Rethinking Education

Dr James Mannion
  • 4.3 (6)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

"Civilisation is a race between education and catastrophe." (HG Wells) In this podcast, we take Wells at his word. Hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, Rethinking Education features long-form conversations with fascinating guests about how we might create a more diverse, intelligent, responsive educational ecosystem that works for *all* young people. If this sounds interesting to you, welcome to Rethinking Education: Education's Critical Friend: https://rethinking-ed.org/podcast

  1. Education as expanding dialogue – Rethinking learning with Professor Rupert Wegerif

    19H AGO

    Education as expanding dialogue – Rethinking learning with Professor Rupert Wegerif

    “It’s not about teacher-centred or student-centred. I would argue it’s dialogue-centred.” In this episode of the Rethinking Education podcast, Dr James Mannion and The Read David Cameron explore these questions with Professor Rupert Wegerif, author of Rethinking Educational Theory: Education as Expanding Dialogue. Rupert has spent decades researching how dialogue shapes thinking and learning. Drawing on work with Neil Mercer and the Thinking Together programme, he shows how teaching children to reason and talk together can improve thinking, deepen understanding across subjects, and even transform classroom culture. But this conversation goes far beyond classroom strategies. Rupert argues that dialogue is not just a teaching technique – it is a fundamental way of understanding knowledge, identity, and even reality itself. In this wide-ranging discussion we explore: - Why teaching children how to talk together can dramatically improve learning outcomes - The origins of the Thinking Together programme and what the research found in classrooms - Why group work often fails – and how simple ground rules for dialogue can transform it - The relationship between oracy, dialogue and thinking - The idea of culture as a “living tradition” that students must learn to participate in - How dialogue can bridge the long-running divide between traditional and progressive education - Rupert’s concept of “double dialogue” – learning through conversation with both peers and disciplinary traditions - Why education should be dialogue-centred, rather than teacher-centred or student-centred - The deeper philosophical idea that knowledge and meaning emerge through dialogic space - What generative AI means for education – and why dialogic thinking may matter more than ever Along the way, the conversation ranges from classroom practice to philosophy, drawing on thinkers such as Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Paulo Freire, Michael Oakeshott and Merleau-Ponty. The result is a fascinating exploration of education as something far richer than the transmission of information – a process of entering, expanding and contributing to the ongoing dialogue of human culture. About Rupert Wegerif Professor Rupert Wegerif is Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge. His work focuses on dialogic education, thinking and learning, and the role of dialogue in human development. He has worked extensively with Neil Mercer and others on the Thinking Together programme, exploring how structured dialogue can improve reasoning, understanding and collaboration in classrooms. Links Rupert’s Substack - https://rupertwegerif.substack.com Rupert’s website - https://www.rupertwegerif.com Support #repod The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love. If you’d like to support the podcast and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

    1h 17m
  2. Teaching that grips: Hywel Roberts on the Pedagogy of Botheredness

    1D AGO

    Teaching that grips: Hywel Roberts on the Pedagogy of Botheredness

    Why do so many lessons feel disconnected to students – even when the content is genuinely fascinating? In this episode, Dr James Mannion is joined by teacher and author Hywel Roberts to explore 'botheredness' – a way of teaching that draws students into learning through narrative, curiosity and shared imagination. They discuss why pupils often struggle to see the relevance of what they are learning, and how small shifts in pedagogy can transform a lesson from something students comply with into something they actively care about. As Hywel explains, the key is not entertainment or gimmicks, but creating context, tension and meaning around knowledge. The conversation explores practical techniques such as ‘let’s say’ narratives, teacher-in-role, and the use of story structures built around people, place and problem. These approaches help teachers bring abstract knowledge to life and ‘protect students into learning’ by making them feel safe, curious and invested in the lesson. James also reflects on the challenge many teachers face: delivering a knowledge-rich curriculum that can sometimes feel like a sequence of disconnected topics. Together they explore how storytelling and implementation thinking can help embed this approach into everyday classroom practice. They also introduce a new professional learning programme combining the pedagogy of botheredness with implementation science, designed to help teachers move from one-off inspiration to sustained classroom change. In this episode: - Why students often ask ‘Why are we learning this?’ - The difference between engagement and investment in learning - How stories create curiosity, tension and motivation - The power of ‘let’s say…’ as an invitation into learning - What it means to ‘protect children into learning’ - Using narrative as retrieval and assessment - The barriers that stop imaginative pedagogy becoming routine practice - How implementation thinking can help make botheredness stick Links and resources Hywel's website: https://botheredness.co.uk Implementing Botheredness 2026: https://www.makingchangestick.co/implementing-botheredness-2026 Book a free 20-minute call: https://calendly.com/rethinkingjames/implementing-botheredness-chat-with-james-hywel

    50 min
  3. Seven minutes out of every thirty are lost to low-level disruption. But why?

