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The Teaching Space

The Teaching Space

By Martine Ellis

A podcast for teachers and trainers who want to love their jobs and be amazing teachers without sacrificing their own time, mental health and wellbeing.
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An Update from Martine - April 2022

The Teaching SpaceApr 19, 2022

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07:53
An Update from Martine - April 2022
Apr 19, 202207:53
What's Next for the Podcast?

What's Next for the Podcast?

Hello, it's Martine here, I am recording this towards the end of June 2021 and I wanted to give you an idea of what's on the horizon for The Teaching Space - in particular, the podcast.

Next year is the third and final year of my masters in education - my dissertation year. I know this is going to take up a lot of my energy and focus, but I am determined to reach the end.

The reality of this is, of course, I need to refocus my priorities a bit.

Podcasting is so much fun - I love doing it and I think I will always be a podcaster, but the reality is that it is incredibly time-consuming. Next year, I am going to take a break from my two weekly podcasting schedule and do something a bit different.

I am going to focus on two things for The Teaching Space.

  • Writing

  • Informal audio

You might have noticed if you follow me on Twitter, that I have been working on my writing by doing the Ship 30 for 30 challenge. I plan to keep up the frequent production of short-form essays and will be publishing them in a variety of places including Twitter, Medium and my email newsletter.

I'm going to experiment with informal audio over the summer - I am exploring Anchor and Racket to see what is the lowest friction.

While it sounds like you might hear a bit less from me, in actual fact, I think you will see and hear more!

So, here's what I'd like you to do if you want to keep up with what I am doing.

I'm planning a break over the summer, although I will still be writing on Twitter.

Feel free to reach out by email if you have questions: hello@theteachingspace.com.

Speak soon.

Martine

Jun 19, 202106:20
The Power of a Personal Weekly, Monthly and Annual Review

The Power of a Personal Weekly, Monthly and Annual Review

Highlights
  • Notion has enabled me to conduct a yearly and monthly review consistently for the first time ever. I am also refining my weekly review process. This is the first time I have managed this behaviour consistently, and it is game changing. This is a personal review - but could easily apply to work and there is always some cross over. Undertaking personal reviews is enabling me to meet my goals. (01:13).
  • On the subject of goals, that’s where it all starts, so I am going to walk you through my process.
  • Annual review (03:09)
    • Review the year (screenshot).
    • Consider your life buckets (e.g. health, work, business, personal life, travel, money etc) and use the plus, minus, next method to reflect.
    • Identify your proudest achievement/s and biggest challenges.
    • Set goals for next year and keep them visible (screenshot).
    • You might like to set a theme or word for the year - mine is ONE.
  • Monthly review (07:50)
    • Now page - currently in Notion and template available.
    • Now page template includes goals.
    • Review: progress on my goals, achievements, what next, theme for the year update and currently reading.
    • Share!
    • Diary note for next month.
  • Weekly review (09:45)
    • Empty my quick capture inboxes (refer to episode 121).
    • Inbox Zero.
    • Plan for next week - calendar, tasks, exercise etc.
    • Clear down tasks.
    • Also an opportunity to plan meals.
    • Don’t refer back to goals but perhaps I should.
  • Everything comes together in my Notion dashboard which works as well as it does thanks to Notion Mastery. Template available (11:13).
  • Wrap up (12:33)
    • What do you do?
    • Discuss in the community.
Helpful links
Jun 12, 202114:50
Personal Knowledge Management for Teachers and Trainers

Personal Knowledge Management for Teachers and Trainers

Highlights
  • What is personal knowledge management? (00:47).
  • “Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is the practice of capturing the ideas and insights we encounter in our daily life, whether from personal experience, from books and articles, or from our work, and cultivating them over time to produce more creative, higher quality work” (Forte Labs, 2019).
  • Ness Labs creator, Anne-Laure Le Cunff describes the 5 C’s of PKM as: creation, circulation, curation, collaboration and communities (Ness Labs, 2020).
  • My interpretations of the 5 C’s (02:08):
    • creation: managing knowledge derived from learning allows the creation of new knowledge.
    • circulation: that new knowledge can be circulated/shared.
    • curation: it’s also a way to collect and curate things that make you think.
    • collaboration: collecting information in this way can lead to collaboration.
    • communities: you can share anything collected or created in communities (e.g. Twitter).
  • For me, PKM is about ensuring the content I consume is not wasted. How many times to you read or watch something and then forget it straight afterwards? (03:56).
  • While I don’t expect to learn from everything I consume (ahem.. dog videos on TikTok), if I am consuming to learn and/or generate my own content afterwards, I want to increase my chance of retention. Furthermore, from an ethical standpoint, if someone’s work influences my thinking, I want to give credit.
  • The best way to design a system for PKM is to draw it (I used Excalidraw) (05:28).
  • Work out (07:18):
    • Input: where do you consume content? (Examples: YouTube, web, academic papers, reports, Kindle, Twitter etc). Also include ideas.
    • Output: what do you want to achieve? (Examples: share notes, write blog posts/articles, write a dissertation, write a book, create a podcast etc).
  • I then divide my workflow into three levels (09:21):
    • Quick capture (temporary repository)
    • Literature notes (notes taken while consuming content)
    • Permanent notes (notes in my own words - usually atomic)
  • See diagram on show notes - loosely based on Zettelkasten.
  • Tech stack (11:39):
    • Quick capture: Drafts, Highlights and Readwise (clear weekly)
    • Literature notes: Notion (knowledge hub), Highlights and Readwise
    • Permanent notes: Obsidian (public)
  • Obsidian is my digital garden (15:20).
  • A Digital Garden is personal, but public learning space for live, interconnected notes.
  • Or, more eloquently, “A digital garden is an online space at the intersection of a notebook and a blog, where digital gardeners share seeds of thoughts to be cultivated in public” (Le Cunff, 2020).
  • Obsidian allows you to see connections between notes. Things planted in my digital garden might eventually become articles, podcasts etc (16:49).
  • Wrap up: let’s discuss in the community! (17:12)
Helpful links
May 28, 202118:41
Top Tips for Mentoring a Trainee Teacher

Top Tips for Mentoring a Trainee Teacher

This episode topic was requested by Ashely in The Teaching Space Community. She said:

"I would love to hear about the most beneficial things you can have a student-teacher do before exiting the program and teaching on their own. This is my first time having a student-teacher."

In this podcast I am going to focus on general advice for those mentoring trainee teachers or new trainers as I do not have expertise in sectors outside of corporate and FE. To try to give a rounded response to this topic request, I also chatted to my wider Twitter network and will share some of their suggestions.

I am mindful that this is a massive area, so will not aim to cover everything in one short episode.

Incidentally, if you would like to join our community and help shape the podcast in the future, visit community.theteachingspace.com.

I'm going to split this episode into three sections. First I am going to share some of the helpful information I got from Twitter about mentoring trainee teachers. Then I will share some previous podcast episodes that I think will be helpful. Finally, I will share some tips from my own experience, having mentored several trainee teachers in FE and also candidates doing QTLS and ATS.

Highlights From Twitter (03:06)

Nikki on Twitter (@nikkitel) said:

"I encourage them to consider their mental health from the outset and to understand that it’s ok to not know everything. I try to help them realise that if they don’t feel that they excel, it’s only for now. They don’t excel yet."

This reminded me of Carol Dweck's "the power of yet".

I completely agree with considering mental health from the outset - remember your oxygen mask.

Andy on Twitter (@guruteaching) shared an article on the topic he wrote, which I will include in the show notes.

One thing I loved about Andy's article is his point about showing your trainee how far they've come. Andy said:

"Finally, it helps for our trainees to see not just where they are going, but also where they have been. It’s too easy for them to be uber-busy, planning lessons, dealing with behaviour incidents, giving feedback and learning new subject knowledge for tomorrow’s lesson. Sometimes, they simply can’t see the progress that they’re making. Set aside some time to step back with them and with a smile on your face, show them how they have grown since the beginning of the course."

Chase on Twitter (@chasemitsuda) said it boils down to starting with empathy and share a great Brene Brown video that I will include in the show notes. He also said:

"Also believing that we are all learners, and teachers who have just started their careers have so much to offer, including fresh perspectives."

Finally, Jonathon on Twitter (@jonmedeiros) said, as mentors we can:

"help foster curiosity, self reflection, and adjustment as natural and important skills."

Useful Podcast Episodes (07:27)

I'm going to share and comment on a few recent episodes of the podcast that will help anyone mentoring trainees now in the future. Don't forget, you might need some professional development in order to fulfil the role of mentor effectively - some of these episodes will be helpful in this area.

I'll mention episode numbers - all you need to put in your browser is theteachingspace.com followed by / and the episode number in digits. There are also links in the show notes.

Following on from Nikki's wise mental health guidance mentioned a the start, it would be worth listening to my recent interview with Guernsey Mind's Chris Chamberlain (113). You could listen to help support your trainee better in this area - you could also recommend your trainee has a listen.

My interview with Joanne Miles about coaching is a must-listen - it is episode 104. Mentoring and coaching are on a spectrum and you are likely to need to be a mentor some of the time and a coach at other times. Understanding the difference between both approaches is key in giving your trainee what they need from you.

Episode 107 is an interview with Vanessa Mee who shares top tips for newly qualified teachers. Some of the tips Vanessa shares could easily apply to trainee teachers, such as time blocking, looking after yourself as a priority and planning to do less in the classroom (so the students do more).

Episode 103 is about managing emails. Often, trainees become overwhelmed with the admin aspect of teaching, so being in a position to support and advise them in this aspect of their teacher role is essential.

Similarly, episode 98 is my most recent time blocking episode - it is worth a listen so you can support your trainee to manage their time.

My Tips (10:38)
  1. Establish boundaries and expectations in the mentor/mentee relationship but also around work/study/life balance.
  2. Be available.
  3. Model, model, model.
  4. Facilitate.
  5. Encourage community participation.
  6. Encourage the use of research.
  7. Help them establish their teacher identity.
Helpful links
May 15, 202116:09
Leading Your Own Professional Development An Interview with Elizabeth Hutchinson
May 01, 202153:54
A Teacher's Guide to EduTwitter

A Teacher's Guide to EduTwitter

Thanks to Daniela, who is a member of The Teaching Space Community, for suggesting this episode topic.

You can join the community at community.theteachingspace.com.

This topic has been influenced by my own experience as well a number of articles I read on the topic. I will link to the articles in the show notes which you will find at theteachingspace.com/118.

This episode will focus on teachers using Twitter for their own purposes rather than using it with students.

Highlights What is EduTwitter? (02:50)
  • Educators on Twitter who generally use EduTwitter as a hashtag.
Positives (03:43)
  • It's a great way to connect with people from all over the world working in similar, or entirely different areas of education to you.
  • Building your network in this way can lead to job offers! (Remember AJ from episode 114?)
  • You can engage in interesting, topical discussions, get help, advice and help.
  • You can stay current by knowing what is being discussed in education right now.
  • It's an easy way to find links to interesting articles, podcasts, research, events etc.
  • Event hashtags are fab.
  • It's free PD (although often we forget to log it).
  • It's a great way to try publishing content e.g. tweetstorms.
Negatives (08.27)
  • Twitter is a 'social' media platform - invariably you will end up using it for work purposes during social time. This is a boundary that needs consideration.
  • If you are tweeting professionally, you need to consider your employer's viewpoint.
  • On self-promotion.
  • Discussions can turn nasty... not often, but they can.
EduTwitter Wellbeing Strategies (11:43)
  • It's all about boundaries. Think about how and when you will engage in Twitter conversation. Who will you be? Is yours a teaching only feed or a mix?
  • Think twice before participating in certain discussions e.g. isolation booths, 'prog' v 'trad' teachers, certain behaviour topics etc.
  • If you are going to participate and disagree, try to 'attack' arguments rather than the people making them (see Greg Ashman's article).
  • Carefully curate your feed, consider your 'bubble' - don't just follow your sector or people who look at sound like you.
  • Find hashtags of interest and check those and also use them.
  • Participate in Twitter chats.
  • Remember people often only show their 'best bits'.
  • If you need a break, remove the app from your phone.
  • Don't be afraid to unfollow people.
  • Mute words.
  • Be human.
Final Thoughts (20:33)

Treat Twitter as a community but ensure your boundaries are in place. And give me a follow if you're there or joining: MartineGuernsey.

Helpful links
Apr 17, 202121:35
Talking Teacher Wellbeing An Interview with Parm Plummer

Talking Teacher Wellbeing An Interview with Parm Plummer

Highlights
  • Introducing Parm (00:40).
  • Why Parm thinks teacher wellbeing is at an all-time low (02:22).
  • Martine on boundaries (04:00).
  • Switching to online teaching (05:30).
  • Teachers as perfectionists (06:15).
  • The unseen pressure on women due to Covid (07:10).
  • Living alone on an island and working in education (08:40).
  • The stress epidemic (09:30).
  • Unique challenges in teaching (10:30).
  • Guernsey and Ofsted (14:55).
  • The pressure of always being "on" (16:20).
  • Dropping standards just a tiny bit (17:10).
  • Parm on presenteeism (19:20).
  • Trust, professionalism and the need for a culture of flexibility (24:00).
  • How leadership is changing (25:40).
  • The need for flexibility in leadership (28:01).
  • Could the pandemic help flexible working become more accepted? (28:45).
  • Zoom fatigue... a few tips (29:57).
  • Asynchronous versus synchronous learning online (31:27).
  • Ways to prioritise and increase our wellbeing (33:00).
  • Being able to talk about your mental health is a strength (36:45).
  • Be mindful of the impact of Covid when you deal with colleagues (43:30).
  • About WomenEd (44:38).
Thanks

Thanks to Parm for being such an interesting and generous guest.

