In this episode we look at:

-purposes for standardized assessments vs in school assessments

-alternatives to written tests

-testing validity: does it measure what it says it measures

Traditional approaches to feedback and marking focused on correcting mistakes. 

In this episode we explore strategies the modern Mainstream approach uses:

-feedback for improvement

-finding your zone of proximal development

-ongoing and frequent feedback

-transparency 

-specificity

-conferencing models

In this episode, we discuss classroom agreements, preventative strategies, incentives for good behaviour, IEPs for behaviour, student choice and behaviour management models. 

There are few more controversial issues in schooling than that of homework. Should it exist? How much is enough? Does it support progress or extinguish a love of learning?

Tonight we dig into the pros and cons of the way the mainstream school system approaches homework.

In this episode we reference the paper "Does High School Homework Increase

Join us! And feel free to add your own voice to the conversation at [email protected] 

Merry New Years & Winter Celebrations!

We decided it would be a fun way to end the year to invite our friends Miriam (who is an integral coach) and Dwayne (an elementary school principal) along as we try to define the three types of school -Traditional, Mainstream and Progressive - in only ten words.

Take a listen and see if you think we get close...and play along yourself if you like. We'd love to hear your ten!

As always, get in touch at [email protected]

The notion of learning as a joyous act with play at its centre has both its champions and detractors. We talked to early years educator Mark White about the benefits of integrating play into the classroom and the importance of educators being able to facilitate and nurture play.

Mark is a highly experienced inquiry educator with a specialism in loose parts play and play responsive learning. Join Rob and Brendan as they dig into notions of agency, safety, reflection and experience in this fascinating, and often controversial, area of education.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Transparency, goal setting and opportunity lie at the heart of the mainstream approach to education. Fundamental to success in all of these areas is the notion of differentiation.

The responsibility of a mainstream teacher is to find what works for maximum achievement. Somewhat like a coach creating an athletic training plan.

Mainstream schools use assessment based diagnostics to establish their next steps and aim to provide support for students of all levels and needs. Content, process or product may be differentiated for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in terms of student achievement in relation to curriculum standards. 

As with everything, this concept carries positives ("babies") and drawbacks ("bathwater").

Join us as we navigate this tricky path. And as always, get in touch at [email protected]

This evening Rob, Brendan and Malcolm dig into their classroom practices and consider the role of the teacher in the context of student choice, freedom and agency. Join us! 

A lesson is a lesson is a lesson right? Well in a mainstream school what happens in those 45 (or 30, or 60) minutes can look very different from a traditional or a progressive lesson.

In a mainstream "3 Part Lesson" we may find differentiated instruction, transparent objectives, diagnostic assessments, and even the odd spot of "edutainment" (for better or worse). 

Join us as we discuss the "babies & bathwaters" of the mainstream school's approach to instruction!

Maximizing the impact of the learning space on student achievement is what highly effective Mainstream teachers do. In this episode, we analyze how this is done via seating arrangements, use of walls & anchor charts, maker spaces and utilizing (and fundraising for) furniture.