In this episode, Toria chats to Louise about a relatively new concept - neurodiversity. Louise has ADHD and has made it her mission to demystify some of the language and misunderstandings around neurodiversity and neurodivergence. Louise is a children's author who has a keen interest in sharing stories that feature characters that stand out, are different and who have something to say. Inspired by stories from her own experiences she took up writing to sensitive issues within chi...

In this episode, Toria chats to Louise about dementia and alzheimer's and how to chat to young people about this. Louise has recently written 'The Memory Book: A Reassuring Book about Understanding Dementia' which includes practical information to help young children understand dementia and the changes it can bring. To get hold of a copy of Louise's book then click this link To get hold of Wendy Mitchell's book that they discuss click this link Support the show If you enjoyed this episode p...

In this episode, Toria chats to Catherine about the incredible power of listening - to others, and also to ourselves. The myriad of benefits include enhanced professional relationships, learning & development and gaining a sense of control over your personal wellbeing. Catherine is the owner of Leadership Edge - Coaching in Schools, a collaborative of 20 education leaders on a mission to improve the workplace culture in our schools. Their 3-Tier Coaching Accreditation Progra...

In this episode, Toria chats to Ginny Bootman about the importance of building positive relationships in school with the children, our co-workers and the parents. Ginny has been teaching longer than she hasn't. She has been a Headteacher, Senior Manager and Class teacher, teaching all ages in the Primary age range. She is currently a SENCO of four primary schools in Northamptonshire. She believes in her mantra #Followtheempathyroad and embodies this in everything she does. She has spoken na...

In this episode, Toria chats to Dr Rachel Briggs about understanding and supporting educators’ psychological wellbeing when teaching children and young people living with vulnerabilities and/or trauma. Rachel talks about the relevance to educators of compassion stress injuries and compassion satisfaction, setting these in the broader context of the education system. They talk about her model of educators’ work-related psychological wellbeing which can be accessed (free) on Rachel’...

In this episode, Toria chats to Steve Baker all about behaviour and how we need to teach it. Steve has recently written a new book - 'That Behaviour Book - the simple truth about teaching children' and unpacks some of the messages within it during his conversation with Toria. Steve spent 17 years in teaching, before working with local authorities and for the National Strategies as a regional adviser in Yorkshire and the Humber. He is now a behaviour consultant and trainer, passionate about ...

In this episode, Toria chats to Andrew Rhodes about how in the rapidly evolving educational landscape it is now more important than ever to ensure that teachers are given the time and space to do what they do best, which is to teach. Redefinition is the action or process of re-looking at something and making a change. As educators is it time to redefine some of the ways we see the world around us and in turn redefine the ways we develop professional creativity? Andrew has worked in education...

In this episode, Toria talks to Ross about what questioning is, why it is so important and what makes a great question in the classroom. As they discuss, questioning can be widely misunderstood and not enough teachers have been given sound training in the art of questioning. Over the course of their conversation, they also discuss cognitive science and the power of the pause! Ross has recently written his eleventh book 'The Teacher Toolkit Guide to Questioning - Turning theory into practice...

In this episode, Toria chats to Adam about getting children ready to learn. Adam is an award winning and Amazon number one best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction books. He works in the UK and internationally in both state and private education delivering creative writing workshops to all ages. His books have been selected by the School Library Association for the ‘Boys into Books’ recommended reading list. Previously a teacher, Adam also delivers CPD to teachers and others working i...

In this episode, Toria chats with Graham about the importance of looking at the motives behind challenging behaviour and the consequences that come with it. They discuss ways in which these situations can be managed calmly and consistently and how better understanding and empathy can make children feel safer, build their trust, develop belonging and consequently create more effective learners in the classroom. Graham Chatterley was a school leader who has since led training for thousan...

In the next episode in the wellbeing series, Toria chats to Adrian Bethune about the second edition of his book 'Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom'. They chat about the importance of belonging, what happiness is and how Adrian's understanding of wellbeing has evolved since the first edition of the book was published in 2018. Adrian is the founder of Teachappy and has been teaching children and adults about happiness and wellbeing since 2010. He is also a part-time teacher, author, lea...

In the latest episode, which is part of the wellbeing series, Toria talks to Melanie Gentles about how discovering the power of positive psychology and applying it to an educational setting has extraordinarily impacted her approach to education. Melanie talks about how educators should discover their pupils' character strengths and aim to create a flow state in their classrooms to develop happy, flourishing learners. Melanie is a School Leader and Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead who...

In this episode, Toria chats to Dr Lucy Kelly about how diary writing can support educators' wellbeing. Do read Toria's blog post linked to this to see the impact of this conversation. Dr Lucy Kelly is an Associate Professor in Education at the University of Bristol, primarily working with PGCE English trainee teachers. She advocates that trainee teachers see themselves as their own biggest resource in the classroom, and that they prioritise their wellbeing from the outset. Her main researc...

To kick off season 7, Toria chats to Hywel Roberts all about 'Botheredness' and the care teachers have for their children. Amidst the laughter, they talk about the craft of teaching, the passion that they both have for it and of course Hywel's new book 'Botheredness'. Hywel has taught in secondary, primary and special settings for almost thirty years. He contributes to university education programmes and writes regularly for TES as 'The Travelling Teacher'. A true Northerner, Hyw...

It is most likely that you are working alongside many colleagues who are going through the menopause or perimenopause. You may even be one of those women who is going through the process and feel that you aren't able to mention it in your workplace. In this episode, Toria chats to Maria about the menopause and together they try to demystify, destroy myths and be honest! Maria is a literacy consultant who has been in education for over twenty years. Alongside all her education work, she has ...

In her first episode as host, Caitlin talks to Dave about CPD, books and the book club he formed during lockdown. To find Dave on twitter - @DaveTushingham To scroll the book club conversation - #GLTbookclub To access the GLT book club resources - https://glt-alwayslearning.co.uk/courses/6473154?utm_source=manual Support the show If you enjoyed this episode please share it with others. If you would like to find out more about Tiny Voice Talks Coaching with Toria then email her on toria@tinyv...

In this episode, Toria chats to Alex about the benefits of being outdoors and how outdoor learning can really support children holistically. To find out more about her research and read her new book, click on the links. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2MjMiacAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao https://www.independentthinkingpress.com/books/teachingskills/independent-thinking-on-nature-based-learning/ Support the show If you enjoyed this episode please share it with others. If y...

In this episode, Toria chats to Kamalagita about mindfulness - what it is, how to do it and the many benefits for not only students but teachers too. Kamalagita has recently written the book - The Mindful Teacher’s Handbook. It is a practical and engaging resource to help everyone in schools bring mindfulness into their lives in a meaningful way. Mindfulness practice offers simple, straightforward strategies for finding peace and regaining perspective, and has a solid body of evidence that ...

In this episode, Toria chats to Paul Jenkins, Schools Manager at EmpathyLab. Paul, who is a former classroom teacher and still works in schools as a children's poet, joined EmpathyLab in 2018. As part of the core team developing their Affiliate Schools Programme, Paul has worked with teachers to plan the 'Mission Empathy' activities for Empathy Day 2023 as well as helping harness the electricity that authors bring helping children to develop their empathy skills through reading. Tune in to f...

In this episode, Toria chats to Jenny Ford, headteacher of Treorchy Comprehensive School in Wales all about the work that she has done with Empathy Lab and how she has translated this across two very different schools. Jenny is now headteacher of Treorchy Comprehensive School but began working with Empathy Lab when she was head of her previous school. She believes that the work that Empathy Lab do on Empathy Day and across the year is vital for our young people. She believes tha...