Helpful links
Apr 04, 202149:18
How to Remember What You Read

How to Remember What You Read

Highlights Introduction
  • In my teaching practice I am always aware of the need for my learners to regularly engage with material I am teaching them to embed it in their long-term memory. It’s also important they practice retrieval in order to remember (00:40).
  • Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve in under 2 minutes (01:17).
  • Something I have realised while studying my master’s in education is that I don’t pay enough attention to this with my own learning - particularly with what I read. So I did some research and tried a few techniques to help me remember what I read. I will share my approach in this episode (01:55).
Materials in Focus
  • This episode focuses non-fiction rather than fiction, and ‘real books’ rather than audiobooks (03:10).
  • 12 non-fiction book target for 2021 (04:32 ).
How I Remember What I Read
  • Highlighting is great but not enough - highlights must be revisited (05:57).
  • Add annotations to highlights - what does this highlight mean, why did you highlight it and how is the idea interesting or useful to you? (08:04).
  • Send highlights to Readwise and use spaced repetition via email (09:55).
  • Use a tool like Notion to manage your notes, annotations and highlights. For example I have: (10:27)
    • A reading database (each entry includes author details, progress etc and for academic reading the original PDF, annotated PDF and bibliographic details).
    • A Readwise database (linked to my notes and reading databases).
    • A notes database.
  • Write a book summary (11:25).
  • Consider a three sentence summary in the style of James Clear (11:57).
  • Summary (12:58).
Helpful links
Mar 20, 202114:35
How Teachers and Trainers Can Avoid Decision Fatigue

How Teachers and Trainers Can Avoid Decision Fatigue

Highlights Introduction
  • Making decisions uses considerable mental energy which is limited (00:42 ).
  • Decision fatigue is real (00:52).
  • Educators make a lot of decisions - some significant - so it is definitely worth looking at ways to minimise the number of small decisions we make daily, to reserve energy for the big ones (01:42).
Small Decisions
  • Time for a brain dump (01:58).
  • List the small decisions you have to make every day. Examples (02:19):
    • What to eat for lunch/dinner.
    • When to each lunch/dinner.
    • What time to wake up and go to bed.
    • What to do at the gym.
    • What to wear to go to the gym.
    • What to wear to work.
What Can You Automate, Delegate or Eliminate?
  • Automate: make automatic, or at least systematised (03:10).
  • Delegate: perhaps to a partner, family member, friend or professional service provider (03:31).
  • Eliminate: get rid of completely! (03:48)
Automate
  • Fully automatic: social media, direct debits, comment bank (05:19).
  • Systematised: podcast workflow (Notion template), shopping list (Bring), The Teaching Space Extra (08:00).
Delegate
  • Gardening, cleaning and meal planning (Hello Fresh) - I fully acknowledge my privilege in being able to do this (10:33).
  • Skill swap with friends or family - just ask! I now have a new podcast interview editor… (12:03).
Eliminate
  • To eliminate decisions entirely, form habits (e.g. gym every day etc). Check out habits podcast episode theteachingspace.com/49, as well as James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits (13:34).
  • Examples: wake up time (see the sleep episode theteachingspace.com/109), clothing (like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama!) (14:22).
  • Community example: Bob’s robot mower and mulcher (16:05).
Postpone?
  • Sometimes it is better to postpone (16:45).
Over to You
  • What about you? Let’s chat in the community (17:15 ).
Helpful links
Mar 06, 202118:09
Productivity for Teachers and Trainers An Interview with AJ Smith
Feb 20, 202152:14
Teachers and Mental Health An Interview with Chris Chamberlain
Feb 06, 202135:47
Trust-Based Lesson Observations An Interview With Craig Randall
Jan 23, 202135:30
My Master’s Study Toolkit
Jan 09, 202116:35
12 Tips for Preparing to Study a Master's Degree in Your Spare Time
Dec 19, 202018:08
How to Sleep Better An Interview with Daniel White
Dec 12, 202050:34
Six Changes I Have Made to Become a Healthier Teacher

Six Changes I Have Made to Become a Healthier Teacher

Highlights
  • These changes are shared without agenda and with the intention of encouraging you to reflect on whether you need or want to make changes. If it’s not the right time for you to listen to this podcast episode then that’s OK. It’s also OK if you don’t want or need to make changes, or if you do not have the capacity (01:26).
  • I used summer break to introduce some of these changes and establish habits. Six weeks seemed long enough for me to confidently start identifying as a healthier person (02:15).
  • My definition of healthy: anti-diet, pro-movement, comparison-free, and a strong emphasis on mental health (03:34).
  • Change 1: daily exercise (indoor and outdoor cycling) (04:21).
  • Change 2: one weekly exercise session with others (nordic walking) (07:40).
  • Change 3: a little competition (Strava and Apple Activity app) (09:07).
  • Change 4: intermittent fasting (16:8, no calorie counting, two meals) (11:02).
  • Change 5: working towards no blue light at bed time (mobile in office, no social media on iPad, aiming to move iPad soon). Also establishing better routines around bed time (12:04).
  • Change 6: reducing the booze intake (helped by alcohol free beer and gin) (13:30).
Wrap Up

(16:37)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. Another way to become a healthier teacher is to improve your relationship with technology (as alluded to in episode 106). To help with this, you might like to check out my online course, Achieve Inbox Zero. You can find it at theteachingspace.com/shop.

Helpful Links
Nov 28, 202017:48
Top Tips for Newly Qualified Teachers An Interview with Vanessa Mee
Nov 14, 202027:55
How to Establish a Healthier Relationship with Social Media

How to Establish a Healthier Relationship with Social Media

Highlights Your Relationship with Social Media

(02:10)

  • Is your relationship with social media unhealthy? Only you know the answer to this - I encourage honest reflection here.
  • Endless scrolling and finding yourself on your mobile without realising… sound familiar?
  • How many hours a day do you spend on your phone looking at social media?
  • If you were not doing this, what could you be doing?
  • Creating relationships online can affect offline relationships.
  • Your communication skills can suffer.
What Can You Do?

(06:25)

  • Notifications off.
  • Reduce screen time - check your statistics.
  • Charge your phone overnight in another room (get an alarm clock!)
  • Mute, unfollow, unfriend, block…
  • Recognise accounts that cause you stress.
  • Select people to follow carefully.
  • Think about what you share and when to comment.
  • Take a break.
  • Take apps off your phone - temporarily or permanently.
  • Schedule social media time.
  • Create a cut-off time.
  • Phone your friends.
  • Stop comparing - remember social media is a snapshot.
  • Post later.
  • Use blocking tools.
Wrap Up

(16:00)

If you are currently working on improving your relationship with technology generally, you might like to check out my online course, Achieve Inbox Zero. You can find it at theteachingspace.com/shop.

Helpful Links
Oct 31, 202016:58
Classroom Observation An Interview with Matt O' Leary

Classroom Observation An Interview with Matt O' Leary

This episode is kindly sponsored by Subject Leaders.

Highlights
  • About Professor Matt O’Leary (01:15).
  • What Matt first became interested in observations (01:55).
  • Different types of observations and reasons for them (05:47).
  • Matt’s most recent research into observations (09:43).
  • How Martine’s College executes observations - The ONE THING (16:43).
  • Matt’s thoughts on The ONE THING (19:36).
  • About unseen observation (22:29).
  • Unseen observations while teaching online (27:35).
  • Existing research on professional learning (32:40).
  • The future of observation(43:30).
  • Where to find Matt online (46:39).
Thanks

Thanks so much to Matt O’Leary for coming on the show and thanks also go to this episode’s sponsor, Subject Leaders.

Helpful Links
Oct 17, 202052:47
Exploring Coaching in Education and Training An Interview with Joanne Miles

Exploring Coaching in Education and Training An Interview with Joanne Miles

This episode is kindly sponsored by Loop - find out more about Loop by going to loophq.io/theteachingspace.

Highlights
  • About Joanne (00:45)

  • What is coaching? (01:51)

  • What are some of the different types of coaching? (03:33)

  • The spectrum of approaches to coaching (05:40)

  • What is the difference between teaching and coaching? (06:35)

  • Tips for using coaching with students (09:52)

    • Tip 1: plan your questions (10:45)

    • Tip 2: identify the opportunities to ask coaching questions (13:26)

    • Tip 3: recognise that you, as a coach, are constantly developing a skill (15:57)

  • Top tips for using coaching with colleagues and peers (21:00)

    • Tip 1: clarity the purpose of and approach to the conversation (21:15)

    • Tip 2: prepare yourself physically and mentally for your coaching conversation (23:21)

    • Tip 3: follow up and keep momentum (26:06)

  • The coaching skillset (28:51)

  • Find Joanne online - links below (35:21)

Wrap Up

(36:18)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. If you’d like to discuss coaching further, a great place to do this would be in The Teaching Space community. Visit community.theteachingspace.com to sign up for free.

Thanks to Joanne for her time and for being an excellent podcast guest. Thanks also to Loop for sponsoring this episode.

Helpful Links
Oct 03, 202037:09
How to Stop Email Taking Over Your Life

How to Stop Email Taking Over Your Life

This episode is kindly sponsored by Loop - find out more about Loop by going to loophq.io/theteachingspace.

Highlights
  • Create boundaries (03:44) around email such as:
    • Time (when do you manage your emails?) (04:00)
    • Access (where do you manage emails?) (06:20)
    • Notifications (09:43)
    • Length (five sentences)(11:55)
  • Decide who is in control (13:23).
  • Manage the expectations of those around you (15:41).
  • Select the right tool for the job; your inbox is a temporary home, not a to-do list or filing cabinet (17:00).
Wrap Up

(19:34)

If you are interested in achieving inbox zero either search The Teaching Space website or check out: https://www.theteachingspace.com/shop/achieve-inbox-zero

Sep 19, 202020:36
Becoming a Teacherpreneur An Interview with Mark Taylor

Becoming a Teacherpreneur An Interview with Mark Taylor

Highlights
  • About Mark (01:05).
  • What the word “teacherpreneur” means to Mark (03:41).
  • Martine explains that no one is expected to be a teacherpreneur - being a teacher is a huge job - this is an approach that might suit some (04:19).
  • How Mark developed his portfolio career (05:23).
  • How being a teacherpreneur is an alternative career direction in education (06:34).
  • Examples of “dipping your toe in the water” of being a teacherpreneur (07:58).
  • Working with others to recognise your unique skills and systems (08:45).
  • Solving problems for others could be a product or service (10:45).
  • A word of caution if you are an employed person (11:53).
  • Martine and Mark’s experience of being employed and stepping into “teacherpreneur-ism” (!)(12:47).
  • The challenges teachepreneurs can face (15:23).
  • Mark’s approach to managing time (18:18).
  • The importance of using a calendar as part of your productivity toolkit (21:22).
  • Parkinson’s Law (23:00).
  • Martine’s summer break exercise routine (23:27).
  • Top tips for teachers considering starting a side hustle (24:12).
  • Solving problems through your side hustle (28:20).
  • The aspirin and vitamin concept (29:08).
  • About Mark’s podcast - Education on Fire (30:47).
  • Where to find Mark online (32:58).
Wrap Up

(33:20)

Thanks for tuning in. Do check out Mark’s podcast, Education on Fire, and also pop into The Teaching Space Community to discuss the episode.

Helpful Links
Sep 05, 202034:26
Welcome to Season Three of The Teaching Space Podcast

Welcome to Season Three of The Teaching Space Podcast

Highlights Welcome

(00:18)

Welcome to The Teaching Space podcast. Thanks for joining me for episode 101; the first episode of season three.

In today’s episode I will look back on season two and highlight the “best bits” as well as explaining to you the plan for season three which is largely based on feedback from you, my listeners.

Season Two Best Bits

(02:35)

The first episode was 15 December 2017. There were no “seasons” then. Season two spanned episodes 64 to 100, so I called episodes one to 63 season one.

Season two’s best bits included:

  • Episode 65: Using Batching to be a Productive Teacher or Trainer (using podcast planning and marking as an example).
  • Episode 66: The Power of Sticky Notes (including the history of the humble sticky note and seven ways you can use them in your classroom).
  • Episode 67: Seven Ways to Simplify Your Life Outside Work (including wardrobe, paying bills, meals, batching, saying no, calendar planning and household chores).
  • Episode 75: 5 More Ways Teachers and Trainers Can Improve Presentations (a follow up to episode 45, exploring branding, presentation purpose, notes, grid design and bullets).
  • Episode 78: One Teacher's Journey to Productivity: An Interview with Justin Hockey (fellow teacher and productivity nerd).
  • Episode 82: Four Methods for Formative Assessment (including discussion and questioning, quizzes, peer assessment and coded feedback).
  • Episode 88: How I Read and Take Notes on a Journal Article (sharing my method and tools, refined during the first year of my master’s study).
  • Episode 89: Mind Maps for Teachers, Trainers and Students (exploring what mind maps are and how to create them by hand and digitally).
  • Episode 92: How I Run an Online Class (a COVID crisis inspired episode sharing my approach and tools).
  • Episode 100: An Interview with Oliver Caviglioli (the finale to season two - a fun and interesting interview with a real-life education rockstar!)

Episode locations are: theteachingspace.com/episode number in digits (e.g. theteachingspace.com/101).

Plan for Season Three

(10:42)

Towards the end of season two I sent a questionnaire to my email newsletter subscribers asking for feedback on the podcast to shape season three. Off the back of that, I am trying a new approach. Here are the headlines:

  • Longer episodes, once a fortnight, no break for holidays except summer.
  • More interviews.
  • More video.
  • Change to music.
  • Brief, but time-stamped show notes.
  • Live shows… maybe.
Wrap Up

(15:15)

Please subscribe to receive The Teaching Space Extra, my weekly email newsletter: https://www.theteachingspace.com/tts-extra

Helpful Links
Aug 22, 202016:12
An Interview with Oliver Caviglioli

An Interview with Oliver Caviglioli

To read a full transcript of this interview, go to theteachingspace.com/100.

Jul 11, 202052:21
How to Provide Students with Recorded Verbal Feedback

How to Provide Students with Recorded Verbal Feedback

Episode 99 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores five methods for recording verbal feedback to students.

Introduction

As we know, feedback is an essential tool for formative assessment, and verbal feedback can be particularly powerful. However, sometimes, it is just not possible to provide verbal feedback at the right time. However, there are a variety of tools available that help you record verbal feedback and share it after the fact.

Except for the first suggestion, you will need a pair of headphones with a mic attached to use these tools (or a separate pair of headphones and a mic). Your school or college will hopefully be able to provide these.

Phone App

Depending on your students and your organisation's safeguarding and e-safety policies, one of the most accessible tools for recording feedback is a mobile phone. Most mobiles have a native audio recording app.

If you use yours, you can share the audio with the student afterwards (this is a little clunky as you will have to get it off your phone and into a storage area such as Google Drive so you can generate a link to the audio for the student). Or, you can allow your student to record the feedback on their phone. I appreciate this will not work in all situations, but if it is acceptable, getting the student to do this could encourage them to take ownership of their learning. The downside is that you do not have a copy of the feedback, but you could record it yourself as well, or use a transcription app while recording.

Loom

I won't spend too much time on Loom because if you have been listening to the show for a while, you will know I am a big fan of this free, screen recording tool. Recording your screen is a great way to give verbal feedback on any screen-based work, for example, a written assignment.

Turnitin Voice Comments

If your organisation uses Turnitin, then there is a voice comment tool built in to their Feedback Studio. Several colleagues of mine have been using it effectively. What they tend to do is take a comment bank approach to general comments (Turnitin calls these QuickMarks) and give an overall voice comment at the top of the assignment.

Kaizena

Kaizena is an easy to use Google Docs and Slides add-on that enables you to leave voice comments on students’ work. Its limitation is that you can only use it on Docs and Slides, but it does work seamlessly with these formats. If you are used to marking work via Google Classroom and leaving comments, then you will likely be able to work Kaizena out in minutes. It is worth a look.

Vocaroo

Vocaroo is my my favourite tool of all. Please don't be put off by the terrible website. Vocaroo does one thing incredibly well. It allows you to record a voice comment in two clicks and generate a link to that comment straight away. You can then paste the link anywhere you want. It's basically Loom, but for audio. Brilliant!

Wrap Up

And that's it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you'd like to share, please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

Jul 04, 202008:39
Time Blocking for Teachers and Trainers Revisited

Time Blocking for Teachers and Trainers Revisited

Episode 98 of The Teaching Space Podcast revisits time blocking and why it is an essential strategy for teachers and trainers.

Introduction

Episode 62 of the podcast introduced the idea of time blocking. Here’s how I described it in that episode:

"There are probably lots of different definitions, but for me, it is planning every single 15-minute block of my day (this includes rest, breaks etc.). Every. Single. Thing. Goes. On. The. Calendar."

The idea being that if something is on the calendar, it gets done.

I went on to explain my Google Calendar approach (if you have not listened to the episode, it would be a great idea to do so, to get a feel for what I was doing then and what I am doing now).

Incidentally, time blocking can be done using a paper calendar very easily, so please don't be put off by my regular references to Google Calendar. Also, if you use Outlook, it is easy to use colour coding to differentiate between time blocks and other specifically scheduled activities.

Not Just a Strategy for When You are Busy

In the past, I tended to use time blocking when I was at my busiest. It was the only way I could get everything done and stay on top of my workload. However, I have now changed that approach, and I time block my day regardless of how busy I am. If I don't have a lot on, I will schedule relaxation, exercise, professional reading… whatever is appropriate. The entire day is blocked, including relaxation time in the evening and meal breaks.

One of the benefits of time blocking every day is that it helps establish routine. For example, morning and evening routines (encompassing when you wake up and go to bed) can be set to reoccur if you are using a digital calendar.

You can also schedule batching as your timetable allows (see episode 65).

Simplified Calendars

One change I have made since the last podcast is that I have simplified my Google Calendar setup. Side note: the great thing about Google Calendar is you can have multiple calendars that show events in different colours, but you view them all overlaid in one calendar, and you can toggle each one on and off.

Previously my calendars were:

  • External appointments
  • Internal appointments
  • Events
  • Get stuff done (this is for tasks)
  • The Teaching Space
  • Martine Makes
  • Health

Now they are:

  • Events and appointments
  • Martine Makes
  • Planning
  • Tasks and study
  • The Teaching Space

I also have the 'reminders' calendar enabled, but not 'tasks'.

INSERT CALENDAR 1 SCREENSHOT

This simplified approach is far easier for me. Events and appointments are my default calendar, which makes sense as these are the things I schedule most often. However, the important addition is 'planning'.

