In this episode of "Teachers Talking Teaching," hosts Pete Whiting (@mr_van_w) and Shawtima Rakovski (@shawtimasmiles) discuss the insightful article "Australian classrooms are among the 'least favourable' for discipline in the OECD. Here’s how to improve student behaviour" from The Conversation. Join them as they unpack the key points and share their perspectives on enhancing classroom discipline for better student outcomes. URL: Link to the article on The Conversation Show Notes: ...

In this episode, we talk about local competitions and politicians who give teenagers NO QUARTER! Also congrats to Queensland for not ruining the election for the rest of us, in fact well done for being oddly progressive. Generally, we talk about Chile’s largest sensei and about the protective factors of a growth mindset for students from a lower socioeconomic background. If you wish to reach out, find us at  https://twitter.com/Mr_van_W or https://www.chess.com/member/mr_van_w or...

So this episode was recorded a month ago (maybe more) as an answer to some Patreon questions and then our world all fell apart. Between sickness, pandemic and adventures in heart failure (all is good now I promise, just little cardiac-hiccups) we actually thought that this episode was gone. But here it is! If you want to help us be more regular, at this point there are two places that we would love some support. First, there's a Patreon, this costs real dollars to put out and any help is...

Look, did you want a quality podcast or did you want quality show notes? In this episode we talk about a more lady-like approach to decision making, apparently. We dive into the research of Dr Johnston et al out of WA regarding the Ethic of Care and this as a framework for our decisions and interactions both within and without the classroom. That can be found here! Shawti has finally drunk the kool aid on Teachers Pay Teachers - The Teachers Talking Teaching Kool Aid that is. Burn it to...

In this episode Pete and Shawtima get pumped for the new teaching year and settle in for the new normal.   Shawtima mentioned using Tango as a tool for making instructables for team members and also violently threatens her team members. But then Shawtima dives deeply into some teacher wellbeing strategies. It’s not always the big moments and stunt work that counts.  If we can work on the simple unsexy stuff then maybe we can have a more sustainable worklife. Also, Pete says he’s fine, just...

… not that Pete recognises the UN in any way shape or form.   Shawtima talks differentiation this week. Look, differentiation is tricky in the classroom, but it’s worthwhile. There are many aspects of teaching that keep getting harder and harder, but you know what, sometimes that’s the deal.    In good news, Pete’s kids have started watching Bluey and it’s magic.   You can join us at https://www.patreon.com/CatfishEducation. Your support really does help us keep the show running. Huge...

In this episode we talk about the impacts of exhaustion.   The Culture Wars are alive and well. Schools are the battlegrounds once again. Education is a political act and again we see how the conservatives/trads are looking to push education History and Maths education into a back to basics approach. It makes Shawtima’s tummy hurt.   Pete learns about Temptation Bundling, this is something that he does all the time.    But our jobs are always political, schools are where the next...

Here is the Cancelled podcast that led to our long ramble open https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/cancelled/id1580836614   Shawtima talks (in the most round about way possible) Habits of Mind. Like, it legitimately started that way and ended up talking about LoLs in the classroom instead. Then we get all kinds of pedagogical and talk about Newman's Error Analysis. This became something fun for me to play with since recording.   Pete starts digging into the positive effects of ethnic...

In this episode we dive into some listener mail with questions about privilege and then we talk about the Tortoise and Hare thinkers. This involves the systemic bias in artificial examination environments and the harm it does to all of our students. Thanks Revisionist History!

In this episode, we talk about the readjustment of back to home learning for Australian/NSW teachers and the value of non-essential roles in schools. Also, how great is book week!   But Pete has a big focus on Inquiry-Based learning and the recent articles by the Conversation and several trad articles that have a real problem on student-centered learning. Apparently, the majority of teachers rely on inquiry-based programs. This however is clearly not the case. In fact, teachers use loads...

This week we discuss metaphor as a privileged types of language, Pete mansplains Sonic the Hedgehog and Shawtima talks about the Gradual Release of Responsibility model. Transfer of knowledge and utilisation of 21st Century Skills also become part of our discussion today. Transfer of knowledge from one area to another is a learnable skill. But most importantly, let's remember our new motto "Yeah, what Pete said"! @ShawtimaSmiles @Mr_van_w and support the episode via Patreon   ...

