Education Sense

How can we motivate children to do well at school and home?

Engendering motivation in children can be divided into two key areas: intrinsic motivators, i.e. the motivation that comes from within a pupil, such as having a sense of success when completing a task, and extrinsic motivation, that which is developed by external factors, like praise and stickers.

In this episode, Isabel and David are joined by an old friend, co-founder of the pod, Ross Borthwick, to consider the question of motivation.

In this discussion about education and the best way to inspire children, they drift perilously close to discovering the meaning of life! To find out more, you'll have to listen to the episode.

We are, as always, an independent and unfunded group of teachers and educators. If you like this episode, please do share it with friends and family, post it on social media and give us a review and a 5* rating. It all helps for a small pod out there in the big world of mega podcasters.

If you have an idea for an episode or there's something you'd like to talk to us about, get in touch by email: [email protected]. You can also find Isabel, David & Ross on LinkedIn (though Ross if more likely to be found roaming the Munros and mountains of the Highlands when he's not teaching).

Links & References:

• Video about empathy-based classrooms - https://bit.ly/496MmUl
• Great advice about parents motivating at home - https://bit.ly/4jbGePs
• Interesting article on parents & praise from The Atlantic - https://bit.ly/48X2F61
• Harvard research about doing chores as a child being the secret to success - https://bit.ly/3Y3KtCN
• Worth the Effort: Start and Stick to Desirable Difficulties (2023), de Bruin et al https://bit.ly/3MDfjzT
• Student Motivation and Associated Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis From Self-Determination Theory (2021), Howard et al https://bit.ly/3N9qOyX
• It’s Ok, not everyone can be good at maths (2011), Rattan, Good, Dweck et al https://bit.ly/45jJlPk
• Who Perseveres in School (2026), Li & King https://bit.ly/4qg02TT
• A Room with a Viewpoint (2008), Goldstein et al https://bit.ly/3Y3KHK9
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard (2012), Heath, C & Heath, D, Random House Business

Exploring harmony in our educational settings with Richard Dunne & Hilary Wyatt.

In this episode, we look at the idea of harmony in education, discussing art, music, geometry and nature and how these aspects of a curriculum can bring harmony both to children and adults, parents, teachers, the staff body and the wider community.

Richard Dunne is a former state school headteacher with a 30-year career in education. He is founder and director of The Harmony Project, which puts nature and sustainability at the heart of learning. The organisation works with schools both in the UK and around the world to develop harmony in education.

Hilary Wyatt is the Headmistress of St James Nursery & Preparatory School in London. She has taught for 30 years and held senior leadership roles for 17 of those years—15 of which were in London prep schools, including eight as Head of a Pre-Prep and seven as Headteacher. In addition, she is an ISI schools inspector and the mother of two daughters, both of whom attended St James' Senior Girls' School.

Links & Notes:

• More information on The Harmony Project can be found here: https://www.theharmonyproject.org.uk/
• St James Prep School is a a co-educational independent day school for children aged 2–11 in West Kensington, London. It is part of the St James network of schools, including the Senior Girls School on the same site in Olympia and the Senior Boys School in Ashford. More information can be found here: https://www.stjamesschools.co.uk/prepschool/
• Viviane Robinson, mentioned in the episode, is an emeritus professor at the University of Auckland specialising in organisational and educational psychology. Joe Kirby's blog has a neat summary of some of her research: https://joe-kirby.com/2023/04/15/problem-solving-viviane-robinson-and-the-shoulders-of-giants-1/
• Miles Richardson is a Professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness at the University of Derby. You can read more about his research on his blog: https://findingnature.org.uk/
• David recommended Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths by Maisie Chan. It is brilliant, both for middle grade readers as well as adults with a great sense humour. Read for the Romanesco, stay for the excellent character of Nai Nai.
• This blog post by Susan Davis explains more about the principle of Cynefin, defined by Richard as 'rootedness' and 'a sense of place': https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/editorial-doing-cynefin-exploring-ideas-on-belonging-connectedness-and-community-in-the-curriculum-for-wales
• More about the new Curriculum for Wales can be found here: https://hwb.gov.wales/curriculum-for-wales/

What would a dream school look like?