My Planning Calendar

Rather than time blocking in each of the above categories, I time block my entire day in the planning calendar so that I can see my ideal day, however, things like appointments are still visible. This is helpful because if I had a 30-minute appointment at noon offsite, I could create a time block of one hour to include 15 minutes either side for travel. This gives me a far more accurate picture of my day. There is a basic (non-teaching) example in the show notes.

See theteachingspace.com/98 for images.

Your Blocks

Another slight adjustment is that I don't block in 15-minute increments now. My minimum is 30 minutes, and even then I prefer to time block an hour at a time, to buy a little breathing space. If something takes less time than expected, I will use what's left for checking emails (although it is better to block that time, of course).

Test Your Planning

The next logical step for time blocking is to try tracking your time with a tool like Toggl to see if what you are planning works out in reality. I've not taken things to this stage yet, but you never know. It might be an interesting experiment.

Wrap Up

And that's it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you'd like to share, please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. I'd be interested to hear about your approach to planning your day.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

Jun 27, 202009:11
Three Fantastic Chrome Extensions for Teachers and Trainers

Three Fantastic Chrome Extensions for Teachers and Trainers

Episode 97 of The Teaching Space Podcast shares three fantastic Chrome extensions for teachers and trainers.

Introduction

Oh I love a useful Chrome extension (when I remember they are there!) On the off chance you have never used a Chrome extension, I'll give you Google Chrome's definition:

"Extensions are small software programs that customize the browsing experience. They enable users to tailor Chrome functionality and behavior to individual needs or preferences. They are built on web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

An extension must fulfill a single purpose that is narrowly defined and easy to understand. A single extension can include multiple components and a range of functionality, as long as everything contributes towards a common purpose."

(What are extensions? - Google Chrome, 2020)

Here are three of my favourites which have been getting a lot of use, lately. They are Toby, Loom and Grammarly.

Toby

I have just started using Toby, and I think it could be a game-changing Chrome extension for me - certainly in supporting my podcast workflow, but I can see it being useful in many work contexts too.

"Toby is better than bookmarks, it levels up your Chrome browser. Toby is a visual workspace that lives on every new tab. Add new tabs by dragging and dropping your browser tabs into collections or save a whole session in just one-click. Access all of your collections on any desktop with automatic sync. Use tags to organize your collections or create notes for your to-dos" (Toby for Chrome, 2020).

So, going back to the podcasting workflow, when I am ready to publish a podcast, in one click I can have all of the browser tabs open I need (e.g. hosting website, my website and all social media platform sites). While it might only save seconds, seconds add up.

Loom

I wrote a blog post about Loom in the very early days of starting The Teaching Space podcast, and I am still a massive fan.

Loom is a Chrome extension which enables you to record your screen and share a link to the video in just a few clicks (usually just one click to record, one-click to finish). You don't need to download the video or think about where you are going to host it. Loom takes care of all of that. A link to your video is automatically generated and placed on your clipboard, ready to be pasted wherever you like (email, Google Classroom, etc.).

At the time of writing, Loom Pro is free for teachers. It was made free in response to the COVID-19 crisis and looks like it is going to stay that way.

I find Loom extremely useful when a colleague or student needs me to explain something technical (e.g. screen-based), and we are not in the same room. It is also great for recording presentations and giving students feedback on an assignment.

Grammarly

Finally, Grammarly saves me from making spelling, punctuation and grammar errors every single day and is available as a Chrome extension. The bonus of having Grammarly in your browser is that you can use it virtually everywhere.

I recently "treated" myself to the paid version of Grammarly as I have some large writing projects coming up. However, the free version is excellent and sufficient for most. Compare plans here.

Grammarly is also available as a Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer extension so very versatile. It works with MS Word, Outlook and Google Docs and other native apps for Windows and macOS. I have also recently installed the Grammarly keyboard on my iPhone, which is fantastic. One unexpected bonus is an emoji search option!

Wrap Up

And that's it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you'd like to share, please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

References

Toby for Chrome (2020) Chrome.Google.Com, [Online]. Available at https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/toby-for-chrome/hddnkoipeenegfoeaoibdmnaalmgkpip?hl=en (Accessed 12 April 2020).

What are extensions? - Google Chrome (2020) Developer.Chrome.Com, [Online]. Available at https://developer.chrome.com/extensions (Accessed 11 April 2020).

Jun 20, 202008:48
My Productivity Toolkit in 2020

My Productivity Toolkit in 2020

Episode 96 of The Teaching Space Podcast is a review of my current productivity toolkit in 2020.

Introduction

I make no secret that I love productivity tools and change my setup from time-to-time. This episode is a follow on to episode 59. In that episode I mentioned five apps: Todoist, Google Calendar, Notion, Forest and Ulysses. I will start by updating you on where I am with these apps, and then share additions to my toolkit.

Todoist

This is the biggest change - I no longer use Todoist as my task manager. I switched to TickTick some time ago; right after I interviewed Francesco D’Alessio actually. He highlighted some elements of TickTick that I might like. He was right, and I have been a TickTick fan ever since!

Initially I joined TickTick because I liked their calendar view. Ironically, I don't use that anymore, and their features are quite similar to Todoist. If you are unsure about which to choose between the two, they are both very solid task management apps. This review appears current and balanced. There's just one inaccuracy I spotted - I can use emojis in TickTick. I like the feel of TickTick and will be using it for the foreseeable future.

Google Calendar

I continue to be a massive fan of Google Calendar. I have recently streamlined my approach to using multiple calendars and time blocking and am very happy with it. I plan to revisit this topic in a future podcast. Other than streamlining, the other change I have made in this area is I use an app to view my Google Calendar (also my emails) when on desktop. The app is Boxy Suite. I managed to get a special deal on it through AppSumo. While it is not an essential addition to my toolkit, it's a "nice to have".

Notion

I am still using Notion and love it as a concept. It's the hub of my podcast and video production; it makes collaboration with my virtual assistant seamless. If I wrote blog posts regularly I would handle them through Notion too. I continue to do my big picture planning in Notion which include things like annual and quarterly targets. As a task manager, Notion never quite worked for me. Looking back on podcast episode 59, it seems I am using Notion in a similar way to how I was then.

Forest

Forest is one of my favourite focus apps and stops me using my mobile when I need to be in focus mode. It’s a gamified Pomodoro timer, essentially. While I still use Forest, I should probably use it more often than I do!

Ulysses

Back in episode 83 I reviewed three note-taking apps as I wanted to see I was missing anything, being a Ulysses user. The apps I reviewed were SimpleNote, OneNote and Bear. Bear and OneNote came out on top. I used Bear for a while but ended up finding the document organisation structure confusing and limiting (most people love it, for me, it just did not work). I went back to Ulysses and, with the help of a Shawn Blanc course (The Sweet Setup), I am using it well. My only bugbear is I wish I could use Ulysses on my PC at work. However, splitting work and non-work writing has its benefits. I have enjoyed using OneNote for my Open University study and continue to rate it highly.

What’s New?
  • Drafts is my quick capture writing ‘bucket’ as explained in episode 91.
  • I have reluctantly started using WhatsApp for some communication.
  • MindNode is now a really important part of my toolkit for mind-mapping as explained in episode 89.
  • In combination with OneNote for my OU study I have been using GoodNotes for organising and annotating PDFs. I explain this more in episode 88.
  • Noisli is now a firm favourite to help me focus, as discussed in episode 95.
Wrap Up

And that's it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you'd like to share, please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. I'd love to hear about your productivity tool preferences.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

Jun 13, 202009:27
My Top Three Noise-Cancelling Apps and Websites

My Top Three Noise-Cancelling Apps and Websites

Episode 95 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores three noise-cancelling apps and websites.

Introduction

I am sensitive to noise and get distracted easily by sounds. This, of course, can have a massive effect on my productivity and focus. Over the years, I have realised the importance of carrying headphones with me everywhere. Currently I am enjoying Apple’s latest invention - AirPods Pro. Of course, the only downside of earbuds is that my hair hides them! Sometimes you want people to know that you are in focus mode. That's where over-ear headphones are great. They send a message. I am yet to find a pair of over-ear headphones with sufficient noise cancellation - if you can recommend anything, please let me know. Ideally, I want something that folds up so it can live in my bag.

As well as regularly using headphones, I also play music or sounds to help me focus. In this episode, I am going to share three options with you.

Noisli
  • Name: Noisli
  • Link: https://www.noisli.com/
  • About: Focusses specifically on masking background sounds (or, equally, beating silence) using sounds such as rain, thunder or cafe chatter. Noisli is available on Web, as a Chrome Extension and on mobile for iOS and Android. You can synchronise your favourite Combos across apps.
  • Features: Sounds (which can be combined), curated playlists, timer and a distraction-free text editor.
  • Pricing structure: Freemium (Free version offers plenty to get you started ). Pro is $10 a month billed yearly, and there is a Business option for teams starting at $24 per month billed yearly (two staff members).
  • Comments: Straightforward to use with a beautiful, calm interface. I love the ability to create combos, and the timer is useful. After you have been using it a while, you start hearing the sound loops, so there is the temptation to upgrade to access more sounds. The app and Chrome extension are fab.
Brain.fm
  • Name: Brain.fm
  • Link: https://www.brain.fm/
  • About: According to their website ‘Our science-first approach creates music that sounds different–and affects your brain differently–than any other music’.
  • Features: Music rather than sounds. Split into three categories: focus, relax and sleep. App available for iOS and Android. Timer option.
  • Pricing structure: Freemium (you can try five sessions for free). Thereafter, you will pay $6.99 monthly or $49.99 yearly.
  • Comments: Simple interface (if a little brightly coloured) enough options but not overwhelming. It works.
YouTube
  • Name: YouTube
  • Link: https://www.youtube.com/
  • About: This is your free option; there is a plethora of free tracks available on YouTube, just search ‘concentration music’ or ‘focus music’ and try a few out.
  • Features: Consider setting up a YouTube playlist to save your favourite tracks.
  • Pricing structure: totally free (unless YouTube Premium is an option in your country).
  • Comments: This is the perfect no budget option. It is worth spending some time researching YouTubers you like and curating that playlist. Be creative when searching, for example, if you are studying try ‘study music’ or ‘study sounds’. Other options are ‘white noise’ and ‘brown noise’. Don’t forget - if you have a music subscription like Amazon Music, for example, you can search for all of these terms there too.
What Did I Think?

YouTube is, of course, a great place to start with zero cost or risk. The downsides include adverts and the need for an internet connection.

With Noisli and Brain.fm, you aren't comparing apples to apples. The choice between the two comes down to personal preference. For me, I prefer sounds over music so I will be opting for Noisli. The free option is excellent, so you can get a feel for how it works for you and perhaps stick with that. Noisli also offers a 50% discount for students and teachers, you can find out more here at noisli.com/education. However, Noisli doesn't have sleep specific options included in the free option (Pro has a specific sleep playlist). Noisli is the most expensive option. Brain.fm is a good price, has good variety and covers different needs. All in all, it's a great allrounder. They both work, but in my opinion, they do different things for different people.

Wrap Up

And that's it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you'd like to share, please do so in The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. I'd love to hear how you deal with distractions and whether you have tried out any of the tools I mentioned.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

Jun 06, 202010:33
Three Tips for Organising Your Google Classroom

Three Tips for Organising Your Google Classroom

Episode 94 of The Teaching Space Podcast shares three tips for an organised Google Classroom.

Introduction

I wouldn't usually focus on a single tool that you might or might use for a podcast; however, I think the ideas behind these tips can apply to other tools in a more general sense, so I hope they are helpful. I am dealing with some concepts that will likely be communicated better visually so please pop over to the show notes to see some annotated screenshots: theteachingspace.com/94.

Tip One: Organise Your Classwork Area

Your Classwork area is where all your resources for lessons are stored, along with assignments and tasks. This area must be straightforward for students to navigate. Here are some tips:

  1. Decide on your structure in advance (weeks, units, lessons?) and use topics as headers.
  2. Use capital letters consistently for visual consistency.
  3. Name topics and containers for resources consistently (e.g. UNIT 301 > SESSION 1 > HOMEWORK).
  4. Use emoji to group elements together.

Tip Two: Tidy Up the Stream

The Stream is the hub of communication. By default, when the teacher posts a resource in the Classwork area, there is a notification in the Stream. These notifications can clutter the Stream. You can change this, though. On your Classwork page, click the settings' cog' and change the settings as follows:

General > Classwork on the stream > Hide notifications

In addition to this, it is easy to move a post to the top of the Stream. You could move a ground rules or expectations post to the top, for example.

Create and post a message then click the three little dots at the top right and select MOVE TO TOP.

Tip Three: Notifications

Finally, I only found this out recently - you have complete control over the notifications you get from Google Classroom.

On the main page where you see all your classes, click the hamburger menu at the top left-hand side of the screen to access settings.

Wrap Up

And that's it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you'd like to share, please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

May 30, 202009:39
Successful Video Conferencing for Teachers and Trainers

Successful Video Conferencing for Teachers and Trainers

Episode 93 of The Teaching Space Podcast looks at what makes a successful video conference call.

Introduction

This episode has been inspired by the recent increase in video calls I've experienced as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. While I certainly don't profess to be an expert video call host or participant, I realised early on that I'd had a bit more experience than some in this area. I thought it would be useful to compile and share some top tips for a successful call.

I'll start with general tips then focus on a few student-specific issues. Please remember, I teach adults, but I will touch briefly on general child protection issues

Tools

This is not an episode about tools but it would be remiss not to mention The Big Three I’ve used lately, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Because my experience is mostly with Google, I’m not going to do a comparison as it would be biased. I just have a few things to mention though:

Google recently increased access to their premium Meet options allowing users to record and have more control over aspects of the call. This upgrade has been a game-changer for me - utterly essential - if they decide to downgrade, it might prevent me using the tool for educational purposes in the future. Recording calls and having a record of the chat is essential to me. Fingers crossed they keep the feature as part of the free G Suite for Education package as I do not see my organisation paying for it.

It looks like Microsoft has done something similar with Teams although I am less familiar with what the upgrade entails.

This article explains more.

Zoom is something I have used more in a business capacity. It's an excellent tool with similar features to the other two, however, it has been subject to negative press recently over security concerns. Google 'Zoom-bombing' and decide for yourself.

General Video Call Tips and Etiquette
  1. Set expectations at the start if you are hosting, for example, participants on mute but can ‘raise their hand to speak’ in the chat, questions in chat etc.
  2. Be prepared - especially if you are hosting. Usual meeting rules apply e.g. agenda, minutes, give notice etc.
  3. Where possible, have someone hosting the meeting/session and someone monitoring the chat and communicating with the host.
  4. If you want to record the call, ask permission of all participants (ask them to consent or decline in chat).
  5. Wear headphones to avoid feedback issues.
  6. Arrive early to check your headphones, mic and other technology are working (applies to host and attendees).
  7. Mute your mic on arrival.
  8. Dress appropriately (audience and context matter here).
  9. Try to look into the camera.
  10. Give some thought to light and framing.
  11. Make full use of the chat function.
  12. Consider your background (especially when working from home). Teams has a blur background function.
  13. Make best efforts to get to know the platform before your first call (YouTube/Google it).
  14. Don’t multi-task.
  15. Please don’t eat!
Calls with Students

There is some extra consideration needed when undertaking calls with students, especially children and vulnerable adults. Follow your organisation's recommendations as they will be working to comply with the relevant child protection policy and legislation. Generally, recommendations are likely to fall into these areas:

  1. Consideration to the location of each individual on the call and possible recommendations for cameras being turned off.
  2. Restrictions around recording and sharing recorded calls.
  3. Access to technology.
  4. Supervision on calls.
  5. Use of School/College email address for communication.
  6. Staff/student number ratio.

There will also be behaviour management considerations, for example, understanding who has control over muting and leaving/joining the call. There is lots of platform-specific guidance on this available online. Also, the level of interaction on the call will relate directly to the size of the group. For larger groups, consider a flipped approach as explained in the previous episode and smaller tutorial groups if possible.

