MET Pod

MET Pod is back for its fourth season!

Join host, Chloe Bateman, and Josh Whorriskey, Head of Drama at Maiden Erlegh School, for this month's episode! Josh discusses the increasing importance of cultural capital in education and in closing the attainment gap, whilst proposing a powerful vision for its role in the holistic development of the students within our care. With a blend of theory and practical advice informed by Josh's own action research, this episode is not to be missed for those thinking seriously about the wider purpose of education.

Be a guest on MET Pod this year! Email metpod@maidenerleghschools.co.uk with a brief outline of your area of interest, research, or expertise - we can't wait to hear from you...

Check out the latest CPL opportunities available with Maiden Erlegh Institute! New courses, workshops, and programmes are now live for 2023-24:https://www.maidenerleghinstitute.org/page/?title=Professional+Development&pid=21

Join Chloe Bateman and Isobel Pravda, current Assistant Head at Reading Girls School and former Head of Drama at Maiden Erlegh School, for this month's episode! Isobel provides a comprehensive and engaging insight into the practice of instructional coaching and how this can be used to support professional learning and development at all levels of an organisation. Isobel's passion for instructional coaching shines through in this detailed discussion of the benefits of this development method for both coaches and those being coached.

Be a guest on MET Pod this year! Email metpod@maidenerleghschools.co.uk with a brief outline of your area of interest, research, or expertise - we can't wait to hear from you...

Join Chloe Bateman and Rob Buck, Director of Maiden Erlegh Institute and Trust Professional Learning, for this month's episode! Rob outlines the invaluable role Maiden Erlegh Institute (MEI) plays in supporting the development of our growing Trust and shares the evolution of MEI to date. Rob discusses the inspiring and comprehensive range of professional learning opportunities on offer to Trust colleagues, those looking to get into teaching, and external stakeholders. This episode is a must for any colleague who has ever thought 'what now?' in their current role or when considering their options for career progression.

If you would like to find out more about the work of MEI and what the Institute can offer you, take a look at the website below:

 https://www.maidenerleghinstitute.org/

Be a guest on MET Pod this year! Email metpod@maidenerleghschools.co.uk with a brief outline of your area of interest, research, or expertise - we can't wait to hear from you...

Join Andy Johnson, Executive Director of Education, and Gill Albone, Lead Teacher at the Cranbury College Hospital Teaching Service, for this month's episode! Gill shares the invaluable work of this team who tirelessly support children of all ages admitted to the Dolphin and Lion wards of the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Gill discusses their bespoke 1:1 teaching, personalised curriculums, and how the team liaise with key stakeholders to support the students' holistic and academic progress during challenging times. 

To find out more about the work of the Hospital Teaching Service, check out the link below:

https://www.cranburycollege.co.uk/page/?title=HOSPITAL+TEACHING+SERVICE&pid=45

Be a guest on MET Pod this year! Email metpod@maidenerleghschools.co.uk with a brief outline of your area of interest, research, or expertise - we can't wait to hear from you...

This month we are discussing how to get the most out of action research with Steph Hyde, Assistant Head of KS3 and Teacher of Drama & English Literature at Kendrick School in Reading. Steph not only shares the findings of her recent action research project investigating students' social media usage and how schools should respond to this, but an array of advice and guidance for those interested in undertaking action research. This is a must listen for anyone looking to develop their understanding of the planning, implementation, and reflection cycle and the benefits this can bring to your school, students, and career! 

Be a guest on MET Pod this year! Email metpod@maidenerleghschools.co.uk with a brief outline of your area of interest, research, or expertise - we can't wait to hear from you...

Join us as we chat all things metacognition with Maitrayee Bhattacharjee, Teacher of Science and ECT Mentor at Maiden Erlegh School! Maitrayee shares the science behind metacognition and why it is deserves to be part of every classroom, whilst discussing her inspiring action research project into how metacognition can be used to equip students with the skills to think about challenges they face in their everyday learning journeys. Through expertly-chosen practical examples, Maitrayee demystifies metacognition and ensures that you will finish the episode with plenty of ideas about how to use it in your own classroom. 

Interested in finding out more about metacognition? Check out the links below...

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/metacognition-and-self-regulation 

https://researchschool.org.uk/durrington/news/why-is-metacognition-so-important-yet-ellusive

Be a guest on MET Pod this year! Email metpod@maidenerleghschools.co.uk with a brief outline of your area of interest, research, or expertise - we can't wait to hear from you...

