How good are you at listening?
We are all familiar with the phrase – you have 2 ears and 1 mouth therefore you should listen twice as much as you speak. However, how many of us as school leaders, can legitimately claim we listen more than we speak? In our schools we strive to train our young people in the art of communication however the emphasis can so often be on how they present to others rather than how they receive or listen to others. Regardless of how good we think we are at listening I’m fairly sure there’s room for improvement.

In today’s podcast episode I have the perfect guest to help us dive into these issues a little deeper. Joining me from across the globe in Sydney Australia is Oscar Trimboli. Oscar is the author of the award winning book How to Listen and host of the Apple award winning podcast Deep Listening. He is on a quest through his Deep Listening Ambassador community to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace. On the front cover of ‘How to Listen’ Michael Bungay Stanier states –‘When Oscar has something to say about listening, listen. He’s the best in the world.’

Whether at student level, at staff level or at system level we need to raise our game in how well we listen so that those we converse with feel seen, heard and valued.

Check out Oscar's website for more information on his listening quiz, his books, his podcast and his amazing resources. www.oscartrimboli.com

"Middle leadership in schools should be much more than just bridging the gap between the top and the bottom". Professor Andy Hargreaves

Join me in conversation with Professor Andy Hargreaves in my latest Head Room podcast episode where we take a deep dive into what exactly it means to lead FROM the middle.

Andy has just released his latest book 'Leadership from the Middle' which offers educators a wealth of insights into how impactful this role should be on transforming education.
In this episode we discuss:

• Defining middle leadership in schools
• How do middle leaders foster resilience within schools?
• The Leadership Paradox
• The importance of collaboration in middle leadership
• Overcoming resistance and building support
• The future of middle leadership in schools

You can check out Andy's latest books as well as keep up to date with his speaking engagements and much much more at his website: www.andyhargreaves.com

Andy's Latest Books:
The Age of Identity: https://amzn.eu/d/9EmQMbM
Leadership from the Middle: https://amzn.eu/d/etQLd6c
Please note these are not affiliate links.

It has been 18 months since I published an episode of HeadRoom and I want to thank you for your patience. During that period the downloads have continued and we have seen over 2000 episodes downloaded across 41 countries since our very first release in November 2020.
In this episode I'm in conversation with Shane Leaning who was the very inspiration for my re-launch and to whom I am very grateful. Shane is an organisational coach with many years of experience working with International schools. He is originally from the UK but now works and lives in Shanghai in China. Shane started his own podcast earlier in 2023 called Global Ed Leaders and it has been an instant hit with educators around the world. Join me in conversation as I hear about Shane's journey in education, his experiences of working in International schools and his reflections on the success of his podcast so far. You're in for a treat in this episode.
For more information on Shane check out his website: shaneleaning.com

Does your school have 'The Buzz'?

Join me in conversation with Tracey Ezard as we discuss how you can develop a collaborative staff learning culture in your school. See Tracey's message below for more details and a special offer for Head Room listeners to access the 'Buzz Diagnostic'.
Please note this episode is not sponsored.

A message from Tracey:
Getting a good sense of how strong our buzz is (Is it a buzz? A hum? Or are those just crickets chirping?) can be a challenge when we’re sitting in the middle of it. To gauge what is going on we need to sit back and reflect on ourselves and our school.

‘The Buzz’ Diagnostic will guide your reflection. It has been undertaken by over 9500 educators and support staff over the last three years, giving great insights into school culture, as well as giving benchmarks for each school. It is suggested that schools undertake the diagnostic annually to monitor the growth in their professional learning culture.

The Buzz Diagnostic, when undertaken by the members of your staff, will give you insight into how they see The Buzz at your school. Individual staff members assess their individual contribution to the three pillars of The Buzz, as well as how they perceive the school as a whole. 

It asks about three core areas of learning intelligence: mindset, environment and belief.

·       Mindset. The way people in the learning community think.

·       Environment. The actions a learning community takes to stimulate professional learning.

·       Dialogue. The quality of the conversations learning communities have.

In each of these areas, there are some questions about how you feel as an individual educator, and how you feel as an educator within your school community.

When you’ve finished the Buzz Diagnostic, you will receive an individual report with feedback on important actions for your professional reflection practices. If your school is participating in a whole school diagnostic, they will receive an aggregate summary report, however individual responses will still be kept confidential as your responses will be collated with feedback from other staff.

The diagnostic takes about 10 minutes to complete and is often done at a meeting time to ensure high levels of participation. To access the whole school Buzz Diagnostic, request an access code via this link or complete an individual assessment here.

So, what’s The Buzz at your school like?

eBooks

Glue e-book PDF

Buzz e-book PDF

Buzz Academy - www.thebuzz.academy

Tracey’s website - www.traceyezard.com

'At Thinking Matters we believe metacognition is more than just reflecting on your learning. Metacognition is being able to adapt to the unknown. It is having strategies to make progress at whatever you set your mind to. Metacognition is future proofing.'
In this episode we are 'Thinking about Thinking'. Join me in conversation with Lorna Gardiner, a consultant with 'Thinking Matters' as we discuss the importance of a whole school approach to developing thinking skills. Thinking Matters is an organisation which supports schools who are interested in whole school approaches to developing pupil metacognition - or in becoming 'Thinking Schools'. If you have an interest in metacognition and are keen to introduce an initiative in your school that will help 'future proof' your students then this episode is for you.
To find out more check out:    www.thinkingmatters.com 
or contact Lorna directly at:    lorna.gardiner@thinkingmatters.com

In this episode I'm really excited to be joined by Tracey Ezard. 

Tracey is an educator, speaker and author. Her education career has included primary teacher, performing arts specialist and assistant principal in the Victorian State system in Australia.  For the last 15 years Tracey has worked with schools and school systems in Australia and New Zealand in the areas of leadership and the building of professional learning cultures. She has recently begun working with a federation of schools in the UK, helping them build their leadership and professional learning culture capacity.

Her books The Buzz and Glue unpack the elements of strong collaborative staff cultures - including trust, psychological safety and authentic dialogue.

Her latest book Ferocious Warmth, School Leaders Who Inspire and Transform is the culmination of 3 decades of leading, and working with leaders. She is passionate about helping leaders be the very best they can be, drawing from both the head and the heart.  Ferocious Warmth leaders focus on both results and relationships, culture and strategy, high challenge and high support. Not one at the expense of the other.

Join me in conversation with Tracey as we take a deep dive into the concept of a 'Ferocious Warmth Leader'. Whether you're new to leadership or you're a seasoned pro there is something here for everyone.

For more information on Tracey's books and other resources visit her website www.traceyezard.com

• To get 15% off the cost of  a copy of 'Ferocious Warmth' via the website shop use the code HeadRoom (this is not an affiliate link)

For our tenth episode I'm delighted to be joined by Jasmine Miller.  A former Principal and Head Teacher and currently a coach, consultant, researcher and soon to be author, Jasmine has a rich variety of experiences in the world of education. Jasmine qualified as a teacher in her native New Zealand, then moved to teach in London and now lives in Scotland where she runs Jasmine Miller Coaching. Join us for an insightful conversation to learn of Jasmine's fascinating journey over the last 20 years.
For more information go to www.jasminemillercoaching.com

In this episode I am privileged to be joined by the founding director of Growth Coaching International John Campbell. John started his teaching career in 1974 and shares with us his experiences of coaching and the role it can play in the world of education. John has written extensively on the subject and discusses the concept of a 'coaching approach' to leadership as well as the benefits of peer coaching within our schools.