Tiny Voice Talks with Toria Bono

In this episode, Toria chats to Louise about a relatively new concept - neurodiversity. Louise has ADHD and has made it her mission to demystify some of the language and misunderstandings around neurodiversity and neurodivergence.  Louise is a children's author who has a keen interest in sharing stories that feature characters that stand out, are different and who have something to say. Inspi...

In this episode, Toria chats to Louise about dementia and alzheimer's and how to chat to young people about this. Louise has recently written 'The Memory Book: A Reassuring Book about Understanding Dementia' which includes practical information to help young children understand dementia and the changes it can bring. To get hold of a copy of Louise's book then click this link To...

In this episode, Toria chats to Catherine about the incredible power of listening - to others, and also to ourselves.  The myriad of benefits include enhanced professional relationships, learning & development and gaining a sense of control over your personal wellbeing.  Catherine is the owner of Leadership Edge - Coaching in Schools, a collaborative of 20 education leaders on a mission to imp...

In this episode, Toria chats to Ginny Bootman about the importance of building positive relationships in school with the children, our co-workers and the parents. Ginny has been teaching longer than she hasn't. She has been a Headteacher, Senior Manager and Class teacher, teaching all ages in the Primary age range. She is currently a SENCO of four primary schools in Northamptonshire. She beli...

In this episode, Toria chats to Dr Rachel Briggs about understanding and supporting educators’ psychological wellbeing when teaching children and young people living with vulnerabilities and/or trauma.  Rachel talks about the relevance to educators of compassion stress injuries and compassion satisfaction, setting these in the broader context of the education system.  They talk about her model of...

In this episode, Toria chats to Steve Baker all about behaviour and how we need to teach it. Steve has recently written a new book - 'That Behaviour Book - the simple truth about teaching children' and unpacks some of the messages within it during his conversation with Toria. Steve spent 17 years in teaching, before working with local authorities and for the National Strategies as a regi...

In this episode, Toria chats to Andrew Rhodes about how in the rapidly evolving educational landscape it is now more important than ever to ensure that teachers are given the time and space to do what they do best, which is to teach. Redefinition is the action or process of re-looking at something and making a change. As educators is it time to redefine some of the ways we see the world around us...

In this episode, Toria talks to Ross about what questioning is, why it is so important and what makes a great question in the classroom. As they discuss, questioning can be widely misunderstood and not enough teachers have been given sound training in the art of questioning. Over the course of their conversation, they also discuss cognitive science and the power of the pause! Ross has recently wri...

In this episode, Toria chats to Adam about getting children ready to learn. Adam is an award winning and Amazon number one best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction books. He works in the UK and internationally in both state and private education delivering creative writing workshops to all ages. His books have been selected by the School Library Association for the ‘Boys into Books’ recommen...

In this episode, Toria chats with Graham about the importance of  looking at the motives behind challenging behaviour and the consequences that come with it. They discuss ways in which these situations can be managed calmly and consistently and how better understanding and empathy can make children feel safer, build their trust, develop belonging and consequently create more effective learners in...

In the next episode in the wellbeing series, Toria chats to Adrian Bethune about the second edition of his book 'Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom'. They chat about the importance of belonging, what happiness is and how Adrian's understanding of wellbeing has evolved since the first edition of the book was published in 2018.  Adrian is the founder of Teachappy and has been teaching...

In the latest episode, which is part of the wellbeing series, Toria talks to Melanie Gentles about how discovering the power of positive psychology and applying it to an educational setting has extraordinarily impacted her approach to education. Melanie talks about how educators should discover their pupils' character strengths and aim to create a flow state in their classrooms to develop hap...

In this episode, Toria chats to Dr Lucy Kelly about how diary writing can support educators' wellbeing. Do read Toria's blog post linked to this to see the impact of this conversation. Dr Lucy Kelly is an Associate Professor in Education at the University of Bristol, primarily working with PGCE English trainee teachers. She advocates that trainee teachers see themselves as their own bigg...

