63 episodes
The Unteachables Podcast Claire English
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- Education
Welcome to 'The Unteachables Podcast'! I’m your host Claire English, a passionate secondary teacher and leader turned teacher mentor and author of the book 'It's Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management'. I am here because I am on a mission to transform classroom management and teacher support.
Why I do this? It doesn’t feel that long ago that I was completely overwhelmed and out of my depth with behaviour, trying to swim, rather than sink. It took me spending thousands of hours in the classroom, with all of the inevitable ups and downs, to make me the teacher I am today; confident, capable, and empowered in my ability to teach all students, yes even the ones who are the toughest to reach. And now, I am dedicated to supporting teachers like you to do the same.
I created The Unteachables Podcast to give you the simple and actionable classroom management strategies and support that you need to run your room with confidence, compassion, and calm.On the Podcast you will hear from incredible guests such as:-Bobby Morgan of the Liberation Lab-Marie Gentles, the behaviour expert behind the BBC documentaries 'Don't Exclude Me' and 'Helping Our Teens', and author of the book Gentles Guidance: How to Understand, Inspire and Empower your kids.-Robyn Gobbel, author of Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviours-Dr Lori Desautels, assistant professor and published author-Ceri Sandford of Wine with Teacher Podcast / Embrace your ADHD Chaos -Danica of Little Bloom Think of them as your behaviour besties (and there are many more to come!).
So whether you’re in early years, primary or secondary. A beginning teacher, an early career teacher, a teacher in training, a teaching assistant, an experienced teacher, a leader in teaching, and you’re wanting to feel happy and empowered and enjoy being in the classroom, whilst also making an impact with every single one of your students, then you’re definitely in the right place.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!
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#62. 'Apathetic' teenagers, post-pandemic classrooms, and finding all the glimmers with Dr Lori Desautels
On today's episode I speak to the brilliant Dr Lori Desautels to answer one of the big behaviour questions I am often asked...
What's going on with apathetic teenage behaviour?!
As well as this, we speak about:
Neuroplasticity and why it is crucial for teachers to have an understanding around.How we can transform the experiences and education of our students in the smallest of moments, in the day to day 'touch points'. How you can foster a classroom environment where students feel a sense of trust and emotional safety.The impact of the pandemic on the emotional wellbeing of our students and how this manifests in challenging classroom behaviours Plus so much moreI am so excited to bring you this episode. Dr Lori Desautels is an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience, and is a true leader in education.
Instagram @lori.desautels
Dr Lori Desautels has been an Assistant Professor at Butler University since 2016 where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Education. Lori was also an Assistant Professor at Marian University in Indianapolis for 8 years where she founded the Educational Neuroscience Symposium that has now reached thousands of educators and is in its 10th year. Lori’s passion is engaging her students through the social and relational neurosciences as it applies to education by integrating the Applied Educational Neuroscience framework, and its learning principles and practices into her coursework at Butler. The Applied Educational Neuroscience Certification, created by Lori in 2016, is specifically designed to meet the needs of educators, counselors, clinicians and administrators who work beside children and adolescents who have, and are, experiencing adversity and trauma. The certification is now global and has reached hundreds of educators.
Pre-order a copy of my book ‘It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management
Other ways I can support you in your teaching practice:
Download the freebie '71 Behaviour Response Prompts' Download my free guide: Addressing Misogyny in the Classroom Follow me on Instagram for daily micro-professional learning and support Connect with me on LinkedIn -
#61. “Make me a sandwich”. How we can address the alarming misogyny present in our classrooms.
Download the guide: Addressing misogyny in the classroom
In the wake of recent events sparking renewed conversations about gender-based violence, the imperative for educators to address misogyny in the classroom has never been more pressing. Samantha Schulz's article, "Make me a sandwich," sheds light on a disturbing reality: the behaviors and language male students exhibit that perpetuate sexist and abusive attitudes towards their female teachers.
In planning for this podcast and the guide that you can access above, I reached out to educators (from Australia) and what they shared about their own experiences reinforced the concerns in Schultz’s research. From dismissive attitudes towards female teachers to alarming comments about gender roles and sexuality, the spectrum of issues, ranging from subtle yet insidious remarks to overtly misogynistic comments, demands our attention and action.
Yet, our response must be as nuanced as the issue at hand itself. We cannot resort to shaming or isolating our students; instead, we must seize each interaction as an opportunity for buy-in and education. This episode, and the attached guide, aims to equip teachers with strategies to do just that; to address misogyny effectively and strategically.
By taking these steps, we not only create safer spaces for our students but also do our part to contribute to a broader cultural shift. None of us can do this alone, and we can all play a small part.
In this episode I provide you with a 4 step roadmap to feeling more confident and empowered addressing misogynistic and other problematic comments in the classroom.
Pre-order a copy of my book ‘It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management
Other ways I can support you in your teaching practice:
Download the freebie '71 Behaviour Response Prompts' Download my free guide: Addressing Misogyny in the Classroom Follow me on Instagram for daily micro-professional learning and support Connect with me on LinkedIn -
#60. Students not taking accountability for their behaviours? Here's what to do.
Click here to download all 71 behaviour response prompts!
Tell me if this sounds familiar, teacher friend...