Wrap Up

And that's it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you'd like to share, please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. I'd love to know about your experience of video calls in an education setting.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

May 23, 202012:16
How I Run an Online Class

How I Run an Online Class

Episode 92 of The Teaching Space Podcast is about my approach to running an online class.

Introduction

I am recording this episode in April 2020 while Guernsey is locked down in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Because I bulk record my episodes, you will be listening to this in the future. I hope that life has got back to some semblance of normal now, but I suspect things won't ever be the same again. This episode, and the next few that follow, are inspired by my personal experience of teaching classes remotely from my office at home.

Context

It's essential I am clear on my context, because with it, comes some privilege - particularly concerning the resources I can access.

What I don't want to happen is for you to listen to this and think "this is how I need to work now" because it might not be right for you. Anything I share on the podcast must be considered in your context (students, workload, subject, resources etc) before you decided to try things out. One of the main points of this show is to help you achieve work/life balance, so, for example, if I explain my approach and it is too labour intensive for your context or plain wrong - that is ok. I share ideas in the spirit that it "might help or inspire someone".

My context in a nutshell:

  • I teach adults (initial teacher trainees, trainee assessors and trainee quality assurers).
  • While my courses have some practical elements, there is also a lot of theory, which lends itself well to SOME online delivery.
  • I have a dual role, so teach fewer hours than most full-time teachers (half of my role is professional development and promoting scholarly activity).
  • I have a genuine interest in technology for learning and lots of experience in this area - I also have access to decent tech tools and bandwidth (at home!)

What follows is based on the first online session I delivered from home during the crisis - subsequent sessions followed a similar format.

Rationale

I was keen to limit teaching (as in, delivering content) live online because I find it utterly exhausting and I was not sure it was right for my students. Also, as adults, I can assume a degree of independence in their approach to studying; also, they all pay to come on my courses, so their motivation is usually high.

My Approach

I opted for a flipped approach.

My in-person sessions are usually three hours long, so I asked students to keep the time slot free and check-in before the scheduled start time to pick up instructions via Google Classroom.

I shared an instructions post on the stream and copied those instructions to the classwork area too, where the session's resources are shared.

Below is a screenshot of the Classwork area of my Google Classroom showing the first session I delivered in this format. You will see there are video and text chat documents in there too - these are from our Google Meet session and were added afterwards. I will explain this shortly.

This session is usually 18.00 - 21.00, so this is what I planned:

  • 18.00 - 19.00: students watch video of delivery in their own time and make notes.
  • 19.00 - 20.00: gather online in a Google Meet for a planned discussion activity.
  • 20.00 (or after): complete quiz homework.

Let’s break this down.

Video of Delivery

I had a presentation and session plan already prepared for this session. I pared it down and stripped out the activities to the bare minimum of input, knowing that a fair bit could be covered in a discussion afterwards. I then screen recorded my presentation delivery (not my face, just my screen). I use a tool called Screenflow for Mac as it is a tool I already own and I like the editing interface. There is no need to spend too much time on the recording aspect. I did edit but only because I could. However, you could do just as good a job using a free tool such as Loom, and there is no need to edit anything.

I posted the video to my YouTube channel as unlisted, meaning that only people with the link can view the video. With Loom, there is no need for this step as a link to your video is generated automatically.

Videos ended up being around 30 minutes long, leave the students a further 30 minutes to make notes and revisit sections as needed.

Discussion Activity

This was the live element of the session. My students joined a Google Meet (I did a practice run beforehand to establish protocols for this new set up - I will tell you about that in next week's episode when we will focus on video conferencing). I had one absence for this first session (again, adults).

I'd written a list of questions and discussion topics based on the criteria for the session. I steered the group through those questions.

The session and chat were recorded and shared in the Google Classroom afterwards. Google has extended its Meet services to include recording and other advanced features to support teachers during the COVID-19 crisis. I'll expand on this in the next episode.

Homework

I set a Quizizz for homework that students could do straight after the session if they wanted, directly tied to the criteria of the session, as a formative assessment.

How Did it Go?

That first one went well, and subsequent sessions have been similar. My initial teacher trainees have found the experience useful as they have been able to reflect on the differences between teaching and learning online compared to in-person.

I enjoyed the challenge, but it is not something I would want to do every week. The preparation is incredibly time-consuming, and I missed the activities we do in sessions. You cannot replicate them online. Furthermore, when you teach teaching, there's a lot of modelling practice that happens, and you cannot replicate that online either.

The experience has been fascinating. I have always thought that online or flipped learning has a place, but for me and my subject area, it would only be a percentage of the curriculum.

Wrap Up

And that’s it. I’d really love to hear about your experience of teaching online. Please drop into The Teaching Space Community to chat: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join me for the next episode.

May 16, 202012:32
My Number One Productivity Tip for Teachers and Trainers

My Number One Productivity Tip for Teachers and Trainers

Episode 91 of The Teaching Space Podcast explains my number one productivity tip for teachers and trainers.

Introduction

Let’s talk about the biggest challenge facing teachers today - too much to do and not enough time. There is so much information in a teacher’s head at any one time, it is amazing anything gets done. I wish this wasn’t the case, but I strongly believe it is. It is one of the reasons I started this podcast. While I wish I could go to the root of the problem and fix it (that’s a topic for another podcast) what I would like to do in this episode is share just one tip to help you keep on top of that enormous workload. And it is a good tip, I promise. Perhaps, I will throw in some bonus resources too if we have time… let’s see!

The Solution

While this will not solve all of your problems, it is, I believe, the starting point for being a productive teacher. Full disclosure, it is not entirely my idea. I stole it from David Allen, creator of the Getting Things Done productivity method (definitely worth a read, by the way!)

A typical teacher has information coming at them from all directions - let’s call it input. For example, emails, text messages, meetings and phone calls with line managers, students, parents, colleagues… They’re likely asking for something or sharing information, or giving instructions. This doesn’t even take into account input from your personal life, but there will be plenty of that. Even seemingly ‘fun’ things like reading books or articles or social media; it’s all input. There are also ideas floating around your head, questions you need to ask, tasks you need to complete, appointments you need to attend. It’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed at times.

The problem with all of this input is that it tends to end up in different places. From sticky notes to paper lists, to digital lists, to the back of your hand… it’s everywhere. Spreading things in this way means that invariably something gets missed or lost.

My top productivity tip is to have one trusted place to capture everything. Think of it as a bucket. Get everything out of your head and into one bucket, then life will be easier. Things don’t live in the bucket, they get filtered into their rightful home. But they all start in the bucket.

Your bucket might be a small notepad that lives in your pocket (it needs to be with you or close by at all times). For many of us, our bucket is our phone. The problem with phones, however, is that they have lots of apps. Which app is your bucket? Is it a notes app or an audio app? What suits your needs best?

For me, it’s a simple app called Drafts. It is one of the few apps on my phone that does not sit in a folder, so it is easy to access. It’s a text app with a difference - every time you open the app a new document or note is created and saved automatically. You do not have to think about where to save the note and what to call it. I put random ideas in here, quotes, thoughts, questions, to-do items … anything that needs a temporary home before I put it in its real bucket. The only thing I do not do this with is appointments - they have their own, easily accessible bucket: my Google Calendar. That’s because if I am booking an appointment I will need to check my availability and the only way I can do that is by looking at my calendar.

Drafts gets cleared at the end of each day all being well. To-do items go to my task manager in TickTick and other items get filed in the same way. For example, if I have had a podcast idea, that topic gets moved into my podcast planning board in Notion.

The idea of your initial trusted bucket is that you don’t have to spend time deciding where to ‘file’ information. For example, to add a to-do item to my task manager I have to consider which category it belongs to (e.g. personal, work, podcast) and then assign a due date. If it goes in my trusted bucket first, I can deal with these details when I can allocate time to them (for example as part of my end of day routine). Things do not get missed.

What do you think? Do you need a bucket?

Bonus Tips Wrap Up

And that’s it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

May 09, 202010:27
Should I Start a Teaching Blog?

Should I Start a Teaching Blog?

Episode 90 of The Teaching Space Podcast attempts to answer this question: should I start a teaching blog?

Introduction

I’m often asked where I get ideas for podcast episodes (which, 90 episodes in, is a fair question!) My favourite episodes are those that answer questions I am asked. This episode is one of those.

A colleague asked me if they should start a teaching blog; I have recorded this response. The short answer is YES as more voices are needed in the online teaching community. We lack diversity. My colleague, of course, works in further education, so this is an area in particular that would benefit from more voices. But I would encourage anyone who thinks they might have something to say to start writing (notice I am not saying ‘start a blog’ yet!)

This episode will look at writing in a more general sense before digging into blogging so there will be something for everyone.

It All Starts With Writing

One of my favourite business podcasts is the Seanwes podcast; I have listened for years. One of Sean’s mantras (he has a few!) is ‘it all starts with writing’. And he’s right. So much of what I do starts with writing, for example:

  • Lesson or course planning
  • Creating resources
  • Podcast episodes
  • Presentations
  • Social media messages
  • Email newsletters

Let’s face it - most communication these days starts with writing!

This is just one of the reasons writing is important. Before you decide whether or not you want to start a blog, I would suggest it is more important to establish a writing habit. Here’s some content on this topic from Sean.

By writing regularly, you can develop your technical writing skills of course, but also your voice. The more you write, the more you have to say (this podcast is a case in point).

As a teacher, writing allows me to participate in current education discussions, for example, through social media. It allows me to access a far wider community of teaching professionals than my immediate colleagues. It can be reflective, sometimes therapeutic, and always developmental. Remember, I am just talking about writing at the moment. You don’t have to share everything you write.

Writing has created opportunities for me such as speaking at events and writing for other publications. I was able to publish my first book, The Productive Teacher, over a year ago: this was a lifelong ambition for me.

Finally, writing allows me to give something back to the teaching community that I am so proud to be a part of.

Are There Any Downsides?

I honestly cannot think of any downsides to simply writing (not necessarily for publication). I guess it ‘takes time’, but time well spent really cannot be called a downside.

If you are writing for a blog (or podcast), for example, there is the challenge of coming up with content ideas. But as I explained previously, writing generates ideas. One of the best ways to come up with content ideas is to listen to the challenges members of your community face and see if you can help them with your writing.

One important thing to consider - and this should not be thought of as a downside - is that your employer is comfortable with what you intend to publish. For example, if you start a blog, it might be that you are required to make it clear on the blog that your opinions are your own and not those of your employer. This might also apply to social media. I’d like to think that most employers would encourage you to engage professionally in the wider teaching community.

Also, not everyone will agree with your view. Be ready for that. Know how much you plan to share and where you boundaries are.

Finally, there is the consideration of cost (again, a consideration, not a downside). You can start writing for free and you can publish a blog for free. You can also spend money if you want to. More on that in a moment.

How to Get Started

You’ve decided you have something to say. You’ve started writing regularly and feel ready to share it with the world. How do you get started? This is a very quick and dirty guide.

Here’s a thought: it might be that you don’t start a blog straight away. Perhaps start on social media. Twitter is a great platform for teachers and trainers and, trust me, crafting the perfect tweet takes considerable skill. You can spread longer messages too by using threaded tweets. Instagram is also an interesting platform. It is image focussed, of course, but there is lots of space for you to write something meaningful underneath that image.

If you’re ready to go all-in on your teaching blog, social media will come in handy for sharing your message after you’ve written a blog post, so I would recommend starting a Twitter account connected to your blog as a minimum. After that, you need to choose a blogging platform.

There is an overwhelming range of blogging platforms to choose from and I have tried most of them. If I was starting a free blog from scratch today, I’d probably opt for Blogger or Wordpress.com in the first instance but I would also share my articles to Medium. I have heard some great things about Wix but have personally never used it.

If you have a little budget to spend on your blog I would recommend you go for Squarespace and purchase your own domain (for me, that is theteachingspace.com as opposed to theteachingspace.squarespace.com). The Squarespace platform will enable you to create a beautiful website including a blog with limited technical skills. Unless you are super-tech savvy I would not recommend Wordpress.org.

Once you have built your blog, the next step is to commit to a regular publishing schedule. ‘People don’t notice announcements, they notice consistency’ is another of Sean’s mantras that I love. Make sure your schedule is realistic and fits in with your other life commitments. I recommend batching your content creation.

Finally, you need to tell people your blog is there. Use social media (perhaps a social media scheduling tool - don’t just share your work once) and start an email list (MailChimp is recommended). Share your work.

Wrap Up

And that’s it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

May 02, 202010:55
Mind Maps for Teachers, Trainers and Students

Mind Maps for Teachers, Trainers and Students

Episode 89 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores the use of mind maps for teachers, trainers and students.

Introduction

There’s a lot of buzz about graphic organisers at the moment (also known as concept maps and knowledge organisers). And rightly so, they are an amazing way for students and teachers alike to chunk up aspects of a subject and make connections between themes and ideas. If you Google ‘graphic organisers’ you’ll find a range of templates from simple to complex. Oliver Caviglioli has some great templates and examples.

I’d like to go back to basics on this particular theme and focus on the one graphic organiser layout I know you will have used at one point before: the mind map.

What is a Mind Map?

It’s a map of information. You start with a central topic or theme and then you branch out into a map that looks like a cross between a spider’s web and a train map. I have planned this podcast episode using a mind map - check out the show notes to see it.

A mind map is a visual or graphic way of ‘chunking up’ and organising information, ideas and/or knowledge for a variety of different reasons. It is like an outline, but not linear; with a mind map can make connections between ideas. Tony Buzan refers to this approach as ‘radiant thinking’.

Why Use a Mind Map?

There are lots of different reasons. I tend to use them for planning (for example, this podcast episode, see the mind map below) but they can do so much more.

Mind maps are a great way for students to take notes in a lesson or plan a project or assignment. Teachers can use mind maps in the same way for professional learning and development. Mind maps can be used for event planning, goal setting and making notes on books you read.

How do I Make a Mind Map?

I’ll use the example of planning this podcast episode.

I started by putting my main theme in the centre of the page: ‘mind map podcast episode’. I then created several branches out from that theme to cover the main sections of the topic, these were:

  • What is a mind map?
  • Why use a mind map?
  • How do I make a mind map?
  • What tools do I need?
  • Why does mind mapping work?

Writing these first level sections (known as nodes or parent nodes) worked well as questions for this episode as I am trying to solve a problem.

I then created branches from each parent node (these are known as child nodes, and those on the same level are sibling nodes) to break down the answer to each question.

You’ll see in the show notes that the node called ‘why use a mind map?’ has two child nodes and then each child node has further child nodes.

Let’s talk tools.

What Tools do I Need?

There are a variety of different ways to make a mind map, the most obvious being pen and paper or a whiteboard. While I am normally a tech gal, I can certainly see the advantages of being hands on when mind mapping. That being said, if, like me, you love an app, then I can recommend Coggle and Mind Node; both have freemium pricing models. At the moment, I am using Mind Node.

Why Does Mind Mapping Work?

Mind mapping helps you make connections between ideas - in a learning environment this will hopefully be the creation of connections between existing knowledge and new knowledge. Also, mind mapping allows you to break complex ideas down into smaller chunks, this makes things easier to understand.

Wrap Up

And that’s it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Apr 25, 202009:33
Covid Crisis Check In

Covid Crisis Check In

Here's a word for word transcript of the episode:

Introduction
------------

Hello. It's Martine here. Welcome to the Teaching Space podcast. This is a special episode. It doesn't have a number so hopefully that won't be too confusing when it comes to looking at your list of episodes. I wanted to record a special episode today and the date is Friday, the 3rd of April. I'll be releasing this episode today as well. I don't normally tell you the date that I'm recording because I bulk record my episodes and make no apology for that. It's a very efficient way for me to work. The plus side is it means that I'm able to get out a weekly podcast episode to you during term time. The downside of course is that when something major happens, it's often quite hard for me to give a timely comment, certainly through the medium of the podcast because I'm usually a month or six weeks ahead of myself.