MET Pod is back! In our first episode of the 2022-23 season, we chat with Caroline Brayle, Head of French at Maiden Erlegh School, about supporting the 'quiet student' to succeed and thrive in our settings. 

In education, our careers, and our personal lives we are often encouraged to 'speak up!' and share our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with peers. Communication is key! But what happens when the very act of speaking up is one which fills us with dread? This question is expertly explored in this in-depth discussion of how we can create the conditions which encourage students who struggle with public speaking to develop their confidence and oracy skills so that they are able to share their unique perspective with those around them. This research and experience-informed episode is not to be missed! 

Be a guest on MET Pod this year! Email metpod@maidenerleghschools.co.uk with a brief outline of your area of interest, research, or expertise - we can't wait to hear from you...

This month we bring you a very special episode of MET Pod as we discuss the joys of leadership with our CEO, Mary Davies. Mary reflects on her fascinating and varied journey into leadership at the highest level and shares advice and guidance which will resonate not only with current leaders, but those who aspire to be leaders in the future. This episode is a truly inspiring look at what makes educational leadership such a rewarding career and a real must listen for all staff. 

In this month's episode of MET Pod, we discuss the challenges and pressures of headship with Paul Gibson, Headteacher at Maiden Erlegh School. Paul shares his inspiring journey and career path to headship and provides a candid insight into the unique pressures which make this role so challenging. The episode features a range of invaluable strategies to effectively manage the demands of the position and make headship a sustainable long-term career, whilst also highlighting what makes this job so special.

Sources: 

In this month's episode of MET Pod, Sara Elliss, Director of Standards and Continuous Improvement across the Trust, is joined by Jo Ricketts, Trust Compliance and Procurement Manager and former Business Manager at Hamilton School. Jo shares the extraordinary journey that was the designing, managing, and realising of a brand new school site and building for Hamilton School, our SEMH Special School. This episode details the challenging process of developing a design and plan to incorporate the needs and wishes of all key stakeholders and seamlessly transitioning an operational school to a new site during the academic year. 

This month we joined by Head of Religion and Philosophy at Maiden Erlegh School, Sian Jones! In this invaluable and inspirational episode, Sian draws on her wealth of experience as Head of a department which has historically included multiple teachers with subject specialisms outside of Religion and Philosophy to share her top tips and strategies for effective leadership and management. Sian's unequivocal commitment to ensuring the best outcomes for Religion and Philosophy students and empowering her staff shine through in this practical guide perfect for any aspiring or new to role Heads of Department. 

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Sara Elliss, Director of Standards and Continuous Improvement across the Trust, is joined by Luke Baker, Special Educational Needs and Vulnerable Groups Manager at Cranbury College, to discuss how we can create the conditions for our most vulnerable students to thrive in the school environment. Luke draws on his wealth of experience to share how staff at Cranbury support vulnerable students with EHCPs to build their trust in the school system and realise and achieve their potential. This unique episode of MET Pod is not to be missed! 

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Leah Shepherd, History Teacher at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge, reflects on life as a new teacher and offers a range of invaluable tips and tricks to help you thrive - not just survive - in your first years in the profession! Join us to hear Leah's advice on everything from managing behaviour to achieving a healthy work-life balance...

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Laura Ashton, Geography Teacher at Maiden Erlegh School, explores the possibilities of using gesture and movement in the classroom. Laura shares the fruits of her wide-ranging research into how gesture and movement can aid students' cognition, understanding of abstract concepts, and improve recall and mastery of topics within a spiral curriculum. 

To find out more about this topic, take a look at some of the articles mentioned by Laura in this episode...

Donnelly JE, Lambourne K. Classroom-based physical activity, cognition, and academic achievement. Prev Med. 2011 Jun;52 Suppl 1:S36-42. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.01.021. Epub 2011 Jan 31. PMID: 21281666.

Goldin-Meadow S. (2011). Learning through gesture. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science, 2(6), 595–607. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.132

Goldin-Meadow, S., & Beilock, S. L. (2010). Action’s Influence on Thought: The Case of Gesture. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(6), 664–674. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41613583
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/students-who-gesture-during-learning-grasp-concepts-better/

Hudson, M “Students who gesture during learning ‘grasp’ concepts better - Hand movement appears to help in teaching about statistical models” American Scientific 13 April 2021.

Johnson-Glen-berg et al  (2014). Collaborative Embodied Learning in Mixed Reality Motion-Capture Environments: Two Science Studies. Journal of Educational Psychology. 106. 86. 10.1037/a0034008.

