The Teaching Space

Introduction This episode includes a number of resources and links that I have posted below. Please excuse the audio quality, I recorded this episode on my phone! Links and Resources: 10 Things You Must do When Attending an Education Conference Bett Show Turnitin Google Classroom Teacher Toolkit Teacher Toolkit on Twitter Just Great Teaching by Ross Morrison McGill Teacher Tapp app Teacher Tapp on Twitter Wrap Up Support the Show That’s it for today. Before I go I have a small request: if you enjoyed today’s episode, please support by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.

Episode 84 of The Teaching Space Podcast is about TickTick and why it's a helpful tool for teachers and trainers. Introduction In the last episode, I shared my love of note-taking apps... today's episode is about to-do list apps! Actually, it’s about one app in particular: TickTick. I’ve tested a lot of apps to manage my tasks including: Asana (I have a podcast about this) Workflowy Trello Notion ClickUp (for about 10 minutes) Todoist Wunderlist (now Microsoft To Do) I am currently using TickTick, following Francesco's recommendation in episode 56 of the podcast. Almost 30 episodes later, I’m still using TickTick, so that’s probably a good sign! What is Tick Tick? Tick Tick is fundamentally a task manager. It encourages you to 'get to-dos out of your mind, and get them done in less time’. I think it’s more of a project management tool (although not as sophisticated as Asana or ClickUp) as you can group lists under headings/folders. For example, in the screenshot below, you will see I have a group called ‘M

Episode 83 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores three note-taking apps for teachers and trainers. Introduction As a child, I was obsessed with notepads. As an adult, I am obsessed with note-taking apps. I’ve been trying out three ‘new to me’ apps lately so I thought I’d share my findings with you. These are not intended to be detailed reviews by the way - I want to give you just enough information to decide whether you want to try these tools out. You’ll note (pardon the pun) that Evernote is conspicuous by its absence. I’ve tried Evernote several times in the past, and for reasons I cannot quite put my finger on, it just never seems to be the right fit for me, despite that fact that LOTS of people love it. Evernote does many things fairly well but doesn’t seem to me to do anything REALLY well. Three Note-taking Apps OneNote I think this one will surprise a few of you. OneNote is a Microsoft app and I am a dedicated Apple girl. However, I am studying with the Open University and they use Office 365. I need

Episode 82 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores four methods for formative assessment. Introduction It’s another back to basics episode today. We’re exploring a few of my favourite formative assessment methods. Formative Versus Summative Assessment As a little ‘revision’ let’s distinguish between formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment is known as ‘assessment for learning'. It is consists of informal assessment methods, usually devised by the teacher or trainer, to check learning is happening during the teaching session. It is designed to generate feedback on progress and ultimately is a way to check that learners are ready for their summative assessment. We will be exploring some formative assessment methods in this episode. Summative assessment is known as ‘assessment of learning'. It is generally formal and often created by an awarding organisation, but not always. It occurs at the end of a course or unit of learning to check whether sufficient learning has happened to award a qualificat

Episode 81 of The Teaching Space Podcast goes 'back to basics' and revisits session planning. Introduction Some time ago I asked members of my Facebook group what type of podcast episodes they would like to see more of in the future and there were many votes for ‘back to basics’ topics. In response, we’re looking at session planning today. Initial Teacher Training One of the courses I most enjoy teaching is the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (formerly ‘PTLLS’). It’s an introduction to teaching/training and tends to attract a diverse range of learners. One part of the course they tend to enjoy exploring is session planning - some of what I share in this episode comes from that course. A lot of brand new teachers/trainers are initially surprised at how technical putting a decent session together can be. Observations As well as observing trainee teachers in my job, I’m also lucky enough to spend time observing experienced teachers. I’ve seen some magnificent sessions over the years. One of the most comm

