In the first of two episodes this week we speak with Lisa who as well as completing her role as a teacher works to implement whole school practices around literacy. This first episode is focused on reading strategies with the discussion exploring the idea of text complexity and differentiating texts as well as how to effectively use 'think alouds' to engage students in how to be critical readers ..read more

In the second episode of this two part conversation we talk with Lisa about a program her school is involved in called Language Across the Disciplines (LATD) created by Misty Adoniou. This is a focused writing strategy that helps students understand the language needs of specific subject areas. Lisa takes us through the basic elements and by the end of the episode you will be armed with ideas that you can take into your own classroom ..read more

In this episode I speak with my brother, Steve who has taught for a slightly longer period of time than I have (mainly because he is a bit older than I am). We've obviously had many conversations over the years and the focus has always been on how to be better. After last week's discussion with Mark about instructional coaching it seemed timely to speak with my brother about how he reflects on his own practice and how he continues to grow as a teacher.  ..read more

It was a great opportunity to speak with Mark Bennett who is a Kindergarten teacher and an instructional coach. Mark shares idea of what it is like to work with a co-teacher and his role in helping his team become even better teachers than what they currently are. The idea of instructional coaching is relatively new but is more than likely an iteration of things that have come before it. What I really enjoyed about the conversation was the power of collaboration and the idea that we can always improve elements of our teaching that are within our control.  ..read more

It has been a while since our last podcast. The realities of teaching hit us all and equally I had to take some time to prioritise work. Having said that I've really missed sharing ideas with you all so I'm hoping to get back to more episodes where we can learn from teachers about the work they are currently doing. This episode is focused on a reboot and I hope in some way it helps you get some energy for the next section of your work year but I also know that it has helped me re-focus my energy towards what is important to me and what I value. I hope it proves to do the same for you ..read more

It is always a pleasure to spend some time talking about education with my good friend, Melinda. This episode creates a segue from the unique perspectives we've been focused on to wellbeing. Melinda gives us both a unique role that she is currently undertaking in wellbeing and a reflection on the changes in wellbeing that have taken place since she was a Year Coordinator in the early part of this century.  ..read more

It was a great pleasure to interview Anna as she shares the influence of her business career on her current teaching role and mainly because she is my wife. Anna's role is a unique one in that her position of study coach requires her to work with key stakeholders in each individual students' learning journey. I loved exploring the expertise of her former career in operations and how this has enhanced the way she strategises about her job.  ..read more

Our guest for this episode, Rachel works in a Year 11 and 12 school in the south of Sydney. Her unique perspective is that she started as a primary school teacher and has taught the full gamut from Kindergarten to Year 12. Rachel also grew up in a country town and has now had her own sons and daughters at her current school. We will explore what she has learnt from these unique experiences and I know you will find some ideas that will remind us that teaching and engaging with students, no matter their age, has some fundamentals that never change.  ..read more

Having finished the individual episodes it is exciting to move into the interview component of the podcast. Over the next few weeks we will talk to guests who have a specific perspective on teaching. Our first guest is Tara who started her teaching journey this year as a full-time member of the English department at my own school. I'm always interested to learn from our young teachers and I'm sure you will agree that Tara's energy and passion is quite infectious. she shares some perspectives that will serve as a reminder to why we all love this job and connect us back to what it is like to be ..read more

This week's episode explores our relationship with parents. As teachers we want and desire the support of our students' parents to promote a learning culture with each child. When parents work with us on this journey they are absolutely an asset that we can utilise to improve learning. Too often though we find ourselves in a conflict situations with parents despite a shared desire. We will look at different ways we can ensure that parents are an asset to us rather than a critic and thus become a part of the learning environment within our classrooms ..read more