Posts by Mark Taylor
Independent Thinking with Ian Gilbert – NAPE 067
Mark Taylor chats to NAPE patron Ian Gilbert.
Since founding Independent Thinking in 1994, Ian has built a global reputation as an educational thinker, innovator, entrepreneur, speaker and award-winning editor and writer. He was listed by the IB magazine as one of their top 15 ‘educational visionaries’.
Never happier than when he is making children’s brains hurt, he has a unique first-hand perspective on the world of education having lived and worked in schools and universities in the UK, the Middle East, South America and Asia.
He is now sharing his time between Rotterdam, where his wife is an international school principal, and their home in the middle of nowhere deep in West Wales.
He wasn’t always interested in exotic foreign travel and meeting interesting people from different countries, as he started off his educational career teaching French in Northampton. He didn’t really want to be a French teacher and, while you would think not wanting to teach French to people who didn’t want to learn it might be a match made in heaven, it was only ever really a stepping stone. His main ambition was to work with young people in the areas that most fascinated him then and in which he has become such an important figure today – thinking, learning, motivation, creativity and helping all members of the school community be the best they can be.
Through his many books including the ever-popular Thunks collection, his ongoing classroom work with children and young people, his keynotes and workshops at conferences around the world and his continuous work with teachers and leaders in schools, Ian has shown a whole generation of educators that there is always another way.
Following a chance meeting in the staff room, Ian was encouraged to set up Independent Thinking in 1994 and, since then, has built up a unique educational organisation that acts as a platform for some of the UK’s leading innovative educators and school leaders as well as serving as a ‘lighthouse’ for so many practitioners who might otherwise fall prey to the idea that silence is respect, obedience is behaviour, grades measure education and teaching and learning are the same thing.
Website
Social Media Information
@ITLWorldwide on Twitter
independentthinkingworldwide on Instagram
The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal
201: Read Write Code with Jeremy Keeshin
Read Write Code written by Jeremy Keeshin, is a friendly introduction to the world of coding and explains why it is the new literacy.
Jeremy Keeshin is the CEO and Co-founder of CodeHS, the leading coding education platform for schools used by millions of students.
He is an expert in computer science education and education technology, and he has visited hundreds of schools all over the world. Prior to starting CodeHS, he taught computer science at Stanford.
Code is the new literacy.
Six hundred years ago, most people couldn’t read. In 1440, the invention of the printing press laid the groundwork for massive increases in literacy and ushered in the modern era.
Today, computers and the internet are causing a similar tectonic shift. Reading and writing are foundational skills, and in our digital world, coding is too.
But coding can be intimidating to learn. What is code? Where do you even start?
In Read Write Code, Jeremy Keeshin demystifies the world of computers, starting at the beginning to explain the basic building blocks of today’s tech: programming, the internet, data, apps, the cloud, cybersecurity, algorithms, artificial intelligence, and more.
Complex concepts are explained in friendly and engaging ways, with interactive examples and practical tips. This book is a must-read for modern educators and anyone who wants to understand why code matters today.
Website
Social Media
www.linkedin.com/in/jkeesh/
www.twitter.com/jkeesh
Resources Mentioned
Show Sponsor
Xientifica SOS, written by Daniel Phelps, is a unique children’s adventure for young people aged 8-12–adult. It’s ‘Where science meets adventure’. It’s not a science book, it is a children’s adventure novel which has science in it.’
Xientifica SOS provides a perfect platform for discussions and encourages children to ask questions, so is not only ideal for lone-reading or as a class book, but perfect for home schooling too.
Xientifica SOS can be bought on Amazon and is available on Kindle or in paperback
Go to Amazon – or to find out more (and listen to extracts from the book) – go to Xientifica.com (with an X)…X I E N T I F I C A
Homepage: https://xientifica.com/
Twitter @xientifica
Show Sponsor
The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal
200: What I have learned in 200 episodes of Education on Fire
I share the themes and insights I have discovered in the first 200 episodes of the Education on Fire podcast.
I chat about my learning experience at school from discovering my passion to becoming a professional musician.
I explore how some of these themes have shown themselves in my podcast and how we can share the wisdom of my guests with the children in our care.
www.EducationOnFire.com
199: Can you hear me now? with Suzanne DeMallie
Suzanne DeMallie has been striving to make a difference in education since 2005.
Her book Can You Hear Me Now? walks parents and teachers through everything they need to know to make a difference in their local district and beyond, from the most basic questions they should be asking to the most effective steps they can take to make their voices heard.
As a parent, Suzanne DeMallie fought a nationwide battle against bureaucracy for the simple, common sense idea that children in the back of a classroom should be able to hear their teacher.
Suzanne taught for seven years in the Baltimore County Public Schools system. Research into her own son’s learning difficulties led her to author the Classroom Auditory Learning Issues resolution, adopted by the National PTA in July 2007. Her work has appeared in Our Children Magazine, T.H.E. Journal, Towson Times, and The Baltimore Sun.
She has presented at the National School Boards Association’s Annual Convention; to national, state, and local PTA groups, and to politicians. Suzanne was awarded the National PTA’s Life Achievement Award in May 2007, the highest honor from the nation’s largest child advocacy organization.
Website
Social Media Information
www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-demallie/
facebook.com/SDeMallie/
twitter.com/SuzanneDeMallie
Resources mentioned
The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch
Show Sponsor
Xientifica SOS, written by Daniel Phelps, is a unique children’s adventure for young people aged 8-12–adult. It’s ‘Where science meets adventure’. It’s not a science book, it is a children’s adventure novel which has science in it.’
Xientifica SOS provides a perfect platform for discussions and encourages children to ask questions, so is not only ideal for lone-reading or as a class book, but perfect for home schooling too.
Xientifica SOS can be bought on Amazon and is available on Kindle or in paperback
Go to Amazon – or to find out more (and listen to extracts from the book) – go to Xientifica.com (with an X)…X I E N T I F I C A
Homepage: https://xientifica.com/
Twitter @xientifica
Show Sponsor
The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal
Education on Fire Named Best Educational Podcast 2021
I’m delighted to announce that Education on Fire has made the shortlist of Learning Ladders’ ‘Best Educational Podcast 2021’ awards.
We were shortlisted alongside 46 other podcasts from a long list of over 100 entries, for our dedication to providing useful, actionable and credible advice to educators.
The awards panel featured teachers, school leaders, and EdTech entrepreneurs including Learning Ladders’ founder, Matt Koster-Marcon, who is also Chair of the EdTech Special Interest Group at BESA.
For busy teachers, podcasts are increasingly a great CPD resource, providing inspiration, entertainment, and new ways of thinking about education.
We’re proud to be included in the list, and would also like to congratulate the other shortlisted podcasts for their incredible work.
Visit the full list of recommended podcasts, which cover topics such as EdTech, EYFS, and SEND, to read our full entry.