Podcasts – TeacherToolkit

Reading Time: < 1 minute Can we trust Ofsted school gradings? Our 145th interview is with, Tom Rogers, a history teacher, director of Edudate, Teachers Talk Radio and TeachMeetIcons. Listen to the podcast (38 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Tom and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: How Edudate was created? Online dating for teachers and Safety in online dating […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How does learning happen? Our 144th interview is with Dr Paul Kirschner, an international speaker and researcher, and emeritus professor of educational psychology at the Open University of the Netherlands and guest professor at Thomas More University of applied science in Belgium. Listen to the podcast (44 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Paul and […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can teachers help improve student outcomes through reading? Our 143rd interview is with Ruth Everett, an English teacher for almost 40 years who supports senior leaders and colleagues to help student outcomes in reading. Listen to the podcast (32 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Ruth and Teacher Toolkit host, Libby Isaac discuss: The […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute What if schools in Wales extended the teaching day for pupils? In our 142nd podcast, podcast host Libby Isaac discusses the Welsh timetable trial with Nathan Glynn. Listen to this podcast (20 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Nathan and Teacher Toolkit podcaster, Libby discuss: The extended school day pilot in Wales will see over […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can teachers improve student motivation? Our 140th interview is with Dr Andrew Curran, a paediatric neurologist and speaker for teacher CPD; focused on studying brain health and psycho-emotional health. Listen to the podcast (28 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Andrew and Teacher Toolkit podcaster Libby discuss: Key components of the brain and the […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do head teachers navigate leading their school community? Our 139th interview is with Dr Victoria Carr, head teacher of a primary school in England; author and British army reserve officer … Listen to the podcast (41 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Vic and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: What it’s like to train […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute What would an alternate for Ofsted be? Our 134th interview is with Geoff Barton, the general secretary for the Association of School and College Leaders. Geoff is a fomer English teacher and school head teacher … In this podcast, listen to Geoff and Libby, Teacher Toolkit podcaster discuss: The advice Geoff would give his 16-year-old […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do we recognise diverse needs within further education? Our 134th interview is with Fabian Darku, a further education teacher, sports lecturer and teaching and learning leader at West Herts College in Watford, South West England. Listen to the podcast (48 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Fabian and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Fabian's […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute What is it like to work as a primary school leader during COVID-19? Our 133rd interview is with, Sam Keys, deputy headteacher, and SENCO lead at St Bede's Catholic Primary school in Newcastle … Listen to the podcast (25 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Sam and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: The student makeup […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How does your headteacher manage teacher workload and wellbeing? Our 132nd interview is with, Helen Nelson and Sara Scott, head teacher and deputy head teacher at Joseph Cash Primary School in Coventry. Listen to the podcast (25 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Helen, Sara, and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Running a school during […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How prolific is your school’s design and technology department? Our 131st interview is with, Stephen Sadler, a DT teacher, passionate about technology and robotics and the winner of Digital Innovator of the Year at the 2019 Teaching Awards. Listen to the podcast (33 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Stephen and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute What professional development opportunities are there for experienced teachers? Our 129th interview is with, Haili Hughes, a former teacher, and current doctoral student at Glasgow University, head of education at IRIS Connect, and senior lecturer at Sunderland University. Listen to the podcast (45 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Haili and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can school leaders genuinely reduce teacher workload? Our 129th interview is with, David Lowbridge-Ellis, former deputy head teacher of Barr Beacon School and current deputy director of school improvement at the Matrix Academy Trust… Two years ago I connected with David (in his role as deputy head teacher) at Barr Beacon. I was attracted […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can we help our young people to love reading? Our 127th podcast is with Jim Knight and Channell Fusco. Jim is a former Minister for Schools and current non-executive director of Nord Anglia Education and the E-ACT Multi Academy Trust. Channell is the UK sales director for the free app, Pickatale; an app that […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How does your school champion pupil mental health? Our 127th interview is with, Richard Langton, head teacher of Queen Mary’s Grammar School in Walsall and Sophie McPhee, PSHE coordinator and programme director for Change Your Mind. We are also joined by two students: Susaan and Samraaj… Listen to the podcast (39 minutes) In this podcast, […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can social media data inform future education decisions? Our 126th interview is with Dr Wasim Ahmed, a senior lecturer in digital business at the University of Stirling in Scotland, specialising in social media analytics. Listen to the podcast (33 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Dr Ahmed and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Dr […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Does your school have a healthy professional development budget? Our 124th interview is with, Melissa Beeko, teacher and current primary learning and staff development coordinator at The British School, Rio de Janeiro. Listen to the podcast (50 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Melissa and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Exploring education opportunities outside of […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do schools consider teacher workload