John Rolfe MBE is the Schools Outreach Manager at the British Council.   He was awarded the MBE for services to international education in December 2017.  

In this episode John shares highlights from the recent British Council Schools Ambassadors Conference - we hear about how teachers have coped with the challenge of sustaining internationalism in the context of a global pandemic, and what future opportunities exist for increased creativity and collaboration across the globe.

John also talks about the new Turing scheme, which provides funding to UK organisations to unlock life-changing experiences across the world for their pupils, students and learners.

Turing Scheme | UK's Global Programme to Study & Work Abroad | Home (turing-scheme.org.uk) 

In this episode we hear from Robert Ford, Director of HERITAGE International School in Moldova, Chisinau.  He shares an International School response to the global pandemic crisis and offers messages of hope and leadership.

He shares his thoughts on technology, community and how leadership can help to see around corners and make some kind of sense out of what is an increasingly unpredictable global situation.

The Sustainable Development Goals  provide a blueprint for shared prosperity in a sustainable world - a world where all people can live productive, vibrant and peaceful lives on a healthy planet.  John Rolfe MBE is the Schools outreach Manager for the British Council.  In this episode he talks about the different ways that schools can become involved in trying to achieve these goals.  He shares examples of projects, funding opportunities and explains how pupils and teachers can connect to bring a truly global, connected curriculum to life.

(credits: Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2019/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2019.pdf / Tom McGuire and the Brassholes: www.tomandthebrassholes.com / additional music by Scott Buckley: www.scottbuckley.com.au)

In this episode, award-winning author and educationalist Bob Cox talks about his life, the books that influenced him and the strategies behind his 'Opening Doors' series for teachers.  He shares his thoughts on using high quality texts in the classroom, using 'classics' in the curriculum and how we can help all our pupils achieve excellence in an inclusive, inspirational way.

Bob also explores the idea that approaching texts and the curriculum with a pioneering spirit can support well-being for both teachers and pupils alike.  He shares examples of the impact of his work and provides a fantastic reading list which will help any teacher or parent if they aim to 'open doors' for their children.   

(credits: Tom McGuire and the Brassholes - www.tomandthebrassholes.com / additional music by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au) 

In this episode Dr Kulvarn Atwal shares his fascinating insights into how schools can become safe and inspiring places by placing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of their community.  Drawing on real-world experience and his vast expertise in successful school improvement strategies, Dr Atwal demonstrates how we can give children a voice through authentic, compassionate leadership with transformational results and outcomes for schools.

He talks about behaviour, exclusions, curriculum and values-led approaches to leadership.

In this episode I talk to Leah Crawford, an English in Education consultant, tutor with Let's Think in English and Opening Doors author.  She explores how educators can teach poetry and the challenging aspects of pattern-finding, interpreting mood, music and rhythm.  Leah also introduces us to the poem 'Sympathy', by Paul Laurence Dunbar.  Through this rich and challenging text, pupils can explore different layers of meaning and begin to see how they could use similar linguistic devices in their own creative writing, poetry and storytelling.

We talk about differentiation vs whole-class teaching, 'catch up' and the effectiveness of some of the approaches Leah has experienced through her role.

You can find out more about Leah by following her on Twitter - @think_talk_org or contact her via her webiste - leahcrawford.com

Leah is also a co-author of the Opening Doors series of books, published by crownhouse.co.uk or visit Bob's site - Searching for Excellence – Home of the Opening Doors Educational Book Series 

Support for ECTs #2

What is the difference between personal and professional authority? How can we approach behaviour management with confidence?

Karl Pupé is a qualified classroom teacher with 10 years’ experience across the Primary, Secondary and Further Education sectors. Specialising in Behaviour Management, he worked as a Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) Co-ordinator teaching students with severe Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. Karl is also the author of “The Action Hero Teacher” & founder of the http://actionheroteacher.com & his blog was voted one of the "Top 10 Education Blogs" in the UK by market research company

This episode originally appeared in 'Tiny Voice Talks' by Toria Bono.  For more support follow her on Twitter: @Toriaclaire or visit tinyvoicetalks.com 

Support for ECTs - episode 1

What is a knowledge-rich curriculum? Why is it so important?  

In this episode Natalie Wexler shares a wealth of insight into her book 'The Knowledge Gap: the hidden cause of America's broken education system - and how to fix it.'  In doing so we learn about the distinct parallels between the US and UK education systems when it comes to overcoming the 'achievement gap' that exists between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers.  We also discuss 'The Reading Wars', Knowledge vs. Skills and the important features of a knowledge building curriculum.

Covering Dewey, Piaget, teacher training and more, we look at the impact of this approach for schools in the USA and UK and find out how pupils and teachers are re-discovering a love of education and the profession. 

(Credits: Natalie Wexler - www.nataliewexler.com, Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au)

The third episode of our support for ECTs series - we hear from Tom Holloway from the Primary Science Teaching Trust.  He shares a wealth of ideas to inspire and engage pupils in outstanding Science learning.  We discuss a range of topics, including teaching the Sustainable Development Goals through Science, Biomimicry and finding the true purpose of Science education for all.

In this episode we feature a live recording from the  Learning 2021 - British Council Schools Ambassadors MENA Webinar  which took place on Wednesday 9th June, 2021.

The theme was Mental Health and Wellbeing,  and participants from around the world shared authentic whole-school and class-based strategies to support children and young people.

Speakers included Mayssa Dawi, John Rolfe, Carl McCarthy, Suzi Bewell, Yvette Hutchinson,  and eight country presentations from representative International Schools Ambassadors from: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Tunisia and Yemen.

You can find out more about the British Council Schools projects at https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/schools