Tiny Voice Talks - English

I was lying in bed last night considering how many amazing conversations I have had with educators about English on my podcast Tiny Voice Talks. I have learnt so much from each and every one of them and it has definitely informed and improved my classroom practice.

I have been lucky enough to learn from Pie Corbett, Bob Cox, John Walker, Ros Wilson and Sarah Davies to name but a few. Below are links to some of the episodes but look at the podcast page on my website for many many more.

I have been teaching now for twenty-one years (nearly twenty-two) and I find that each conversation helps me to learn that little bit more and teach that little bit better.

I think I became a teacher because of my love of learning. Each day I learn something new whether that is from my wonderful guests, from colleagues or from the little people in my classroom and that has to be a good thing.

Recently, the science of teaching and evidence-based approaches have really catapulted my learning on and I am incredibly grateful for that. Teaching is a craft and one that we need to keep honing as we get longer in the tooth - both physically and metaphorically. In my opinion, we owe it to the children in our classrooms to keep getting better at teaching.

I was reading something the other day about some teachers veering towards a teaching style that they liked best when they were a student. I found this fascinating and couldn't help but wonder if I did that. On reflection, I don't as there weren't that many teaching styles that I enjoyed when I was at school. I recall many lessons where I had to sit in silence, complete sheets and stand up and recite verb declensions. It was at university when I began to really enjoy learning. When I was there, we began to discuss, debate, unpick and learning became deeper and more satisfying.

I think that is what I try to do in my classroom. I want to build up a love of learning for each of my children by going deeper and ensuring that children are really taught from the foundations up. The guests that I have named above, alongside many others, have helped me to do this when I am teaching English. They truly are helping me to learn more about how to teach effectively and to teach in a way that is meaningful for my children.

If you found this article and the links useful please share with others and let me know who has inspired you recently.