Operation Education

Ep 011: Choral Response and 'All Hands Up' Questioning

You pose a question. The whole class responds in unison. The energy, the buzz, the feeling of success is palpable for every pupil. Pritesh and Neena discuss the power of 'Choral Response' as a questioning strategy, and contrast it with 'I say you say' from the previous week's episode. These strategies support with 'checks for listening' rather than 'checks for understanding'. They segue into a discussion about 'no hands up' questioning policies and how they'd flip this on its head into 'all hands up' questioning. It is much more culturally powerful, they argue. To read more about Checks for Listening check out: https://bunsenblue.com/2023/04/08/checks-for-listening-100-participation/ Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 010: How to Get Every Pupil Participating with 'I Say You Say'

Teachers are often faced with pupils who are very reluctant to participate in lessons. Two major reasons for this can be apathy and a lack of confidence. How can teachers tackle these? Pritesh and Neena explore, with the use of 'I Say You Say'. 'I Say You Say' is a where the entire class repeats a word the teacher says. It sounds like a simple strategy but there are so many nuances that Pritesh and Neena unpack. What do you do if a pupil doesn't join in? What if some pupils use a silly voice? Why would you use repetition when it doesn't involve much thinking? Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 009: Five Strategies to Secure 100% Attention

Pritesh and Neena explore 5 powerful strategies for teachers to secure and sustain 100% attention. From using your body, eyes, and silence, to giving simple instructions that prevent the loss of attention in the first place, this episode packed with practical practices. They also mention Paul Kirschner & Paddington Bear. Make of that what you will. Timestamps: 0:07 Conference Buzz and Attention Strategies 1:36 Five Ways to Secure Attention 3:02 Be Seen Looking 5:09 Scan the Room Clearly 10:47 Positive Praise After Scanning 12:55 Countdown Pace and Urgency 21:50 Quiet Counts for Writing Time 26:15 Tuck Chairs In 29:55 Silent Self-Interrupt 34:58 Five Attention Tips Recapped 35:51 Next Episode: Participation Culture Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 008: The First Five Minutes With a New Class

You've never met a class before. They start to arrive at your door. Pritesh and Neena discuss precisely how they would get the class in and into a seating plan, and share mistakes they've experienced to avoid. Seating a new class can be quite tricky because it is so out-of-routine. But it is perhaps the most important thing to get right, especially as it forms the first five minutes of a lesson with a new class. And we know how much first impressions count. Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 007: Is Your School Getting Rewards Right?

So many schools have a system where pupils can trade points they earn for rewards. Is this genuinely improving pupil culture and winning hearts? Or are there unintended consequences? Are there alternatives? Pritesh and Neena discuss! Swap 5 points for a pen. Trade 10 points for a chocolate bar. 50 points might get you a voucher for a high street retailer, or a raffle for a bigger prize! We discuss the difference between reward points as a currency, and emblems like badges and certificates. But before we even get into that discussion, are the fundamentals of praise points in place? Hopefully, listening to Episode double-0 seven will help schools and teachers Bond with their pupils better... [it had to be done!] Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 006: What's Wrong With Planning Activities?

How can we safeguard against pedagogical fads? Is 'engagement' pupils getting up, having experiences and teaching each other? Or does 'engagement' describe pupils enthralled through teacher exposition and questioning, and engaging in lots of practice? Pritesh and Neena explore. Timestamps: 0:10 Seduced by Teaching Ideas 2:27 Blu Tack Lesson Reflections 5:08 Ofsted Panic and Teacher Talk 7:54 Activities Versus Content 12:28 Building the Knowledge Web 17:51 Rehearsal, Feedback, and Practice 22:48 Engaging Explanations Matter 26:15 Voice, Pause, and Story 30:43 Intentional Teaching Delivery 37:26 Thinking Hard to Learn 41:21 Next Episode’s Reward Debate Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 005: The Pedagogy We All Fell For

