Rethinking Education

The final episode of Season 2 of the Rethinking Education podcast features a conversation with Jonny Hunt, an independent sex and relationships consultant and the author of Sex Ed for Grown Ups: How to talk to young people about sex and relationships.

NB: Contains strong language - not safe for work!

LINKS:

Everyone's invited: https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/

Jonny's book 'Sex Ed for Grown-Ups: How to talk to Children and Young People about Sex and Relationships' - https://www.waterstones.com/book/sex-ed-for-grown-ups/jonny-hunt/9780367641337

RETHINKING ED CONFERENCE LINKS

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-get-together-the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

Social media links:

Trailer: youtu.be/JKz8ALX2QFM

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rethinking_Ed/status/1528046472444485638

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100004976851081/videos/706113054004294/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/james-mannion_too-often-the-education-debate-is-dominated-activity-6933887283146207232-53h0/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cd1b__3svlV/

Tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNNSFhrq/?k=1

Rethinking Education Mighty Network: rethinking-education.mn.co

Become a patron: www.patreon.com/repod

Buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.

Peter Gray is a research professor at Boston College and the author of 'Free to Learn' and 'Psychology', a college textbook now in its 8th edition.

Here are some of the incredible things people have written about 'Free to Learn'::

“The modern educational system is like a wish made in a folk tale gone horribly wrong. Peter Gray's Free to Learn leads us out of the maze of unforeseen consequences to a more natural way of letting children educate themselves. Gray's message might seem too good to be true, but it rests upon a strong scientific foundation. Free to Learn can have an immediate impact on the children in your life.” (David Sloan Wilson)

“A compelling and most enjoyable read. Gray illustrates how removing play from childhood, in combination with increasing the pressures of modern-day schooling, paradoxically reduces the very skills we want our children to learn. The decline of play is serious business.” (Roberta Michnick Golinkoff)

“Peter Gray is one of the world's experts on the evolution of childhood play, and applies his encyclopedic knowledge of psychology, and his humane voice, to the pressing issue of educational reform. Though I am not sure I agree with all of his recommendations, he forces us all to rethink our convictions on how schools should be designed to accommodate the ways that children learn.” (Steven Pinker)

PETER GRAY LINKS

Peter's research and Psychology Today blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/contributors/peter-gray-phd

Alliance for Self-Directed Education: https://www.self-directed.org/

Let Grow: https://letgrow.org/

American Journal of Play - Guest Editor Peter Gray: https://www.museumofplay.org/journalofplay/issues/volume-3-number-4/

RETHINKING ED CONFERENCE LINKS

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-get-together-the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

Trailer: youtu.be/JKz8ALX2QFM

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rethinking_Ed/status/1528046472444485638

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100004976851081/videos/706113054004294/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/james-mannion_too-often-the-education-debate-is-dominated-activity-6933887283146207232-53h0/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cd1b__3svlV/

Tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNNSFhrq/?k=1

Rethinking Education Mighty Network: rethinking-education.mn.co

Become a patron: www.patreon.com/repod

Buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.

Emma Ann Hardy is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle since the 2017 general election. She is also the Shadow Minister for Further Education and Universities. Recently, Emma launched and chaired the Oracy All Party Parliamentary Group, which carried out an inquiry and published an excellent report, Speak for Change, in 2021.

LINKS

The Oracy APPG - https://oracy.inparliament.uk/about-us

Speak for Change - the report of the APPG - https://oracy.inparliament.uk/sites/oracy.inparliament.uk/files/2021-04/Oracy_APPG_FinalReport_28_04_21_4.pdf

Voice 21 thread on the Ofsted English Curriculum Research Review:

https://twitter.com/voice21oracy/status/1529503318275497984

RETHINKING ED CONFERENCE:

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-get-together-the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

Trailer: youtu.be/JKz8ALX2QFM

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rethinking_Ed/status/1528046472444485638

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100004976851081/videos/706113054004294/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/james-mannion_too-often-the-education-debate-is-dominated-activity-6933887283146207232-53h0/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cd1b__3svlV/

Tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNNSFhrq/?k=1

GENERAL RETHINKING EDUCATION STUFF:

Join the Rethinking Education Mighty Network: rethinking-education.mn.co

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Buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.

An interview with Rachel Sylvester on the findings of the Times Education Commission.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/society/education/education-commission

In this episode, Dr James Mannion - the creator of the Implementation Science for Schools programme - interviews two senior leaders, Kate Barry and Elaine Long, about their experience of the ISS pilot study at their school.

