In her keynote address Nell referred to the following websites, which were not mentioned in the podcast. I'm listing them here because they may be of help to some listeners. High Quality Project Based Learning Pow+Tree Writing Strategy She also referred to this article which was a meta-analysis of process writing.  

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney This week on the podcast I speak to Michael Moriarty, who has been leading in education and other sectors for a number of decades, as a teacher, a principal, Head of Education and Training Boards Ireland and as CEO of a local radio station. His new book, Every Leader's Reality Guide: Strategies to Release Your True Leadership Potential has been released and it distills the lessons about leading that Michael learned through mentorship, training and self-reflection on his various roles. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are the following: How leadership begins with self-awareness and self-reflection. How leadership in education differs to other leadership roles The source of authority How he looked to leaders he admired for inspiration Power comes from respect rather than position His experience of being bullied in post-primary school and how he learned the importance of standing up for himself Being isolated in his professional role The importance of allies and alliances Building a media profile Establishing credibility as a leader and the ability to communicate The importance of having mentors How a leader shows they value people Reading leadership books and biographies (e.g. Boris Johnson’s book on Churchill) Leadership and influence The stance he took in a job interview for a leadership position Why you should hire people who are better than you Why leaders need to be able to say “sorry” Learning leadership through union politics How he came to head up a radio station His ongoing pursuit of challenges in his work Michael mentioned a number of inspirational resources during the interview, including the following:   Senator Ted Kennedy’s 1980 Convention speech Stephen R. Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People John C Maxwell Talent is Never Enough Search for the Hero by M People

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's Inside Education I bring you another chance to meet with Jane Shimizu where she tells us about her participation in Science on Stage over the midterm break. We also discuss the participation of her class in the Scoil Féile Drámaíochta. From research I bring some insights around education and sleep following my reading of Matthew Walker's book, Why We Sleep. Among the topics I discuss with Jane Shimizu are the following: Her participation in the Science on Stage Festival this week in Portugal, representing Irish teachers. Getting children interested in science through space using projectiles and rockets How she makes mouse, toilet roll, air, straw and foam projectiles with her class The science and maths that can be based around foam projectiles Making predictions and recording answers to questions Using controls and the importance of fair tests How she times activities to coincide with Space Week. Sharing work with other classes and hosting a space display day for parents. Structuring lessons around projectiles and rockets and how they provide integration opportunities with several other curriculum subjects. What happens when questions arise to which she does not know the answer. Online resources: https://www.dltk-teach.com/, https://www.safesearchkids.com/. Her school’s website. Here are some of the links Jane recommended. Recommended sources for ideas and materials for teaching about space and science from ESERO and Science Foundation Ireland. Her class, which is in a school serving an area traditionally associated with disadvantage, participates in An Féile Scoildrámaíochta by entering a musical each year. Because many of the available scripts are intended for students in Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools, Jane writes her own scripts for her class. How she prepares the class during the school year for staging the musical

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I discuss several matters related to teacher education with Professor Ian Menter from Oxford University's Department of Education. The topics we discuss are the following: The Teacher Education Groups study of teacher education policy across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. How England is an outlier in attempts to weaken the link between universities and schools in teacher education. Work he’s doing in Ireland with the National Institute for Studies in Education (NISE) based on collaboration across the three teacher education institutions based there. His overview of developments in teacher education across the five nations. The Teach First model of teacher education and its impact on the wider system. Teacher retention and teacher burn-out Evidence-based Teaching: Trials conducted by the Educational Endowment Foundation. The work of the Chartered College of Teaching in England, which has a remit similar to that of Teaching Councils elsewhere; its CEO, Alison Peacock, is committed to evidence-based teaching. How teachers can develop research literacy through their initial teacher education courses and through continuing professional development that is oriented towards evidence-based inquiry. A tendency for post-holders in schools to be “research leads” – people who overview what is happening in school in terms of research and development, who seek outside research that could inform practice and who liaise with universities on research. In some cases there may be research committees in schools. How these ideas can be traced back to the writings of John Dewey and Lawrence Stenhouse – the latter was writing about the “teacher as researcher” in 1975. An increased range of publications now in which research is published for a teacher readership. The need to fund longitudinal research studies into how teachers learn teaching and independent, large-scale studies into teaching and teacher education to inform practice and policy. Envisages greater interaction between the practice, policy and research communities Teachers as researchers Economic (preparing for the workforce), citizenship (engage in community and political system) and cultural (ideas, history to have a sense of the meaning of the world around us) have been the historical purposes of education. Different forces operate behind each of the aims and the balance among them can vary. Research training schools in Finland, linked to universities could be explored more systematically elsewhere. Teacher as a researcher v teacher as a reflective practitioner: Phases on a four-point continuum: Effective teacher Reflective teacher Inquiring teacher and Transformative teacher The kind of initial preparation needed for future primary teachers Difficulties in assessing a student teacher’s preparedness for success in the classroom. Comparison between difficulties in evaluating a teacher’s potential and evaluating potential elite players in sports. His views on having common standards for teachers – benefits and limitations How he came to begin his career as a primary school teacher – the intellectual, emotional and personal challenges of teaching Making the transition from being a teacher to being a teacher educator What schools are for (and not for) A teacher who had a significant impact on him Favourite writers on education: C Wright Mills The Sociological Imagination, which is about the relationship between personal experience and problems in society. Paolo Freire on education for liberation and education for democracy.