Why I am Recording Today
------------------------

However, we are living in very strange times and I thought it would be rude of me not to perhaps just record a little audio message in response to what is happening with regard to the COVID crisis and the experiences that a lot of teachers are going through at the moment. I don't speak for every single teacher. I can only share my own experience, but I think what I can do is hopefully reassure you that you are doing your best at the moment. I know you are and I'm going to kind of dig into that a little bit in a moment. That's the plan, at any rate. It's not scripted, today's episode. I've not put any music on it because it is very much a special episode. That's the reason I'm talking to you today and releasing something quickly. There won't be any show notes, although I might upload a transcript at a later date. That remains to be seen. I'll decide on that later.

You are Doing Your Best
-----------------------

As I said, the main reason for wanting to record something is to reassure you that you are doing great. You are doing your best and I know you are because I follow a lot of you on Twitter and I see what you're up to and I think one of the biggest challenges that I've experienced both personally and in talking to other teachers on social media and I was going to say face to face then. I don't mean face to face, you know what I mean. But there's a real sense amongst some people that they want to do more and they're really pushing themselves to do more. But actually I think it needs to be the other way around in a way. Certainly from a teaching and learning perspective, we need to lower some expectations and I'm going to dig into that again in a second.

Follow the Rules - Save Lives
-----------------------------

But you need to remember, I need to remember, we all need to remember that actually the massive thing that you are doing at the moment, the massive difference you're making is staying at home and following hygiene rules and social distancing. These things, following the rules are making a huge difference. In fact they're saving lives and sometimes we just need someone else to remind us that that's doing loads and that's fantastic and we should be happy that we're doing that.

Guernsey Update
---------------

I'll just do a very quick update on Guernsey in case you're interested. Guernsey's a very small island, our population's 63,000 or something like that and we have in the region of a 110 cases of the virus at the moment. And as I said, I'm recording on the third of April. We've had two deaths, I'm sad to say. If you think about the numbers of people who live on the island and compare that sort of ratio to the UK, I guess it looks like we're doing very well. We locked down the island and closed our borders and had a strict lockdown policy very early. We've been in lockdown for a week and I'm very proud of the way my island's government has responded to this situation. And hopefully we will benefit from that and I appreciate I'm a lot better off and we are a lot better off than many other parts of the world and for that I'm really grateful. I also feel really privileged that my employer supported the fact that I have an underlying health concern, which means I'm mildly auto immune or immunocompromised. I don't know what the correct terminology is, forgive me. But because of that I was allowed to work from home quite early on in the process, in the situation. I feel very privileged to be in that situation because a lot of people aren't. But I need to remind myself and as you need to remind yourself, that you are doing your best currently in a very difficult situation. Staying home means to saving lives.

Things I Learned Last Week
--------------------------

I think one of the biggest things I wanted to share with you is something that I sent out to my email list last weekend. Last weekend I was at the point where I'd had a week of experiencing a different way of working and I shared with my email list eight things I learned last week and I also popped them on Twitter as a threaded tweet and I wanted to reshare those with you now via the podcast but also elaborate on them a little bit because I've reflected on them since and I have more thoughts and I'm hoping this might be of some use, so let's do it.

Thing 1
-------

The first thing I learned last week and has been reinforced this week is that managing a video conference involving more than three people is quite a skill. I found that setting ground rules or expectations at the start of the video conference has been essential. Things like letting people know when you expect them to mute their mikes and how they should indicate that they want to speak and things like that. We've been doing online tutorials and staff meetings and things like that via Google Hangouts Meet, which has been really effective. We've also been experimenting with Microsoft Teams and both options have a chat facility. I've often been using the chat and getting people to indicate when they want to speak in the chat. The best case scenario, and I appreciate this is not always something that can happen, is if you've got one person hosting and one person monitoring the chat and those two people talk and that makes for quite an efficient to set up, in my opinion.

Also if you're using Google Hangouts Meet, you might have noticed that if your organisation is using G Suite for Education, they've given you a free upgrade and you're now able to record Google Hangouts and as the host you have some control over muting people, so I've certainly found that really, really useful. I'm running a couple of courses online and so being able to record a group tutorial when I've done a flipped learning type situation, having the recording and sharing it via Google Classroom has been excellent. I've also done this with some CPD sessions we've been running.

Thing 2
-------

Number two, super important and I'm so guilty of getting this wrong in week one, even though it's tempting to skip breaks when you're working at home, it is important you don't. You know what? Is more important that you don't get breaks when you're working from home. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to go for breaks. Your mental health will thank you for it. I'm pleased to report that this week I've done much better with my breaks. In fact, I've been really careful to make sure I schedule a one hour dog walk either over lunch or a bit later in the afternoon and that's when I can kind of get my fresh air and exercise and that has paid dividends.

Thing 3
-------

Number three, removing your work email app from your phone is a very good idea, especially when the office is just a few metres away. If you are working from home, this becomes really important. I for years didn't have emails on my phone from work and I don't quite know how that app crept up on me. It just ended up on my phone. I never checked it regularly because it was hidden. It was deeply hidden in a folder and I only ever checked it every now and again when, say for example I was out and about on a work meeting or something like that. I don't advocate putting your work emails on your phone, just full stop. However, I ended up doing it, going against what I promote just because it was convenient at the time and I never deleted it anyway. I've now deleted it and it will not ever be on my phone again and I really recommend if you do have, for example the Outlook or Gmail app on your phone and you see your work emails regularly, it is a good idea to distance, particularly when working from home.

I should clarify that all of these things that I learned are relating to in the main working from home and I do appreciate that you might be listening to this thinking, well I don't have the privilege of working from home. I am on the frontline and for that I am so grateful that you are doing that. And I'm sorry that you don't have the privilege of working from home and I fully recognise that that is a privilege I have.

Thing 4
-------

Number four, teaching online is not a replacement for teaching in person. It's really important that you lower your expectations of what is achievable and I know that's not easy, particularly if you're being pressured by leadership to just carry on as normal. It isn't possible. It's not a direct replacement for in person teaching. If you are able to please lower your expectations, manage the expectations of your learners and if applicable, their parents. If you are in a leadership role and you're listening to this, please support your teachers, support your trainers to lower expectations.

Thing 5
-------

Number five, preparing online teaching sessions takes a lot longer than preparing in person teaching sessions. This very much relates to number four. I personally have taken the approach of doing any online teaching that I'm expected to do as a flipped approach and I'm again, in a position of privilege that I'm technically skilled and it's easy for me to record a video of what I might have delivered as input in my sessions. If you're thinking, you know what? I'd really like to do that, but I don't know how. There are far less sophisticated tools that can help you. I use something called ScreenFlow. It's quite an expensive tool which I managed to get a special deal on and I use it to record my tutorial videos on YouTube, but you don't have to use this. If you want to try a flipped learning approach where you rather than deliver live, you prerecord your delivery and then have a live Google Hangout to discuss the input that you'd given by video than something like Loom is ideal.

You don't have to give a perfect delivery. It doesn't have to be edited because you don't edit your performance in class, now do you? Just do the very best you can with the tools that you've got. It does take longer to prepare online teaching and learning and that is why expectations need to be lowered.

Thing 6
-------

Number six, it's okay to limit your consumption of news and social media right now. In fact, it's probably very healthy. If you're in WhatsApp groups that you find a bit triggering because of what they're talking about then leave the WhatsApp group. If you're finding Facebook or Twitter is just too much, take the app off your phone. That's okay. Just know when you're being triggered by too much information, whether it is related to the coronavirus or not. Be aware and do something about it. I read a really good article which I will try and link to at a later date when I do some show notes and it was all about how there's a load of sort of productivity stuff going around at the moment in terms of Twitter and blog articles and podcasts and things like that about how everyone's got all this free time and they're being so super productive. It is okay to ignore all of that.

We are in a crisis situation. Who's productive in a crisis for Heaven's sake? Ignore it all. You don't have to be that productive person right now. If all you can manage is getting up and doing some emails and maybe putting one session together, that is going to have to be enough. You don't have to exercise every day and in two weeks become a top athlete and get everything for the rest of the academic year done in a week. Be realistic and be kind to yourself.

Thing 7
-------

This one might make you smile because you know I'm a tech girl. I love all the tech. Number seven, now is not the time to try to learn all of the tech tools. Pick one that does what you need. Watch a tutorial and use it. Don't look at this time as an opportunity to do all the professional development. It isn't the time. You're not focused in the way that you need to be. You have a problem, speak to a colleague, get a recommendation, find a solution, learn it, implement it. Tell your students you're trying something new. Hopefully they will be supportive and just do the very best you can.

Thing 8
-------

Finally, number eight, fresh air and gentle exercise can alleviate most minor irritations and frustrations. You know what? Something really good has come out of the past, how long has it been now? Do you know what? I don't even know what day it is to be fair, but something good has come out of this situation for me personally and that is that I am getting out outside every single day and I'm exercising by walking my dog. I'm enjoying the fresh air. I'm relishing being outside and clearing my head, and in just a week or so I've noticed an improvement to my fitness. I just feel so much better and that's a major win for me and I'm claiming that. I'm taking it. I'm not saying, just to go back to my previous point about not having to be uber productive right now, I'm not saying you should do that. That's not something that is a priority for you, but for me it's been a benefit to my mental health without a doubt.

Wrap Up
-------

And that's it. Like I said, it's a special episode. There's no music. I'm probably not going to edit hardly at all, so you'll have strange background noises and ums and ahs and all sorts of strange things. I just wanted to get on the podcast in real time and tell you, you are doing okay. You are doing the best you can in a very difficult situation. I've got your back. Look me up on Twitter if you want to have a chat in real time, you'll find me on there, Martine Guernsey. If you're avoiding social media, then you can email me hello@theteachingspace.com.

Don't forget there's the Teaching Space community if you want to chat in a different format so you can find the community if you just go to community.theteachingspace.com. It's really easy to join. There's a nice, nice group of people in there. We'd love to have you. After this episode airs, there will

Apr 03, 202015:42
How I Read and Take Notes on a Journal Article

How I Read and Take Notes on a Journal Article

Episode 88 of The Teaching Space Podcast explains my method for reading and taking notes on a journal article.

Introduction

At the time of recording, I am about half way through my first year of a Master’s in Education (listen to episode 80 if you would like to hear more about this). Something I really struggled with at the start, but is now starting to get a little easier, is reading and making notes on journal articles. In this episode, I will share my approach. This might well be something I make a video about in the future if anyone would be interested.

This episode is a follow up to episode 83 where I share some of my favourite note taking apps.

Definitely check out the show notes for this episode.

Tools I Use Document Storage

All PDF documents are added to my GoodNotes app for reading on my iPad. We also have a digital textbook for the course; I download extracts from that as PDFs and add to GoodNotes and are organised in folders.

Skim and Scan

Once documents are on my iPad I will usually skim and scan them to check they are worth reading in depth. BBC Skillswise has worksheets explaining skimming and scanning. When I know I want to read something in detail, I grab my Apple Pencil.

Highlighting and Making Notes on the Document

Typically, I will be asked to read a document with a few questions in mind. If I am not, I will make up my own questions or areas of focus based on my skim and scan.

In GoodNotes, I can copy and paste or type my questions or areas of focus in a text box on the first page of the document (see image below). I have GoodNotes set so when I do this, the text is on a pale pink background; it looks a bit like a sticky note. Having the text on a specific coloured background makes it eye-catching.

Insert ‘pink box image’ here

I then colour code the questions with different highlighter pen colours by putting a coloured blob next to each (see above). I love pastel coloured highlighters; one thing that is great about GoodNotes is you can set the highlighter colours yourself (see the doodle below for my favourite colours).

See show notes on theteachingspace.com.

Here’s a quick video explaining how to customise highlighter pen colours in GoodNotes.

See show notes on theteachingspace.com.

I then highlight key sections of text and sometimes make notes in the margin if needed (see below):

See show notes on theteachingspace.com.

Making Notes

If more detailed notes are required I will move to my desktop and split my screen between the GoodNotes desktop app and OneNote. You will see from the screenshot below that my reflective learning journal on OneNote is the home of notes like this.

See show notes on theteachingspace.com.

Wrap Up

And that’s it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Mar 28, 202009:22
Yoga for Teachers and Trainers

Yoga for Teachers and Trainers

Episode 87 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores yoga as a tool for wellbeing for teachers and trainers.

Introduction

Honestly, I have been unsure about recording this episode because there has, in the past, been negative chat in the community about educational organisations introducing a yoga initiative as a bit of a coverup for other issues. For example ‘workloads are too high; let’s put on a yoga class’… type thing. That’s not what this episode is about. And for the avoidance of doubt, I don’t think yoga should be classed as a form of compulsory professional development or used as a sticking plaster ☺️

My perspective is simply this: yoga, for some, is a great tool for building not only physical strength, but mental strength. It’s had a really positive effect on me so I thought I’d share it with you.

What is Yoga

There are lots of different definitions of yoga, but I’ve opted for this practical one from the NHS website:

‘Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that focuses on strength, flexibility and breathing to boost physical and mental wellbeing. The main components of yoga are postures (a series of movements designed to increase strength and flexibility) and breathing. The practice originated in India about 5,000 years ago and has been adapted in other countries in a variety of ways.’

Yoga for many is a spiritual practice rather than a form of exercise. I don’t class myself as particularly spiritual so I focus on the physical element. That being said, there are very few times in my week when I actually have a moment when my mind is empty - yoga does that for me. If that’s being spiritual, I’ll take it!

Why Yoga?

This podcast aims to help teachers and trainers work towards achieving a work/life balance. Teachers and trainers are some of the busiest people I know and as such, we need activities focussed on our bodies and minds more than many. As I just mentioned, yoga helps me empty my head - for that reason alone, it is perfect for teachers. I’m not saying it will do the same for you, but it’s something to try.

Incidentally, if yoga is not for you then it is still worth exploring meditation.

What I Look for in a Yoga Class

I’m fussy and that’s ok when you search for the right yoga class - it’s about you and your needs.

Something that is really important to me, for example, is that the class is inclusive - particularly in relation to bigger bodies. It’s hard to put a finger on what that looks like but it might mean people with larger bodies attend. It might mean blocks and straps are available to borrow and their use is encouraged. I don’t like chanting; I don’t like a class that feels too serious. I like to be able to arrive early and hide in a corner. And, along the same lines, I like to be able to book online (introvert!)

I attend a couple of classes a week but my favourite is on a Sunday morning as it really sets me up for the week to come; timing is important.

Home Practice

If you’re totally new to yoga and feel intimidated by the idea of attending a class, then you could consider practising at home. While I do a little home practice, generally I need the motivation of a class to attend, but everyone is different.

For home practice I highly recommend Yoga With Adriene. She has lots of free videos on YouTube as well as a subscription-based app. There are also channels sharing yoga practice aimed at people with limited mobility and bigger bodies.

Yoga Kit

To practice yoga, you need a mat. That’s it. I like a few other props too, including a bolster, blocks, a strap and an eye pillow, but you don’t need them to get started. An eye pillow is lovely for relaxation and a bolster is great under my legs when I am lying down to support my back. Here are my favourites:

Wrap Up

And that’s it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Mar 21, 202009:21
5 More Ways Teachers Can Mark Faster and Smarter

5 More Ways Teachers Can Mark Faster and Smarter

Episode 86 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores 5 more ways teachers can mark faster and smarter.

Introduction

This episode is a follow up to podcast episode 6 in which we looked at:

  1. Feedback abbreviations
  2. Feedback database
  3. Rubrics
  4. Peer and self-assessment
  5. Video feedback
1. Work Less Than Your Students

The idea of marking so you work less than your students is inspired by a blog post I read on Teacher Toolkit. It’s not a tool as such, it is more of a mindset, and will, of course, be dictated by your students’ specific needs. However, ask yourself honestly, do you do too much when you mark?

Any example could be as simple as correcting spellings. Rather than correct them, perhaps highlight the word in a specific colour and ensure the student knows that colour means ‘spelling error, please correct’. You might have a colour code. It might be you highlight a paragraph, rather than the word, so the student works harder.

On a similar theme (bear in mind I teach adults), when I receive a typed assignment that has clearly not been spellchecked, I return it to the learner unmarked, asking that spellcheck be applied. My role is not to proofread their work (certainly not at the level I teach). I would likely take a different approach if my student has dyslexia, but still, the onus is on them to do more work than me.

