What are the demands of excessive teacher workload and what should we do about teacher wellbeing?
This was a question I was asked by The Staffroom Podcast team who connected with me all the way from Perth, Australia. This is what they had to say during about my interview …
“We want to thank Ross McGill for being an excellent guest and sharing his expertise with us. We’re so excited to broadcast his ideas to educators in Australia and worldwide. Being a new podcast, it’s a credit to him that he didn’t ask for listener figures or turn a blind eye. He simply wanted to chat about education and his passion for having common sense approaches that reduce workload, save time and have a big impact on learning.
Ross’ new book, Mark. Plan. Teach is built on research and psychology and evolved through social media connections and ongoing discussions. The book has been a huge success in the UK and offers punchy practical advice for teachers who are looking to keep it simple!”
Listen to the Podcast
In the podcast, Ross speaks at length about why working smarter, not harder is important for teachers in the current climate of accountability and increasing workload. In our 40-minute chat, we covered a lot of ground.
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Interview Questions
Here are some of the questions asked during the show.
- Why did Ross write Mark. Plan Teach and who is it aimed at? (5:30)
- Why does Ross emphasise quality not quantity?
- Why is working smarter, not harder his philosophy? (9:00)
- What are the demands of excessive teacher workload and what does Ross think about teacher wellbeing? (11:40)
- How does Ross think social media has widened teachers’ perspectives and developed opportunities for professional learning? (16:45)
- Why is Ross a massive advocate for verbal feedback? (18:40)
- How does Ross believe we can make learning ‘stick’ in the minds of students? (20:45)
- Which practical idea has made a real difference in Ross’ own classroom? (22:10)
- From Ross’ experience of lesson observations, what are the main qualities that all good teachers share? (24.20)
- What does Ross think it takes for good teaching to develop and thrive in a school? (27:20)
- Does Ross believe it is important for teachers to be familiar with educational research and cognitive psychology? (29:56)
- How can schools inspire a culture of good professional development? (33:01)
- What are Ross’ views on accountability and bureaucracy in education and does he believe mindsets will ever change? (weaved in throughout our chat)
Subscribe to The Staffroom
At the end of the episode, we reflect on some takeaways which resonated with us from our conversation. If you don’t have a copy of the book, you can find Mark. Plan. Teach. available on Amazon.
You can listen and subscribe to The Staffroom; connect with Australian teachers and the podcast hosts, @XpatEducator, as well as @Michael_Royall and @tessa_johnson2.
