Teaching Together

Join us for a special edition of the podcast as we head out on the road for some much needed school holiday adventuring! We'll fill you in on our journey to the Tea Centre as well as debrief about the term that was. In this candid chat, we reflect on our recent "glows and grows," exploring the balance between our professional capacity and the reality of sometimes just being in survival mode. We sp...

In this final instalment of our 'Practical Planning' series, we’re helping you tackle the "perfectionist's trap" - that exhausting urge to reinvent the wheel for every single lesson you teach. While you want your classroom to be a hub of creativity, we discuss why consistency might actually be better when it comes to student engagement. By drawing on a reliable 'menu'...

In this mini episode, we chat about ways we have been using AI as a genuine planning partner — not a quick fix (because it's often not quick), and not a replacement for your professional judgement. We unpack when AI can actually save time, when it doesn’t, and why investing time into setting up tools like Agents or Gems can lead to more meaningful, efficient planning in the long run. From refining...

Planning lessons when you're sick is one of the least enjoyable parts of teaching — especially when you're trying to do it at 6:30am with a splitting headache and a box of tissues. In this mini episode of our Practical Planning series, we talk about the reality of preparing cover lessons and share practical ways to make the process easier. We discuss the key ingredients of a good cover les...

The way we plan lessons on placement doesn’t always translate to real classrooms. In this episode, we reflect on how our planning has changed from our placements and early teaching days to now. We discuss why many teachers feel pressure to reinvent the wheel every week, and how developing repeatable lesson structures can make teaching more sustainable and still allow for deep thinking to happen! R...

Sadly, not every good idea is a good fit, and sometimes the best thing you can do with a routine is let it go. In this episode, we talk about the routines we’ve tried, we've loved, we've worked hard to practise, but ultimately had to ditch. Sometimes, letting go of a routine feels unbearable, because of the time and effort (and let's face it, sometimes money) that we have spent to set it up. But i...

Okay, so we all know routines matter… but how do you actually get them to stick? In this mini episode, we chat about some of the classroom routines that we have tried (and sometimes failed) to make everyday teaching feel more sustainable. We discuss the importance of teaching routines explicitly, and probably even more explicitly than we think we need to, in order to genuinely relieve some of the...

Let’s be honest… one of the most draining parts of our job is the admin. In our first mini episode of this Sustainable Systems topic, we unpack the small but constant tasks like emails, registers and classroom tracking that quietly take up so much mental space, and share some of the simple systems that we have implemented to reduce workload and cognitive load. We would love to hear from you! What...

Teaching often rewards survival — getting through the day, the week, the term — but survival isn’t the same as sustainability. In our very first episode for 2026, we spend some time unpacking the difference between systems and routines , and why so many of the things we do as teachers “work”… but only in a barely-keeping-your-head-above-water & I-don't-have-time-to-come-up-with-a-better-soluti...

In this final episode of 2025, we’re doing a Teaching Together take on Spotify Wrapped and reflecting on the moments that really shaped us as teachers this year. The minutes we have spent in teacher mode, the top emotions, routines on repeat, and pedagogical “genres” that have defined our year. As Grayce would say, this episode is all about cognitive closure — reflecting, putting 2025 down gently,...

It's nearly Christmas🎄which means most of us are just coming out the other side of report writing, probably a little worse-for-wear. In today’s episode, we chat about one of the trickiest parts of the process: reporting on the qualitative stuff. We chat about why it’s hard to assess and measure attributes like student mindset, attitude to learning and positivity as we reflect on our own recen...

In this episode, we’re pulling apart one of the biggest assumptions in education right now — that we can standardise our way to better teachers. 🎓 The Strong Beginnings report argues that high-quality, uniform Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs will create more effective teachers — and in turn, solve the teacher shortage. But that idea misses a huge piece of the puzzle. Today we unpack why...

