Little Key Learning Podcast

Who hasn't at some point seen a headline that links screen time with terrifying outcomes like diabetes, obesity, poor communication, and cancer? Many parents and teachers are understandably scared by these hair-raising headlines, leading them to feel uncomfortable about technology's increasing presence in the classroom.

Right now, however, with school closures forcing teaching and learning to go digital, screens are playing a bigger role in education than ever before. So, what does the research actually say about the impact of screen time on children's well-being?

In this episode we are sharing an excerpt all about the research behind screen time, from our new book, ‘Integrating Technology: A School-Wide Framework to Enhance Learning’, out now from Heinemann. We share our thoughts about why “screen time” isn’t very helpful as a phrase, and explain what the research says - and doesn’t say - about screen time and its effects on children.

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

We are in the midst of an unprecedented event in the history of education. Schools all around the world are closing simultaneously in an effort to curb the spread of Coronavirus, but learning and teaching are largely expected to continue through distance learning.

School closures are not new in many parts of the world, but the scale and potential duration of these closures present unique challenges to teachers and families. Many schools are turning to technology to facilitate ongoing learning, but teachers are facing a steep learning curve.

Fortunately, a supportive and extensive community of colleagues has developed in recent weeks, connected by social media. One group, which is growing at an incredible rate, is the Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning group. In this episode we interviewed its founder, Kirsten Durward, about the origins of the group, how the community has stepped in and stepped up to ask for and give support to colleagues, and what the next steps are for teachers as this situation develops.

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

Managing behaviour in the classroom can be a challenge: how do you reward and recognise the good behaviour of your students? How do you record and address negative behaviour? How do you motivate students to maintain the behaviour you want to see, and change the behaviour that prevents them, and others, from learning?

Many teachers turn to, or are required to use, behaviour charts such as clip charts. From smiley faces to traffic lights, and colours to pithy phrases, Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers are awash with examples of clipchart designs you can copy or buy to use with named clothes pegs or magnets.

But do they work? And if so, how, when and why do they work? Do clip charts help our students learn to behave, and behave to learn? Or are they teaching our students something very different?

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

Spoiler alert: No. It doesn't.

Have you pushed your “Brain Buttons” lately? No? Well, have you been keeping on top of your “Ear Unlocking”? Us neither. Brain Gym is a tool used by teachers around the world on the basis of the promise that it helps students to process information faster, improves balance and coordination, and “synchronise your system”. 

But… does it actually work? Are the minutes and tax dollars spent on Brain Gym actually helping our students to learn?

In this episode you'll learn about the research behind and about Brain Gym, what the Brain Gym manual tells teachers and what Brain Gym promises, and you'll hear our interview with Dr Mark Carter, Associate Professor of Special Education at Macquarie University.

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

For this episode we were lucky enough to be able to talk to Guy Claxton who is a Professor, researcher, consultant and prolific author of academic papers and 30 books! 

You might know him best as the creator of the Learning Power Approach, about which he has recently published a fantastic 4-book series for teachers and leaders. 

In this interview, we chatted to Guy about education research to find out his view on:

• What decides the questions that education research tries to answer?
• What role does and should education research play in the work we do in our classrooms?
• Can education research tell us “what works”… and should it even try?
• What questions should teachers be asking themselves when they are considering using research and “evidence-based” practices in their classrooms?

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

Homework.

Did you shudder when you read that? If so, you’re probably a parent of a child who hates it, a teacher who hates assigning it, or remember being a student who hated doing it. It’s one of those topics that really divides people: you tend to be for homework or against it but what does the research tell us about homework? Is it a worthwhile way for teachers, students, and children to spend their time? Why, or why not? How much is too much? And how can we design more effective homework?

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

Word Walls are staple features of most elementary and primary classrooms, and they are common from pre-school all the way through high school. But… how do they actually help students to learn, remember and use new words in their writing?

And is there more to making word walls work than simply having them?

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

Right now, depending on your hemisphere, it's either a brand new school year or a new semester. This means that all over the globe teaches have been feverishly laminating, double and triple mounting, and dragging furniture around their rooms, all in aid of creating the best learning environment for their students.

Our students spend a lot of time in our classrooms, but how can we be sure that all this hard work is actually resulting in an effective learning environment? How should we organise our furniture? How much is too much when it comes to displays and bulletin boards? What impact do colour schemes, light, and temperature have on learning?

Join us as we kick off this brand new podcast with the first of a series of two episodes where we dive deep into the research about learning environments, and what it means for us in our classrooms.

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.

EdYou is all about diving into education research on the topics that affect every teacher in today’s classrooms, to work out what it means and, most importantly, what it says we should actually be doing.

In the coming episodes you’ll see exactly what edYou is all about, but as you listen you might well be wondering… who exactly are we, the hosts, and why should you listen to edYou?

In this introductory episode you’ll learn all about who we are, our backgrounds, our educations, our interests, our careers, how all of that led  to us launching this podcast, and what you can get out of listening.

For more information about the research behind this episode, as well as links to our sources, and a downloadable quick reference, visit our website. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free resources and to share what is happening in your classroom with colleagues around the world.