To wrap up season 4, educators share books, films, and tools to inspire other teachers, students, and learning communities at the start of the new school year. Nina shares some highlights in the episode, and the full list is below. Thank you to everyone who sent in their recommendations.

Books

• In the Small Places: Stories of Teacher Changemakers and the Power of Human Agency by Fred Mednick, recommended by Katharine Young.
• Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom by Susan E. Craig, recommended by Trinidad Arellano.
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, recommended by Rosina Dorelli.
• The Hidden Balance of Things: Family constellations, shamanism, and other ways to prevent our extinction by Guillermo Leone, recommended by Rocio Garcia Solca
• Schools That Learn: Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares about Education by Peter Senge, recommended by Carlos Chiu.
• Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education by Ken Robinson, recommended by Joanna Marriott.
• Another Way Is Possible: Becoming a Democratic Teacher in a State School by Derry Hannam, recommended by Richard Fransham.
• The Secret of Spinoza by Jose Rodrigues dos Santos, recommended by Ingrid Delange.

Films and videos

• Spare Parts, recommended by Carlos Chiu.
• Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, recommended by Trinidad Arellano.
• Suvemae: Pioneer of Possibility, recommended by Richard Fransham.
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, recommended by Katharine Young.
• The Story of Stuff and the original, recommended by Rosina Dorelli.
• Kiss the Ground, recommended by Rocio Garcia Solca.
• The Literacy Shed, recommended by Silvana Gili.
• Hichki, recommended by Meesha Arora.

Find the rest of the recommendations on BOLD

Guests

Katharine Young: LinkedIn
Trinidad Arellano: LinkedIn, Instagram
Rosina Dorelli: LinkedIn
Carlos Chiu: LinkedIn
Richard Fransham: LinkedIn
Meesha Arora: LinkedIn
Toyin Awofeso: LinkedIn
Atukunda Samuel: LinkedIn
Joanna Marriott: LinkedIn

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In what ways do students vary? How can teachers take account of variability when students develop at different paces and across different dimensions of learning?

In this episode, Nina speaks with Sarah Bichler, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Passau in Germany. Sarah says children grow and learn in different ways, sometimes steadily, sometimes through abrupt shifts. Recognizing individual learning timelines allows teachers to “design the instruction that matches the learner’s developmental stage”.

Nina then hears from Meesha Arora, an economics teacher at an international school in New Delhi, India. Meesha sees students' confidence, analytical skills, and academic performance change over time with guidance, one-on-one attention, and use of AI in formative assessment. For Meesha, differentiating instruction is important because students come from different curricula and places. “I often spend the first six months just getting to know the child a little bit better”, she says, so she can cater to them.

Finally, Nina speaks to Karmen Linnamägi, a music therapist and primary school teacher in Estonia. Karmen works with children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and uses participatory, creative teaching methods. Children “might have hidden skills and capacities, which suddenly at certain particular moments reveal themselves”, she says.

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Guests

Sarah Bichler: LinkedIn
Meesha Arora: LinkedIn
Karmen Linnamägi: Facebook

What role do families play in children’s learning as they grow into adolescence? How can teachers build partnerships with parents and caregivers? What happens when schools work with families?

In this episode, Nina speaks with Elisabetta Aurino, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Barcelona in Spain. Elisabetta shares findings from her research in Ghana showing how caregivers can support their teens, even with limited resources. She discusses why some parents hold back from getting involved and how teachers can communicate with empathy. “Parents still remain the main factor driving the children's learning and development, especially in the early adolescent years”, Elisabetta says.

Nina then hears from Shereen Abdullah, who teaches language and literature at an IB school in Cairo, Egypt. She specialises in supporting students with special educational needs. Shereen says that consistent, open communication between parents and schools can impact a student’s learning experience. Shereen says that just “a 10-minute talk with their parents on a daily basis” can help a student be well-rounded.

Next, Nina hears from Wendy McKenzie and Cheryl McKenzie, sisters with extensive teaching experience in Trinidad, the USA, and beyond. Wendy, who teaches at an all-boys secondary school in Trinidad, shares stories of deep parental engagement, from project mentoring to guidance sessions led by parents. She says that “those boys whose parents have been present in school, they are usually the boys who excel at school”.

Cheryl, a middle school teacher, tells Nina that parental involvement evolves as children mature. They can offer strategies to support teenagers’ emotional and social development alongside their academic growth. “We should have talks with parents encouraging them to be there for their child socially, be there for their child academically,” Cheryl says.

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Guests
Elisabetta Aurino: LinkedIn
Shereen Abdullah: LinkedIn, Instagram
Wendy McKenzie: BOLD profile
Cheryl McKenzie Eugene: Facebook