Category Archives: Word Up Series 2

26. Motivating yourself and your students with Action Jackson

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Action Jackson

In this episode of series 2 of Word Up, Helen Prince chats to Jackson Ogunyemi, better known as Action Jackson, about the importance of being able to motivate, equip and empower to unlock young people’s confidence. He shares tips to help teachers motivate themselves and their students, discusses how psychology and physiology are interlinked, and stresses the importance of celebrating ourselves and our achievements.

“The opposite of winning is not losing; the opposite of winning is learning.”

Action Jackson is a motivational speaker, helping teachers motivate their learners to wake up happy and achieve. Known as the UK Ambassador for Happiness, he loves cheesecake, running and inspiring people. Action tweets at @Actionjackson

Further reading and support:

  • Learner identity and Awe and wonder are two pillars of the Oxford Smart Curriculum. Find out more and read the curriculum direction paper.

22. Incorporating Social Justice into the Curriculum with Penny Rabiger

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Penny Rabiger

In this episode of Word Up, Helen Prince chats to Penny Rabiger about the importance of listening to young people and what we can learn from them about race, identity and social justice. 

Penny Rabiger was a teacher for 10 years and has been working with social enterprises, charities and start-ups in the education sector since 2007. She was one of the founding directors of The Key for School Leaders, Head of Membership at Challenge Partners, and Director of Engagement with the Finnish edtech organisation Lyfta. Penny is a school governor at a north London primary school, Trustee on a south London multi-academy trust board, a member of the Haringey BAME achievement group and a Co-founder and Trustee of the BAMEed Network. Penny is a coach on the Leeds Beckett University Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality’s Anti-Racist Schools Award. 

Further reading and support:

21. Metacognition: strategies inside and outside of the classroom with Nathan Burns

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Nathan Burns

In this episode of Word Up, Helen Prince chats to Nathan Burns about his specialist subject, metacognition. Nathan explains the importance of embedding metacognition into day-to-day teaching, why modelling and monitoring are key approaches in the classroom, and the value metacognition plays in all areas of life, from poaching an egg to putting up a tent.

Nathan Burns is a teacher of Mathematics, Assistant KS3 Progress and Achievement Leader and More Able and Talented Co-Coordinator at David Nieper Academy in Alfreton. He is a former Metacognitive Implementation Lead, as well as the founder of metacognition.org.uk, which offers metacognitive resources and CPD. Nathan is passionate about teaching and learning, and has researched, written about and delivered CPD on metacognition for several years. He tweets at @MrMetacognition

Further reading and support:

  • Where does metacognitive modelling fit in the classroom? Read more from Nathan on the Oxford Education Blog.
  • Metacognition is one of the pillars of the Oxford Smart Curriculum. Find out more and read the curriculum direction paper.

19. Curriculum review and implementation with Kat Howard

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Kat Howard
In this episode of Word Up, Helen Prince chats to Kat Howard about curriculum implementation and how an exciting curriculum fires up and motivates learners. She also discusses fidelity to the subject, how to capitalise on colleagues’ interests and passions to enrich knowledge and extend the curriculum, and the importance of awe and wonder in the classroom.

Kat Howard is Head of Professional Learning for a large Multi-Academy Trust Teaching School Hub and is also the founder of national charity, Litdrive UK. In addition to her in-school role, Kat is an in-house Expert Adviser for the Teacher Development Trust, writing curriculum content for the Reformed NPQ Leadership Suite. In previous roles, she was a Senior Leader taking oversight of staff professional development, performance management and curriculum, with strategic leadership for English, and prior to her career in education, Kat gained extensive experience in the financial sector, overseeing recruitment, training and operations for a leading high street bank.


Further reading and support:

17. Metacognition: bridging the gap between research and the classroom with Lauren Stephenson

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Lauren Stephenson

In this episode of Word Up with Helen Prince, Helen chats to Lauren Stephenson about metacognition and bridging the gap between research and the classroom. Lauren also talks about her role in the Research Schools Network, how research shows that working on self-regulation and metacognition with your students can add months to their progress, and shares her top recommendations for wider reading.

Lauren Stephenson is a Physics teacher and Assistant Director of Blackpool Research School.

Further reading and support:

 

16. Identity, Awe & Wonder: giving every young person a voice and ways to bring vibrancy into the classroom with Aaron Bradbury

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Aaron Bradbury

In this episode of Word Up with Helen Prince, Helen and Aaron Bradbury discuss the importance of creating a sense of belonging in the classroom and Aaron offers three ideas for teachers to take away around diversity, equity and inclusion.

Aaron is Principal Lecturer Early Years and Childhood (Learning and Development, Psychology, Special Educational Needs and Inclusion) at Nottingham Trent University. Aaron is the Chair of the LGBTQIA+ Early Years Working group and advocates for representation in the Early Years. He is a Member of the Coalition for the Early Years on the Birth to Five Matters and currently researching on Early Childhood workforce, The voice of the child, and Pioneers of Early Childhood. He is also Co-Chair of the Early Years Academy and owner of Early Years Reviews, Team Early Childhood Podcast.

Further reading and support:

  • Learner identity and Awe and wonder are two pillars of the Oxford Smart Curriculum. Find out more and read the curriculum direction paper.

15. Metacognition with Zoe Enser

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Zoe Enser

In this episode of Word Up with Helen Prince, Helen and Zoe Enser discuss metacognitive learning and how this can motivate students to feel empowered, helping them to build independence and resilience, and become lifelong learners.

Zoe Enser was a teacher of English for over twenty years, a middle and senior leader and is currently working across Kent with the Education People as their English Specialist Adviser and an ELE (Evidence Lead in Education) for the EEF. She is also an author, having co-written Fiorella and Mayer’s Generative Learning in Action and the CPD Curriculum: Creating the Conditions for Growth and is a writer for TES and other educational publications. 

Further reading and support:
  • Zoe explores metacognition in more detail and how student wellbeing can benefit from embedding these practices on the Oxford Education Blog.
  • Metacognition is one of the pillars of the Oxford Smart Curriculum. Find out more and read the curriculum direction paper.