Episodes
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How to set confident, compassionate boundaries that actually deepen your connection with children and don't negatively impact your relationship. Obstetric social worker and renowned Parent Educator Gen Muir is the author of Why Kids Need Boundaries.
Gen shares her own parenting struggles and says it's a myth that boundaries threaten attachment. However, we talk about the most effective way to set clear limits that also foster trust and reduce conflict.
I first came across Gen when I discovered the High, Low, Buffalo conversation prompt for families. It has been a gamechanger in our house and I speak about how it has helped open up conversations and information from our kids that we might not have got otherwise.
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Last time we spoke with AI consultant to schools, Bex Rose, the feedback was running hot! From people who wanted to know about the AI tutor she created for her daughter, to people interested in more information about how AI is being used in schools already ..and those who expressed very real concern about the impact digital technology has on brain development and learning and human relationships.
In this episode, we discuss that feedback with Bex and we are also joined by Papamoa Primary Principal Matt Simeon to talk about how the school has been an early adopter of using AI with staff. It is another discussion which is sure to raise more debate around the merits and concerns around the best use of AI.
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Missing episodes?
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Cara Zelas is a U.S-based early childhood educator who speaks at conferences and in classrooms around the world about her work with 'Big World of Little Dude'.
She shares how parents can build essential life skills at home, including resilience, manners, and emotional regulation. She also unpacks how technology is currently used in classrooms and why she believes digital apps should never replace face-to-face interaction.
This is NOT a discussion to try and make parents feel guilty about screen-time or devices. No-one here is pretending we are perfect parents! What it IS is a discussion around bringing in human connection skills that set kids up for the world in which they will operate with artificial intelligence very much embedded in their lives.
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Harry Scott believes a cornerstone of childhood fun and experience is at risk. He is the founder of Barefooted and teaches outdoor education by giving school students and hosting community events so that kids get to experience all the things they might usually learn on school camp on a more regular basis. Harry believes outdoor play is vital for childhood development and for reconnecting kids with nature in an increasingly digital world.
He shares his ideas for parents about how to help with building confidence, safety skills and creativity with simple, and mostly completely free activities ..even when it's raining!
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Hear from the Principal of Lemonwood Grove, among the biggest primary schools by roll in New Zealand. The area has had its fair share of major local traumas like the Christchurch earthquakes and mosque attacks as well as covid. These experiences reminded Blair Dravitski of just how important schools are as part of the community in managing anxiety not just for students but for their extended families too. On top of navigating those crises, the school has had explosive growth and has a wonderful diversity with families representing 47 different countries.
Blair explains how he came to dislike the words 'difficult, challenging or hard' when it comes to communication. He expects staff to send direct, positive emails to families every week to build genuine relationships and communication.
His insights are useful for any parent or educator wanting to help build positive relationships with the school and home.
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Children starting school without the skills needed for learning, are more likely to start on the back foot when it comes to the reading, writing and other skills that are assessed in the curriculum. Andrea Ford and Carolynne Masson work with families and communities to strengthen all those foundation skills through Ready 4 Learning.
With backgrounds in teaching and school leadership, they discuss their thoughts on learning through play and structured literacy expertise.
Ande and Carlolynne have lots of tips for parents about the best ways to develop language, movement and emotional wellbeing.
We also discuss the impact of Covid - did it cause or accelerate certain challenges? or were those challenges already apparent in early education?
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Tami Harris is the CEO of Acorn Neurodiversity and a passionate advocate of better support for children and young people who are neurodivergent. This episode is especially useful if you are a parent overwhelmed or unsure of the diagnosis process, a teacher pondering strategies for diverse learners or anyone who wants to better understand the terms neurodiversity v neurodivergent thinking.
Tami talks about why a multi-disciplinary approach is so often needed, combining speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioural science, and mental health.
The discussion covers specific strategies to advocate for your child, navigate long waitlists, and interpret early signs before school age.
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Mohan Nair has written what he calls 'the nutrition label for AI'.
Rather than a 'warning label', this is just saying here are all the ingredients we need to be aware of so that we can use AI in a way that benefits our health rather than the other way around. More specifically in this episode we are looking at the ways in which children and young people an prepare to become 'Unreachable'. This is the title of Mohan's book.
After much research in the corporate world where he has worked with innovators from companies across the spectrum, Mohan has analysed what that world will want from its future workforce and the real, practical advice he would offer to families who want to prepare their children to be AI-enabled, rather than AI-afraid or AI-obsessed.
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Nancy Young is the creator of the infographic the Ladder of Reading and Writing which explains reading skills as a continuim.
Nancy is also the Co-Editor of the 2024 book 'Climbing the Ladder of Reading and Writing: Meeting the Needs of All Learners'
Here she also talks about exceptionalities that can co-occur alongside dyslexia, including ADHD, DLD and giftedness.
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Principal Steve McCracken doesn't want a student to be able to go through a day at school and not have a teacher or school leader say their name or greet them for a chat. It is one of the things he fears losing with growing school rolls as the Principal of Whangaparāoa College in Auckland, New Zealand. While there are many benefits of growth and the resource and specialisation it can offer. The school is looking at innovative strategies to give students the same experience they might get at a smaller school where the relationship with teachers is a benefit because of much time they are able to get to spend with a student to get to know them.
Is returning to a homeroom style class more beneficial than going to a range of specialist teachers? The school is on a mission to find out.
