Mind the Gap: Making Education Work Across the Globe Tom Sherrington & Emma Turner

On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Nikki Sullivan and Rachel Higginson to delve into the significance of oracy in education. The discussion explores the multifaceted role of oracy, emphasizing its importance not just in speaking and listening but in fostering confident and effective communication. Nikki and Rachel highlight the necessity of integrating speaking and listening skills into the wider curriculum, as well as the importance of creating communication-conducive learning environments and the value of teacher oracy in fostering a supportive culture within schools. Throughout the episode, the group provides practical examples and strategies for developing presentation skills in students, advocating for a balance between structured guidance and natural expression.



Nikki Sullivan is Deputy Headteacher working in a comprehensive secondary school in Bradford. She has worked in both pastoral and academic senior leadership and now leads on teaching & learning and staff development. Nikki is working on a new book called Unlocking Oracy which will be coming out soon. Follow her on X @Nikki__Sullivan



Rachel Higginson has been working in education for 25 years. Her aim is to support young people to develop the knowledge, skills and character to make a difference in the modern world. She is a keynote speaker, school improvement facilitator, curriculum designer, primary adviser, a collaborator with Myatt & Co, and also the curator of the Finding my Voice project. Follow her on X ⁠@creativeHigg



Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠

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Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠

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This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/


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On this bonus episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington talks to Bron Ryrie Jones about responsive teaching.
The two discuss the hurdles of gathering information in real-time and the procedural changes needed to embed responsive habits into teaching. Bron emphasises the difficulty of overcoming embedded teaching habits, while Tom underscores the importance of every child's participation in the classroom. They explore practical strategies like cold calling, reframing questions, and creating a classroom culture where it's okay to be wrong. Tom and Bron also address the gap between teaching intentions and actual classroom dynamics, advocating for short feedback loops and planned checks for understanding. With real-life examples and practical advice, they offer valuable insights into making responsive teaching a seamless part of everyday instruction.



Bron Ryrie Jones supports teachers and instructional leaders to develop their expertise. She has worked with over 20,000 teachers and leaders around Australia and abroad, and is a sought-after designer of professional improvement programs. Bron is a published author on teacher learning and has has designed and delivered large-scale bespoke professional development programs for varied organisations throughout Australia. Follow Bron on X @BronRyrieJones



Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠


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On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Jade Pearce and Isaac Moore, co-authors of a new book, Bjork & Bjork's Desirable Difficulties in Action. The four of them talk about what the term 'desirable difficulties' refers to, and how using challenging pedagogical strategies can actually aid pupils' learning. Jade and Isaac explain much of Richard and Elizabeth Bjork's research in succinct chunks with practical examples. This includes parts on spacing, interleaving, retrieval practice, independent study strategies, and more.



Jade Pearce is Trust Head of Education at The de Ferrers Trust. She is the Evidence Lead in Education for the Research Schools Network and a regular speaker and presenter at education conferences. Jade previously authored the best-selling book 'What Every Teacher Needs to Know: How to embed evidence-informed teaching and learning in your school’. Follow her on Twitter @PearceMrs



Isaac Moore is a Deputy Headteacher with a National Professional Qualification for Headship who focuses much of his work on education professional development. He is also an expert in reading and curriculum assessment. Follow him on Twitter @isaacmoore7



Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠

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Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠

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This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/


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In this head to head episode of Mind the Gap, Tom and Emma discuss educational ideas that have recently captivated them, as well as some of the latest developments in the field.

Emma has been thinking about the ways in which even beautifully designed curricula need well thought out task design to keep classes from becoming too formulaic across subjects. Tom, on the other hand, is looking at the newly announced panel on oracy, acknowledging both that people tend to worry about government mandates, but also that we need more pupils speaking with confidence.

Later, Emma brings up the idea of expertise, inspired by the book Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery by Roger Kneebone. Finally, the two discuss the limits on classroom observation and Tom gives his thoughts about the recent conferences he attended across the pond in the United States, including a ResearchEd. Listen to the full episode to hear all about it.



Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/


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On this episode of Mind The Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by René Kneyber and Valentina Devid, co-founders of Toets Revolutie in the Netherlands and co-authors of the upcoming book Formative action: From instrument to design. The four of them talk about the concept of formative action, which is purposefully named to steer clear of the sometimes-problematic term 'assessment'. They walk through the five steps involved in formative action, and highlight how it can be empowering for both teachers - aiding their learning processes - and students - giving them agency and independence.

René Kneyber is a former mathematics teacher and currently a consultant and book publisher in the Netherlands. He has written and edited multiple high-profile books on classroom authority and discipline, including the Dutch book Het Alternatief and the Dutch translation of Embedding Formative Assessment by Dylan Wiliam. Follow him on Twitter @rkneyber_EN

Valentina Devid is a co-founder and trainer at Toets Revolutie. She is an experienced secondary school teacher, assessment expert, speaker, and education consultant now primarily focussed on formative assessment. Follow her on Twitter @valentinadevid

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/


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On this episode of Mind The Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Carl Hendrick, author of two books about the science of teaching and learning and a third about bridging the gap between research and practice. Carl said he approached finding the research papers for his books in the same way that he would have compiled an album of seminal classic rock tracks, but with the criterion of having the greatest use for teachers and school leaders. The discussion turned to how education research is conducted and how "a lot of debates in education are people in different stages talking past one another". Carl also says that we now have a good understanding of the science of learning, but the three agree that especially in the early years and early primary education, even research-proven pedagogical practices like interleaving can't take the place of play-based learning, for example. Listen now to hear more on how teachers can really engage with educational research.

Carl Hendrick works at the Academica University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam where his focus is on bridging the gap between research and practice. Carl was a secondary English teacher for 18 years in a range of different contexts and completed his PhD in education at King’s College London. He is the co-author of How Learning Happens, How Teaching Happens, and What Does this Look Like in the Classroom. Follow Carl on Twitter ⁠@C_Hendrick⁠

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/


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