RETHINKING ED CONFERENCE LINKS

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-get-together-the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

Social media links:

Youtube (trailer): https://youtu.be/JKz8ALX2QFM

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rethinking_Ed/status/1528046472444485638

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100004976851081/videos/706113054004294/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/james-mannion_too-often-the-education-debate-is-dominated-activity-6933887283146207232-53h0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cd1b__3svlV

ISS LINKS AND REFERENCES

To access the ISS community for free - including a free taster course - please visit https://implementation.mn.co/

ISS visual diagrams: https://rethinking-ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ISS-VISUAL-DIAGRAMS.pdf

The Gatsby careers benchmarks - https://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/gatsby-sir-john-holman-good-career-guidance-2014.pdf

Fixsen, D. L., Blase, K. A., Timbers, G. D., & Wolf, M. M. (2001). In search of program implementation: 792 replications of the Teaching-Family Model. In G. A. Bernfeld, D. P. Farrington & A. W. Leschied (Eds.), Offender rehabilitation in practice: Implementing and evaluating effective programs (pp. 149-166). London: Wiley.

Fixsen, D., Blase, K., Van Dyke, M. (2019). Implementation Practice and Science. Active Implementation Research Network. Chapel Hill, NC.

Hill, A., Mellon, L., Laker, B., Goddard, J. (2017) Research: How the Best School Leaders Create Enduring Change. Harvard Business Review, (5).

Kotter, J. (2008). A sense of urgency. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Moir, T. (2018). Why is implementation science important for intervention design and evaluation within educational settings? Frontiers in Education, July 25.

In this episode I am joined by Ian Cunningham, the founder of the Self-Managed Learning College (SMLC) in Brighton; Dr Naomi Fisher, a clinical psychologist who sends her children to SMLC; and Ellie Costello, the Director of Square Peg, a social enterprise that supports young people and families with barriers to attendance.

We are here to discuss the Schools Bill currently going through the English Parliament, which presents a significant challenge for people seeking to rethink education; indeed, if it goes through largely unamended, it looks like it will be a hugely retrograde step in many alarming ways, all of which we will get into in the podcast. And so, with apologies to international listeners, this episode is strongly Anglocentric.

CORRECTION: Regarding Andy Bilson's research: 44% of all children will be referred to children's (social) services before their 16th birthday.

RESEARCH LINKS:

The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final Report A child-centred system: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175391/Munro-Review.pdf

Bilson et al - How child protection’s ‘investigative turn’ impacts on poor and deprived communities: http://bilson.org.uk/Family_Law_prepub.pdf

MacDonald & MacDonald - Safeguarding: A Case for Intelligent Risk Management: https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/article-abstract/40/4/1174/1631451

Munro - Predictive analytics in child protection: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332528200_Predictive_analytics_in_child_protection

Hardy (2017) - In Defence of Actuarialism: Interrogating the Logic of Risk in Social Work Practice: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02650533.2017.1394828

Contact your MP - or member of the House of Lords: https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp

Petition - We must stop the Schools Bill: Act now to protect vulnerable families from persecution: https://www.change.org/p/updated-attendance-guidance-encourages-prosecution-and-fines-of-families-facing-barriers-to-attendance-undiagnosed-children-with-send-are-particularly-at-risk-time-for-positive-action-for-send-in-education

LET'S GET TOGETHER - THE RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2022:

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-get-together-the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

Share our social media links:

Youtube (trailer): https://youtu.be/JKz8ALX2QFM

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cd1b__3svlV

In this episode, titans of education Mick Waters and Tim Brighouse talk about their sensational new book 'About our schools: Improving on previous best'.

Here are some of the breathless reviews the book has received::

"You can hear the passion, the decency, the anger, the compassion, and the hope in this insider–outsider story about England’s education policy over the past 45 years... the most exciting and exacting book I have read in a long time." (Professor John Hattie)

"It seems odd to refer to a book on education as a page-turner, but About Our Schools really is just that. Hardly surprising though, as it has been written by two of the greatest storytellers in the field, whose careers at the heart of the action mean that they know everyone and have a view on pretty much everything. They survey the past and critique current initiatives, always through the lens of the teacher and the child in the classroom. It’s full of anecdotes, balanced critiques and a surprisingly com- passionate appraisal of politicians. About Our Schools is a masterpiece, and I shall be returning to it again and again." (Mary Myatt)

In this podcast, they elaborate on their interviews with Secretaries of State from the last 45 years, and outline a vision for how we can improve on previous best and transition to an age of hope, optimism and collaborative partnerships.