in a sensible way? Our 123rd interview is with Jennifer Webb, a teacher for 13 years and current assistant principal for teaching and learning at a school in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Listen to the podcast (48 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Jennifer and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How does a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach help pupils to learn maths? Our 122nd interview is with, Louise Pennington, former teacher, and the current professional development lead for primary and secondary at Oxford University Press. Listen to the podcast (34 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Louise and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Louise's education history and […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute What role do mobile phones have in a media studies classroom? Our 121st interview is with, Peter Holland an English teacher and lead teacher for film and media studies. Discover how Peter has accessed hundreds of film resources… Listen to the podcast (30 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Peter and TeacherToolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can schools as an employer become more confident employing teachers with disability? Our 120th interview is with, Katja, a secondary school and Modern Foreign Languages teacher specialising in French and German. Listen to the podcast (45 minutes) This podcast contains conversations about self-harm, suicide, paranoia and other similar themes. In this podcast, listen to […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can all schools be supported to provide the technology our young people need? Our 119th interview is with, Ben Mansell, UK Country Manager of Wireless Connectivity provider – Kajeet. Across the UK, 9 per cent of households do not have an internet connection. Listen to the podcast (29 minutes) In this podcast, listen to […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can graphic organisers support teaching and learning? Our 118th interview is with, David Rodger-Goodwin, geography teacher, head of year 10 and 11 at a secondary school in Lincolnshire and very soon, an author! Listen to the podcast (41 minutes) In this podcast, listen to David and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: David’s background and […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can we keep relationships at the heart of school improvement? Our 117th interview is with, Armand Doucet, Canadian educator, author, speaker, and former soccer coach. Listen to the podcast (36 minutes) In this podcast, listen to Armand and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Being a soccer coach and that fuelling the fire to work […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do teachers get to know their pupils and how can we act as role models in our subject teaching? Our 116th interview is with, Renaldo Lawrence, PE teacher, ectech and IT specialist educator at Glyn School in Epsom, and author of a self-help and a comic book.  Listen to the podcast (32 minutes) In […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do social networks help teachers and their professional development? Our 114th interview is with, Jenna Neal and Zachary Neal, Associate Professors of Psychology at Michigan State University. In this podcast, listen to Jenna, Zachary, and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Their educational paths How Jenna and Zachary became interested in social networks Research into […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can physical learning impact thousands and thousands of pupils? Our 113th interview is with, Jon Smedley, founder of Teach Active, an online resource tool providing teachers with lesson plans to teach primary school students English, maths, and science through physical activity. Listen to the podcast (29 minutes) Remember, the podcast is available on iTunes! In […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do multi-academy trusts create a shared culture? Our 112th interview is with, Toby Greany, Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham, a seasoned researcher in school improvement. In this podcast, listen to Toby and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Why and how Toby got into school improvement Talking about teaching English in Brazil […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute What opportunity can all schools and colleges use from distance learning experiences, post-pandemic? Our 111th interview is with, Dr Erika Maldonado, course development lead at 2U, working with universities to make graduate degrees and higher learning courses accessible online. Listen to the podcast (35 minutes) Follow Dr Erika on Instagram and find out more about […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Have you ever had to teach first aid? Our 110th interview is with, Juliette Ryan, product manager for community education at the British Red Cross. In this podcast, listen to Juliette and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: The British Red Cross campaign to get first aid embedded into the curriculum  The creation of the First […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do system leaders nurture the next generation of school leaders? Our 109th interview is with, Paul Ainsworth, former Headteacher and current School Improvement Director at Infinity academy’s Trust in Boston, Lincolnshire. In this podcast, listen to Paul and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Paul’s younger self and his desire to go to university One […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can all schools improve their uniform policies to be more inclusive? Our 108th interview is in celebration of World Afro Day, with Tashara Parker – ABC Dallas news anchor, Yolanda Brown – award-winning saxophonist and French ballerina, Tais Vinolo. In this podcast, listen to Tashara, Yolanda and Tais and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do school leaders work in multi-academy trusts? Our 107th interview is with Clare Keating Roberts, teacher, an academic and soon-to-be EdD graduate from Cambridge University. In this podcast, listen to Clare and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Clare’s research on educational leadership in multi-academy trusts Balancing being a school leader and a researcher How […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Why should teachers listen to pupils opinions about learning? Our 106th interview is with Stephanie Hill, associate assistant principal at Passmores Academy in Essex. Stephanie is also a 3rd-year EdD student at Cambridge University. In this podcast, listen to Stephanie and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Her memories of schooling in Australia All subjects being […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can we do things differently across English education? Dr James Mannion asked me to feature on his Rethinking Education podcast, featuring in-depth conversations with people about how we might tweak the education system towards a more sustainable way of life. You probably won’t find any other conversation about anything to do with TeacherToolkit, anywhere […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can technology improve pupil relationships? Our 104th interview is with Elizabeth Leiba, educator, LinkedIn’s Top Voice of 2020, and The EdUp Experience podcast host. In this podcast, listen to Elizabeth and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Elizabeth’s LinkedIn work and how she became one of the top voices on the platform Growing up in […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can teachers use blended learning in a world experiencing trauma? Our 103rd interview is with Vicki Davis, a teacher, host of the 10-minute Teacher Podcast, and one of Linkedin’s top education voices 2020.  