This week we are joined by special guest Brendan Mitchell (C21_Teaching) who happened to be in our area. 

John (@jfcatto) looks at the problems with a very prescribed set of standards to teach to and why we should move away from specific and universal standards full of tidbits of specific information. 

Pete (@mr_van_w) considers different perspectives on the level of violence teachers can both expect and accept in the workplace.  

John: Moving Beyond Facts, Skills and the Right Answers - Alfie Kohn (@alfiekohn)

https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/moving-beyond-facts-skills-right-answers/

Pete: Secondary school staff suffer work attacks - BBC News

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-43290587 

Pete (@mr_van_w) looks at some of the decisions to make when implementing an effective Blended Learning program.

John (@jfcatto) briefly brings up some of the things to consider when implementing collaborative learning in class and then looks at some really handy tips for people starting out on their teaching journey. 

Pete: What Separates a Good Blended Learning Program From a Bad One - Rebecca Rosso

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-02-20-what-separates-a-good-blended-learning-program-from-a-bad-one

John: Why I don't like Collaborative Learning Structures - Chris Baker(@mrbakerphysics)

https://medium.com/@chrisbakerphysics/why-i-dont-like-collaborative-learning-1130c1979019

Advice for those starting out as a teacher... - Chris Baker

https://medium.com/@chrisbakerphysics/advice-for-those-starting-out-as-a-teacher-219b6f3af380

John (@jfcatto) takes haven in the safe ground of Edutopia looking at some of the benefits new teachers have over their experienced but perhaps stale colleagues and urges teachers to focus on the positives rather than the negatives of new teachers. 

Pete (@mr_v_w) looks at comments made by former NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli. Apparently parents are also somewhat to blame for their children's school results. Who would have thought?

John: The Advantage of Being a New Teacher - Matthew M. Johnson

https://www.edutopia.org/article/advantages-being-new-teacher 

Pete: Former education minister blames complacent parents for school results - Michael Koziol

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/former-education-minister-blames-complacent-parents-for-school-results-20180221-p4z13h.html      

John (@jfcatto) examines a teaching practice significantly different to his and explores some of the motivations behind this pedagogy. In usual TTT style, he comes to record with no preparation at all and mistakenly refers to a teacher named Ben as Mark for half an hour.

John also presents Pete's (@mr_van_w) article where the NSW Education Minister makes some positive sounding submissions to the Gonski review despite revealing the underlying misconceptions of politicians talking about education.

John: Am I allowed to sit at my desk - Ben Newmark (@bennewmark)

https://bennewmark.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/am-i-allowed-to-sit-at-my-desk/ 

Also John: Reduce HSC pressure in favour of a 'growth mindset', NSW tells David Gonski - Michael Koziol (@michaelkoziol) 

http://www.smh.com.au/national/secondary-education/reduce-hsc-pressure-in-favour-of-a-growth-mindset-nsw-tells-david-gonski-20180215-p4z0fo.html 

Pete (@mr_van_w) explores some of the many problems with the implementation of the Year 1 Phonics test of made up words in a sometimes tricky language to negotiate.

John (@jfcatto) dips his toe into some of the many ways to differentiate a mixed ability classroom.

Tips to teachers: Automate, choose jobs wisely and accept done is done.    

Pete: 'Plood, pove, moul': teachers push back against year 1 phonics test - Pallavi Singhal

http://www.smh.com.au/national/plood-pove-moul-teachers-push-back-against-year-1-phonics-test-20180212-p4z02l.html

Private school considers banning works of Shakespeare

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/38905133/wa-private-school-considers-banning-works-of-shakespeare/ 

John: A Starter Kit for Differentiated Instruction 

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/starter-kit-differentiated-instruction/ 

"Work Smarter Not Harder" - Crystal Caton

https://educatingthedigitallearner.com/2018/02/08/strategies-to-work-smarter-not-harder/ 

Pete (@mr_van_w) is bemused by continued calls for banning mobile phones in classroom. Now in Australia.  Then at an anonymous strawman story of a progressive teacher who lost his way. 

John (@jfcatto) introduces an overarching framework that allows teaching professionals to identify when to apply different learning strategies for different students. 

Pete: Banning mobile phones in classrooms takes education back in time, experts say - Ashleigh Raper and Brooke Wiley

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-05/debate-on-mobile-phones-in-the-classroom/9397898

The lure of 21st century skills - (Anonymous via Greg Ashman) 

https://gregashman.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/the-lure-of-21st-century-skills/

John: Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model - John Hattie and Gregory Montegue

https://www.nature.com/articles/npjscilearn201613.pdf

How Do You Know When a Teaching Strategy Is Most Effective? John Hattie Has And Idea - Katrina Schwartz 

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/06/14/how-do-you-know-when-a-teaching-strategy-is-most-effective-john-hattie-has-an-idea/ 

This week Pete (@mr_van_w) manages to keep his cool over a website published by #hisABC that seems to serve no purpose other than to shame/enrage parents in both the public and private sector of education. 

John (@jfcatto) highlights the lack of correlation between college achievement and fame and fortune. 

Pete: You decide: Should you send your kids to a public or private school? - Cristen Tilley, Ben Spraggon, Nathan Hoad 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-31/public-vs-private-school-you-decide/8380980 

John: Why valedictorians rarely become rich and famous - and the average millionaire's college GPA was 2.9 - Shana Lebowitz

https://amp.businessinsider.com/why-high-school-valedictorians-dont-become-really-successful-2017-5 

Visit www.teacherstalkingteaching.com to see more of the podcast.

At a time when teachers are preparing to go back to school John (@jfcatto) introduces eight questions for teachers to consider to ensure students are engaged and not just compliant.

Then (@mr_van_w) spends half a podcast discussing a discussion he heard on another podcast. #secondhander

Spolier/Disclaimer/Edit: Finally, John awkwardly defends an offhand comment he made disparaging a beloved educelebrity.

John: How to Ensure Students Are Actively Engaged and Not Just Compliant - Katrina Schwartz

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/12/09/how-to-ensure-students-are-actively-engaged-and-not-just-compliant/

Pete: The EduChange Podcast: John Hattie - Luca Parry *sp

https://podtail.com/podcast/the-educhange-podcast/john-hattie/

Pete (@mr_van_w) highlights another (un)forseen problem with NAPLAN and the NSW Governments new HSC literacy benchmark.

John (@jfcatto) uses an article as an excuse to present his opinion on mobile phones in schools. 

Articles:
Pete: NAPLAN: 87 per cent of NSW Indigenous students need to resit tests - Pallavi Singhal

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/naplan-87-per-cent-of-nsw-indigenous-students-need-to-resit-tests-20171211-h02ddu.html 

John: The idea of banning mobiles mobiles in schools is as daft as Canute attempting to hold back the tide - Bernard Trafford (@bernadtrafford)

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/idea-banning-mobiles-schools-daft-canute-attempting-hold-back-tide