LINKS:

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - SPEAKER APPLICATIONS: https://rethinking-ed.org/conference/

RETHINKING EDUCATION MIGHTY NETWORK: https://rethinking-education.mn.co/

BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/repod

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The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.

Jon Hutchinson is the Head of Training and Development at the Reach Foundation, an educational charity that focuses on expanding the role of schools into the wider community through a cradle to career model.

Prior to this, Jon was an Assistant Headteacher at Reach Academy Felt-ham. He has taught across both KS1 and KS2, and also tutors on Ambition Institute’s Masters in Expert Teaching. Jon has taken part in expert panels for the Department for Education, Ofsted and the Standards and Testing Agency.

For the last ten years or so, Jon has been deeply involved in developing a knowledge-based curriculum at key stage two. Harking back to my recent conversation with Professor Michael Young, Jon describes this project as designing and creating resources and approaches that give every child access to the powerful knowledge they need to flourish, whilst reducing teacher workload and improving subject knowledge across the curriculum.

But we began our conversation talking about things we disagree on - and so if and if agreeable disagreement is your thing, you’ll find plenty to chew over here.

LINKS:

ARTICLE: What's your endgame? https://www.philanthropy.org.au/images/site/misc/Tools__Resources/Publications/2015/Winter_2015_Whats_Your_Endgame.pdf

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - SPEAKER APPLICATIONS: https://rethinking-ed.org/conference/

RETHINKING EDUCATION MIGHTY NETWORK: https://rethinking-education.mn.co/

BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/repod

BUY ME A COFFEE: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.

Today I am delighted to be able to share with you my recent conversation with Andy Sprakes, the co-founder of XP school in Doncaster. I also had the opportunity to speak with two students from the school, Declan and Guraaj, who were absolutely lovely and insightful as you will soon discover.

There has been a lot of interest in XP school in recent months, partly following a very complementary profile of the school that was published in the Sunday Times magazine, entitled: ‘Is XP the school of the future?’ The article is below - paywalled unfortunately.

In case you haven’t heard of XP school before, it’s a free school that was set up in 2014 by two teachers - Andy Sprakes and Gwyn Ap Harri - who were inspired following a visit to some innovative schools in the US - notably, High Tech High in San Diego, and Ron Berger’s Expeditionary Learning schools.

They do things very differently at XP. The curriculum is organised into cross-curricular ‘expeditions’. Their pastoral system is second to none. And their results are astonishing. And they are rated by Ofsted as being outstanding in every category.

LINKS:

Article: Is XP the school of the future? (£) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-uniforms-no-detentions-no-maths-lessons-is-xp-in-doncaster-the-school-of-the-future-jnc6n80kq

Free e-book - How we XP: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yJy4-nn0cVaxFNaqBRMnoDemA3v3RvwH/view

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - SPEAKER APPLICATIONS: https://rethinking-ed.org/conference/

RETHINKING EDUCATION MIGHTY NETWORK: www.rethinking-education.mn.co/feed

BECOME A PATRON: www.patreon.com/repod

BUY ME A COFFEE: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.

Today I am speaking with John Higgs, the cultural historian and author of many excellent books, several of which we draw on in this conversation - especially:

Watling Street: Travels Through Britain and Its Ever-Present Past

Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century

The Future Starts Here: An Optimistic Guide to What Comes Next

William Blake versus The World

So this conversation draws together ideas from a number of John’s books, in an attempt to weave a positive narrative about the future and where we might be heading. We also spoke at length about private schools, and how - as John puts it - when you look at what goes on in the House of Commons, it’s hard not to conclude that there is something very wrong with private education.

Ultimately, this conversation builds into an optimistic, hopeful and yet realistic vision of the future.

LINKS:

John Higgs website: https://johnhiggs.com/

Future Crunch: https://futurecrunch.com/

John discussing the Beatles singles on I am the Eggpod: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-beatles-singles-john-higgs/id1335120302?i=1000540565032

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - TICKETS: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rethinki…s-226415834857

RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - SPEAKER APPLICATIONS: rethinking-ed.org/conference/

RETHINKING EDUCATION MIGHTY NETWORK: www.rethinking-education.mn.co/feed

BECOME A PATRON: www.patreon.com/repod

BUY ME A COFFEE: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.