Silent debates, video lessons for bottom sets, poster lessons for cover, market place activities, posters around the room... Pritesh and Neena take a trip down memory lane, recalling classroom practices we were all seduced by earlier in our careers, but have abandoned now. Timestamps: 0:04 Seduced by Fun Lessons 4:02 Macbeth Witches Activity 7:32 Silent Debate Setup 12:26 Photosynthesis By Experience 18:09 Posters and Peer Teaching 24:07 Winning Minds, Winning Hearts Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 004: The Ultimate Exit Routine... It's All About Team

Whilst Pritesh exemplifies each element of a classroom exit routine this week, Neena leans into her alliteration addiction: 'pack up and praise'; 'authority and anticipation'; 'power of pause'. Somebody stop her, please. Teachers often rush their exit routine. The bell goes. The teacher abruptly ends the lesson. Kids fly out of the door in a mad rush. Pritesh and Neena explore strategies to change the rush at the end of lessons into not only something calmer, but also something that builds a joyful sense of team in the class. 'Culture building never stops, never sleeps'. Timestamps 0:02 Best Classroom Gifts You Have Ever Received 4:40 Scenario: How Can We Not Rush an Exit Routine? 6:04 Setting Alarms 7:54 Narrating the Story of the Lesson 11:49 Instruction Sandwich 19:14 Goldilocks Countdowns 21:52 Model Instruction Sandwich 25:48 Scenario for Next Week: Seductive Ideas Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 003: How to Notice the Invisible Pupils

The loudest pupils can often take up most of a teacher's attention. What can we do in the classroom to ensure that no pupils are overlooked, whilst maintaining a high bar? Pritesh and Neena explain their suggestions. Timetstamps: 0:22 First Lesson Disaster 5:34 Optimising Seating Plans for Attention 11:26 Is it Mean to Separate Friends? 14:01 Tick Sheets in Action 18:41 How to Notice Quieter Pupils 19:59 Crowning the Shining Star of the Lesson 26:35 Scenario for next time... Exit Routines? Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 002: From Compliance to Buy-In

How can teachers tackle passivity, apathy or unwillingness to participate in the classroom? How do you move a class culture from compliance to genuine buy-in? Pritesh and Neena break this down into 'winning hearts' and 'winning minds'. As teachers, we all want hands flying up, enthusiastic contributions from ALL pupils, not just some, and we want pupils to buy-in to our schools. Whilst there are many elements to this, Pritesh and Neena zoom in on the use of warm, specific, named praise. The power of voice, connecting with pupils and genuine motivation are discussed. We also cover what kind of behaviours to praise, adapting praise for different ages and ponder over how we can ensure we praise quieter pupils. Timestamps 0:07 Wedding Vibes and Classroom Buy-In 3:07 Compliance or Motivation? 5:17 Winning Hearts with Praise 7:42 Warm, Specific, Named Praise 12:48 The Power of Warmth 16:04 Why Specific Praise Works 23:13 Praise Effort, Not Attainment 27:56 Tailoring Praise by Age 30:09 Praise and Healthy Competition Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 001: Getting Your Class' Attention

Welcome to the very first episode of Operation Education, the brand new podcast discussing all things pedagogy, classroom culture, school leadership and the wider educational landscape. In this week's episode: It's not just what you say to your pupils but how you say it that matters. Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma discuss the power of voice in the classroom at getting attention. This leads to a discussion about teacher authority and joy in schools. Time stamps: 0:28 Launching Operation Education 4:39 Cultivating School Culture 9:00 Why Attention Matters 17:29 Crafting Clear Call Signals 22:15 Voice Shapes the Cue 30:39 Authority in the Classroom 37:58 Scanning and Praise 39:10 Next Episode Scenario Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd

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Ep 000: Trailer, with hosts Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma

When and how did Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma come up with Operation Education? Who was the catalyst behind its launch? How many teachers and leaders will hit subscribe? Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing: One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture. bunsenblue.com/briefing Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma Operation Education is a Bunsen Blue production. For high quality CPD (INSETs, school visits, including teaching lessons for staff to observe, coaching with groups of teachers) from Pritesh, visit www.bunsenblue.com/cpd