    6D AGO

    Seven minutes out of every thirty are lost to low-level disruption. But why?

    In this episode, featuring a webinar we ran this week, Tara Elie and Dr James Mannion explore a question that many school leaders are quietly wrestling with: Why do so many behaviour initiatives fail to deliver sustained change? Across the system, the signals are hard to ignore – rising suspensions, internal removals, persistent absence, staff exhaustion, and a growing sense that behaviour reform is absorbing huge energy without always shifting underlying patterns. In this conversation, we argue that two critical ideas are largely missing from the behaviour debate: - The psychology of mattering - Implementation and improvement science When combined, these lenses offer a more systemic, more hopeful way forward. Part 1: The psychology of mattering Tara introduces the concept of mattering, drawing on the work of Morris Rosenberg and contemporary positive psychology. Mattering has two components: feeling valued, and adding value. We explore: - The difference between mattering and self-esteem - What staff mattering looks like in practice - What “anti-mattering” feels like in schools - The emotional and behavioural consequences of quiet disengagement - Why belonging is an outcome of mattering – not the target itself We discuss how staff who feel unseen, unheard or replaceable may withdraw effort, reduce collaboration, and disengage in subtle but powerful ways. Conversely, when staff feel significant and influential, resilience, agency and motivation follow. The same applies to students. Part 2: Why behaviour reform so often stalls James explores a sobering question: What proportion of school improvement initiatives actually improve outcomes in a sustained way? We examine two core reasons change efforts frequently falter: - Teachers and leaders are rarely taught how to implement change effectively - Schools default to top-down, “black box” leadership models We unpack the risks of: - Compliance cultures - Groupthink - ‘Us and them’ dynamics - Initiative fatigue And we introduce a more transparent alternative: the slice team – a representative cross-section of the school community that improves decision-making and strengthens buy-in. Root cause analysis: looking beneath the surface We then turn to a practical example. A widely cited statistic suggests that seven minutes out of every thirty are lost to low-level disruption. Rather than treating this as a behaviour problem alone, we demonstrate how to conduct a root cause analysis: - Identifying the trunk (the presenting issue) - Mapping the consequences - Investigating the roots across physical, emotional, relational, cognitive, behavioural and navigational domains The key insight: the same visible behaviour can arise from very different root systems. Behaviour reform without diagnosis is guesswork. Key ideas explored: - Mattering as a driver of culture - Anti-mattering and quiet withdrawal - Why belonging runs downstream of mattering - Black box vs glass box leadership - Slice teams as a mechanism for distributed ownership - Root cause analysis in school improvement - Why policy launch is not implementation - Habit change and “tight but loose” planning If behaviour is live in your context We are currently offering 20-minute Behaviour Strategy Calls for school leaders who would value a structured diagnostic conversation about behaviour, mattering and implementation. You can book here: https://calendly.com/rethinkingjames/chat-with-tara-james Further resources Download the Rethinking Behaviour guide - https://www.makingchangestick.co/rethinking-behaviour-free-guide Explore implementation science tools from Making Change Stick - https://www.makingchangestick.co