To kick off season 7, Toria chats to Hywel Roberts all about 'Botheredness' and the care teachers have for their children. Amidst the laughter, they talk about the craft of teaching,  the passion that they both have for it and of course Hywel's new book 'Botheredness'.  Hywel has taught in secondary, primary and special settings for almost thirty years. He contributes to u...

It is most likely that you are working alongside many colleagues who are going through the menopause or perimenopause. You may even be one of those women who is going through the process and feel that you aren't able to mention it in your workplace. In this episode, Toria chats to Maria about the menopause and together they try to demystify, destroy myths and be honest! Maria is a literacy co...

In her first episode as host, Caitlin talks to Dave about CPD, books and the book club he formed during lockdown. To find Dave on twitter - @DaveTushingham To scroll the book club conversation - #GLTbookclub To access the GLT book club resources - https://glt-alwayslearning.co.uk/courses/6473154?utm_source=manual Support the show If you enjoyed this episode please share it with others. If you woul...

In this episode, Toria chats to Alex about the benefits of being outdoors and how outdoor learning can really support children holistically.  To find out more about her research and read her new book, click on the links.  https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2MjMiacAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao https://www.independentthinkingpress.com/books/teachingskills/independent-thinking-on-nature-based-lear...

In this episode, Toria chats to Kamalagita about mindfulness - what it is, how to do it and the many benefits for not only students but teachers too. Kamalagita has recently written the book - The Mindful Teacher’s Handbook. It is a practical and engaging resource to help everyone in schools bring mindfulness into their lives in a meaningful way. Mindfulness practice offers simple, straightforward...

In this episode, Toria chats to Paul Jenkins, Schools Manager at EmpathyLab. Paul, who is a former classroom teacher and still works in schools as a children's poet, joined EmpathyLab in 2018. As part of the core team developing their Affiliate Schools Programme, Paul has worked with teachers to plan the 'Mission Empathy' activities for Empathy Day 2023 as well as helping harness th...

In this episode, Toria chats to Jenny Ford, headteacher of Treorchy Comprehensive School in Wales all about the work that she has done with Empathy Lab and how she has translated this across two very different schools.  Jenny is now headteacher of  Treorchy Comprehensive School but began working with Empathy Lab when she was head of her previous school. She believes that the work that Empathy Lab...

In this, the second conversation that she has with Bob Cox, Toria finds out all about how we can open doors to ambitious primary english. In the first episode, Bob talked about removing the proverbial glass ceiling and in this one his ambition stretches even further. Links Website: www.searchingforexcellence.co.uk Opening Doors to Ambitious Primary English Opening Doors to Ambitious Primary Englis...

In this episode, Toria talks to Assistant Headteacher and EYFS leader Kim Peacock about the ‘why’ in EYFS. They discuss the importance of unpicking the ‘why’ which underpins the pedagogy and practise in each setting and to consider the impact of this. Their discussion then explores how the EYFS curriculum provides the foundations for what comes next in a child’s education and how the impact of mis...

In this episode, Toria talks to education developer Mâir Bull, about Manchester Metropolitan University’s short courses, part of the trailblazing lifelong learning pilot. They discuss these new bitesize CPD opportunities that offer a flexible and accessible pathway to higher education. Now in Higher Education as the programme lead for the Short Courses, Mâir previously spent 16 years as a teacher...

In this episode, Toria chats with Toria about why it is so important that we are ourselves - as teachers, leaders and educationalists. They chat about barriers that can stop us doing that and offer suggestions about how to ensure that you remain true to your values and beliefs in your setting. Toria Husband is a Subject Officer for Performing Arts & Dance WJEC/ CBAC. She is also a Founding Fel...

In this episode, Toria talks to Shelley about what it is like to be a military wife as well as a teacher. Shelley shares her experiences of what life is really like for a forces family in the hope of raising awareness about the unique needs military children have. Toria and Shelley discuss how best to use the service pupil premium and the many resources that are out there for schools. April is the...