I have personally wasted so much of my free time both at school and at home marking student work. Many late nights; many lost weekends. All for nothing.You see, I now know that feedback only works if it is relevant, specific and somewhat emotional. How do we achieve this? – we must mark student work with the students. They have to be involved too.

Taking a group of students on a journey from their first words and play right the way through to high school graduation is not a simple process. Following Schemes of Work, specifications, syllabuses and textbooks is simply not enough: long-term planning must take place. This planning must take into account the knowledge, skills and milestone exams the students will have to deal with along the way. 

An unfortunate stigma has been attached to Teacher Talking Time (TTT) in recent years. A common misconception is that the more a teacher talks, the less effective their lesson will be. This is simply not true. Teachers MUST talk to their students during lessons - for many and varied reasons. In today's podcast episode I describe the best ways to make use of Teacher Talking Time within the classroom. 

Teenagers and young people really can be the agents of change the world needs when it comes to sustainability. Fortune Magazine, for example, recently told the story of how global giant UPS was started by two teenagers and a bike back in 1907, and how the company went back to being eco-friendly with its e-bike delivery service in Hamburg back in 2012 (a service which has now expanded to many more cities). Today, I have collaborated with online student magazine, The Day, to describe some great ways in which teachers can teach sustainability to their students.

Being overwhelmed with marking, particularly that caused by homework, is a common problem for new and experienced teachers alike. In this episode I examine the best ways to design, organise and return homework, as well as ways to avoid being bogged down and ‘up to your eyeballs’ in paperwork.

Metacognition is often described simply as 'thinking about thinking'. However, it's actually more than just that, and involves the delivery of a wide array of effective strategies that have been proven time and again to boost attainment and progress. In today's episode I talk with Corinna Graham, Head of Science at Garden International School, Rayong, to find out how how she uses metacognitive strategies when teaching her students. What you will hear is a very interesting and through deep-dive into practical techniques that will help you to be a 'metacognitive master'! 

In today's episode, I describe the things that actually make a difference when it comes to effective and excellent teaching. No wishy-washy academic intangibles here - just the raw, blunt truth about the day-to-day stuff that WILL actually improve your students' attainment and progress.

Tiredness on-the-job is inevitable as a teacher; no matter how well-prepared you are. In today's episode I describe some effective, practical things you can do in real-time when you feel tired at school, along with some strategies to prevent tiredness from happening in the first place. 

From the duties she fulfilled during her National Service way back in the 1940s, to her most recent engagement on September 6th 2022 (in which she appointed the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, to her role), Queen Elizabeth’s life has been filled to the brim with duties, public service projects and a clear devotion to bettering the welfare of others. As a humble tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, and particularly her education-related work, this podcast episode  aims to provide a series of links to great resources, along with some general ideas, that will help you teach a lesson or two about her intriguing life.

As our students' high school careers near their end, achieving good grades becomes ever-more important. There’s a lot at stake, in particular, the range of colleges from which they can choose after graduation. And with the cost of a college education being so high, excellent grades could be worth money in the form of bursaries and sponsorships. Even kids that don’t want to study further need to work hard. If a high school diploma is to be their highest educational achievement, it will be with them for the rest of their working careers. In today's episode I describe how we can help students to formulate goals that hey can can work towards, and how services like Going Ivy College Consulting can help in that process.