In this podcast, listen to Vicki and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Why Vicki started blogging and podcasting Crab-bucket mentalities in […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can we support our teaching profession? Our 104th interview is with Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of Education Support – the only UK charity that supports the wellbeing and mental health of education staff. Education Support published the 2020 Teacher Wellbeing Index in November. Amongst their findings, they found a sharp increase in symptoms of […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can schools encourage teachers to speak up about mental health, workload and wellbeing? Our 101st interview is with Kat Howard, an assistant principal at The Duston School in Northampton, England. In this podcast, listen to Kat and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Discuss Kat’s book ‘Stop Talking about Wellbeing’ Workload case studies and reduction […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can schools support teachers with their mental health during COVID-19? Our 100th interview is with Lisa Fathers, director of teaching school and partnerships at Alliance For Learning. In this podcast, listen to Lisa and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Lisa’s school years and the pressure growing up Her teacher training and educational career; studying […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can you improve school standards by ‘going slow’, and during a pandemic? Our 99th interview is with Patrick Ottley-O’Connor, a head teacher in the North of England for 17 years and a practising teacher for 37! In this podcast, listen to Patrick and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Patrick’s route into teaching, starting […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How we can teach our young people about stereotypes? Image credit: James Rudland Our 98th podcast is with Mehreen Baig, a former teacher, blogger, television and radio presenter, currently hosting the podcast series, The Secret Life of Teachers. In this podcast, listen to Mehreen and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: How Mehreen went from wanting to […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute What is it children want to know about COVID-19 and post-lockdown curriculum? Our 97th interview is with Professor Barry Carpenter CBE who has had a career in education spanning 40 years. Once, the youngest headteacher in England at just 26 years old, he is the UK’s first professor of mental health in education. In this […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can we improve teacher-happiness and a love of learning in our young people? Our 96th podcast is with Shafina Iqbal, an A-level psychology teacher and Lego Education lead practitioner and part-time PhD student at Imperial College. In this podcast, listen to Shafina and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Becoming a teacher to give children […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do television presenters use memory to remember broadcast scripts? Our 95th interview is with Luxmy Gopal, a BBC news reporter and video journalist who has been reporting on COVID from various school locations across Northern England. In this podcast, listen to Luxmy and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: What a typical day is like […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Can our schools explicitly teach pupils skills, and how do they become speech communities? Our 94th interview is with Eric Donald Hirsch, an American educator and academic literary critic. Founder of the Core Knowledge Foundation, Hirsch is most known in the U.K. for his work on cultural literacy. In this podcast, listen to E. D. […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can our schools improve social justice? Our 93rd interview is with Daniel Stone, Graduate of the University of Oxford and Product Manager at the University of Birmingham. In this podcast, listen to Daniel and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Daniel’s work on the Universities Civic Hub project and the Knowledge Exchange Framework His route […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can teachers have a positive impact on the literacy of everyone? Our 92nd interview is with Martin McKay, founder of Texthelp, an edtech organisation which helps people with communication difficulties. In this podcast, listen to Martin and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Martin’s childhood growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and his education How […] The post Podcast 92: A Positive Impact on 100 Million People appeared first on TeacherToolkit.

Reading Time: < 1 minute How can teachers improve the way they help English students? Our 91st interview is with Dr Min Du, a EdD graduate of the University of Cambridge, a freelance researcher and teacher in the U.K. for 15 years. In this podcast, listen to Min and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: Growing up in the Chinese education […] The post Podcast 91: Design-Based Research and Learning Online appeared first on TeacherToolkit.

Reading Time: < 1 minute How do we develop the next generation of school leaders? Our 90th interview is with Diana Osagie, former head teacher, founder of the Academy of Women’s Leadership and author of ‘Courageous Leadership’. In this podcast, listen to Diana and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: What women in leadership roles experience Having to find confidence from […] The post Podcast 90: Women Working In School Leadership appeared first on TeacherToolkit.

Reading Time: < 1 minute How have sixth form students coped with lockdown and A-Level examinations being cancelled? Our 89th interview is with Maezie, a year 12 student studying geography, french and English literature in East Sussex. We catch up during week 12 of lockdown… In this podcast, listen to Maezie and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss: How Maezie has […] The post Podcast 89: How Have Schools Supported Our Young People? appeared first on TeacherToolkit.