    1h 3m
  4. Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world

    JAN 24

    Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world

    As the number of living Holocaust survivors declines, a profound question emerges: who carries these stories next – and how do we ensure they are heard, understood, and acted upon? In this episode, timed to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27th, James and David are joined by Hannah Wilson, Outreach Officer at the charity Generation to Generation, alongside two G2G speakers, Vivienne Cato and and Calum Isaacs, who share their own family histories as descendants of Holocaust survivors. (You can read about their stories here https://www.generation2generation.org.uk/the-story-of-mirjam-finkelstein and here https://www.generation2generation.org.uk/holocaust-survivor-eva-cato). Together, they explore how Holocaust education remains as important, powerful and relevant for young people today – not as mere knowledge of the history, but as lived experience passed from one generation to the next. Vivienne shares the story of her mother Eva, a Slovak Jewish survivor who spent years in hiding under a false identity, and reflects on her experience of growing up in the shadow of survival, luck, and loss. Calum tells the story of his grandmother Mirjam, who survived Nazi persecution through a series of extraordinary events – including a last-minute prisoner exchange – and considers how those near-misses shape identity, values, and responsibility across generations. The conversation also examines: Why Holocaust education matters more than ever How personal testimony cuts through misinformation, distortion, and online extremism The role of ordinary people, bystanders, and complicity – not just dictators – in enabling atrocities Why students often respond with quiet focus, empathy, and deep moral questioning How Holocaust education connects to wider conversations about racism, antisemitism, democracy, and civic responsibility today Hannah reflects on what good Holocaust education looks like in practice, the challenges teachers face, and why grounding learning in real human stories helps young people develop critical thinking, empathy, and historical understanding – without reducing education to moral instruction or political indoctrination. This episode is about remembrance with purpose: how bearing witness is not only about preserving the past, but about shaping the kind of future we want to live in – and the small actions that can make a decisive difference. Support #repod The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love. If you’d like to support the podcast and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

    1h 29m
  5. Why ‘consistency’ isn’t enough: the implementation blind spot in school behaviour

    JAN 23

    Why ‘consistency’ isn’t enough: the implementation blind spot in school behaviour

    In this second episode of a two-part mini-series, Tara Elie turns the tables and interviews Dr James Mannion about the thinking behind Making Change Stick – and why so many school behaviour initiatives fail, even when the policy itself is sound. Following on from the previous episode on the psychology of mattering, this conversation explores what happens after the policy launch: how change is (or isn’t) implemented in real schools, and why top-down, ‘black box’ approaches so often lead to inconsistency, frustration, and drift. James traces jis 12-year journey into implementation science, drawing on lessons from healthcare, engineering and systems change – including a powerful case study from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital – to show how schools can dramatically improve uptake, consistency and outcomes by changing how decisions are made. Together, they explore: - Why behaviour is often led by a single senior leader – and why this rarely works in practice - The importance of slice teams: representative groups that bring together staff from across a school (and sometimes students and families) to design, test and refine change - How slice teams improve both decision-making and buy-in by redistributing power without undermining leadership - Why implementation is a process, not an event – and why policies need ongoing review, feedback and adaptation - The role of mattering in behaviour systems: how staff feeling heard, trusted and involved leads to greater consistency for pupils - Practical tools schools rarely use – but should – including root cause analysis, communications plans, pre-mortems and ‘tight but loose’ implementation - How understanding the root causes of behaviour issues can lead to unexpected but powerful solutions (including links to oracy, wellbeing and relationships) - Why fear-based compliance may look like ‘good behaviour’ on the surface, but often masks deeper problems This episode is for school leaders, behaviour leads, teachers and system leaders who are tired of rolling out initiatives that never quite stick – and who want a more humane, effective and sustainable way to improve behaviour, relationships and attendance. Support #repod The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love. If you’d like to support the podcast and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

    55 min
  6. Rebooting behaviour: the two missing pieces of the puzzle (with Tara Elie)

    JAN 15

    Rebooting behaviour: the two missing pieces of the puzzle (with Tara Elie)

    In this second episode of a two-part mini-series, Tara Elie turns the tables and interviews yours truly about the thinking behind Making Change Stick – and why so many school behaviour initiatives fail, even when the policy itself is sound. Following on from the previous episode on the psychology of mattering, this conversation explores what happens after the policy launch: how change is (or isn’t) implemented in real schools, and why top-down, ‘black box’ approaches so often lead to inconsistency, frustration, and drift. I trace my 12-year journey into implementation science, drawing on lessons from healthcare, engineering and systems change – including a powerful case study from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital – to show how schools can dramatically improve uptake, consistency and outcomes by changing how decisions are made. Together, we explore: - Why behaviour is often led by a single senior leader – and why this rarely works in practice - The importance of slice teams: representative groups that bring together staff from across a school (and sometimes students and families) to design, test and refine change - How slice teams improve both decision-making and buy-in by redistributing power without undermining leadership - Why implementation is a process, not an event – and why policies need ongoing review, feedback and adaptation - The role of mattering in behaviour systems: how staff feeling heard, trusted and involved leads to greater consistency for pupils - Practical tools schools rarely use – but should – including root cause analysis, communications plans, pre-mortems and ‘tight but loose’ implementation - How understanding the root causes of behaviour issues can lead to unexpected but powerful solutions (including links to oracy, wellbeing and relationships) - Why fear-based compliance may look like ‘good behaviour’ on the surface, but often masks deeper problems This episode is for school leaders, behaviour leads, teachers and system leaders who are tired of rolling out initiatives that never quite stick – and who want a more humane, effective and sustainable way to improve behaviour, relationships and attendance. Support #repod The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love. If you’d like to support the podcast and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

