Teacher Planning Podcast

Julia discusses her life and teaching experiences in Bahrain, as well as brief mentions of her time living and working in Thailand. Got a young family and hesitant about the move? Julia explains why this is not an issue.

Sophie discusses a lesson that is taught to year 9s in anticipation of beginning key stage 4. Her school deliver snippets of content to pupils in a 9-week program to give students the opportunity to discover what the PE BTEC course (and other subjects) is actually about and help decide whether or not they would like to choose that option.

In this lesson, Sophie describes the clear structure to her lessons (do now, learn new content, hinge question, sport application and exit ticket). Sophie plans the lesson meticulously to ensure that there is challenge for every pupil within the group.

This episode explores life as a teacher in Japan and what life is really like. We discuss a typical day in school as well as cultural aspects, including addressing some misconceptions that some might have about the country. This episode is a must for those who are thinking about experiencing teaching life in this fabulous country with some must-listen bits of advice.

Subscribe to Andrew’s Youtube page – Higgins in Japan

Follow Andrew on Twitter at @Higgins82

This episode is a slightly alternative approach to teaching languages. Andrew describes his lesson on applying directions in a practical way. However, as Andrew is speaking from a 'TEFL' (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) perspective, he is actually describing the lesson from the target language point of view. The reason this has been listed as an MFL episode is because exactly the same ideas and principles can be applied to the teaching of any language.

Subscribe to Andrew’s Youtube page – Higgins in Japan

Follow Andrew on Twitter at @Higgins82

Leading in to exam season, English Teacher, Lauren describes her lesson 90-minute with her top set year 11 group in which they go through some key exam techniques for an English Language paper. This particular lesson focuses on an extract from The Kite Runner. They start off with a ‘do now’ activity before any other learning takes place before identifying the difference between implicit and explicit information. The main section of the lesson is breaking down what is being asked of students in the analysis question. Lauren uses the ‘I do, we do, you do’ technique to scaffold for students to be able to analyse confidently by themselves, aiming to reach the top marks by the end.

Follow Lauren on Twitter at @MissEnglishHOY

Amy describes her cricket lesson on the use of the overarm throw when fielding in cricket. Her lesson is described for one of her girls’ groups, but can be applied to all standards with the use of minor changes to activities if deemed appropriate. The lesson follows carefully thought out progressions through the activities, ending in a timed competition between students.

The lesson is also described with Covid regulations and limited timings in place. Again, Amy discusses how she uses this lesson when being allowed ‘normal’ lesson time.

In the episode, Charlotte describes her 100-minute lesson on one of her favourite topics. Although Charlotte’s lesson won’t suit all, it is clearly discussed how the lesson can be either condensed down to 60 minutes or even extended over 2 lessons.

With the lesson targeted at a mixed ability group, Charlotte plans for this through a variation of tasks, including her clue-based starter activity, text analysis paired discussion, video clip, whiteboard work and a diamond 9/6 activity to finish off. Parts of the lesson are designed to encourage surprise and shock from the students, ensuring they remember the content for future years.

She also heaps praise on the work of Simon Beale (@SPBeale on Twitter) work of for his work on the breaking down of ‘heavy texts’ to make tasks more manageable and relatable to students.

Follow Charlotte on Twitter at @Charineducation

In an episode that was recorded in the middle of the Covid pandemic (when exams in the UK were still due to go ahead!), Jennifer demonstrates her years of experience in GCSE exams with particular hints and tips in MFL papers. This particular lesson is structured to include a combination of reading and writing skills based on social media and tech, but Jennifer emphasises the importance of aiming for opportunities for cross over between the 4 skills, including some quick-fire speaking at the end if time allows.

More subject-general revision is discussed between 36-42 minutes of the episode for any other subject teachers, focusing on the structure and intent of revision lessons.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter at @nowMrsMFL

This episode explores life as a teacher in Singapore. As previous colleagues in an international school in Singapore Dan (UK) and Mark (USA) reminisce about their experiences, ranging from the education system and the learning culture of local students through to lifestyle factors that could affect one’s decision to make the move. Other key areas discussed included salary/disposable income, accommodation provided for international teachers and commitment to the post.

Follow Mark on Twitter at @travlingteacher

Follow Dan on Twitter at @@mrguineyhistory

Using the group structure discussed in the bonus episode, Joe explains and rationalises his lesson on the tennis serve. Typically, with this being a challenging lesson for both teacher and students, he discusses various differentiation strategies and paths the lesson can take.

Follow Joe on Twitter at @mrJ_JonesPE