Kang, S., & Tversky, B. (2016). From hands to minds: Gestures promote understanding. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 1(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-016-0004-9
Lethaby, C.  “Four reasons to avoid 'learning styles' – and one alternative”  British Council 18 October 2017 https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/four-reasons-avoid-learning-styles-one-alternative

Sankey, M., Birch, D. & Gardiner, M. (2010). Engaging students through multimodal learning environments: The journey continues. In C.H. Steel, M.J. Keppell, P. Gerbic & S. Housego (Eds.), Curriculum, technology & transformation for an unknown future. Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010 (pp.852-863). http://ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney10/procs/Sankey-full.pdf

Wagner Cook S, KuangYi Yip T, Goldin-Meadow S, “Gesturing makes memories that last”, Journal of Memory and Language, Volume 63, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 465-475, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2010.07.002.

Zhang, I., Givvin, K.B., Sipple, J.M., Son, J.Y. and Stigler, J.W. (2021), Instructed Hand Movements Affect Students’ Learning of an Abstract Concept From Video. Cogn Sci, 45: e12940. https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12940

In this episode our CEO, Mary Davies, is joined by Nicky Watson, Assistant Headteacher at Great Hollands Primary School, to discuss the range of strategies she has used to transform students' writing! Nicky not only shares the comprehensive whole-school writing approach that Great Hollands have worked to develop, but also reflects eloquently on the process of initiating, managing, and sustaining long-term change within an organisation. 

If you would like to follow up any of the references mentioned by Nicky, do check out the links below...

Pie Corbett writing techniques: https://www.teachwire.net/news/pie-corbett-encourage-good-literacy-habits-with-these-shared-writing-techni

Kotter's 8 Step Process for Leading Change: https://www.kotterinc.com/8-steps-process-for-leading-change/ 

In this week's episode of MET Pod, we are joined by Laura Hawkins, Class Teacher at Great Hollands Primary School, to explore Barry Carpenter's concept of the 'Recovery Curriculum'. We discuss a range of strategies for ensuring that our students continue to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally now that they are back in school, and consider how we can embed aspects of the 'Recovery Curriculum' in our long-term and whole-school planning. 

Take a look at the following links to find out more about Carpenter and the 'Recovery Curriculum':

https://www.evidenceforlearning.net/recoverycurriculum/

https://barrycarpentereducation.com/2020/04/23/the-recovery-curriculum/

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Katy Hardman, Head of Science at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge, shares the wide range of strategies she has used to engage students in Science from the moment they step into the classroom in Year 7! Join us to hear Katy's invaluable reflections on how sequencing, practicals, and embracing the academic rigour of a subject can help students to embrace the intricacies of the curriculum.

Join us for a MET Pod roundtable discussion on effective recall and retrieval in the Modern Foreign Languages classroom! This week we are joined by Ana Bruna, MFL Teacher at Maiden Erlegh School, and Gianluca Raso, Curriculum Leader for Spanish at Maiden Erlegh School and for pedagogy in MFL across the Trust. Ana and Gianluca share a fantastic range of strategies for embedding recall and retrieval within lessons, consider the extent to which successful recall and retrieval are products of curriculum sequencing, and offer top tips for teachers looking to develop their practice in this area. With such wide-ranging and innovative recommendations, this is a must listen for all staff, not only our MFL colleagues!

Take a look at these resources if you are interested in following up the references made by Ana and Gianluca:

Chiles, M., The CRAFT of Assessment: A whole school approach to assessment for learning (2020) 

Gianfranco Conit's blog: https://gianfrancoconti.com/

Jones, K., Retrieval Practice: research and resources for every classroom(2019)

Steve Smith's blog: https://frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/

Join us as we explore the fascinating topic of student motivation with Ally Aldridge Gibbons, Teacher of Maths at Maiden Erlegh School in Reading! Ally gives us the low-down on the latest research into the factors which shape students' attitude to learning, the research-informed strategies we can trial in our own classrooms to enhance motivation, and how we can use remote learning to experiment with methods of increasing student motivation.

Take a look at these resources if you are interested in following up the references made by Ally: 

Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2007)

Hudley, Cynthia et al.,Academic Motivation and the Culture of School in Childhood and Adolescence (2008) 

Scherer, R. & Nilsen, T.,The Relations Among School Climate, Instructional Quality, and Achievement Motivation in Mathematics (2016)