In today's Recess Digest , we're unpacking two more Habits of Mind - Applying Past Knowledge and Taking Responsible Risks. We chat a little bit about what these habits mean and share some ideas and language you can use in your classroom to start building these habits in your own learners! Helpful Links 💡 Teaching Together Habits of Mind Stamp! The Habits of Mind Institute Project Zero - Thinking...

Parent–teacher interviews: love them or dread them, they’re one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the school year. In this episode, we get honest about how we typically prepare, and share some strategies for both primary and high school settings, including how to navigate the tricky conversations that inevitably come up from time to time. You’ll also hear some practical wisdom from one of our fa...

Welcome to Term 3! Whether you are a few weeks in or just getting started, the end-of-winter burnout is probably creeping in, if it hasn't already crash-landed in front of you. In this episode, we talk honestly about the emotional rollercoaster of teaching across the term and pull apart some recent research about teacher wellbeing, including some surprising stats on how our energy and motivati...

Welcome to another episode from the learning lounge! Today's special guest Matt Pitman, author of The Connection Curriculum, joins in for a powerful conversation unpacking some of the big, confronting questions for educators everywhere. We think about who our school system is serving, what does it mean to truly connect with students and help them find meaning in their learning. We also explore...

Today we’re getting honest about the emotional and professional expectations we had walking into the classroom and how reality has reshaped those over time. We open up about the emotional energy that teaching demands from us, some of the realities of which neither of us quite expected. We also challenge some of the professional expectations that we once thought were non-negotiables — think Pintere...

In this episode, we’re talking all things Proficient Teacher Accreditation . Whether you’re at the beginning of your accreditation journey or mentoring someone through it, this episode has got something for you. Sierra shares a few of her top tips to keep the stress levels low (did someone say proficiency party??) and Grayce shares how she has found the process to be so far. We unpack the steps in...

We are back for Term 2 and are super keen to bring you this conversation with Tom Mahoney, a passionate educator and PhD candidate at Deakin University. Tom's work involves exploring the impact of educational ideologies on education and educators, and seeks to look for ways to help teachers critically reflect on the ins and outs of their practice. We hope you find this discussion really helpful, m...

In today's Recess Digest episode we continue exploring some more of the "Habits of Mind" that relate to creative thinking. We discuss some of the challenges that appear when students believe that they aren't creative, and share some ideas and strategies to help give your students procedures for developing creative thinking processes. Helpful Links 💡 ⁠⁠Habits of Mind Institute⁠⁠...

With NAPLAN testing in full swing, we’re diving into the real purpose of formative and summative assessment—how they work together, shape student learning and our own practice. Of course, we can’t have this conversation without stepping onto our soapbox about standardised testing. Are we assessing what truly matters, or just what’s easiest to measure? And what does that mean for the way we teach?...

We know how important it is to equip students with strong writing skills, but how do we ensure writing is truly integrated across all subjects—not just in English? In this episode, Christine Teahan, the Co-Director of Academics at The Writing Revolution , joins in for a discussion on why writing instruction matters at every level of education. Christine shares valuable insights on how teachers can...

How do we make sure that our fast finishers aren't just doing 'busy work?' In this episode, we explore the research on extending and challenging students in the classroom, drawing on insights from the latest AERO practice guide. We’ll break down what meaningful challenge looks like in the classroom and share some practical techniques and strategies that you can draw on to effectively extend and ch...

Mistakes happen, but do your learners see mistakes as roadblocks or learning opportunities? As we head into a new school year and work towards building safe and positive classroom environments, we have a chat about the research on error climate in the classroom and explore how students’ perception of mistakes shape their motivation, confidence, and willingness to take risks. We’ll share some pract...

BONUS EPISODE ALERT! 🚨 Hey Teachers! We hope you have been loving your school holidays and enjoying a well-deserved rest. As the start of Term One approaches, we wanted to bring you some bonus content to help with your planning and to give you a little bit of inspiration as you prepare for this school year. We are joined today by Andrea Hillbrick, an educational consultant who draws on her vast k...