In this episode we cover a wide variety of topics including Learning Styles and VARK, a way to introduce welcome to country in an academically valued way and most importantly, science where rats drive cars for education. Hell yeah. Stay Shiny Pony Boy,  

Hi TTT Fam, Here we have an episode that almost never made it out of the gates thanks to some dodgy recording.  We got the sound good though! Enjoy.

Hey in this episode Pete (@mr_van_w) and Shawtima (@shawtimasmiles) talk about: Stuff. Not gonna lie, there’s some late night energy going on here and Pete ended up spending a considerable amount of time unwell this week (hence the late ep). But here we are. Here is Stile for our Science teacher friends: https://stileapp.com/login no add here but check it out. It’s genuinely useful. Tell them Pete and Shawtima sent you, they won’t care. We come back to some things that we’ve been talking...

Hey in this episode Pete (@mr_van_w) and Shawtima (@shawtimasmiles) talk about: In this episode we share a win at school with an indigenous program at our nation’s peak STEM body, CSIRO.    We delve into Mastery Learning and Education Systems, particularly around the online platform setup by Sal Khan. We also look at the   In another win for the Aboriginal Australians we discuss the modern usage of Aboriginal pedagogy in the classroom at Higher Education levels and High School. Also,...

Hey in this episode Pete (@mr_van_w) and Shawtima (@shawtimasmiles) talk about: Thinking Routines (Headlines) and how they've adapted them to suit what they want to do in the classroom. We talk ever so briefly about the authoritarian rise of the Flipped Teacher in an article from Times Higher Education. We talk in more depth about the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning that is going on at Pete’s school - The Central West Leadership Academy. This is from the book Dive into Deep Learning:...

Pete (@mr_van_w) is back with the original Shiny Educator, Shawtima (@ShawtimaSmiles).  It's time to introduce some changes, to the podcast but also not really. Mostly, it's the same nonsense you already love. Pete and Shawti are talking about all sorts of stuff in this episode. For example, Dungeons and Dragons in schools for students who are either neurodivergent or need social skills.  We also cover Student Leadership, and getting kids good. Also we @JoelBSperanza); Courtney...

Pete (@mr_van_w) shares how his school celebrated International Women's Day and discusses some of the considerations to running genuine activities and conversations.   John (@jfcatto) then looks at some Biesta's functions of education and the need for having a conversations about what we value in education.   Good education in an age of measurement: On the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education - Gert Biesta ...

This week Pete (@mr_van_w) shares a resource and encourages non-indigenous people to get involved in Aboriginal education and teaching Aboriginal perspectives. John (@jfcatto) then has a whine about the effects of politics on professional development opportunities.    Educator Resource: 'But I am NOT ABORIGINAL I don't know how to do this stuff!' - Amy Thunig (@amythunig) https://thebabyacademic.com/2018/09/07/but-i-am-not-aboriginal-i-dont-know-how-to-do-this-stuff/   Stop the...

Hi TTT Family, No John this week so I thought I'd reflect a little on life and my new schools for you. Enjoy, Pete @mr_van_w

This week John (@jfcatto) checks in to see how "Learning Pods" worked out. Are they the silver bullet to combatting school shutdowns? (Spoilers: No).  Pete (@mr_van_w) read a couple of books. One he likes and one he doesn't like so much.    Articles: Learning Pods Show Their Cracks - Ronda Kaysen  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/style/learning-pods-pros-and-cons.html   Democracy in Education - John Dewey https://allenbolar.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/dewey-democracy.pdf   ...

Welcome to 2021. We made it. More importantly Pete (@mr_van_w) made it. In this episode Pete and John (@jfcatto) reflect on the year that was and hopes for the year that will be. Pete shares his story and looks for silver linings in the lessons learned from this life changing experience.

This week Pete (@mr_van_w) and John (@jfcatto) return to some of their trusted wellsprings of pedagogy. John outlines some tips for putting together educational videos. Pete describes a cool twist on the use of solo hexagons in the classroom.     How to Create Engaging Instructional Videos - Jenny Gieras https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-create-engaging-instructional-videos   Digital Learning Selector - NSW DofE https://app.education.nsw.gov.au/digital-learning-selector/    ...

On a shaky return to Term 4 our hosts (@Mr_van_w & @jfcatto) compare their struggle with the Black Dog and what their are doing for self-care.  They then then discuss two recent books that address classroom management by approaching the profession from vastly different pedagogical viewpoints.   Restoring Teaching - Adam Voigt (@adam_voigt)  https://adamvoigt.com.au/books/restoring-teaching/   Running the Room - Tom Bennett (@tombennett71)  ...