2. Google Classroom Comment Bank

In episode 6 I talked about creating a feedback comment database containing sample feedback text which you could copy and paste then personalise (an important step). This works well for frequently used formative comments.

Since recording that episode, Google Classroom introduced a comment bank. I found a great video showing you how to efficiently use this tool (unfortunately the audio is not great but the content is spot on).

The concept of using the comment bank appeals to me, however, I had found that the Google comment bank required a few too many clicks to be efficient… until I worked out you could access comments immediately using a hashtag. Game changer. I intend to start building a comment bank now.

3. Turnitin Quick Marks

I mentioned Turnitin in the last episode, and since that time I have been exploring the built-in feedback studio.

Turnitin Quick Marks combine feedback codes with a comment bank. When you add a quick mark (e.g. SPAG) a comment is also included, for example ‘there is a spelling, punctuation or grammar error in this sentence, please review and correct’.

Here are some resources from the Turnitin support section:

Instructor Quick Start Guide to Feedback Studio

Student Quick Start Guide to Feedback Studio

Quick Marks Article

4. Assignment Walk-Throughs

In episode 6, I suggested using the Chrome extension Loom to demonstrate the digital marking process for a student. Perhaps a more time-efficient way to reduce marking is to flip this idea. Create short assignment walk-throughs on Loom to guide your student through the assignment. You could highlight command words in the brief for example, or indicate how word count might be split. By providing a screencast, students could go back to the video to check details if they forget.

5. Live Marking

Finally, can you do some live marking in class? I know it might sound controversial. If your students work on paper and need formative feedback, surely it is more useful to provide some feedback sitting next to them while they are still working? This video about live marking summarises the process well.

Wrap Up

And that’s it. If you have any questions about this episode or comments you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Mar 14, 202009:02
Bett Show 2020 Recap

Bett Show 2020 Recap

Introduction

This episode includes a number of resources and links that I have posted below. Please excuse the audio quality, I recorded this episode on my phone!

Links and Resources:
Wrap Up Support the Show

That’s it for today. Before I go I have a small request: if you enjoyed today’s episode, please support by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Mar 07, 202019:32
TickTick for Teachers and Trainers

TickTick for Teachers and Trainers

Episode 84 of The Teaching Space Podcast is about TickTick and why it's a helpful tool for teachers and trainers.

Introduction

In the last episode, I shared my love of note-taking apps... today's episode is about to-do list apps! Actually, it’s about one app in particular: TickTick. I’ve tested a lot of apps to manage my tasks including:

I am currently using TickTick, following Francesco's recommendation in episode 56 of the podcast. Almost 30 episodes later, I’m still using TickTick, so that’s probably a good sign!

What is Tick Tick?

Tick Tick is fundamentally a task manager. It encourages you to 'get to-dos out of your mind, and get them done in less time’.

I think it’s more of a project management tool (although not as sophisticated as Asana or ClickUp) as you can group lists under headings/folders. For example, in the screenshot below, you will see I have a group called ‘Master’s’ and underneath that, I have two separate lists, one for ‘study’ and one for ‘professional reading’. Each list can contain different tasks with different deadlines. Each task can have a small list of to-do items which can be checked off.

SCREENSHOT 1

What are TickTick’s Main Features?

TickTick has lists comprised of tasks. Lists can be grouped into folders as shown above (folder > lists > tasks).

Tasks (one-off and recurring) can be scheduled including reminders and locations. One of my favourite features of Tick Tick (also available in Todoist) is smart date parsing. This means that if you include a date and time in your task (e.g. ‘take dog to groomers tomorrow at 10am’) TickTick will automatically schedule and parse the information into a reminder. Another useful feature of TickTick is that you can add tasks through voice input. You can also send emails directly to TickTick to turn them into tasks. Remember your inbox is not your to-do list (see the inbox zero episode).

Another of my favourite features of TickTick is the different ways you can view your tasks. While most apps (like Todoist) will have a ‘today, next 7 days, inbox’ view of tasks, TickTick also features a calendar view (below). You can sync this calendar with your Google Calendar too. Incidentally, Todoist and TickTick are very similar apps, but it was the calendar feature, plus the ability to group lists, that made me switch from Todoist to TickTick.

Today, Next 7 Days, Inbox View

SCREENSHOT 2

Calendar View

SCREENSHOT 3

While I don’t tend to use them much, TickTick also includes smart lists, tags and priority setting. The app also has a built-in Pomodoro timer and a white noise maker.

Finally, you can gamify your task competition in the app if that's your bag and access detailed statistics. The gamification bit is not of interest to me, but it could be to your students.

Can I Use TickTick?

TickTick is available for Mac, Android phone and tablet, iPhone and iPad, Windows, web and Apple Watch. It is also available as a Chrome and Firefox extension. So yes, you can use TickTick. So can your students.

How Much is TickTick?

TickTick is free but to enjoy the most advanced features you need to upgrade. This will cost $27.99 a year and is well worth it in my opinion.

How is TickTick Useful for Teachers and Trainers?

Of course, any task or project management app is likely to make you a more productive teacher (listen to me talking about this on the Tools They Use podcast). However, these features in particular make TickTick a great choice for busy teachers and trainers:

  • Calendar view (handy if you are in the Google eco-system at work and home but not necessary)
  • Grouping lists - you can manage work tasks and home tasks with the same tool but keep them separate
  • Web access - handy if your organisation does not allow you to download apps to your work computer
  • Quick task entry with smart date parsing
Wrap Up

That’s it for today - I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you give TickTick a try, or if you already use it, please let me know. I would love to hear from you.

Support the Show

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions about this episode or thoughts you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. At the time of recording, the community is free to join. It’s just launched so I’m very keen to get some members in there to test it out and give me some feedback.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episo

Feb 29, 202009:12
Three Note Taking Apps for Teachers and Trainers

Three Note Taking Apps for Teachers and Trainers

Episode 83 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores three note-taking apps for teachers and trainers.

Introduction

As a child, I was obsessed with notepads. As an adult, I am obsessed with note-taking apps. I’ve been trying out three ‘new to me’ apps lately so I thought I’d share my findings with you. These are not intended to be detailed reviews by the way - I want to give you just enough information to decide whether you want to try these tools out.

You’ll note (pardon the pun) that Evernote is conspicuous by its absence. I’ve tried Evernote several times in the past, and for reasons I cannot quite put my finger on, it just never seems to be the right fit for me, despite that fact that LOTS of people love it. Evernote does many things fairly well but doesn’t seem to me to do anything REALLY well.

Three Note-taking Apps OneNote

I think this one will surprise a few of you. OneNote is a Microsoft app and I am a dedicated Apple girl. However, I am studying with the Open University and they use Office 365. I need a suitable place for my reflective learning journal, study notes and professional development plan. They recommended OneNote so I thought I would give it a try. Here’s what you need to know about OneNote and a few things I like (this is a non-exhaustive list):

  • It’s part of Microsoft Office 365
  • It’s a digital notebook and allows you to have multiple notebooks
  • It’s easily accessible on all platforms and includes apps
  • Collaboration is easy
  • It handles typed and written (with a stylus) text well
  • You can include voice notes
  • There’s a class notebook option (I have not used this)
  • It looks like a notebook with fancy dividers
  • You can link between notes
SimpleNote

SimpleNote is described as ‘the simplest way to keep notes’. It is light, clean and free. It is available for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux. Here’s what you need to know and a few things I like (this is a non-exhaustive list):

  • It includes seamless syncing across all devices
  • Tagging of notes is intuitive
  • There are collaboration options (sharing lists, publishing notes online etc)
  • Great backup
  • Markdown support
  • It’s free!
  • As well as having lots of apps it is a web-based tool (so few note-taking apps are, so this was a real plus point for me)
Bear

Bear is the Apple option. I’ve just started using Bear for outlining podcast episodes, newsletters and articles as I’d become a little frustrated with how Ulysses handles links (amongst other things). Incidentally, I still rate Ulysses highly, but will likely only use it in the future for long-form writing (for example, when I tackle my second book). Here’s what you need to know about Bear and a few things I like (this is a non-exhaustive list):

  • Bear is beautiful
  • It has an interesting hash-tagging approach to organising your notes (very intuitive to me and allows nested organisation)
  • It supports markup
  • You can export to HTML (useful for me when preparing show notes)
  • It includes to-do functionality
  • Focus mode is an option
  • Cross-linking notes is supported
  • It handles images well (useful for blog posts, newsletters etc)
  • There is a free option but otherwise, it is subscription-based (Bear Pro is $14.99 a year with a one-month free trial and you need Bear Pro to sync across ALL Devices)
The Winner?

I’m going to cheat and choose two. I am currently using OneNote for all my OU work, but outside of that, it is Bear. I thought it would be SimpleNote, due to the web access element. This is because I use Microsoft/PC at work and a Mac at home (all my personal devices are Apple too). But Bear has more flexibility in terms of export options, how it handles images, and note organisation. I am considering using OneNote at work actually, but for now, I tend to jot down notes in a Google Doc, as needed.

Wrap Up

What about you? What are your favourite note-taking tools? Let me know; I would love to hear from you.

Support the Show

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions about this episode or thoughts you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. At the time of recording, the community is free to join. It’s just launched so I’m very keen to get some members in there to test it out and give me some feedback.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Feb 15, 202009:03
Four Methods for Formative Assessment

Four Methods for Formative Assessment

Episode 82 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores four methods for formative assessment.

Introduction

It’s another back to basics episode today. We’re exploring a few of my favourite formative assessment methods.

Formative Versus Summative Assessment

As a little ‘revision’ let’s distinguish between formative and summative assessment.

Formative assessment is known as ‘assessment for learning'. It is consists of informal assessment methods, usually devised by the teacher or trainer, to check learning is happening during the teaching session. It is designed to generate feedback on progress and ultimately is a way to check that learners are ready for their summative assessment. We will be exploring some formative assessment methods in this episode.

Summative assessment is known as ‘assessment of learning'. It is generally formal and often created by an awarding organisation, but not always. It occurs at the end of a course or unit of learning to check whether sufficient learning has happened to award a qualification, certificate or credits. The assessment is measured against set assessment criteria. Summative assessment methods include exams, assignments, practical activities and professional discussions.

Methods Versus Tools

I believe there is a distinction to be made between ‘methods' and 'tools' when it comes to assessment. Think about methods first. A method is a general approach to assessing such as observation of practice. A tool is something supporting that method such as recording something you observe on your mobile device. Questioning is a method, question cards are a tool.

Focus on methods before tools to ensure you are picking the right approach.

This episode is ‘method’ focussed but I will also share some tools for you to explore.

Four Formative Assessment Methods Discussion and Questioning

I work with adult learners and they love discussion. It's a great way, particularly when combined with effective questioning, to check for learning. However, one of the downsides to using discussion for formative assessment is that some learners might not get a look in. Discussions can be dominated by just a few learners.

One way you can use questioning to involve more learners in discussion is the ‘pose, pause, pounce, bounce’ method. You can create smaller groups for discussions, then ask learners to number themselves and pick a number at random to decide who reports back to the group. Think > Pair > Share is another more inclusive method for questioning and discussion.

The app Equity Maps is an interesting approach to tracking (and recording if needed) your group’s participation in discussion.

Quiz

A quiz is a lower-stakes version of a test. I tend to use quizzes to check what people have remembered from a previous session. My sessions are usually a week apart and often a week is long enough for learners to have forgotten certain details. I’m therefore using a quiz as a form of retrieval practice.

I’ve tried lots of different quiz tools with my learners. Because they are trainee teachers I make a point of testing tools with them and getting feedback. They teach a wide range of learners so I can try out things that are not always age appropriate for them, but might be for their learners.

In terms of tech tools, up until recently, I used Kahoot, conscious that it divided opinion. I always added the timer to questions and the ‘fastest finger first’ approach always led to an interesting discussion about whether it was an accurate formative assessment tool or not. More recently, I have discovered Quizizz. Quizizz solves a lot of Kahoot’s problems (for my learners). For starters, you can participate without having to read quiz questions off the main board/screen. Also, questions can be mixed up for each learner.

A non-tech alternative quiz tool would be a set of mini-whiteboards. If you don’t have a budget then consider making your own.

A low-tech alternative, requiring only one device, is Plickers.

Peer Assessment

Peer assessment is a fantastic formative assessment method, although there are a few things it is important to remember before you introduce it to your group:

  • Learners should be giving each other feedback as opposed to grading each other’s work.
  • Learners must be taught how to give constructive feedback - don't just assume they know what to do. The ladder of feedback can be a useful way to approach peer feedback.
  • Learners will need an understanding of any criteria to consider or what 'good looks like’. A model answer or rubric can be helpful here.
  • You might need to pair learners strategically.

A peer assessment roundabout can work well - this is where learners are in groups of four and pass each other’s work around to check. Also, consider introducing a self-assessment stage before you get to peer assessment.

Coded Feedback

I’m exploring coded feedback this year because I spend an unsustainable amount of time writing formative feedback on assignments. I give learners formative feedback on their written work via comments in Google Classroom. Using codes is a new approach for me so I cannot report on its effectiveness yet - this might be something I dedicate a whole episode to in the future!

I have created a simple code by analysing feedback I have frequently given on previous assignments. I have distinguished between comments that require action and comments that do not, in my coding.

I’ll report back on progress.

Incidentally, if this is not for you and you already use Google Classroom, there is a comment bank facility built in. I find too many clicks are required for this to be time-efficient.

Wrap Up

I hope today’s episode has been helpful. If you'd like more of these ‘back to basics’ episodes then please let me know. Equally, if it is not your thing, it would be good to hear from you. I want to create the episodes you want to hear.

Support the Show

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions about this episode or thoughts you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. At the time of recording, the community is free to join. It’s just launched so I’m very keen to get some members in there to test it out and give me some feedback.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Feb 08, 202012:36
The Session Planning Episode

The Session Planning Episode

Episode 81 of The Teaching Space Podcast goes 'back to basics' and revisits session planning.

Introduction

Some time ago I asked members of my Facebook group what type of podcast episodes they would like to see more of in the future and there were many votes for ‘back to basics’ topics. In response, we’re looking at session planning today.

Initial Teacher Training

One of the courses I most enjoy teaching is the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (formerly ‘PTLLS’). It’s an introduction to teaching/training and tends to attract a diverse range of learners. One part of the course they tend to enjoy exploring is session planning - some of what I share in this episode comes from that course. A lot of brand new teachers/trainers are initially surprised at how technical putting a decent session together can be.

Observations

As well as observing trainee teachers in my job, I’m also lucky enough to spend time observing experienced teachers. I’ve seen some magnificent sessions over the years. One of the most common areas for development I observe is planning. Regardless of your level of teaching experience, it is worth revisiting session planning.

Disclaimer

This is, of course, not the only way to session plan!

Components of a Session Plan

This is not an exhaustive list and should be adapted to suit your environment, learners, subject etc.

Templates available in The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com.

Wrap Up

I hope today’s episode has been helpful. If you'd like more of these ‘back to basics’ episodes then please let me know. Equally, if it is not your thing, it would be good to hear from you. I want to create the episodes you want to hear.

Support the Show

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions about this episode or thoughts you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. At the time of recording, the community is free to join. It’s just launched so I’m very keen to get some members in there to test it out and give me some feedback.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Feb 01, 202011:55
On Being a Student Again

On Being a Student Again

Episode 80 of The Teaching Space Podcast is about being a Master's student while working full-time in further education.

Introduction

I believe there’s no better way to improve your teaching than to be a student as often as possible. It’s probably a good thing I hold this view as (a) part of my day job is leading professional development at my local FE college, and (b) I started studying for a Master’s in Education with the Open University in October 2019. In today’s episode, I want to tell you all about my first few months of Master’s study. If you are considering furthering your education in a similar way, then this episode might be a good starting point. If you are not, I still hope the episode is a timely reminder of what it’s like to be a student.

