On the 30th episode of Mind the Gap, Tom and Emma speak with educator, blogger, and author Alex Quigley. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode.

The conversation begins with a reflection on the way Tom and Alex met one another many years ago, as they were both beginning to blog and find that readers were interested in their work. Alex talks about his introduction to blogging, social media, and eventually his book writing process. Tom, Emma, and Alex also discuss some of the topics Alex speaks and writes about, including intentionality in one’s teaching practice; how educators determine instructional priorities across grade levels; goals for teaching reading and writing; and more.

Mind the Gap is presented by John Catt Educational, a leading independent publisher that has supported teachers and school leaders with research-based, easy-to-use professional development publications since 1959. Learn more about books from Tom, Emma, and many other world-class authors at us.johncattbookshop.com (US) or johncattbookshop.com (International).

About the participants:

Alex Quigley is a former English teacher and school leader, of over 15 years' standing, who now works for the Education Endowment Foundation, supporting teachers to access research evidence. He blogs at www.theconfidentteacher.com his books include Closing the Reading Gap, Closing the Vocabulary Gap, and The Confident Teacher. Follow him on Twitter @AlexJQuigley

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. Turner is author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners and Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75