Sentral Station

Richard Andrew, maths teacher and PD presenter, brings a refreshing view that all students can understand high school maths. It's based on his views about conceptual vs. procedural approaches to maths teaching. In his light hearted, but serious way, Richard helps us understand the benefits of conceptual approaches...with a few laughs along the way.

To find out more about Richard's PD courses for maths teachers, visit the website.

http://www.learnimplementshare.com

or send him an email

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au

Coming soon. A series on 'Cultures of Thinking' with education researcher and presenter Simon Brooks. This series draws on the work of Ron Ritchhart and the Project Zero team at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The series provides insight and practical tips on developing cultures of thinking in our classrooms.

In this highlight... guess what's in the teacher's head?

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au

It's been a packed Term 3 this year, and I've had the pleasure of conducting some great interviews with passionate educators from around Australia. When you dive into what's actually going on, it doesn't take long to find some really great stories.

In this episode, we'll take a look back over a few highlights from Term 3.

In this episode...

Peter Barnes, learning innovator, on the benefits of educational neuroscience.

Greg Robinson, head of students, Hunter Valley Grammar School, on wellbeing and mindfulness.

Brad Fuller, director of music at Northern Beaches Christian School on music technology and innovative music programs.

Steve Howard, maths teacher and PD presenter on complex maths made purposeful.

Richard Andrew, maths teacher and PD presenter on teacher transparency in the classroom.

Monica Wulff, tech entrepreneur, on helping us to use technology more responsibly, and connecting with intent.

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform used by 3000 schools around Australia, visit http://www.sentral.com.au

Coming soon. A series on 'Cultures of Thinking' with education researcher and presenter Simon Brooks. This series draws on the work of Ron Ritchhart and the Project Zero team at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The series provides insight and practical tips on developing cultures of thinking in our classrooms.

In this highlight, what is a typology of questions?

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au

Arvind Ramchundar works in the field of software product development. It's one of those fields where we perhaps don't really think about software being a product, like something we buy off the shelf, because these days it just seems to be all around us, all the time. And education is no exception. So what are the motivations that might draw someone to work in the education sector, but not actually in the classroom? For Arvind, the motivation runs quite deep, and I caught up with him in the office at the end of a busy day. The small conference room has quite the echo, but the message is loud and clear.

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral.

For information about all our episodes and guests, visit

http://www.sentral.com.au/podcast

For information about proven web-based school management software for your school, visit

http://www.sentral.com.au

Coming soon. A series on 'Cultures of Thinking' with education researcher and presenter Simon Brooks. This series draws on the work of Ron Ritchhart and the Project Zero team at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The series provides insight and practical tips on developing cultures of thinking in our classrooms.

In this highlight, just how much is technology affecting our ability to think?

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au

It seems like everyone wants to make a movie these days. Well, perhaps not a movie, but at least a video that can record fun and precious moments of life. And the high quality cameras that we see in mobile phones these days makes that easier than ever. But what if we made movies or short films as a learning exercise at school? And not just learning about film making itself, but about subject content, like English, History, Science or Maths. My guest today is Lindsay Moss from Startime Studios, and that's exactly what he's helping students to do, through the art of film making. That's right, in addition to what you might call traditional methods of teaching, Startime is helping students explore the opportunities offered by film and media. Lindsay says that the responses from students and teachers has been very enthusiastic, and that kids just love to be in front of a camera. No surprises then that it's easy to get them involved. It's a connection that Lindsay hadn't quite planned for, but one that's making a positive difference in the lives of many students and teachers.

For more information, visit http://www.startime.com.au

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proved web-based school management platform software, visit http://www.sentral.com.au

If you've ever watched someone play the game, Minecraft, you could be forgiven for being a little confused as to what it's all about. Strange blocky looking characters, wandering around in a blocky looking world, where things are created and dismantled for no other reason than what appears to be pure fantasy. My guest today is Anthony McDonald, an English History teacher in regional NSW, and he's been wandering around in these worlds for some time now. But, he's also found that Minecraft is a great way to engage school kids in real learning exercises, in a range of different contexts. That's right... a computer game that really does engage and deliver learning outcomes. Now, you might be sceptical, but Anthony puts forward a very compelling case, and is now training other teachers how to use Minecraft in class with his courses run through TTA, or Teacher Training Australia. I started by asking Anthony whether just seeing it as a game was a fair assumption for the septics.

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au

Have you ever felt like you needed a mentor? Someone you could count on in the workplace, an education setting, or even simply as a trusted friend? For school students this can be an incredibly important source of support. My guest today is Leah Shmerling, the director and principal consultant at career coaching and training. As part of her range of training solutions, Leah runs courses on coaching and mentoring for teachers through Teacher Training Australia, or TTA. And it's through these course that she's able to share her experience with teachers, so that they can help students with challenges at school, and the difficult transition from school to tertiary or work life. As Leah explains, she was fortunate to benefit from a great mentor herself.... something she's cherished for a long time.

If you're a teacher, and sometimes wonder why you just can't get through to your students, have you ever considered that it might be due to some kind of hearing problem? Your students might not have a total hearing loss, but they may need some assistance to cope in our ever more demanding classrooms. My guest today is Jim Russell from Hearing Loop Australia, and works closely with schools to create environments that cater for students with hearing issues. Whilst Jim explains how the new technology available today is making a big difference for students with, and without hearing issues, he also explains that there is much to be done in improving our learning spaces for better hearing as well. I started by asking just how common hearing problems are in Australian schools.

For information on assistive hearing technologies, visit Hearing Loop Australia

http://hearingloop.com.au

This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on Sentral's proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au