My Education Background

Because I work in FE there is no requirement for me to be a graduate. I have, of course, achieved my level 5 Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (known as DTLLS), followed by QTLS status (Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status) and most recently, ATS (Advanced Teacher Status). But, due to personal circumstances at the time, I never took the traditional ‘degree route’ into teaching. While I regretted not going to university and doing a degree from time-to-time, it never seemed to negatively impact my pre-teaching career progression. To be honest, it never really affected my career in education either.

However, as I mentioned earlier, my job current role is professional development lead, I am also expected to promote scholarly activity, as well as managing our teacher education provision. I felt a little unsure where to start in terms of promoting scholarly activity, so I began investigating degree courses with the Open University. After a few chats with my (very supportive) principal, who is currently working towards a PhD, I decided to find out whether the OU might accept me on a Master’s course. It turns out, they would.

Master’s Choice

I started a Master’s in Education in October 2019. There were various pathways available with the OU but I opted for leadership and management. This is not an obvious choice for me as I recognise that the higher in the organisation you go (e.g. faculty director, vice principal, principal) the less teaching you do, and I love teaching. That being said, I am in a leadership role and it was the only pathway to include the subject of professional development, so I decided to go for it. I am also interested in the role of ‘teacher as leader’.

In terms of universities, the OU was recommended by my government department (the body to whom I would apply for funding) so it seemed sensible to go with them. I was lucky enough to receive some funding support for the £9000 + fees (paid a year at a time so approximately £3000 a year).

Being an OU Student

It has only been a few months but so far, I am very impressed with the OU’s internet portal and, in particular, their online library. The course is very structured. You know exactly what you need to achieve every week. My tutor is accessible and the interaction with my classmates via our online forums is great. The workload is high. I’d guess around 15 hours a week, but I am managing through a combination of a few early mornings a week and some time at the weekend. I think I am spending the most time reading and trying to decipher challenging academic journal articles.

I’ve taken one study day already (my employer is very supportive of my professional development) and passed one assignment. The feedback from my tutor was detailed and supportive. I’ll have another assignment due over the next couple of months.

In the interests of full transparency, downsides of studying with the OU are that it is a lot of work. The reading is TOUGH. As a non-graduate I am also struck with imposter syndrome regularly (although this is all on me, not the OU!) I think all of this will get easier though.

My Top Study Tips

My top three tips for teachers and trainers studying while working would be:

  1. Find a study buddy - I am lucky enough to have a colleague studying the same Master’s degree (although a different pathway). We meet regularly to keep each other accountable. We also…
  2. Set goals. My study buddy and I do this via WhatsApp and again, it is a good way to stay accountable.
  3. Plan your study but leave room for experimentation and flexibility. I thought I would be someone who did all of her study before work, leaving weekends free, but actually, I tried it and it did not work for me. I only really have an hour and 15 minutes in the morning to study (I don’t want to get up any earlier) so this did not allow me enough time. At the moment, a few mornings a week and a chunk of time at the weekend is suiting me better.
Wrap Up

What about you? Are you studying at the moment? If so, what and how? I’d love to hear from you. Please listen to the end to hear about a new way to chat about podcast episodes.

Support the Show

If you have enjoyed this episode please consider supporting the show by making a small donation towards the running costs on my Ko-fi page which you can find at ko-fi.com/theteachingspace. Alternatively, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or whether you listen to the show. Thank you.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions about this episode or thoughts you’d like to share please join The Teaching Space Community: community.theteachingspace.com. At the time of recording, the community is free to join. It’s just launched so I’m very keen to get some members in there to test it out and give me some feedback.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Jan 25, 202009:23
Managing Worry for Teachers and Trainers

Managing Worry for Teachers and Trainers

Episode 79 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores ways teachers and trainers can manage worry.

Introduction

Today it’s personal! When I started this podcast back in 2017 I didn’t have plans to talk about myself a great deal. I knew I wanted to help teachers and trainers try to achieve their version of work/life balance, but of course, there was a personal reason for that. Without talking about myself explicitly, it was still about me. I was in a position to share some useful strategies I had learned due to my own experience.

Today I’d like to share a bit more of my story and also show you how I am still learning new strategies and don’t plan to stop.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

One of the main reasons I have worked so hard on creating a work/life balance for myself and also being as productive as possible is because I have anxiety.

Specifically, I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder (“GAD”) which is described by the NHS as “a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event”. While lots of different things trigger my anxiety, one of the worst is not being in control. You can imagine the effect an excessive workload and complete absence of work/life balance had on my anxiety.

Medical Management

While my anxiety has been managed medically for years, I decided, in close consultation with my doctor, that I wanted to come off anti-depressants about six months ago. Obviously, I was anxious about it (go figure!) as I’d had several “failed attempts” in the past. I gave it a try and it did not go well, but rather than take the path of least resistance I went back to my doctor and asked for additional help. She arranged for me to receive cognitive behavioural therapy (“CBT”).

Before I go on, just in case this needs clarifying:

  1. I am not for or against anti-depressants; they were a medical intervention that worked for me at a difficult time. My choice to come off them was entirely mine - I am not suggesting anyone should go on them or come off them.
  2. Also, I am not a medical professional, what I share in this episode is just about me and my experience.
  3. Please see your doctor if you are anxious or require medication, or want to come off your medication.
CBT

According to the NHS website, CBT is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

CBT is not for everyone. It has not cured me; I am still pretty anxious. However, it has helped me learn some strategies for managing my anxiety. It has put me more in control of how I react to situations.

I’d like to share some of the strategies that are working for me (these are very much from a non-professional’s perspective; the language is mine).

Classifying Your Worries

This strategy relies on you being able to spot a worry when it is happening. A good way to learn how to do this is by logging worries. I found a great app called Worry Watch to do this.

  • When you notice a worry, ask yourself: is it practical or hypothetical? (“Practical” meaning a worry that is affecting you right now and has a practical solution; “hypothetical” meaning a type of worry about something in the future that there might not be a solution for).
  • If your worry is practical, then apply problem-solving strategies.
    • What is the worry?
    • What is the problem?
    • What are all the solutions? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
    • What is the best solution?
    • Make a plan.
    • Put the plan into action.
    • Review.
  • If the worry is hypothetical, then let it go (or defer the worry to a later time).
Prioritising Self-Care and Positive Thoughts

Without a doubt, my incidents of anxiety are reduced when I make time for self-care and positive thoughts. I have scientifically proven it to myself!

My self-care activities are going to the gym (who even am I?) and knitting. I also enjoy cooking (when not under pressure) and walking my dog. When I skip these activities I feel bad.

On the positive thoughts side of things, at the risk of sounding a bit “woo”, I recommend an app called 3 Good Things. It’s a super-simple, free happiness journal which prompts you to note three good things that happened that day. It forces you to spend just a few moments thinking positive.

54321

Finally, when I am in the midst of full-on anxiety feelings I use the 54321 method. Here’s how to do it:

  • Name five things you can see in the room with you.
  • Name four things you can feel.
  • Name three things you can hear right now.
  • Name two things you can smell right now.
  • Name one good thing about yourself.

I stop, breath and go through the steps above. Usually, I get them all mixed up but I am not sure it matters. The process is about distracting yourself from your worry. Weirdly, it works (don’t ask me how!)

Wrap Up

That’s it from me today. If this episode helps one person then it’s worth the mild discomfort of getting personal.

Please feel free to reach out if this episode has resonated with you - it’s always lovely to hear from listeners. And, as I mentioned earlier, if you are struggling with anxiety, the best person to talk to is your doctor.

Support the Show

That’s it for today. Before I go I have a small request: if you enjoyed today’s episode, please support by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions about the show or thoughts you’d like to share you can do so by either:

  1. Leaving a comment on this episode’s show notes blog post.
  2. Posting in our Facebook group: TTS Staff Room.
  3. Posting on Twitter (I’m @MartineGuernsey if you want to mention me).
  4. Contacting me via The Teaching Space website: theteachingspace.com.
  5. Leaving me a voicemail on Voxer where I’m theteachingspace.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

 

Jan 18, 202012:33
One Teacher's Journey to Productivity: An Interview with Justin Hockey

One Teacher's Journey to Productivity: An Interview with Justin Hockey

Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Teaching Space Podcast. It's Martine here. Thank you so much for joining me.

Martine:      Today, I have a guest on the show and we're going to be talking productivity. Rather than have a big intro, I'm going to hand straight over to my guest, Justin Hockey. Justin, welcome to the show.

Justin:             Thank you, Martine. It's great to be here.

Martine:            I'm so pleased to have you on. Could you tell me, I'm going to get you to introduce yourself if that's okay, who are you and what in the world do you do? And where in the world do you do it?

Justin:             That's a great question. With modern technology, anywhere in the world is just about possible. So my name is Justin and I'm a music teacher. I've been working in various countries around the world teaching music. India, Australia, and now South Korea, so that's where I am right now in South Korea. I teach at an international school. I'm also married and with a child. So that adds into the productivity mix, as I'm sure many of your listeners will also experience or know of.

Martine:            Let's talk about productivity, because you and I both have a common interest in being the most productive people we can be. You said you're a music teacher. What is it about the role of a teacher that makes productivity such a challenge?

Justin:             Gosh. I mean, I've had some notes about this. I wrote down three things to prompt me: people, processes, and products. People, I mean, as a teacher in any setting you're dealing with people, obviously your colleagues and supervisors, or bosses, or heads, depending on whether it's a further education setting or a school. For me, I'm at a school, and currently a junior school, or what some parts of the world call an elementary school or a primary school. So, I have over 300 students I see each week. And so, dealing with that many moving parts, people as it were, is a challenge. And then there's all the processes that go with that in terms of routines that are meant to happen but of course, in most schools no one week is the same as the next exactly. And particularly this time of the year when we're recording it, it's coming up to Christmas.

And then I said the word product, which is not necessarily perhaps the best word. But I guess the outputs. What are we trying to achieve? We're not manufacturing devices or selling products in a store. We're shaping people's lives, and whether that's shaping adults' lives, young adults' lives or children's lives, that's something which in some senses is a never-ending job. So, it's very easy to, as a teacher in any setting, to feel like the work is never done. Because in a sense, it never is. There's always more to be done, and people can quite quickly burn out or become overwhelmed. And I know for myself and many of the listeners, we've been there and experienced those challenges. And so I'm excited about sharing some of my insights and journey so far. But obviously, like teaching itself, it's almost like a never-ending process of learning to be more productive. Like climbing a mountain, the higher you get, the more you realise is ahead of you and how far you've come.

Martine:            You alluded to the fact that you have some strategies that you use. I'd like to kind of attack this from two angles. Initially, if we talk about the sort of general approaches and resources and things like that, and then go specifically into productivity apps and tools. So, if we start general and then sort of drill down into the detail, that would be great. So tell us what you do.

Justin:             Great. What I thought I would do is approach this through three people that I've come across. These are not people I've met in person, but they're all ... Well, certainly one of them is a teacher herself, and the other two are people that I've seen referenced in productivity generally. So, the first one I'll start with is Angela Watson, and for a long time she was an instructional coach and teacher in the United States, and now she runs her website. She's got a number of brands, or a number of websites I should say. But I guess the key one is the 40 Hour Work Week Club for teachers where she essentially says, "As a teacher, it is possible to cut down your work week to 40 hours." And I signed up to her email list and blog and podcast at least five years ago, and she still offers this course as well as a number of other services online, which tens of thousands of teachers have signed up for and gained a lot out of. But four of the key things I gained from her are batching, lists, using the calendar and mindset. I mean, there's obviously other things that go with that, but I'll just touch briefly on each of those.

Batching was such a ground-breaking concept to me. The idea that as a teacher, or any worker really, you've got a bunch of tasks that need to be done, and some of those tasks are actually similar to each other. So, for example, you might have a whole bunch of planning that needs to be done, or you might have a whole bunch of physically moving things around your workspace that needs to be done. And rather than trying to do a little bit here and a little bit there, if you can arrange your schedule or arrange your time such that you are batching these tasks, grouping these tasks together, you tend to get them done better during that time because you're not scattering your attention across days or weeks or even months. And you're also, by the fact of thinking through what types of tasks you need to get done, that tends to force you to think more carefully about what you're doing, and when you're doing it, and even perhaps why you're doing it.

Martine:            I think that batching was a big game changer for me in terms of how I deal with marking. I think marking is one of those really, really good examples of where batching can just make you far more efficient, because I really have to get into a zone when I'm marking assignments and things like that. And it takes me a long time to get into the flow. So, if I end up doing a bit of assignment marking here and there, I never actually get into the flow of it at all. So, one of the things I always batch is assignment marking.

Justin:             That's exactly it. Marking, writing reports is a big one which I'm in the middle of. Anything dare I say tedious. But also, whether it's involving other people or things yourself, batching is certainly a great way to start approaching things. And if there's nothing else that listeners go away with, that would be something, one I would say if you haven't tried it, start looking at how you can group your tasks or processes together so that you're not scattering your attention and time across things like that. Another big thing that Angela Watson talks about is making lists. And this really comes into the question of apps. It's like, well, there are great apps out there. But at the end of the day, you need to have some sort of centralised list of tasks and projects and goals that you have, whether it is on an app, whether it is in an analogue form such as a diary or a notebook, or even a combination system, a hybrid. But somewhere to create lists. And then thirdly, calendar. Some system, again, of having a calendar, whether it's Google Calendar, a notebook, or again, a combination.

And the fourth aspect that Angela Watson has brought up time and time again and has in fact written a whole book about recently is mindset. Because productivity, at the end of the day, shouldn't be just about getting more things done faster. Anyone who's been in the game long enough will realise you don't just want to be working faster, because you end up like a hamster on a wheel. But thinking about, hang on, what's this all for? What kind of mindset am I going into this with? A sense of dare I say sort of abundance or scarcity? Scarcity in the sense of, "Oh, there's not enough time to do everything, I'll never get everything done, and I'll just frantically try and put out all the fires." Or, of a sense of abundance, of saying, "I as a teacher am able to make choices about what's most important for my teaching, for my professional life and even my personal life. Because of course, you can't really divorce or separate your personal life from your teaching life. Those two are inextricably linked. So that's Angela Watson and some of her things there. Before I go into the other two, I thought maybe perhaps you have any questions or comments on that, Martine?

Martine:            Yeah. I wanted to say that I'm a big fan of Angela Watson's work. I don't know if you know this, Justin, but I actually did the 40 Hour Teacher Work Week a couple of years ago, and it was a real-

Justin:             No, that's news.

Martine:            ... yeah, it was a real source of inspiration to me, and I really enjoy Angela's podcast too. And I will make sure I link to all of that information on the show notes, because I think it can bring lots of value to any listeners to the podcast. So yeah, totally agree with you, I'm a big fan. I also liked the point that you made when you were talking about to-do lists and calendars and things like that, getting focused on the process and not kind of getting into the apps first or the tools first, just having a calendar in any format. Just go analogue first to get used to what the tool is for. And then start thinking, "Actually, could I use this app? Could I use this tool?" Just start with the I want to say kind of productivity concept, and then look at the tools afterwards. Because you've got to get used to using a list and using a calendar. And those things are sort of at the foundation in my opinion of being more productive. So, I think that's really, really good advice.

Justin:             It is great. And just as teachers, I mean, I'm sitting here thinking, yes, I want my students, I teach music, I want them to be able to use composition software or digital keyboards. But at the end of the day, if we don't have what in music, we call musicianship skills, in other words, being able to think musically without tools, devices, or even instruments believe it or not, then we sort of miss something somewhere. And I think productivity is quite similar to what you said about understanding the concept of the calendar in terms of physically having a calendar, or physically having a to do list puts into perspective what tool or what app you're going to use. Yeah. That's a great thought cycle there.

Martine:            I like an app as much as the next person. And I kind of get a bit of shiny object syndrome if a new app comes out. I'm like, "I really want to try that. Apparently, this new thing's really good." But it's important to stop, work out what you actually, what the foundation you need to look at is first, and then get into the apps. So great point.

Justin:             Excellent point, Martine. And you used a keyword there, stop. Which, you and I haven't talked about this next person yet, but Michael Hyatt is the next person I'm going to talk about.

Martine:            Love Michael Hyatt. Great minds.

