On this episode, Tom and Emma celebrate one year of Mind the Gap. The hosts reflect on some of the guests they’ve had the opportunity to interview over the course of the year. Everyone involved with the show sends a special thank you to our listeners for helping us grow! Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode.

Next (1:55), the hosts have an extended discussion about feedback. Specifically, the instances when it isn’t helpful or useful. They dive deep into a number of perspectives to figure out the differences between written and verbal feedback, and what educators should consider about each type.

Tom and Emma then reflect on their most recent interview with Abby Bayford (20:45), as well as Episode 20 with John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley. This leads into a discussion on the dynamism of the teaching community (28:00), as Tom remarks on how he’s been blown away by some of the amazing educators he’s encountered who maintain their enthusiasm despite the challenges of the past year and more. He and Emma take time to chat about the gathering of momentum around professional learning, the passion present across the profession, and more.

In the final part of the discussion (36:25), the hosts discuss their latest project, in which Emma matched up the Teaching WalkThrus books with the eight standards in the Early Career Framework. Tune in to learn 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).

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. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early career teachers’, a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. 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