What changes would help benefit the UK early years education system? And what’s it like dealing with government and parliament to help make funding and policy changes possible?

Dr Claire Crawford’s research focuses on childcare and education and is particularly interested in understanding inequalities and how policy can help reduce these gaps. She also has a strong track record of high-impact research, including giving evidence to select committees on education, social mobility, and diversity and inclusion issues.

Full show notes and links to follow.

Improving childcare and early years education | Research for the Real World

In this episode, hosts Dr Keri Wong and Dr Alina Pelikh dive into the particular and sometimes daunting process of job interviews within academia.

Let's face it, while we all aim to secure job interviews, the process itself can be a nerve-wracking experience. Keri and Alina share their personal experiences and insights, having been on both sides of the interview table.

What are the key differences between interviewing for academic positions and industry roles? In a world where remote interviews are becoming more common, how can you convey your enthusiasm and strengths effectively? Keri and Alina break down what you can expect in each scenario and offer practical tips for both formats to help  their fellow early career academics shine.

We also asked our listeners to send in their most awkward interview questions. Join us for an enlightening discussion - your dream job might be just an interview away!

Finally, stay connected with the Academia et al. podcast series for future episodes filled with insights and tips for navigating the academic landscape. Subscribe, leave us a review, and share with your colleagues!

Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/jul/how-do-i-get-next-job-start-these-steps-academia-et-al-s03e03

How do I get that next job? Start with these steps | Academia et al.

In this podcast, Jason Ilagan hears from Dr Benjamin Abrams about a theory on how and why movements such as the 1789 French Revolution, the Arab Spring as well as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter take place, ‘coping strategies’ against populism, preventing violence in mass protest, and what might happen during and after the elections in the United States this November.

Production note: This episode was recorded on Monday 8 July 2024, before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump (Saturday 13 July 2024) and Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the US presidential election race (Sunday 21 July 2024).

Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/jul/protest-whats-point-rftrw-s23e02

Protest? What's the point? | Research for the Real World

Step out of your bubble: Raf Alleyne, Assistant Principal at London Screen Academy, tells us about the importance of reflecting on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

In this podcast, Raf talks about why playing a role in students’ lives is exciting – and most importantly, why EDI is not a ‘nice to have’ but an ‘essential to have’. He discusses why it's important to create spaces to talk, listen, and break down misunderstandings.

He also kindly shares with us The London Screen Academy’s’ Equity Dictionary, a great starting point for anyone wishing to develop their thinking about EDI in their school.

Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/sep/thinking-about-life-through-all-their-eyes-ecf-staffroom-s04e01

Thinking about life through all of their eyes | ECF Staffroom

In this episode, Cesc Masdeu discusses how mentoring and professional development can transform school cultures and contribute to institutional change.

Barcelona teacher Cesc, an associate at UCL, explains how schools in Catalonia are learning from the mentoring experiences of the ECF programme.

He discusses his hopes for increased investment in education – particularly in terms of professional development programmes and support for novice and experienced teachers. Cesc hopes their programme can install this culture of continuous development and support throughout the teaching career.

Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/sep/lessons-catalonia-ecf-staffroom-s04e02

Lessons from Catalonia | ECF Staffroom

Emily Taylor, ECT in Airdale Academy in Castleford, talks about how her strong bond with her mentor has supported her personally and professionally, and how she in turn builds strong relationships with her pupils.
Emily talks about her relationship with her ECF mentor Rachel. She details the professional, practical, and emotional support she received.
Emily shares how her mentor helped her to make a good start in her school, imparted pedagogical content knowledge, and supported her wellbeing as an ECT. In turn, she also makes sure to be a steady adult in her students’ lives, and gives advice to new ECTs about how to build good relationships with pupils.
Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/oct/happy-teacher-ect-emily-importance-relationships-ecf-staffroom-s04e03

The happy teacher: ECT Emily on the importance of relationships | ECF Staffroom

As human beings, how do we learn? In this episode, Dr Rebecca Gordon explores how educational neuroscience can be used in the classroom.

Rebecca reminds us how complex and fascinating the human brain is and cautions us about the dangers of oversimplifying research.

She urges us to question ‘how we know what we know’ and evaluate the research for ourselves.

Full show notes and transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/nov/beware-anyone-who-claims-know-it-all-ecf-staffroom-s04e04

“Beware of anyone who claims to know it all.” | ECF Staffroom

Mark and Elaine hear from researcher Emily Macleod, who says that if we want more people to try out teaching, we have to stop thinking of it as a vocation.

"These trajectories into teaching, they're not linear. They're multi-directional, they're complex... No one's trajectory into anything is going to be straightforward."

Not a vocation? For Emily Macleod teaching is an expert profession – nobody is 'born' to do it.

One in three young people consider teaching at some point. What happens to the ‘could have beens’?

Full show notes and transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/nov/what-happens-could-have-beens-who-decided-not-teach-ecf-staffroom-s04e05

What happens to the ‘could have beens’ who decided not to teach? | ECF Staffroom

In this episode, Sally Adams tells us about her new role leading adult learning – and the ways teaching can be a great stepping stone for a host of different careers.

Sally talks about the complexities of leading professional learning and the barriers teachers sometimes face.

She recommends that teachers schedule a little bit of time every now and then to take a step back from day-to-day tasks and really find time to think, reflect and focus on professional development.

"I think teachers really need to invest in themselves because they deserve it – and so do the children that they work with."

Full show notes and transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/dec/early-years-school-research-school-ecf-staffroom-s04e06

From the early years school to the research school | ECF Staffroom

It won’t come as a surprise to realise that the arts are struggling right now. This is certainly not just a UK-centric issue. When you look at how the cost of living crisis has impacted society, usually policies around the arts are slashed or go unnoticed. 

In this season of Research for the Real World, we’re exploring the contribution of IOE research on Language, Culture and Arts Education to turbo-charge this much-needed reset. Joining us will be experts from the IOE to unpack the key issues at play.

- Professor Zhu Hua will talk about the key pressing issues facing language learning and intercultural communication.
- Professor John Potter and Annie Davey will share artistic research collaborations with external partners and what that means in terms of developing arts education. 
- Professor Evangelos Himonides joins us to talk about how research projects around music can impact our health and wellbeing, and the importance of music education.

More Research for the Real World: https://bit.ly/researchfortherealworld

Preview: Reminding you why arts, culture and language education are important | RFTRW

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