Teach, Tech, Lead

The idea that we want (and need) our students to think seems quite uncontroversial right? In this modern age we find ourselves in, students will do their utmost to avoid thinking. Thinking is hard! It was certainly a challenge for us pre-AI but tech is continuing to make this difficult to enact in our classrooms. So what can we do? Well - so glad you asked! The solution isn't necessarily 'easy' but it's certainly much more attainable if we put this idea right out on front street. In this pod, Gus and I discuss his latest one-pager - "Thinking is Compulsory". Hope you enjoy it!

Glenn Solomons is a learning designer, course strategist and former school leader who helps educational consultants and school systems scale their impact through high-quality professional learning design. Through his company Cheeky Learning (https://www.cheekylearning.com.au/), Glenn works with educational thought leaders, government organisations and school systems to build blended and asynchronous learning experiences that create real change, not just course completion. Hope you enjoy it!
 

Trent Ray is the founder of The Cyber Safety Project and he joined Gus and myself for a chat about the challenges that schools, teachers and students face and the critical and evolving nature of the cyber safety landscape. Trent has a wealth of experience in the #Cybersafety field - driven from his own prior roles teaching and managing ICT in schools. You can reach out to Trent via the Cyber Safety Project at https://cybersafetyproject.com/ Hope you enjoy it!
#TeachTechLeadPodcast #EdTech 

In the latest One-Pager from the #TeachTechLeadPodcast, Angus Humphries asks "Are they listening?" ... with the cheeky sub-title... "and why not?". Do we bombard students with long and verbose amounts of content and instructions, without first considering the cognitive load of students and how much they are actually taking in? I've linked the full One-Pager in the comments - hope you enjoy it!#Education #Pedagogy #Teaching #Q4T

In the latest One-Pager from the #TeachTechLeadPodcast, Angus Humphries pitches "Five Things"! We all know the power of reading and writing and the transformative thinking that results. This technique discusses setting up a structured class room environment where students read with purpose, make notes (not just randomly) and the have an opportunity to discuss or share these notes without referring to the source material. I've linked the full One-Pager in the comments - hope you enjoy it!#Education #Pedagogy #Teaching #Q4T

Caiti Wade is on The Educator's Hot List and while this fact is not the important thing about her, the question it prompts, IS.... Why? Caiti has built a reputation for helping schools use evidence, data and cognitive science to drive meaningful student growth. With expertise spanning instructional design, curriculum implementation and leadership strategy, she is committed to making the science of learning accessible and practical for teachers everywhere.  She is the writer behind The Disruptive Educator, co-host of the When Will They Learn? podcast, and a highly respected presenter, consultant and school leader with extensive experience translating research into real classroom impact. She’s a strong advocate for high-quality explicit instruction and believes every student deserves access to effective teaching and strong curriculum materials. Hope you enjoy it!

Gus and I had the pleasure of chatting to Ashleigh Martin, the Principal of Caulfield Grammar School. He is widely recognized for his forward-thinking approach to education, with a strong focus on innovation, student wellbeing, and preparing young people for a rapidly changing world. Under his leadership, the school has continued to evolve as a leading independent school, embracing new models of learning while staying grounded in strong community values. He brings a thoughtful and future-focused perspective on what great education can and should look like today, and we're very excited to explore that with him in this conversation. Hope you enjoy it!

Brent Sheffield is a high school English teacher with a decade of experience driving real, measurable student growth in a Title 1 school. Brent focusses on simplifying the practices that actually move the needle - things like clear explanations, spaced retrieval, and consistent feedback. 
Brent is a graduate of Florida’s High Impact Teacher Corps and has served as an English Department Chair, leading curriculum and teacher development through significant change. Brent also writes and speaks about a philosophy he calls “Ugly Learning”—the idea that real learning is often messy, uncomfortable, and driven by results, not appearances. 
Gus and I really enjoyed our conversation with Brent - and we are sure you will to!

What is the most effective way to give feedback to students so that they actually take it on board and action it? Are you spending countless hours marking student work only to have them look at the mark and shove it to the bottom of their bag? In this, our 9th one-pager, Gus and I discuss the process of giving feedback to students. Now notice I didn’t say CORRECTIONS, nor did I say MARKS, though marks do have a role to play.
Hope you enjoy it!
#Education #Pedagogy #Teaching #TeachTechLeadPodcast #Q4T #EducationalLeadership 
The link to the One Pager can be found here: https://teachtechleadpodcast.substack.com/p/feedback-thinking-and-doing?selectQuote=trueYou can read about the #OnePager concept here: https://substack.com/@teachtechleadpodcast/note/c-171986562?r=6r0htu&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web

What does it really mean to teach students to think for themselves?
In our latest podcast episode, we speak with Dr Merinda Bermingham, whose PhD research in critical thinking — particularly teacher understanding of critical thinking — sits at the heart of her work as an educator. Merinda is driven by a powerful purpose: helping students live empowered, respectful, and innovative lives shaped by moral and intellectual integrity.
She describes the most rewarding moments of teaching as those when students realise they are capable of reading for meaning, thinking independently, and navigating a world filled with competing ideas and agendas. At the centre of her work is a belief that true education is essential not just for individual success, but for the health of a democracy.
This is a thoughtful and deeply important conversation about critical thinking, education, and the kind of citizens our classrooms help shape. Hope you enjoy it!
#TeachTechLeadPodcast #EducationalLeadership