You have struggled to get through even a minute of teacher-led instruction because of one student who is cutting you off at every turn.
It has a knock on effect, causing other students to become disengaged and dysregulated. You become increasingly frustrated, you address him, and you get a very loud response...
“Why are you talking to ME?!”
“Other students are talking too!”
“Go talk to them!”
When students struggle to take accountability for the behaviours that you see happen in front of your very eyes it can be incredibly frustrating . BECAUSE it is so frustrating, it can be even harder to stay calm and regulated, which we know is crucial when it comes to addressing these behaviours effectively.
That's why in this episode you will find some steps that will guide you through the process, and some clear prompts that you can use to take all the guess work out of it.
Pre-order a copy of my book ‘It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management
Other ways I can support you in your teaching practice:
Download the freebie '71 Behaviour Response Prompts' Download my free guide: Addressing Misogyny in the Classroom Follow me on Instagram for daily micro-professional learning and support Connect with me on LinkedIn -
#59: Struggle with boundaries as a teacher? This one sentence will change absolutely everything about how you see them, and hold them.
Struggle with boundaries as a teacher?
Safe to say you're not alone on that one.
These stats are scary:
(NASUWT survey Nov 2023)
87% of teachers say their workload has increased in the past year.Teachers are working 54 hours a week on average (you just know some are working 40, and some are working 70!!)83% of teachers believe their job has adversely affected their mental health over the past yearSo why don't we just say no more?
Push back?
Say that we simply won't work on the weekend because we have a family, or a date with our bed and UberEats?
Well there's a bunch of complex reasons. It is cultural, it is expected, and there is a bunch of FEAR attached to it! I wish I could tell you that this fear wasn't justified, but even I have my own rotten experience of holding a boundary that was far from well-received (as you will hear in this episode).
But then I heard something that changed me.
It changed the way I saw how I was approaching boundaries.
It helped me be more discerning, critical, and reflective on what I was saying yes to.
It helped me to hold my boundaries, advocate for myself, and do the same for my staff.
THAT is what you will find in this week's episode, teacher friends.
Pre-order a copy of my book ‘It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management
Other ways I can support you in your teaching practice:
Download the freebie '71 Behaviour Response Prompts' Download my free guide: Addressing Misogyny in the Classroom Follow me on Instagram for daily micro-professional learning and support Connect with me on LinkedIn -
#58: Do your students take you seriously? How to balance being warm, friendly, and approachable, with holding crucial behaviour boundaries.
Is it possible that being too friendly is harming your classroom management efforts?
No.
Okay, maybe a little, but not in the way you think.
Does the below resonate?
You feel like you have a really great relationship with your students, but when it is time to get to the business side of things and get some serious work done, the energy is high, they aren’t really listening to you, they might be calling out and having a chit chat during instruction?
Maybe this is leaving you feeling a little disrespected and deflated? After all, you have a fab relationship with them, but they don't seem to be taking you seriously!
Maybe you are feeling that pressure to be more stern and strict but you don't know how to do that in a way that aligns with your values?
PLEASE KNOW FIRST UP... This is NOT because they don't RESPECT you!!
So what is the problem?
That is what I cover in this week's episode:
What is the credible and approachable teaching personas?How can we craft this into the day to day?What does it look like in practice? How this can be a game changer for our teaching practice and classroom management!
Pre-order a copy of my book ‘It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management
Other ways I can support you in your teaching practice:
Download the freebie '71 Behaviour Response Prompts' Download my free guide: Addressing Misogyny in the Classroom Follow me on Instagram for daily micro-professional learning and support Connect with me on LinkedIn -
#57: “You'll NOT act a fool in my classroom and go unchecked!” What it really looks like to have solid classroom expectations and boundaries (HINT: It's not that)
What comes to mind when I say that as teachers we need...
STRONG expectations and FIRM, CONSISTENT boundaries.
Does it sound like:
"You as a student are not going to act a fool in my classroom and go UNCHECKED. You are not going to be rude and disrespectful UNCHECKED. And yes go tell your parent I said it! Standards and boundaries from DAY 1!"
OR does it sound like:
"Welcome, Year 8, Come on in!"
Spoiler alert: It's the latter.
Because behind the scenes of that sentence, are all of the things that are done to non-verbally reinforce your expectations and boundaries.
Your responsesYour routinesYour planningYour practicesHow you foster connectionYour modellingYour mindsetYour classroom environment.Every 👏 single 👏 thing we do is sending messages to our students about what we expect from them.
What do I mean? In this episode of The Unteachables podcast I give you ONE as an example. Your classroom environment.
Listen in as I dig into how our classroom environment could be make or break for our classroom management, how before our students even walk in, we could be mitigating (or fuelling the fire of) challenging behaviours.
Want a free resourced and ready expectations lesson? Leave me a written review, take a screenshot, send it over to me on Instagram @the.unteachables or send it to my email claire@the-unteachables.com and I will send it over as a thank you!
Pre-order a copy of my book ‘It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management
Other ways I can support you in your teaching practice:
Download the freebie '71 Behaviour Response Prompts' Download my free guide: Addressing Misogyny in the Classroom Follow me on Instagram for daily micro-professional learning and support Connect with me on LinkedIn
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