Little Key Learning Podcast Little Key Learning

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 researc...

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...

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 ...

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'l...

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 ...

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?F...