    54 min
  7. Why ‘belonging’ isn’t enough: The missing piece in behaviour, attendance and staff burnout (w/ Tara Elie)

    JAN 9

    Why ‘belonging’ isn’t enough: The missing piece in behaviour, attendance and staff burnout (w/ Tara Elie)

    What if the real driver of behaviour, attendance, engagement – and staff retention – isn’t rules, rewards, or even belonging… but mattering? In this deep, reflective conversation, James is joined by Tara Elie – former teacher, behaviour specialist, and positive psychology practitioner – to explore the powerful but often overlooked psychology of mattering: the feeling that you are valued and that you add value. Drawing on Tara’s Master’s research, coaching work with schools, and lived experience as a teacher, the conversation reframes some of education’s biggest challenges through a radically human lens. Together, James and Tara explore: Why belonging is not the starting point, but an outcome of something deeper How low staff and student mattering shows up as disengagement, burnout, behaviour issues and poor attendance The two-part psychology of mattering – feeling valued and adding value – and why imbalance leads to compromised wellbeing Why many behaviour systems unintentionally communicate ‘you don’t add value’ How mattering connects to agency, resilience, engagement, meaning and purpose What psychologically safe schools do differently – for adults and young people Practical ways leaders can audit mattering in their schools without adding workload This episode is especially relevant for: Senior leaders responsible for behaviour, relationships or attendance School leaders concerned about staff wellbeing and retention Anyone frustrated by surface-level fixes to deep, systemic issues If you’ve ever felt that schools are chasing the wrong outcomes – or that something vital is missing from the behaviour conversation – this episode offers a language, a framework, and a hopeful way forward. ‘Belonging isn’t something you can chase. It’s what happens when people genuinely matter.’ The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love. If you’d like to support the podcast and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

    42 min
  8. "It’s choppy out there – but hope is happening...": Strap in for the 2025 end of year review!

    12/24/2025

    "It’s choppy out there – but hope is happening...": Strap in for the 2025 end of year review!

    As 2025 draws to a close, James and David come together for a wide-ranging Christmas conversation that reflects on a turbulent year in education – and looks ahead to where hope, change, and renewal might yet be found. Kicking off with a powerful metaphor drawn from winter sea swimming, the discussion explores why schools currently feel so ‘choppy’, from behaviour and attendance to widening inequality and system-level pressures. Along the way, we reflect on what really matters in education – relationships, belonging, and being known – and why these often get squeezed out by accountability and assessment. The episode revisits key debates sparked by the Curriculum and Assessment Review, including the future of GCSEs, the limits of ‘manageable change’, and the uneasy separation of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. A detour into restorative justice, inspired by Punch and the story of Jacob Dunne, deepens the conversation about connection, responsibility, and what happens when people are truly seen. The parallels with schooling – and with how society treats its most vulnerable young people – are stark. The episode closes on a hopeful note, spotlighting examples of schools doing brave, relational, and imaginative work within the current system, and outlining plans for the podcast in 2026: fewer trench wars, more light-shining on practice that actually helps children and young people thrive. James also shares upcoming programmes and projects focused on oracy, behaviour, botheredness, and learning beyond subjects – all grounded in the belief that meaningful change is possible when we start with relationships and implementation. In this episode, we explore: - Why education feels ‘choppy’ – and what the winter swim metaphor reveals - Behaviour, discipline, and the limits of coercive models - Restorative justice, Punch, and the power of being known - What the Curriculum and Assessment Review did – and didn’t – make possible - GCSEs, adolescent development, and the problem of high-stakes exams at 16 - Why relationships matter more than systems – and what the evidence says - Examples of hopeful practice already happening in schools - What’s next for the podcast in 2026 Support #repod The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love. If you’d like to support the podcast and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

"Civilisation is a race between education and catastrophe." (HG Wells) In this podcast, we take Wells at his word. Hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, Rethinking Education features long-form conversations with fascinating guests about how we might create a more diverse, intelligent, responsive educational ecosystem that works for *all* young people. If this sounds interesting to you, welcome to Rethinking Education: Education's Critical Friend: https://rethinking-ed.org/podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Dr James Mannion
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    113
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Rethinking Education

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