Diary of a Teacher
After finishing a fascintating book called Why We Sleep by Prof. Matt Walker, I found myself trying to help a student get started on her exam revision in a visual arts cover lesson. She tells me she’s had 4 hours sleep because she went to bed at midnight but had to set an alarm for 4am to finish an English task due that day. She isn't very hopeful that the revision will stick, and neither am I. In this episode, I provide no final answers but enjoy having a good chat about the science of sleep, and how good sleep does seem to improve student outcomes. Literature etc. I consulted for this...
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It has been a six-lesson day and there are still lots of jobs to do, but it's time for an afternoon of professional development. This time you'll be learning about managing student cognitive load. You hope to high heaven that the facilitator doesn't fall victim to the ultimate irony... cognitively overloading you! In this episode, I talk about cognitive load theory, and how I went about addressing it in professional development. Literature etc. I consulted for this episode includes: Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2),...
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Harvard physics Professor Eric Mazur developed Peer Instruction in the early 90s, after noticing that many of his students weren't deeply understanding concepts despite performing well on traditional exams. He wanted to explore the nuts and bolts of that discrepancy. In this episode, I talk about my dealings with Peer Instruction to date, what the research says, and some potential pitfalls. Literature etc. I consulted for this episode includes: Mazur, E. (1997). Peer instruction: A user’s manual. Prentice Hall. Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2001). Peer instruction: Ten years of...
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Curious about what happens to your students when they leave the classroom and start uni life? This episode covers some of the factors that impact on smoothness of school to university transition. If you have a topic you would like covered, write to me: . Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.
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In the last episode of season 4, I answer three listener questions and discuss the plan for season 5 of the podcast.
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I've got a system for writing report comments, but it takes forever and isn't particularly efficient.
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Next year, I'll be moving to a new school. The process is bittersweet - whilst there is excitement at the prospect of learning new things, it has been hard to say goodbye to colleagues and students.
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In this episode I talk about two things I do to reduce my marking workload.
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In this episode I talk about the importance of letting students chart their own course, with guidance of course.
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School holidays are here.
info_outlineIn this episode I talk about supporting school counsellors. They are the hidden gems of our education system and they need our support.
Write to me: hello@spongeeducation.com.
Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.