Thinking Deeply about Primary Education

Episode 158: This week on the Thinking Deeply about Primary Education podcast, I'm joined by Shannen Doherty and Neil Almond to kick off 2024 with some unseen questions and much opinion based frivolity. As part of the episode we discuss... ...the point of using cursive writing on displays ...how to approach teaching in small schools ...what we should keep in subject leader folders... ...and mu...

Episode 157: This week on the Thinking Deeply about Primary Education podcast, I'm joined by Christopher Such for an exploration of nine common misconceptions which surround the teaching of phonics. As part of the chat we explore all nine misconceptions and discuss... ...the purpose of phonics, the origin of these common misconceptions, how prevalent they are and how important it is to try and...

Episode 156: This week on the Thinking Deeply about Primary Education podcast, I'm joined by Shannen Doherty and Lod Will Jon for an exploration of the ways we can engage parents/carers with mathematics. As part of the chat we discuss... 1. Why should we try to engage parents with mathematics? 2. In an ideal world, what would this engagement look like? 3. What mathematical games can we play at...

Episode 155: Join us for this special episode of "Thinking Deeply about Primary Education" as we continue on a fascinating journey into the world of early math research and pedagogy. In this in-depth analysis, we delve into the 2023 paper "Research and Pedagogies for Early Math" by esteemed researchers, Douglas Clements, Renee Lizcano and Julie Sarama. What does the research sa...

Episode 154: This week on the Thinking Deeply about Primary Education podcast, we take a deep dive into the essence of middle leadership in schools. Stuart Welsh shares his invaluable insights on the  importance of middle leadership , the  guiding principles  that underpin effective leadership at this level, and how these principles translate into  tangible actions in the classroom . This episode...

Episode 153: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I’m joined by Kate Jones and Shannen Doherty to discuss the themes in Kate’s new book, Smashing Glass Ceilings: Empowering Women in Education, which explores the challenges and opportunities for female teachers and leaders in schools. As part of the chat we discuss… 1. What inspired Kate to write this book and what are the main mes...

Episode 152: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, we conclude our conversation with Dr Robert Sharples (Episode 151), a senior lecturer in language and education at the University of Bristol, about the challenges and opportunities of supporting pupils who use English as an additional language (EAL). As part of the chat we discuss... 1. Are there any common misconceptions you encou...

Episode 151: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, we speak to Dr Robert Sharples, a senior lecturer in language and education at the University of Bristol, about the challenges and opportunities of supporting pupils who use English as an additional language (EAL). Whether you’re new to the profession or an experienced senior leader, you won’t want to miss this one! Support the pod...

Episode 150: Join us for this special episode of "Thinking Deeply about Primary Education" as we embark on a fascinating journey into the world of early math research and pedagogy. In this in-depth analysis, we delve into the 2023 paper "Research and Pedagogies for Early Math" by esteemed researchers, Douglas Clements, Renee Lizcano and Julie Sarama. What role should play have...

Episode 149: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I’m joined by Neil Almond, a teacher, leader, and co-creator of AI Education newsletter, Teacher Prompts, for a fascinating discussion about the role of artificial intelligence in education. As part of the chat we discuss… What is Artificial Intelligence? Is it likely to change the way teachers work? What are the chances it’s all s...

Episode 148: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Lloyd Williams-Jones for an exploration of his implementation of an approach to the teaching of reading. As part of the chat we discuss.... 1. What have you done? 2. How have you done it? 3. What has been the impact? 4. What challenges have you had to overcome?   5. What improvements would you like to make? ...plu...

Episode 147: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, Christopher Such and Neil Almond sit down with Professor Kathy Rastle for an in-depth exploration of morphology, early literacy instruction, phonics and much, much more. It's the finale of Season 6 and, once you've listened, I'm sure you'll agree it is the perfect way to end another wonderful season of TDaPE. But do...

Episode 146: In this episode of Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, we speak to Neil Gorton, a senior leader at BIS Vietnam, about the importance of teachers taking control of their own professional development. We discuss Neil's own motivation for self-guided CPD, his guiding principles, and how he balances the time demands of school and family life. We also talk about Neil's approac...

Episode 145: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Jonny Hall for a thorough exploration of www.mathsbot.com and how teachers can get the most from the superb resources available on the site . As part of the chat we discuss... 1. Where did the idea for MathsBot come from and which came first, you learning to code or the idea? 2. What do you think are the three mos...

Episode 144: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by the inimitable Sarah Larsen for an exploration of geography. As part of the chat we discuss... 1. What is geography? 2. What are your guiding principles for the teaching of geography? 3. …and what role does cognitive science have in this respect? 4. What is field-work? 5. How can we design effective/impactful fiel...

Episode 143: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by the wonderful Rachel Ball for an exploration of how we might develop and engage with an evidence-informed culture of school leadership. As part of the chat we discuss... 1. What are your guiding principles for developing an evidence-informed and responsive CPD culture in school?  2. Research comes in many shapes a...

Episode 142: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Stuart Tiffany for the second episode of Season 6. Stuart has been a guest on the podcast before but this time we sit down 1:1 to go far into the depths of primary history. Stuart shares his thoughts on subject leadership, locality and curriculum sequencing as well as his unrivalled passion for the subject of hist...

Episode 141: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Shannen Doherty for the first episode of the eagerly awaited sixth season of the Thinking Deeply about Primary Education podcast. Shannen shares her reflections on leadership, her own professional growth and how to lead meaningful change across a number of settings. As part of the chat we explore... 1. When we las...

Episode 140: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Deputy Head Teacher, Tom Oakley as we discuss persistent problems in the classroom and how we might approach trying to solve them. As part of the chat we explore... 1. What are the most persistent classroom problems? 2. How can we approach these problems? 3. Why do you think x will be the next big research-informe...

Episode 139: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Ben Ebdon (@TeacherInTrain). Ben changed careers 25 years into his working life and I wanted to know what that experience was like, what his motivations were and how things had gone since making the leap into the world of education. As part of the chat we discuss... 1. What did you do before you were a teacher? 2....

Episode 138: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Christopher Such as we field questions from from listeners on a range of themes. As part of the chat we discuss... 1. When I assess pupils’ reading what am I looking for and how do I know that I am assessing pupils properly. ? 2. What is the biggest difference working out of schools , having spent so long working...

Episode 137: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Neil Almond and Lloyd Williams-Jones for as we field questions from new and early career teachers. As part of the chat we discuss... 1. What strategies do you find most effective for maintaining a positive and inclusive classroom environment? 2. How do you effectively differentiate instruction to meet the diverse...

Episode 136: Join us for this special episode of "Thinking Deeply about Primary Education" as we continue on a fascinating journey into the world of educational research and instructional design. In this in-depth analysis, we delve into the groundbreaking paper "Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years On" by esteemed researchers, John Sweller, Jeroen van Merri...

Episode 135: Join us for this special episode of "Thinking Deeply about Primary Education" as we embark on a fascinating journey into the world of educational research and instructional design. In this in-depth analysis, we delve into the groundbreaking paper "Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years On" by esteemed researchers, John Sweller, Jeroen van Merrien...

Episode 134: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Christopher Such as we explore the captivating topic of engaging with education research. We uncover the power of education research in transforming classroom practices and enriching the teaching/learning experience, drawing on years of expertise in both the academic and practical aspects of education, while shari...