Episode 80 of The Teaching Space Podcast is about being a Master's student while working full-time in further education. Introduction I believe there’s no better way to improve your teaching than to be a student as often as possible. It’s probably a good thing I hold this view as (a) part of my day job is leading professional development at my local FE college, and (b) I started studying for a Master’s in Education with the Open University in October 2019. In today’s episode, I want to tell you all about my first few months of Master’s study. If you are considering furthering your education in a similar way, then this episode might be a good starting point. If you are not, I still hope the episode is a timely reminder of what it’s like to be a student. My Education Background Because I work in FE there is no requirement for me to be a graduate. I have, of course, achieved my level 5 Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (known as DTLLS), followed by QTLS status (Qualified Teacher Learning and Sk

Episode 79 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores ways teachers and trainers can manage worry. Introduction Today it’s personal! When I started this podcast back in 2017 I didn’t have plans to talk about myself a great deal. I knew I wanted to help teachers and trainers try to achieve their version of work/life balance, but of course, there was a personal reason for that. Without talking about myself explicitly, it was still about me. I was in a position to share some useful strategies I had learned due to my own experience. Today I’d like to share a bit more of my story and also show you how I am still learning new strategies and don’t plan to stop. Generalised Anxiety Disorder One of the main reasons I have worked so hard on creating a work/life balance for myself and also being as productive as possible is because I have anxiety. Specifically, I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder (“GAD”) which is described by the NHS as “a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious about a wide range of situations

Introduction Hello and welcome to the Teaching Space Podcast. It's Martine here. Thank you so much for joining me. Martine:      Today, I have a guest on the show and we're going to be talking productivity. Rather than have a big intro, I'm going to hand straight over to my guest, Justin Hockey. Justin, welcome to the show. Justin:             Thank you, Martine. It's great to be here. Martine:            I'm so pleased to have you on. Could you tell me, I'm going to get you to introduce yourself if that's okay, who are you and what in the world do you do? And where in the world do you do it? Justin:             That's a great question. With modern technology, anywhere in the world is just about possible. So my name is Justin and I'm a music teacher. I've been working in various countries around the world teaching music. India, Australia, and now South Korea, so that's where I am right now in South Korea. I teach at an international school. I'm also married and with a child. So that adds into the productiv

Episode 77 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores setting up a professional development library… anywhere! Introduction Today’s episode is will be short and practical. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was an episode in its own right! However, based on the success of this particular initiative, I decided it was too good not to share. So, here’s the issue: through conversations with teaching colleagues, I became aware that only a small number seemed to be reading for professional development (with the exception being our trainee teachers and those studying at Master’s and PhD level). I’ve not yet come up with a definitive reason why - and it is beyond the scope of this episode - but it could be anything from lack of interest or incentive to not realising reading could be classed as professional development. Whatever the reason, I decided one possible solution could be to make professional reading more (physically) accessible. We have some great books about teaching and learning in the library but we never see teac

Episode 76 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores the topic of helping lower level learners to thrive. Introduction Hello and welcome to The Teaching Space Podcast. It's Martine here. Thank you so much for joining me. Today I have a guest on the show and, I think, rather than me tell you all about her, I'm going to ask her to do that bit herself. Hello, Louise. How are you? Louise:    Hello, I'm good. Thank you. Martine:      Welcome to the show. Would you like to introduce yourself to The Teaching Space Podcast listeners? Tell us who you are, what you do, and most importantly, where in the world are you? Louise:    Yeah, okay. My name's Louise Misselke and I'm the Principal of the College of Further Education in Guernsey, which is a general FE college. At the moment, I'm sitting in my home looking at a blustery gale outside. Martine:      Yes, that makes two of us because actually we're both based in Guernsey and actually, Louise and I work together, which is one of the reasons I knew she'd be a good guest o