Join us - co-hosts David Marshall and Isabel Rich - and our guest, Dr Rebecca Torrance-Jenkins, as we discuss what a dream school might look like…

In this episode, we chat about some of the aspects of life in a school that perhaps is not working for pupils, particularly for those who have learning needs.

Rebecca discusses a panoply of solutions to make school a better learning environment for all students. She talks us through some changes we can make to the pastoral, social and curriculum offering to enable children not to survive at school but thrive. We even discuss the smell of the classroom and how this can alter a child’s ability to learn!

Rebecca specialises in translating insights from neuroscience and psychology into practical, transformative tools and tips for schools, children’s charities, and learning environments. She is all about creating spaces where the human brain can truly thrive which I am sure we can all agree is just what we strive for as teachers.

Links & Resources:

Rebecca’s website: https://www.drtorrancejenkins.co.uk/about/

As a neuroscientist and educationalist, she argues that we should (and can) design education around how children’s brains actually learn, rather than around timetables, buildings, or pre-set curricula.

Her not-for-profit programme in the North West of England won a She Inspires award, and she founded a Prep science department in a school named ‘STEM Prep School of the Year’ 3 years later.

As a writer and researcher, she bridges academic insight and real-world impact, including a forthcoming Cambridge University Press chapter on neuroscience-informed policy for SEND. She is also a council member of the educational neuroscience think tank Learnus, and a senior learning consultant for an EdTech platform—helping shape the future of education.

An interesting article about the Japanese headteacher in Cornwall, mentioned in the episode: https://medium.com/solomonkingsnorth/the-extraordinary-case-of-mr-yamazaki-18739ebb4980

Welcome to Education Sense, a new podcast from the team behind The Rest is Education!

This week's episode is brought to you by David Marshall and Isabel Rich. Together with teacher, Steph Vega, we'll be discussing Daniel Willingham's seminal education text Why Don't Students Like School? We will summarise what the book is about and also tease out some of the practical tips about how we can all become better classroom teachers. It's an episode that covers theory about how the brain learns but also some usable strategies for all.

Resources:

The first edition of Why Don't Students Like School? came out in 2009 with a new updated edition published in 2021: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55874986-why-don-t-students-like-school

Brief mention is also made of Daniel Willingham's new book, Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy. We recommend this book as a great resource for FE students and those studying for higher level exams: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366180-outsmart-your-brain

In this episode, we use a Thinking Routine from Harvard Project Zero to guide the discussion and enable us to get to the heart of some of the cognitive principles raised in the book. We chose CONNECT, EXTEND, CHALLENGE as our Thinking Routine: https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Connect%20Extend%20Challenge_0.pdf

Steph is EDIJ coordinator and Head of Constructive Thinking at a primary school in North London. You can find out more about Harvard Project Zero, beloved of Steph and our teacher learning community: https://pz.harvard.edu/

How do we make space for the curious child?

In a society where we are eroding subjects such as music, art and dance from the curriculum, where knowledge and achievement are valued above play and creativity, how do we encourage curiosity in children and allow it to thrive inside and outside the classroom?

Ross Borthwick, Isabel Rich and David Marshall approach the question of curiosity in Episode 5 of Season 3 with...well, curiosity. It's something all schools want to promote - or say they want to promote - but what exactly is it, and how do we keep the spark alive in the children we teach, particularly in an age of instant access knowledge?

Episode Links & Other Things

• Article from The Atlantic: How the Ivy League Broke America, a thought-provoking look at the way exclusivity in education has increased the divide in the States. Essential reading for anyone involved in education, with lots of relevance to the UK system: https://bit.ly/4iibPOw
• Michael Rosen's Book of Play is wonderful, not just because of all the creative ideas but because of Rosen's own commentary on the ideas behind play, referencing Jean Piaget among others: https://wellcomecollection.org/books/michael-rosen-s-book-of-play
• Francis Alÿs' study of different children's games around the world explores play across different countries. Following the exhibition at The Barbican Centre earlier this year, you can find videos on this site showing different games in different countries, a window into the ingenuity of children everywhere: https://francisalys.com/category/childrens-games/
• How to Develop Curiosity in Kids: 9 engaging ideas from the International School in Ho Chi Minh City: https://bit.ly/3BAxcdd
• For anyone alive in the 90s, Dorling Kindersley (DK) were the go-to for information and fact-based learning, especially their cross-section books: https://www.dk.com/uk/book/9780241379783-stephen-biestys-incredible-cross-sections/
• We also love the range of non-fiction books you can get today. Flying Eye is one of the best around, with plenty to inspire curiosity: https://flyingeyebooks.com/
• Dunkeld Cathedral in Perthshire can be visited all year round: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dunkeld-cathedral/

The Rest is Education is a podcast created by teachers for teachers, parents and anyone interested in education. Please follow, share and recommend whenever you can. You can email us at [email protected] or find us on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening!