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There are so many things that happen with behaviour and attitude when hormones start changing in the teen years that it can be a bit of a mystery what is going on in the brain. After this conversation with Kathryn Berkett so much made sense. Kathryn has written many books translating neuroscience research in to practical insights for parents and her latest book is called 'What's Going on In There?'.
There is so much focus on the first 1000 days that we can sometimes forget there is also a big neurological and hormonal change that comes later and just how important these years are in development too. Understanding what is going on in the adolescent brain could definitely help to avoid a lot of the pitfalls and arguments that might come along with it.
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Is there any system of enrolling children at school that creates an equal footing? New Zealand has a 'rolling enrolment' system with flexibility within that for schools to decide how it might work best in their area and for individual children. In this episode, I talk with Andy Jackson, Head of Policy at the Ministry of Education about the reasons behind the policy and what, if any, work has been done on looking at the pros and cons of alternative policies.
We look at why New Zealand is one of the few places in the world that doesn't use 'cohort entry' (starting in groups) as the national standard and whether that can still work as the curriculum is changed to align with countries who do.
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Last we spoke to Jo Knox on the podcast we looked at what birth month was best for academic success. There has not been a lot of specific research on this topic but there are some indicators which point to being the oldest in your school year leads to better educational outcomes. That might not necessarily be surprising but what is interesting is a new survey has found that a large percentage of teachers spoken to, believe the current enrolment process is inequitable and leads to unfair and unnecessary pressure on some teachers and some students. Pressure that could ultimately end up influencing their school journey.
We look at the results of the survey, the barriers to change and what you can do if your child is caught up in a situation where they might be disadvantaged because of where their birthday falls.
In the episode to follow this, we will be speaking with a representative from the Ministry of Education in New Zealand about the reasonings behind the specific rolling enrolment process and what they might look to investigate at some point in the future.
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Not sure if your child's reading progress or the teaching they are getting is going too fast or too slow?
This is a common discussion among parents at the school gate and the answer is going to be very individualised depending on your child and their teacher.
However, it's really important to have some information about how it all works so you can make a decision about whether it is something that is worth raising (remember if your gut says you should, then it's always a good idea to chat with a teacher!)
Louise Payne, a former teacher and expert in literacy development with Learning Matters, shares insights about understanding the process and the pace of teaching.
She explains 'phonological awareness', the best ways to support reading at home and why it's not just about decoding words but understanding the story behind them.
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Karina McHardy shares a personal story but one that will resonate with any parent who has had to advocate for their child's needs, whether it be additional assistance or learning needs in school.
Karina shares the story of her son's autism diagnosis and the overwhelming silence she felt which followed. With no roadmap for support, Karina has fought for personalised support and questioned when there has been obstacles.
She has written about her experience in a book called 'All In' which she has just launched ahead of World Autism Awareness Day.
Karina also shares why the phrase 'everyone is on the spectrum' is something we should reconsider.
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A study of school readiness found as many as 90 percent of primary schools surveyed said there was an increase in the number of new entrant students coming to school not knowing basic skills like holding a basic conversation, identifying their name or being able to go to the toilet independently.
This episode explores the critical skills children need before starting school, the impact of COVID-19, and how parents and educators can work together to prepare children for a successful educational journey. Lucy Naylor from Auckland Primary Principals Association joins ECE Leader Kelly Seaburg to look at the reasons why we are seeing a decline in basic skills as well as offering practical tips for parents.
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Online Schools and Alpha Schools have had a massive spike in interest but who do they work for and is this a long-term disruptor in education?
In this episode, we explore the future of education with Penelope Barton, CEO of Crimson Global Education. Penelope shares what Crimson is working on in innovative models of schooling and whether it is more suited to catering for learners with different learning needs. Penelope Barton also looks at the role of AI in education and how she sees the relationship between education and technology working to prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
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How well do you remember what grammatical words like adverb, adjective, prepositions actually mean?
There is a lot of discussion in the education world at the moment about how much focus should be on teaching these word classes and instead focussing on whether a sentence instinctively feels right.
Some research suggests being able to circle an adverb or noun on a worksheet has zero impact on writing ability. Other educators say everyone should have a common understanding of formal language grammar so that teachers can say 'try adding an adjective here' and students would be more clear about what kind of word to add in.
Helen Walls aka The Writing Teacher looks at this debate in this episode of School Shorts. She has spoken in a previous episode about the importance of handwriting in the thinking process. This episode takes that discussion further to look at how to help children who are having challenges with writers including how to help older students still struggling.
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Look, I'll admit it, I don't know much about the assessment system when it gets to High School. I know you can do NCEA (with potential changes on the horizon) and some students also do Cambridge Exams, IGCSE's and A-Levels. I was among the last to do the Bursary assessment system and with kids still in primary school, I don't really know much about how this all works.
So consider this an explainer for those who might also have only a little knowledge about this. If you have a child that is in High School or will soon be, hopefully this gives you some idea of how this particular assessment works as we speak with Chris Wiggin from Cambridge International.
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Hamish Brewer throws out the rule book when it comes to what people expect a Principal to be. The tattooed skateboarding Principal from New Zealand now spends most of his time in the U.S where he is one of the most recognisable and disruptive voices in education.
Hamish has won national awards for transforming failing schools into 'high-performing', 'high-expectation communities'.
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