Episode 75 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores five more ways teachers and trainers can improve their presentation slides. Introduction In episode 45 of The Teaching Space Podcast I explored ten ways teachers and trainers could improve their presentation slides. I recommend you listen to the episode or read the show notes. As a short recap, I covered this: Use a consistent design Use images carefully Pay attention to fonts Avoid text heavy slides Try shortlinks Embed video Keep animation minimal Use audience participation Use QR codes to share slides Try GIFs My main professional development focus this year is how I use slides (and handouts) to support learning; there’s some dual coding theory to explore here. I’ve already learned so much through reading and experimentation that I thought a follow-up episode might be in order. So, here it is. Five More Ways to Improve Your Presentations 1. Branding This one could be controversial! Some time ago, my College introduced slide templates featuring the organis

Episode 74 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores the visual note taking skill of sketchnoting. Introduction In today’s episode we’re exploring my new favourite thing: sketchnoting. I am excited about this topic because it seems to combine all of my worlds: education, writing, reading, learning, technology and drawing. I’m still a sketchnoting novice, but hopefully, for the purpose of this podcast anyway, my enthusiasm makes up for my lack of skill. What are Sketchnotes? According to sketchnote-love.com: ”Sketchnotes (sketch + notes) are visual notes, so more than just the regular text notes we all are used to take. When sketchnoting you enhance your regular notes with visual elements such as small drawings, frames, arrows, letterings etc. In the end you get notes with benefits. They help you to visualize and structure contents of any kind and help you to treasure information.” I love the idea of “notes with benefits”! Here’s an example of my first sketchnote; it’s from a talk I saw by Daisy Christodoulou d

Episode 73 of The Teaching Space Podcast shares clips from my visit to the ResearchED National Conference in London earlier this year. Links and Resources This episode features a selection of recordings I made on my mobile phone (please excuse the quality) while attending the ResearchED National Conference in September 2019. Here are some of the people and resources I mentioned:  ResearchED ResearchED Guernsey event Daisy Christodoulou on Twitter Seven Myths About Education by Daisy Christodoulou Sam Pullan on Twitter CPD ladies on Twitter: Joanne Jukes, Joanne Tiplady and Louise Lewis Oliver Caviglioli on Twitter Dual Coding for Teachers by Oliver Caviglioli Wrap Up Support the Show That’s it for today. Before I go I have a small request: if you enjoyed today’s episode, please support by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Questions? Comments? If you have any questions about the show or thoughts you’d like to share you can do so by either: Leaving a comment on this episode

Episode 72 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores the skill of public speaking and why it is relevant to teachers and trainers. Introduction Today’s episode is based on a blog post I wrote a few years back on public speaking. I really wanted to make an audio version; so here it is. Before I launch into this topic, I want to say this: teaching is SO MUCH MORE than public speaking. I don't believe good public speakers necessarily make good teachers. In fact, often, they're terrible. The role of the teacher is to facilitate learning; not to talk ALL THE TIME. However, I do believe that improving your public speaking skills can have a positive and powerful effect on your teaching, but probably not for the reason you think. I mean, yes, working on your speaking skills focuses you on communicating clearly. That's important. But the most positive outcome is this: you appear confident. While you may not feel confident on the inside, you project confidence to everyone around you. This will elevate your teaching to a h

Episode 71 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores how to get started with productivity apps and tools. Introduction If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while you will know I love a good productivity app! If a new one comes out I will be first in line to try it. However, the massive range of tools and apps available can be overwhelming, particularly if you are just starting your journey to becoming a productive teacher. Even if you’ve been working on improving your productivity for some time, it’s easy to focus on apps and forget the productivity strategies you need behind them. So that’s what we’re looking at today. We’re going back to basics.   The Productivity Trifecta I suggest the following tools are needed for improved productivity: Calendar To-do list Project management A calendar is essential - without having one safe place to note times and dates of events and meetings, you’re going to struggle. A calendar can also be used to time block (see episode 62 of The Teaching Space podcast). All t