Part two of our mini-series on school curriculum sees co-hosts Isabel Rich and Ross Borthwick interview Neil Burch, Senior Master and former Deputy Head Academic at Bradfield College, a leading independent senior school.

Neil has been teaching for over twenty years having worked in both state and independent sector, here in the UK and overseas. His role has enabled him to be involved with, amongst other things, curriculum design. He has also been a governor at The Willink which is a comprehensive school in Berkshire and at an international school in France.

Isabel is a former Head of English, current educational consultant and visits a multitude of schools in her role as an educational consultant.

Ross has worked in independent prep and senior schools across the UK, was an Assistant Head at a leading independent prep school in London, Scholars' Master at a former independent boarding 'Prep School of the Year' in the South-East of England and is now a Housemaster at a leading independent boarding senior school in Scotland where he is part of the team responsible for curriculum development.

In this episode, David Marshall welcomes guests James Page and Dr Cindy Gause-Vega to discuss the question:

What makes an excellent primary curriculum?

James Page is Chief Executive of Haringey Education Partnership (HEP) which has 120 member schools and supports 35,000 school-age children.

Dr Cindy Gause-Vega is an educational consultant based in Prague focused on professional learning and collaborative inquiry-based learning. She is former elementary school principal in the Czech Republic with experience working across three countries and two continents.

This episode is part 1 of 2 looking at the value of curriculum, with a focus this week on the primary sector.

The word curriculum stems from the Latin verb currere, meaning 'to run'. The noun translates as 'racecourse' an apt metaphor for all the things curriculum has come to mean for schools today.

Early in this episode, the idea of a road map is mentioned as another metaphor for a curriculum, something which can both define and limit what a it is and can be. What is not in question, is the value of curriculum design to excellent education and the importance of a well-thought-through curriculum to children everywhere.

Mentioned or linked to the episode:

• Haringey Education Partnership website can be found here: https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/
• HEP has recently been working with Christine Counsell and Steve Mastin to develop the Opening Worlds curriculum. https://openingworlds.uk/what-is-opening-worlds/
• Jerome Bruner was an influential psychologist who has set the groundwork for thinking about inquiry-based education: https://www.structural-learning.com/post/jerome-bruners-theories
• Michael Young developed the term 'powerful knowledge' and expanded the concept as a foundation for curriculum design: https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/applying-the-powerful-knowledge-principle-to-curriculum-development-in-disadvantaged-contexts/
• The ResearchEd Guide to the Curriculum, edited by Clare Sealy and published by John Catt educational is a great collection of articles on curriculum development and can be found here: https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/the-researched-guide-to-the-curriculum-an-evidence-informed-guide-for-teachers
• HEP runs its own podcast 'HEP Talks' which can be found here (and on all podcast providers: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hep-talks/id1608692574

The Rest is Education is a podcast founded by Ross Borthwick, David Marshall and Aaron Huber, now with Isabel Rich as a co-host. Email any questions or comments to [email protected].

We hope you enjoy the podcast. Please do follow us, wherever you get your pods and, if you liked it, please give us five stars and recommend us to friends and colleagues.

In Scotland, the government states that all children will have the opportunity to experience a four-night residential trip at some point during their time at school. With at least two-thirds of our educational experts based in Scotland, we took this opportunity to examine the role of education outside the classroom.

This week co-hosts Ross Borthwick and Isabel Rich are joined by Tom Mason, Head of Outdoor Learning, to discuss the value and impact of learning outside. Together, they look at the origins of outdoor education and its transition from the periphery of the education world to its central role in our understanding of wellbeing and child development.

