#60 Successful Difficult Conversations

Mike talks to author John Budden about his 2023 collection of short stories, 'We Aim To Live' - 14 tales about men at times of crisis, choice and revelation. John's work has been reviewed favourably in The Sunday Times and on BBC Radio. If you like stories that make you think, feel and talk about the themes raised; stories in which things actually happen, then this is one for you.

Mike talks to AI policy researcher Thorin Bristow and AI specialist Tess Buckley about equitable access to AI and how we balance regulation with innovation. Tess shares some quality go-to AI resources for educators and Thorin starts this episode with solid advice for becoming AI Literate. Listen out for the background sounds of excellent coffee being drunk in the Blighty Cafe, Finsbury Park.

Mike talks to Sonia Gill of HeadsUp and author of Journey to Outstanding and Successful Difficult Conversations in school about, well, those two themes. How do you have a knotty conversation with kindness? And what would Sonia do as Secretary of State for Education?

Mike talks to Tara Elie of Starperformance about teacher wellbeing and the challenges and opportunities of senior educational leadership for marginalised and under-represented groups. Tara's masters research reveals the lived experience of these groups and offers positive ways forward. In this episode you'll also hear a completely silent pneumatic drill. Wow.

Mike talks to Jamaican engineer, entrepreneur and author Dianne Plummer about how early childhood experiences at home and at school set her on a path to STEM success. Dianne talks about her book, Science in the Sun; describes her learning journey across the world; and tells us about the power of asking why?

Mike talks to Emmie Bidston, teacher and director of coaching and leadership at Wellington College. Emmie brings fun and energy to the world of education; she's a pragmatic advocate of 'flourishing' and describes for us the coaching culture in her school. This episode radiates positivity about being a teacher in the world today. And Emmie let's us know if she'd accept the job of Secretary of State for Education and what her priorities would be.

Roy Blatchford CBE has served the world of education for over 50 years. Teacher, headteacher, consultant, advisor and international thought leader, his vision is inspiring and his approach pragmatic. In this episode I talk to Roy about Blinks and how they offer a far more effective way to empower schools to get better by making sure that the folks who work there are the ones with the agency and autonomy. In 20 minutes we only get to the very tip of his educational iceberg. However, we do cover Tony Blair's 1997 pledge (Roy shares his 2023 version); we look at teacher standards (which Roy wrote); and we find out how the French school inspection system works. And we learn that brown is actually yellow. It all depends on if you’ve been to university.

Education, Thinking, Innovation: Educator, Author and Coach Mike Fleetham explores the latest thinking in pedagogy, teaching, learning, leadership, coaching, thinking skills and artificial intelligence.

Stephanie Davies is head of happiness at Laughology,  a company that applies the science of emotion to teaching and learning. Steph tells Mike that this is far more than just making lessons fun: there’s a lot of empirical evidence around that links neurotransmitters with laughter and memory – and if we get this right in the classroom, learning can be more effective and more enjoyable. She’ll tell us about her FLIP model for making that happen and also reveal how many times as a child she sadly had to let a school go due to incompatibility issues.

Mike talks to author and educator Hywel Roberts about his concept of botheredness  – what it is and how it can help children get invested in their learning. Find out about the let's say technique and which millworker inspired Hywel in his pedagogical journey. And we discover his top priorities if he were to ever be made secretary of state for education. We also get to meet his dog.