Teaching Together

We are back with another mini episode in our Deconstructing Differentiation series to talk about executive functioning. With more and more students experiencing types of executive dysfunction, this is worth some consideration and how we can provide support and scaffolds in our classrooms and interactions with students to help them develop these essential skills for learning and life!

Recording this as PD? Here are the relevant APSTs:

Focus Area 1.1: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of studentsFocus Area 1.2: Understand how students learnFocus Area 1.5: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilitiesFocus Area 1.6: Strategies to support full participation of students with disabilityFocus Area 4.1: Support student participation

Helpful Links 💡

Executive Function and Self-Regulation - AERO

You have likely heard of the classic five senses, but did you know that there are actually eight?! In this mini-episode of our Deconstructing Differentiation series, we describe the 3 lesser known senses and consider how sensory processing differences impact what happens in your classroom. Recent data shows that one in six children experience sensory processing difficulties, which makes this a really important consideration for teachers! So grab a cuppa and join us for a chat about how we might be able to support the wide variety of sensory differences in our learning spaces.

Recording this as PD? Here are the relevant APSTs:Focus Area 1.1: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of studentsFocus Area 1.2: Understand how students learnFocus Area 1.5: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilitiesFocus Area 1.6: Strategies to support full participation of students with disabilityFocus Area 4.1: Support student participation

Follow our journey on Instagram: @teachingtogetherthepodcast

We are back from a short hiatus and excited to jump in to this discussion with you about differentiation! In this opening episode of our Deconstructing Differentiation series, we are unpacking a practical differentiation framework known as the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). We explore the three tiers included in this framework and consider how a strong Tier 1 foundation works to support every learner in your classroom right from the start. Instead of feeling the need to create 17 different variations of every activity and having an extension task at the ready to be doing differentiation 'well,' we chat about how viewing your differentiation practice through a tiered lens makes supporting every student far more sustainable and intentional (and HINT: You are probably already doing this more than you realise!).

Recording this as PD? Here are the relevant APSTs:Focus Area 1.1: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of studentsFocus Area 1.5: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilitiesFocus Area 1.6: Strategies to support full participation of students with disabilityFocus Area 3.3: Use teaching strategies

Helpful LinksMTSS Overview

Positive Practices for Whole School and Classroom SupportsFollow our journey on Instagram: @teachingtogetherthepodcast

Join us for a special edition of the podcast as we head out on the road for some much needed school holiday adventuring! We'll fill you in on our journey to the Tea Centre as well as debrief about the term that was. In this candid chat, we reflect on our recent "glows and grows," exploring the balance between our professional capacity and the reality of sometimes just being in survival mode. We spend some time discussing how we are aiming to keep refining our sustainable systems for the new term, from digital planning to the professional challenge of developing confidence in a diverse classroom. We also consider the liberating "Curb Cut Effect"—the idea that the scaffolds we put in place for one student often end up supporting a much wider group of students.

Whether you are enjoying your own holiday reset or looking for ways to streamline your classroom management for next term, we'd love you to join in the conversation!

Recording this as PD? Here are the relevant APSTs:Focus Area 1.5: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilitiesFocus Area 5.2: Provide feedback to students on their learningFocus Area 6.2: Engage in professional learning and improve practiceFocus Area 6.3: Engage with colleagues and improve practice

Helpful LinksTeaching Together the PodcastThe Tea Centre

In this final instalment of our 'Practical Planning' series, we’re helping you tackle the "perfectionist's trap" - that exhausting urge to reinvent the wheel for every single lesson you teach. While you want your classroom to be a hub of creativity, we discuss why consistency might actually be better when it comes to student engagement. By drawing on a reliable 'menu' of learning activities and thinking routines, you can significantly reduce cognitive overload for your students (and yourself!) freeing up mental bandwidth to focus on the learning rather than trying to decipher new instructions every day.

Join us as we consider how to trade constant novelty for solid routines that build consistency. It might just end up being more exciting than you think!

Recording this as PD? Here are the relevant APSTs:

• Focus Area 1.2: Understand how students learn
• Focus Area 3.3: Use teaching strategies
• Focus Area 3.4: Select and use resources
• Focus Area 4.2: Manage classroom activities

Helpful Links

⁠Project Zero’s Thinking Routine Toolbox⁠

⁠Follow us on Instagram @teachingtogetherthepodcast⁠

In this mini episode, we chat about ways we have been using AI as a genuine planning partner — not a quick fix (because it's often not quick), and not a replacement for your professional judgement.

We unpack when AI can actually save time, when it doesn’t, and why investing time into setting up tools like Agents or Gems can lead to more meaningful, efficient planning in the long run.

From refining prompts to building personalised AI systems, this episode focuses on practical strategies that help you collaborate with AI to enhance your teaching — not replace it.

Planning lessons when you're sick is one of the least enjoyable parts of teaching — especially when you're trying to do it at 6:30am with a splitting headache and a box of tissues.

In this mini episode of our Practical Planning series, we talk about the reality of preparing cover lessons and share practical ways to make the process easier.

We discuss the key ingredients of a good cover lesson, why context matters for casual teachers, and how setting up systems can save you time and energy when you need it most.

The way we plan lessons on placement doesn’t always translate to real classrooms.

In this episode, we reflect on how our planning has changed from our placements and early teaching days to now. We discuss why many teachers feel pressure to reinvent the wheel every week, and how developing repeatable lesson structures can make teaching more sustainable and still allow for deep thinking to happen! Rather than creating something new for every lesson, we discuss how consistent frameworks can support both teachers and students by reducing planning time, increasing clarity, and allowing more space to focus on learning.

If you're a pre-service or early career teacher feeling overwhelmed by lesson planning, this conversation is for you.

Helpful Links 💡

Thinking Routines (as usual!)

Recording this as PD? Here are the relevant APSTs:

2.2 – Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence

3.2 – Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

3.3 – Use teaching strategies

6.1 – Identify and plan professional learning needs

6.2 – Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Sadly, not every good idea is a good fit, and sometimes the best thing you can do with a routine is let it go.

In this episode, we talk about the routines we’ve tried, we've loved, we've worked hard to practise, but ultimately had to ditch. Sometimes, letting go of a routine feels unbearable, because of the time and effort (and let's face it, sometimes money) that we have spent to set it up. But if you are wondering whether your routine or system is working for you, then it probably isn't...

Sustainable teaching isn’t about doing things just because that's what other teachers do, and it's certainly not about trying to do everything — it’s about doing what works.

Okay, so we all know routines matter… but how do you actually get them to stick?

In this mini episode, we chat about some of the classroom routines that we have tried (and sometimes failed) to make everyday teaching feel more sustainable. We discuss the importance of teaching routines explicitly, and probably even more explicitly than we think we need to, in order to genuinely relieve some of the cognitive load for both ourselves and our students.

If you’re looking to reduce friction in your classroom and avoid repeating yourself, this episode is for you!

As always, you can connect with us @teachingtogetherthepodcast 🤍