After the Bell

We all have our own style and persona in the classroom, but there is a clear research base about which aspects of teaching combine to make an effective lesson, or series of lessons. This podcast explores a wide range of pedagogical approaches to planning and delivering highly effective lessons, including modelling, scaffolding, high quality explanations, metacognition, classroom talk and homework....

Even if we have studied our subject at degree level, our studies are likely to have been very specialised in great depth, on a narrow aspect of the curriculum. Whilst many teachers love their subject, this does not necessarily translate into a strong knowledge of all aspects of the curriculum across the key stages. This is even more of a challenge for teachers in primary schools who need to master...

It is only in the last few years that many educational researchers have really engaged with cognitive science, but it is now very clear that an understanding of the brain and how learning happens is essential for teachers.  This podcast looks at what cognitive science tells us about long term memory, and how we can maximise the information students can store and retrieve from it. --- Send in...

As a teacher, our students’ behaviour and progress is influenced by what our expectations of them are. We are role models and communicating our expectations is crucial in influencing students to behave well, make academic progress and generally have a higher level of wellbeing. This podcast explores what high expectations in the classroom looks like and considers strategies that we can use to embe...

NQTs have always had mentors, but the role of mentoring is really emphasised in the ECF, with schools receiving funding for reduced timetables for mentors of ECTs across their 2-year induction. What’s clear though, is that ECTs don’t just need mentors, they need great mentors. This podcast explores the requirements of mentors in the ECF, and what the research suggests makes really effective mentor...

Launched nationally in 2021 after a regional pilot, the Early Career Framework represents a significant change in support and induction programme for teachers following their ITT. It forms a key part of the Government’s teacher recruitment and retention strategy, aiming to ensure all teachers are provided with high quality training opportunities throughout their career. In this Podcast series, our...

Tutoring is an incredibly rewarding role however it can sometimes feel a little isolating, how can you ensure you are in the best position to support your students? The challenges are well documented with education being a funny world but equally significantly rewarding. Although there has been a real shift in a focus on wellbeing it is still in its infancy. We are joined by Rebecca Cracknell, a C...

We are often asked whether tutoring is a career and a viable option for teachers or Teaching Assistants. We are joined by Rebecca Cracknell one of our tutors and also Lorna Bradford our Head of Quality Assurance and Impact. Lorna’s role involves supporting our tutors during their onboarding and development and also ensuring quality of the tutoring given to our pupils. We find out what a typical ca...

In today’s episode, we continue with tutor series which focuses on supporting new and aspirational tutors. Rebecca Cracknell, whilst an established tutor also has written a number of courses for Thirsty Scholars to support new and existing tutors. Tutoring support can come in many forms, one of which is tutoring online, and become more popular since the pandemic. Rebecca discusses her experiences...

In today’s episode, continue with tutor series which focuses on supporting new and aspirational tutors. Rebecca Cracknell, whilst an established tutor also has written a number of courses for Thirsty Scholars to support new and existing tutors. One of the most common questions we hear on talking to our Connex Education tutors Is how they can support pupils to reengage back into education, Rebecca...

Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. 1 in 100 people are autistic and just 22% of autistic people are in employment. Over the next few months we will be focusing and providing free support and resources to help our teacher, tutor and wider community have better insights for our autistic community. To highlight and support our autistic co...

As an educator and school leader, you need to be able to step back and see the bigger picture. Educators, teachers and tutors are busy people and it’s easy to get caught up in operational tasks. This podcast explores why stepping back and being able to see the whole picture is important in terms of determining strategy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thirstyscholars/message Hosted...

As an educator and school leader, being optimistic is an excellent habit to develop. Keeping your glass half full is important in terms of keeping morale high and building a strong sense of belief that individually and collectively, your team can make a difference. This podcast explores why educators and school leaders need to develop a healthy sense of optimism and adopt a positive approach. ---...

Making decisions and more importantly, making the right decision is a challenge for educators and school leaders. Whether you are making big decision or small decisions, the impact of your decisions can be huge. This podcast will consider some of the challenges educators and leaders face when making decisions and explore some habits that support effective decision making. --- Send in a voice messa...

Effective educators and leaders know that they don’t have all the answers, they ask powerful questions to find out more and dig a little deeper.  Drawing on the work of Michael Bungay Stanier and Simon Sinek, this podcast explores why it is valuable for educators and school leaders to ask questions, keep an open mind and stay curious a little bit longer. --- Send in a voice message: https://a...

At some point in our lives or career, we procrastinate and putting things off. Sometimes, this can be because the end feels too far off, or because the tasks we need to complete are so big they feel overwhelming. This podcast focuses on the benefits of being proactive, taking the initiative and getting started with things for school leaders and educators --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor...

School positive educational is busy and prioritising can be a real challenge, often educators can end up juggling or be distracted. Covey identifies ‘keeping the main thing the main thing’ as one of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. This podcast explores how educaors and school leaders can prioritise effectively and stay focused on the things that really matter. --- Send in a voice messag...

In school, time often feels like the enemy-there is never enough. Often, educators do things themselves instead of prioritising because it is faster, or because it will get done properly. At other times, we don’t separate the important tasks from the mundane and can get bogged down. This podcast looks at strategies and approaches that can help you to make time your friend. --- Send in a voice mess...

We return to our Eduhabits series and this is podcast three of the series focusing on how to keep your tank full and the importance.  As an educators, when we hear the well-being, we often think it refers to other people and spend time looking after the well-being of others. However, keeping your own tank full is important so that you keep your engine running smoothly. This podcast considers...

After the Bell return to explore the habits that positive educators need to develop in order to thrive and achieve success. We explore the habits that educators or “Eduhabits” need to develop to thrive and achieve success. Educators listen but the extent to which they listen with intent and listen to understand varies. Making time to listen to people and being genuinely interested in what can have...

Stephen Covey’s 7 ‘Habits of Highly Effective People’ was first published in 1989. More than 30 years later, our interest in positive educational habits remains high with the publication of books such as ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. In this podcast series, our host, Georgie McIntyre, explores the habits that positive educators need to develop in order to thrive and achieve success. Walking the...

We are joined again by Jon Bull, CEO, and founder of The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust who provides stories and resources for schools and parents to help support their children to learn about staying safe, in a way that is fun and age a, in their day to day lives and in their local community. DDC have been working closely with partners including West Midlands Police to support a new project focusing on...

Is child safeguarding child's play? In this week's episode of After the Bell, we are joined by Jon Bull, the CEO and founder of The Dog, Duck, and Cat Trust. DDC is a charity founded six years ago to provide stories, support, and resources for schools and parents to help support their children to learn about staying safe. The stories and resources are designed in a way that is fun and age-appropri...

Emerging trends in education for 2022. Joined by Lorna Bradford, Andy Bridge and Helen Morgan with the anticipated white paper due for publication in May, the first since 2016, we discuss what this means for the education arena. We talk about the whole student focus and how important wellbeing is more than ever, and also how we can continue to keep learning coherent, whilst focusing on priorities....

Our final podcast for the year and series 1 of After the Bell. Joined by Helen, Andy and Lorna, we reflect on the education year of 2021 and what a year it has been!!!! A year which has required teachers to be educators, supporters, mentors, counsellors, allies, not to mention IT experts with a toolkit of flexible project management skills. We will delve deeper on our reflections, celebrate our ed...