Some of the resources mentioned in the episode or linked to it are listed below:

Learning Through Landscapes

https://ltl.org.uk/

The Field Studies Council, UK

https://www.field-studies-council.org/

The John Muir Trust

https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/

The Royal Geographical Society

https://www.rgs.org/

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

https://www.dofe.org/

The Outward Bound Trust, UK

https://www.outwardbound.org.uk/

The Adventure Society, UK

http://www.adventuresociety.co.uk/

PGL, UK

https://schoolsandgroups.pgl.co.uk/

Oppidan Education, UK

https://culdenfawestate.com/oppidan-camps-2/

Salem School, BadenWürrtemberg, Germany.

https://www.schule-schloss-salem.de/en/

Glenalmond College, Pertshire, Scotland.

https://www.glenalmondcollege.co.uk/

Gordonstoun School, Morayshire, Scotland.

https://www.gordonstoun.org.uk/

Kurt Hahn: Inspirational, Visionary, Outdoor and Experiential Educator

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kurt-Hahn-Inspirational-Visionary-Experiential/dp/9460914675?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A2D6DCNETSBBFU

Since the age of smart phones, navigating friendship, safety and self-esteem is ever more perilous and challenging for young people. Parents are seeing their children grow up in a world increasingly different from their own, while schools are having to adapt to a blurring of home life, school life and the online world.

In Episode 1 of Season 3 of The Rest is Education, we ask what an education centred around the child and seen through the eyes of a child might look like.

In this episode, David and Isabel are joined by Ramita Anand, educational consultant and founder of Elevate RA. Ramita has worked in many educational settings as a teacher and SENCO. She is the author of Girl Elevated and presents the podcast Elevate, which can be found wherever you get your pods and here: https://www.elevate-ra.com/podcast/

Books or websites recommended or mentioned in the episode:

· The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/

· OECD (2024), What Does Child Empowerment Mean Today?: Implications for Education and Well-being, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/8f80ce38-en.

· Girl Elevated https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60712996-girl-elevated

· Elevate RA https://www.elevate-ra.com/ book

· Jonathan Haidt https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/jonathan-haidt-wants-you-to-take-away-your-kids-phone

· Marc Brackett – Permission to Feel & The Ruler Programme https://marcbrackett.com/permission-to-feel/

· Michael Ungar – I Still Love You https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24792938-i-still-love-you

· Lisa Demour – Untangled https://drlisadamour.com/books/untangled/ podcast Ask Lisa

· Becky Kennedy – Good Inside https://www.goodinside.com/

· Big Feelings – Mollie West Duffy & Liz Fosslien https://www.lizandmollie.com/big-feelings

· The School of Life https://www.theschooloflife.com/

· Elizabeth Day – Friendaholic https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67353385-friendaholic

Email us: [email protected]

In this week's episode, we discuss the mental health crisis affecting staff in schools and look at some of the best ways to help develop a supportive wellbeing culture in schools. David talks with Hilary Plant and John Ansell, both experts in their own fields and experienced at providing support for schools in this area.

Hilary is a local authority governor at a North London primary school. In addition to being the vice chair, link governor for SEND and inclusion and wellbeing governor, she is also a practising psychotherapist and has worked for many years in public health as a cancer nurse, researcher and senior manager.

John is an expert trainer specialising in data machine learning and data science and a leadership coach, who has worked for numerous schools and education groups on one-to-one coaching with leaders, mostly in the independent sector.

Some of the resources and websites mentioned in this episode include:

The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter

On The Key, you can find a series of articles on workload and staff wellbeing, including a toolkit for line managers, You can sign up for a trial to access 3 free articles: https://schoolleaders.thekeysupport.com/staff/managing-school-staff/staff-wellbeing/

The Anna Freud Institute: https://www.annafreud.org/resources/schools-and-colleges/ten-ways-to-support-school-staff-wellbeing/

You can find John Ansell's coaching website here: https://www.johnansellcoaching.com/my-story

If you are concerned about your welfare or the welfare of someone else, please reach out to speak to a trusted friend or colleague. You can also contact the Samaritans for free at any time day or night on 116 123: https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

You can find out about the NEU (National Education Union) mental health charter here: https://neu.org.uk/latest/library/mental-health-charter

If you have any questions for the team, want to clarify anything we misunderstood or add further details to the discussion, you can email us at [email protected]

Thank you, as always, for listening and supporting this podcast.

The Rest is Education