In Episode 10, Chey and Pav discuss the optimal Class Size for their middle school class. All teachers want smaller class sizes, but this is not always a realistic expectation. Chey and Pav both agree that a class size of about 25 students is optimal, so long as the special education resources remain within the class. Pav talks about the class size cap that exists in Ontario, and the pitfalls of not carrying that cap over to grades 4 to 8 as well. She discusses that when class sizes exceed a certain number of students, the teacher is not optimally able to reach all students in an effective way. Chey talks about other things that suffer as well. Access to resources is diminished, there isn't enough physical space for the class, money is not always equitably shared and the paperwork that needs to be done for a large class can become highly overwhelming. Chey and Pav welcome their second guest for the 3 Enlightened Minutes segment - Karen Fleming - who speaks about equitable teaching practices and culturally inclusive pedagogy, with the need to reflect her students as much as possible through her classroom resources. The episode wraps up with an anecdotal tale from Chey! As always, there's always lots to talk about in The Staffroom!

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Our "3 Enlightened Minutes" Guest:

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In this episode of The Staffroom with Chey and Pav, the team talks about a topic that usually has many people unenthused - Professional Development. They discuss the different types of traditional, top-down PD and compare them to more effective and independent ways of researching and implementing new theories of pedagogy - and that is Self-directed professional development. They talk about the peaks and downfalls of each form of professional development, and also how they can be made more effective. In this episode, Chey and Pav feature, for the first time, a new segment called "Three Enlightened Minutes" - where they feature an educator they have met along their journey of podcasting. During the segment, educators tell their story - about what their cause, a topic they are passionate about, or perhaps a special project or endeavour they are proud of. In this episode’s “3 Enlightened Minutes” Chey and Pav feature Allison Carmichael, originator of Second2Arrow, and huge promotor of Mental Health strategies for teachers. Chey and Pav also discuss some fun anecdotes of their experiences with different types of Professional Development. To wrap up their episode, they talk about how top-down PD can be made to be more effective and how teachers can find their own passion projects in order to improve their own pedagogy, and what different routes they can take to improve their learning.

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Our "Three Enlightened Minutes" Guest: 

Allison Carmichael, Second2Arrow

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Stay in touch with Chey and Pav Through Email and Social Media

Email:

Facebook:

Instagram:

Twitter:

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Chey Twitter:

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