Episode 70 of The Teaching Space Podcast is an interview with Oli Bailey-Davies discussing the use and impact of plenaries. Introduction Hello and welcome to the Teaching Space podcast. It's Martine here. Thank you so much for joining me. In today's episode I am excited to bring you an interview. I'm going to hand straight over to Oli and ask him to introduce himself to you, explain who he is, what he does and where he is in the world. Martine: Hello Oli. Oli: Hi, Martine. How are you? Martine: I'm well, thank you for joining me. Oli: Thank you for having me. Yeah, so I'm Oli. I'm a lecturer at the College of FE in Guernsey and I'm also the Artistic Director of a professional theatre company that's based at the college that I teach at as well. Martine: And what are we going to be talking about today and why? Oli: Today we have the exciting task of talking about plenaries and the impact of them on your students and on your classroom, I guess. And part of the reason I guess why you asked me to get involved in t

Episode 69 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores different ways to start your teaching sessions. Introduction We’re going back to teaching basics today and focussing on starter activities. For the benefit of any new teachers or trainers listening, a starter activity is a short activity at the start of the session which engages your learners as soon as they arrive. It sets the tone of the session. Why are Starter Activities a Good Idea? One of the main benefits of using a starter activity is that done well, it can ensure learners arrive in your training room and settle into work-mode quicky and easily. This applies to learners of all ages, incidentally! It is also a good way to get learners excited about what is about to happen in the session to come. You can really “hook” learners in with a good starter activity. Starters can also be used to recap on what you covered in the last session. But Do They Work? In drafting the outline for this show I did wonder if perhaps starter activities were a bit “passé”. I c

Episode 68 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores a reluctant teacher’s experience of meditation. Introduction So, guess what? The “one teacher” named in the title is me and up until about six weeks ago, my general attitude towards meditation was something akin to: it’s a bit “woo-woo” and it’s for “other people”. I should have called this episode “One Reluctant, Anti-Woo-Woo Teacher’s Experience with Meditation” actually; it would have been more accurate. Let’s unpick this a little. Based on a gut feeling, I had decided that meditation wasn’t for me. Actually, that’s not strictly true (I am being a little hard on myself). I’d tried meditation a couple of times in various yoga classes. It was really hard. Based on that, and my gut, I decided it wasn’t for me. Yikes, that’s even worse. So I decided to try again. What is Meditation? Before we delve into my recent meditation experience, let’s take a step back and clarify what meditation is and isn’t. I have two definitions for you. The first is from The Cambridg

Episode 67 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores seven ways you can simplify your life outside work. Introduction While I keep my personal and professional lives separate, I cannot deny that having a simple, stress-free personal life makes me happier and more productive at work. Here are seven ways I have made my life outside work as simple as possible. Each of these strategies saves precious minutes and minimises stress. 1. Wardrobe Choices My college doesn’t have a specific dress code; teachers can dress to suit their vocational subject. I’m a teacher and assessor educator so I choose to dress on the smarter side of casual (for example, no jeans, but equally, no power suits!) While I don’t quite go as far as Steve Jobs and Barack Obama in the sense that I wear the same clothes every day, I do tend to opt for a type of uniform. I tend to wear a dress and cardigan. I’ll usually wear tights and boots in the winter and a closed-toe sandal with bare legs in the summer. I have a number of similar dresses featuri

Episode 66 of The Teaching Space Podcast explores the power of sticky notes! Why Sticky Notes? My favourite non-digital teaching tool is, without a doubt, the humble sticky note. Despite running a mostly paperless classroom, I seem to be able to find a phenomenal number of uses for these magical squares of stationery goodness. In fact, I love them so much, I thought they deserved a dedicated podcast episode. Incidentally, I will probably use the terms “sticky note” and “post-it note” interchangeably in this episode - please know they mean the same thing. A Little History According to the How Stuff Works website: “A Post-it note is a small piece of paper with a strip of low-tack adhesive on the back that allows it to be temporarily attached to documents, walls, computer monitors, and just about anything else. The idea for the Post-it note was conceived in 1974 by Arthur Fry as a way of holding bookmarks in his hymnal while singing in the church choir. He was aware of an adhesive accidentally developed in 196