The Teaching Tips and Tales Podcast: Education| Teaching | Learning

Although I only recently became familiar with the Greek psychologist Helen Abadzi’s work, she is already an inspiration to me. I first heard of Dr. Abadzi. whilst reading Michael Erard’s book “Babbel No More” The Search for the World’s Most extraordinary language learners . She was interviewed for the book because she is a polyglot who speaks 19 languages. Her linguistic ability has shaped her career as a senior education Specialist for the World Bank. Dr. Abadzi’s main focus is on improving the learning for marginalized students. One of her most important publications is ‘Efficient Learning for the Poor’ published in 2006, which in my opinion is a fascinating and eye-opening read. In this interview, we discuss her research for that book as well as more recent research that she has carried out over the last 10 years with a particular focus on the importance of automaticity in learning and the scientific benefits of old fashioned drill. So here is my interview with Dr. Abadzi.

In this interview with teacher and lifelong Leicester City Football Club supporter, we put Leicester's incredible title winning season into an educational context looking at the far-reaching impact such an unexpected and inspirational sporting success can have not just on the community but in the world of education. Robin draws parallels with targets Ranieri set his players to the targets that are set for teachers, students and schools. We also look at what leadership lessons can be drawn and finish of the interview by talking about the best moments of the season.

Born and raised in London, Alex Rawlings is a language teacher, blogger and polyglot currently living in Valencia, Spain. Incredibly at only 24 years old Alex can communicate effectively in 13 languages and is an inspiration to language learners around the world. In 2012, whilst an undergraduate at Oxford University Alex was awarded the prize of "Most Multilingual Student" by the publishers Harper Collins for his ability to effectively communicate in 11 languages. Whilst teaching Spanish at a Secondary school in London I came across a video of Alex showcasing his language skills and showed it to my students to inspire and encourage them. A few years later I contacted Alex for an interview and was delighted to be able to ask him questions about language learning. We dive into a number of topics and some of the questions I asked were ...How and why have you reached such a fluent level in so many languages? do you ever confuse the different languages you speak? How can language teachers encourage reluctant teachers to learn languages? How have languages benefited you? among others! Enjoy listening!

In this interview, we discuss the importance of Education and literacy skills in prison. As an educated woman with a degree in Social Administration, Psychology and Criminology Lesley volunteered during her time in prison as a Toe by Toe Peer Mentor to help inmates build literacy skills. A 2015 Financial Times article entitled "How reading can change prisoners’ lives" referenced Lesley's work in prison and wrote of how many of the women Lesley taught could not recognise the alphabet, yet were reading a whole book at the end of five months.Whilst out on daily ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence) meaning that she could do volunteer work outside, Lesley gave a lecture on the importance of reading and literacy in rehabilitating prisoners. Lesley is also a recovering alcoholic and gives up her time to help three individuals overcome their addiction. We also talk about how she came across the reading group, how the group developed during her time in prison and the positive effects reading can have on prisoners who lack skills and education, as well as what direction education should take in prisons.