Diary of a Teacher

We're at the end of our school holiday period (time flies).

I have been reflecting on my experiences as a learner. After a rather poor track record (i.e. for ages I was a rubbish learner), I'm doing …

In this episode, I answer some questions from parents about how to navigate online learning.

How are children supposed to “keep up“ with the class? Some kids are doing the work and some are not.

What…

We made it to the end of term! What a long term it has been.

This episode marks the first of many in diary-style format, as requested by listeners.

The changes I have been making to my lessons at sch…

In this episode, I talk about how technology makes learning possible for students during a pandemic. Overnight, modes of learning have changed, and we teachers have made it happen. Go us.

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In this episode, I talk about the changes I have made to my teaching practice since both students and teachers have been working from home due to COVID-19.

Write to me: [email protected].

Vi…

In this episode, I talk about the preparations I am making for my students to learn at home, given that we are on the verge of school closures in Sydney, Australia.

Write to me: hello@spongeeducation…

In this episode, I talk about the broad brush issue with professional development for teachers, and how we might differentiate PD to improve it for teachers.

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In this episode, I talk about strategies that I use to keep stress in check, why they work, and how things have changed since implementing them.

Write to me: [email protected].

Visit the web…

In this episode, I talk about my top three lessons to date. The list is subject to change, but it’s important to acknowledge the wins and reflect on what goes well.

Write to me: hello@spongeeducation…

How do you avoid giving boring lessons? How can we as teachers jazz up dry material? In this episode, I talk about how I avoid boring lessons, and I list the strategies I have used so far.

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Do you adjust what you teach to echo the interests of your students? Do you modify the focus of your lessons to reflect what is going on in the wider community, even globally? In this episode, I talk…

How do you get students to submit their work on time, and completed? In this episode, I talk about the things I have tried to get this happening. In particular, I'll go through a strategy that has dr…

In this episode, I'll discuss the myriad of extra tasks and administrative wonderment that goes with teaching. I'll also talk about how I coped with it in my first year of teaching, and how I plan to…

In this episode, I field a question from a US-based teacher about burnout. What is it, and how do you recover from it? Is burnout actually depression in disguise, given that the symptoms are similar?…

In this episode, I'll tell you about some new courses I've been working on, and how they are geared towards helping you grow as a tutor, whatever stage you're at.

Write to me: hello@spongeeducation.…

In this episode, I'll explore key things students can do to set themselves up for success in courses at school, college and/or university. 

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Visit the website:…

In this episode, I look at some of things I consider when planning a new course, and how to start that course off well for students. 

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Visit the website: https…

In this episode, I talk about the ideal workload for students over a summer break. How much is too much? And what should students be working on over their long holiday?

Write to me: hello@spongeeduca…

In this episode, I talk about the three most important things I learned by studying teaching. It's hard to condense 2 years of postgraduate study into ten minutes, but this is my attempt. Enjoy!

Writ…

In this episode, I talk about technology. Tech can be a polarising topic, and in recent times tech more broadly has been getting a bad rap for reducing productivity and just generally distracting us …