Justin:             Yes, indeed. Michael Hyatt has written a number of books. And for those listeners that don't know who he is, amongst other things, he's been a former CEO of one of the major book publishers in the United States, and for the last almost 10 years now he's been running his own company. Which, amongst other things, focuses on productivity and helping people to succeed in life and be more productive, but being productive in the right areas. And I took one of his courses about two years ago. I signed up for the Free to Focus course, which is now also being turned into a book. And just think of the title, Free to Focus. He talked about productivity, that I mentioned earlier in fact, productivity not being a hamster wheel that we want to get on necessarily, but rather a question of other priorities.

I mean, Michael Hyatt was the one who really clued me into this idea of freedom. We want the freedom to be productive and the freedom to focus, but not for the pursuit of just endless work. But rather freedom to achieve what we want to achieve, and then freedom to then go on and live our lives in a satisfying and successful way. So that's one big thing for Michael Hyatt, Free to Focus. He's also done a number of other books, and in some cases courses. Your Best Year Ever is about goal setting. Which, as he says, Free to Focus is about the day to day and week to week productivity, nuts and bolts. They think, "Oh my gosh, I'm overwhelmed by to-do lists, and students, and emails and all of those things." That's like being stuck with the trees.

But then if you want to look at the forest for a moment, his Best Year Ever course and book, and of course there's many other people who do this, looking at the goals you have for the months of the year and even for the year. Setting yearly goals is such a valuable thing to be able to do. And then he says even ... We talked about the trees, and then there's the forest, but perhaps you can look at the whole national park if you like, if want to use that picture. He's written a book called Living Forward, which is about writing a life plan. Which, until I'd come across the concept, I mean, who thinks of writing a plan for their life? Most of us a

Jan 11, 202039:07
How to Set Up a Professional Development Library (Anywhere)

How to Set Up a Professional Development Library (Anywhere)

Episode 77 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores setting up a professional development library… anywhere!

Introduction

Today’s episode is will be short and practical. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was an episode in its own right! However, based on the success of this particular initiative, I decided it was too good not to share.

So, here’s the issue: through conversations with teaching colleagues, I became aware that only a small number seemed to be reading for professional development (with the exception being our trainee teachers and those studying at Master’s and PhD level).

I’ve not yet come up with a definitive reason why - and it is beyond the scope of this episode - but it could be anything from lack of interest or incentive to not realising reading could be classed as professional development.

Whatever the reason, I decided one possible solution could be to make professional reading more (physically) accessible. We have some great books about teaching and learning in the library but we never see teaching colleagues there. This is probably because it feels more like a student space. Perhaps the answer was to take the books (and journals) out of the library and to the people!

My Inspiration

Full disclosure - setting up a professional development library is not a new idea. While I had recognised “the problem” my inspiration for the solution came from a talk I saw at the ResearchEd National Conference back in September 2019. You can listen to my recap episode at theteachingspace.com/73. Thank you to Joanne Jukes, Joanne Tiplady and Louise Lewis for the inspiration (follow them on Twitter!)

Collaboration

There was only one person I need to talk to about this idea - my librarian (Learning and Information Services Manager), Rachel. Thankfully, we share an office, so that was easy.

I am extremely lucky to have Rachel as a resource. She is first and foremost a LISM but she is also a qualified teacher in FE, so she has a clear understanding of some of the challenges I face in my professional development role.

At first, Rachel was a little concerned about removing books from the library as she has systems in place for lending. This was totally understandable. However, our library facilities aren’t always staffed and there is a sign-out sheet system in place for these times. Moving books out of the library, under the sign-out sheet system, posed no increased risk. Furthermore, the creation of “mini-libraries” would likely result in increased loans.

Rachel was on board.

Challenge

One major challenge we needed to consider was the fact that our College is spread over three campuses. We decided to set up a separate “mini-library” on each campus and ensure the curated book selection was the same, to ensure fairness.

Making a Plan

So Rachel worked on a plan to create three mini-libraries. We wanted to start small and low key, so we curated a collection of five books about teaching and learning and a few copies of BERA (British Education Research Association journal). We also included an academic poster.

We agreed it would be good to refresh the books once a term (with the flexibility to change that frequency as needed). For our first book collection we selected:

We created a spreadsheet to note our current and future collections.

Then it was time for a “campus tour” to identify the best locations for our books - staff rooms seemed to make sense. Once the locations were agreed, we decided on a date to “go live” (two weeks later).

Rachel assembled the books and sign out sheets, I made posters and took charge of “marketing!” (Ahem… when I say “marketing” I mean that I mentioned the libraries in my weekly professional development email newsletter and tweeted about the libraries a bit!)

Going Live

Our libraries went live on a Monday morning. We chatted with lots of colleagues about the libraries during the set up process and the reception was great. I tweeted all morning about the initiative and received a sponsored book collection offer!

Success?

At the time of recording the libraries have been running for over 6 weeks and lots of people have borrowed and returned books. My aim was to encourage colleagues to access professional development books - this has worked. I have yet to run the numbers but it’s clear that people like the libraries and they are being used purely based on sign out sheets. I will run statistics when we refresh the collection. I suspect we will need to refresh the collections more regularly to keep interest high.

What Now?

We have so many ideas! Here are a few:

  • Journal club
  • Book competitions
  • Staff recommendations/curated collections
  • Reviews

Ultimately we need to ensure the collections are carefully curated; books should be current (with some classic teaching and learning texts) and relevant. We plan to avoid subject specialisms and focus on teaching and learning.

What do you think? Is this something that could work in your organisation? Let me know, I would love to hear from you.

Wrap Up Support the Show

That’s it for today. Before I go I have a small request: if you enjoyed today’s episode, please support by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions about the show or thoughts you’d like to share you can do so by either:

  1. Leaving a comment on this episode’s show notes blog post.
  2. Posting in our Facebook group: TTS Staff Room.
  3. Posting on Twitter (I’m @MartineGuernsey if you want to mention me).
  4. Contacting me via The Teaching Space website: theteachingspace.com.
  5. Leaving me a voicemail on Voxer where I’m theteachingspace.

The show notes for this episode include any links I’ve mentioned; you can find them at theteachingspace.com.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Dec 07, 201910:05
Helping Lower Level Learners to Thrive: an Interview with Louise Misselke

Helping Lower Level Learners to Thrive: an Interview with Louise Misselke

Episode 76 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores the topic of helping lower level learners to thrive.

Introduction

Hello and welcome to The Teaching Space Podcast. It's Martine here. Thank you so much for joining me. Today I have a guest on the show and, I think, rather than me tell you all about her, I'm going to ask her to do that bit herself. Hello, Louise. How are you?

Louise:    Hello, I'm good. Thank you.

Martine:      Welcome to the show. Would you like to introduce yourself to The Teaching Space Podcast listeners? Tell us who you are, what you do, and most importantly, where in the world are you?

Louise:    Yeah, okay. My name's Louise Misselke and I'm the Principal of the College of Further Education in Guernsey, which is a general FE college. At the moment, I'm sitting in my home looking at a blustery gale outside.

Martine:      Yes, that makes two of us because actually we're both based in Guernsey and actually, Louise and I work together, which is one of the reasons I knew she'd be a good guest on the show.

It’s really horrible out there, isn't it? There's probably going to be a bit of a windy noise in the background. So listeners, if you hear anything a bit peculiar, that it's just the weather.

The reason I have asked Louise to come on the show today is that we are going to chat about helping lower level learners to thrive in further education, in particular. Today, we're going to be talking about an ongoing study that you're working on with Dr. Liz Atkins from the University of Derby.

The title of today's show is Helping Lower Level Learners to Thrive and I'd really like to dig into this study and what you've discovered and all of that good stuff.

Louise:    Okay.

Martine:      Would you be kind enough to provide a bit of background on the study in kind of the Guernsey College context?

Louise:    Yes, yes. I'll talk about the Guernsey College context and then, I'll talk a little bit about the background of the study.

 As I said, we're a general further education college, so we have students aged 16 to 19, but also, we have adult learners and apprentices as well, all studying technical, professional or vocational education. Every year, we get a number of students who come to us who have largely been unsuccessful at school, so they come to the college at 16.

Now, when I say they've largely been unsuccessful, this could be for a whole variety of reasons. It could be for social emotional reasons, it could be because they've got very complex lives, it could be that they've had health issues during their school years or it could be that they just didn't fit in school and, for a whole host of reasons, haven't been successful. They exit school without any qualifications at 16 or with a suite of qualifications with very low grades and progressed to the college. We have had a variety of different models for supporting these students with the goal of trying to get them to progress on to further courses at the college, either full time or through an apprenticeship with limited success in the past.

Around 2015/16, I went to a conference where I saw Dr. Liz speaking about her research around the level one learners. I had a chat to her and talked about the possibility of us collaborating on a piece of research really to see if we changed the curriculum offer on our approach, whether that would actually provide a better service to our students because what was happening was students were becoming disengaged and exiting the course early or not achieving and we weren't really doing the best by our students.

Now, if I think about level one students in general, if you look across the UK and in England, so these are students who, as I said, often have very complex lives, but not always. They're often socially excluded, they're invisible in terms of policy, they have often had a negative previous education experience, often characterised as problematic, between 30 and 50% of them usually become NEET, which means Not in Education, Employment, or Training. Often their progression is characterised by periods of employment in low skills, low value employment and periods of unemployment and usually work is not secure. Often they're only able to access low status, low value programmes and the curriculum that's offered in England for level one, currently and historically, has been a very dry curriculum with little aspirations and actually has very little value in the market place.

The group of students that we were having in Guernsey College was no different, really, to the groups of students that Liz had done her research about in the UK. They come with everything that I've described and actually the curriculum that was available for us in Guernsey but also for colleagues in the UK, generally, is a very dry, low value curriculum offer.

We had a lot of discussion about what we can do in Guernsey and because through Liz's extensive research, she sort of had hypothesised what would be really useful for students in this group. We developed a curriculum together and have been monitoring and evaluating, through research process, its effectiveness over the last... Well, we're in our third year now.

One of the reasons we thought it would be really useful to do the piece of research here was because we are an island and students, particularly these sorts of students, often don't leave and so, it's easier, in many ways, to look at their long-term progress to see if what we've actually provided for them has had an impact on their own self belief, their aspirations, their career progression and pathway, and whether its had that positive impact.

Martine:      Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I can see that sort of following their journey would be far more straightforward on a very tiny island as we are.

Louise:    What we did was we looked at the curriculum and looked at how the curriculum needed to change in order to engage the students because we did have quite a high dropout rate. What were we doing that was not really good enough for them? We weren't engaging them, keeping them inspired and so on. How could we do that and how could we create a curriculum that actually allowed them to have a meaningful experience with high value that they could then go on to meet their own goals and aspirations? Because, often these students, first of all, they're not unintelligent, which is a common misconception about level one students and number two, they absolutely have aspirations for their place in the world, but often, sometimes because of their complexity in their life or their experience in school, if it hasn't been a positive one, they've missed out on a huge amount of careers information, advice and guidance, which would allow them to understand the stepping stones they need to take to realise their aspirations.

We recognise that the curriculum has to be really, really engaging, that we had to build in really clear and visible careers advice, information and guidance. English and maths, obviously, is of critical importance. We know, don't we, that if we ask any sort of employers what one of the most critical things that they will talk about is the need for English and math skills, literacy and numeracy skills. But the other thing that is really, really important for this group is to provide them with some ways of gaining social and cultural capital to understand their place in the world and that powerful knowledge that comes from social and cultural capital building because, often, these students might have missed out on those aspects throughout their earlier years.

Martine:      That cultural capital comment is really interesting. I don't want to keep going back to the fact that Guernsey is different to the UK, but actually, we don't live in, for example, a particularly multicultural society.

Louise:    No.

Martine:      Actually, from a kind of life experience perspective, I can really see how in particular our level one learners could be missing out on lots and lots of important experience, that certainly, when you get into the workplace, is absolutely essential.

Louise:    Yeah.

Martine:      That's a really interesting point.

Louise:    Yeah. Yes, absolutely.

If I talk about the offer, the curriculum offer, and then, I'll talk about the research that sort of wrapped around it, the curriculum offer, as I said, is it's composed of a core vocational offer. We felt it was very important that the students still had the opportunity to attain qualifications because for feelings of self-worth and self-belief, actually being able to achieve something is really, really important. We offer them a curriculum of a vocational qualification in the area they particularly want to, so students can apply to us and do a programme in sports and public services, for example, or in health and early years, for example.

Then, there are the English and maths elements which are essential. Then there's the really visible careers information, advice and guidance. And when I say it's really visible, what is important with these students is for them to realise where they are and where they want go and actually map that out. It sounds like a really basic thing. What we've done here is not a golden... It's not something fantastical that's never been done before, but we have displays of what the students' careers aspirations are and the stepping stones that they need to take to get there.

We also include work experience and that's really interesting because work experience and work placement was something that we, before we did the project that we were really challenged by often because the students had bought with them such challenges that we, as an organisation, felt that we couldn't place them with some of our employers. That, on reflection, is really wrong because we were denying those students an opportunity and actually what we've discovered through the project is work experience is one of the most useful elements for the students in terms of really developing their concepts of self-worth and self-belief, but also those relationships with employers and realising that they can make a positive contribution to society, has been essential.

Then, wrapped around all of that, is an enrichment programme. Things like taking the students out for dinner, going to the cinema, going to the theatre. They've had an off-island trip and that's really important because some of these students have never been off the island.

The teaching team took them to UK, which is really important because some of these students have never been to the UK or actually off Guernsey before and they went to an activity centre for a week and also went to Thorpe Park, which was pretty amazing for all of them.

The curriculum is delivered through project, so it's a project based delivery model, which again is not rocket science. It's been around in education and talked about and actually there's a huge amount of research evidence that says it's really effective. But this is the key, I think, that keeps those students engaged because they do a series of projects and through that, they attain their vocational curriculum, their maths and English, they get the work experience, they get the careers, information and guidance and also the enrichment through those series of projects.

That's the curriculum. One of the other things that we're very lucky, another element that the students experience is time in the Forest School. We're very lucky to have a highly qualified member of staff who is trained in for a school. The students go have that on their timetable every week and go and build fires and cook pizzas in the new pizza oven that's being built out in a sort of woodland area, which which they really, really love.

Martine:      It sounds like so much fun. Sorry to interrupt you. Could you just explain in a bit more detail what the Forest School thing is because some of my listeners might not be familiar with that and I think it's an exciting concept?

Louise:    The concept of Forest School is really outdoor learning and our lecturer is a trainer for Forest School practitioners. It commonly happens in the primary area where teachers are trained in Forest School abilities to enable them to take younger children outside to learn and play. Things that our students do in this context is learn how to build a fire. They've done some cooking outside as well. But for primary age children, it is learning outside and that's the concept of the Forest School.

Martine:      Sounds wonderful.

Louise:    Yes, it is. The sorts of projects that the students have been engaged with, they organised an event for equality and diversity for the whole college. That was great because they had the media in and were being interviewed by the radio and the TV, actually, so that was really exciting. They organised, last Christmas, a Christmas community craft event where the students invited older people from one of the residential homes in and also invited children from a local preschool in and they did Christmas crafts together. The students organised the whole event and then, obviously evaluated it afterwards, which was part of the qualification that they were doing.

Some of the enrichment things I've talked about. They've been to the cinema, they'd been out for a meal, they've been to listen to some lectures where speakers are over on the island. All sorts of different things, which are sort of broadening horizons.

Work placement, as I said, has been really, really important. In fact, one of the students attained an apprenticeship through going on their workplace with an employer, which was a really successful outcome for that young person.

That's been the curriculum. Now, the research, we're very, very lucky and fortunate to have been sponsored to do the research by a local company, Rothschild's and Co, who have a really significant corporate social responsibility programme to support young people in these sorts of circumstances. It was a perfect fit and they've sponsored the research over the last three years. We're in our third year now.

The research that has happened is we took students from the year '16, '17, we had 39 students enrolled in total. Just to give a profile of those students, 11 had been supported by the youth commission, which is the youth servic

Nov 30, 201932:51