What's it like teaching with a chronic illness? Is it possible to have a teaching career when your health is compromised? Marie talks to Hannah about her experiences in the classroom.

Trigger warning: this episode contains details of illness and trauma.

Jolly hockey sticks! It's time to discuss all things sporting as Marie and Jodi are joined by PE teacher Damian Bullock. Has PE provision changed since the 80s? Is representation improving in sport for young people? Are we better at acknowledging the physical and mental benefits of exercise?

Welcome back to our monthly podcast! This episode, Marie and Jodi talk to Sophie Rayner, who runs a children's home in the south of England, about the challenges faced by looked-after children in school. What can teachers do to ease their educational path?

It's that's time of year again! Pop on our festive podcast and listen to teaching tips from our resident Christmas-ologist, Claire Yaxley, while you get that last-minute wrapping done.

Have you ever considered throwing in the teaching towel and going to work in sunnier climes? That's what this week's guest, Aasha Chauhan, did! She tells Marie and Jodi what's it like to take plunge and teach abroad.

What's it like being a student who struggles to read at secondary school? This week's guest, Ian Ross, talks to Marie and Jodi about how phonics changed his life.

How can we use theatre to liven up lessons and improve engagement? This week, Jodi talks to producer Penny about the transformative power of drama in the classroom.

The transformative power of learning outside the classroom is the topic for our latest episode. Marie and Jodi chat to Joe Doherty, Learning and Adventure Manager at The Outward Bound Trust, about how getting into the Great Outdoors can enhance students' mental health.

If you'd like to learn more about Outward Bound, visit www.outwardbound.org.uk.

What do you do when school no longer works for your child? This week, Marie and Jodi talk to Amanda, a teacher herself who decided to take her children out of mainstream education.

And if you'd like some help with home education, have a look at our top tips, here.

Imagine hob-nobbing at The Brits with Lady Gaga and Florence + The Machine, then leaving it all behind to become a teacher. Sounds unlikely? Well, that's what this week's guest did...

Welcome back to a new school year! This week, we explore strategies for supporting dyslexia in the classroom. But it's not just about the students - what's life like as a dyslexic teacher?

Marie and Jodi have had a lovely summer break... but now they're BACK! Turn on and tune in for more teaching-themed discussion, anecdotes and silliness from next week.

School’s (nearly) out for summer! As we crawl towards the end of another academic year, join Marie, Jodi, and lots of listeners as they celebrate the highs and lows of teaching and pay tribute to their favourite teachers.

If you’ve got an idea for an episode, or you’d like to be a guest on the show, tell us all about it by emailing BeyondMailbag@twinkl.co.uk.

A tragic experience at Kissytown Refugee Camp in Sierra Leone in 2010 prompted Geography teacher Neil Morland to start a life-changing project which has transformed the lives of students both in the UK and in Africa.

If you’d like to get involved with Project 3580, you can find out more and contact Neil on Instagram @project3580.

TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains details of child poverty and death.

It’s a rite of passage we’ve all been through: the move from primary to secondary school. How can we make managing year 7 transition easier for pupils and teachers?

Marie and Jodi chat to transition expert Louise Herbert about starting at Big School, and how we can help those scared year 7s.

We’ve all had students who’ll try anything to get out of completing work – but what if our perception is wrong, and that student is actually suffering from an invisible illness?

This episode we chat to Sophie Ainsworth from RAiISE, who shares teaching tips for how to support students with a chronic illness.

We all know the battle teachers can have with phones in schools – but can they be a force for good? What’s the role of mobiles in outdoor education lessons?

Jack Reed, a PhD candidate, and Emily Wormald from The Outward Bound Trust, discuss how outdoor education lessons can be transformative for students – with and without mobile phones!

Following the tragic death of Reading Head Teacher Ruth Perry, the spotlight is on OFSTED inspections like never before. Is the pressure on teachers just too much?

This episode, we talk to former OFSTED Inspector Graham Tyrer, who busts some of the myths surrounding OFSTED inspections.

If you are feeling overwhelmed at work, please reach out to your union or The Samaritans on 116 123.

This week’s guest, Verity Croker, talks us through her creative writing process as an author, describing the ‘plotters’ and ‘pantsers’ and her own methods of not planning…

Teaching creative writing in the classroom is something that all English teachers have pondered upon in their time as educators. How do I approach it? What would enthuse my students? How do I foster a love for reading? What would help us unearth our next star writers?

Luckily, our regular hosts, Marie and Jodi, have an author’s brain to pick on the creative writing process. She talks us through her love for writing young adult fiction, her preferences for not planning a story, and her change of heart on reading graphic novels. The conversation brings about some interesting points to consider when teaching young learners about writing and when aiming to impart healthy reading habits.

Reading, writing and a good cuppa go hand-in-hand so we don’t see why a podcast about it should be any different - get the kettle on and join for this week’s creative journey!

Timings

00:00 - Welcome to this week’s episode, ‘Are We Teaching Creative Writing All Wrong?’

04:37 - From down under, we welcome our guest, Verity Croker.

08:57 - To plan or not to plan - the process of creative writing in the classroom. The ‘plotters’ and ‘pantsers’, if you will!

14:42 – Representation in literature.

15:42 - Graphic novels as a literary device.

18:54 - Two stars and a wish - teaching creative writing without planning(!?), reading through diverse mediums, and can we get more free reading time in schools?

#educationpodcast #IYOTYW

This week we’re becoming ghost hunters and swapping ghost stories set in schools – so you might want to keep the lights on while you listen!

Marie and Jodi talk to Emma Dadswell, English teacher and ghost hunter, who talks about her favourite ghost stories and shares tips for bringing the supernatural into the classroom.