Atomi Brainwaves Podcast: Season 4 guest line-up

Atomi Brainwaves is a podcast on education for educators where we look at key issues in the world of pedagogy and speak with a variety of teaching experts and influencers from all over the world. The first 3 seasons of Atomi Brainwaves featured some incredible guests including well-known principals, educational psychologists and best-selling authors.

We are excited to announce that Atomi Brainwaves is back for Season 4 and we’ve got an even better line-up of guests who are ready to face the key issues in education today!

All 4 seasons are available now on the Atomi Staffroom as well as all your favourite podcast apps.

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Here's what you can look forward to this season:

Katharine Birbalsingh CBE

Katharine Birbalsingh is the founder and headteacher of Michaela Community School, a free school established in 2014 in London. She is the author and editor of a number of books and hosts a blog, To Miss with Love, where her pseudonym Miss Snuffy (short for Miss Snuffleupagus) where she focuses on the educational landscape. In 2017, Katharine was included by Anthony Seldon in his list of te 20 most influential figures in British Education and in 2019 she was awarded the Contrarian Prize. Since then in 2020, Katharine was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Katharine Birbalsingh on Michaela Community School

Award-winning British education reformer, Katharine Birbalsingh joins us to tell the story of Michaela Community School, the highly successful yet controversial and divisive traditionalist London school that has been central to the story of the UK education sector in recent years.

Listen to Katharine's episode now

Steph Reed

Steph Reed is a qualified teacher with over 10 years experience in autism specialist and mainstream schools. She has been in leadership positions within schools, including Special Educational Needs Coordinator, Inclusion Leader and Autism Outreach Leader. Steph is a recognised Specialist leader in Education and has been involved with a number of successful projects such as developing an autism education program in Oman. Having advised on inclusion and accessibility panels for different museums in London, she now focuses on her own practice where she draws upon a wide range of evience-based and child-centered approaches.

Steph Reed on Teaching Children with Autism

Specialist leader in education, Steph Reed shares with us her expertise on teaching children with autism in both a mainstream and specialist school setting, as well as exploring educational policies to assist specialist teachers and students with learning difficulties.

Listen to Steph's episode now

Simon Hunt

A primary school teacher who loves creative and innovative ways of teaching to engage children, Simon Hunt is an SLE, specialising in creative and innovative teaching ideas. He connects with teachers in the UK and around the world and has presented at various educational conferences. Simon Hunt has provided CPD sessions, staff meetings and bespoke twilight sessions and was also invited to speak at the international Superpod 6 conference held on San Jaun Island, Washington USA, The TRAMS conference in Barcelona and recently at SETT, Oslo in 2019. He is also part of the 2019-2020 'Get into Teaching' campaign, appearing on TV and radio interviews to promote the teaching profession.

Simon Hunt on Innovation in Primary Education

Simon Hunt, social media presence and specialist leader in education, joins us to discuss his teaching journey, the innovations he brings to both his classroom and to the classrooms of others through his CPD training for other teachers, and offers his predictions on how classrooms of the future will be affected by the circumstances of today.

Listen to Simon's episode now

Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis aka Cool Cat Teacher is a classroom teacher and Instructional Technology director in the United States. She is into her eighteenth year of teaching at K12 and taught adults for five years before that. She graduated first her in Management Class at Georgia Tech in 1991 and has traveled the world talking about technology and reaching every student. Her philosophy to “innovate like a turtle” has transformed teachers around the world. Vicki’s heart is for today’s students and today’s teachers – both of whom have unique challenges of their own. Because two of her three children have learning differences, children who struggle have a special place in Vicki’s heart and she loves to find technologies to unlock each child’s full potential (and each teacher’s).

Vicki Davis on Global Teaching Networks

Google certified educator, Vicki Davis shares her journey in education blogging and podcasting and how it has led to the creation of a global teaching platform and network for her, her colleagues, and her students.

Listen to Vicki's episode now

Alex Quigley

Alex Quigley was an English teacher and school leader for 15 years, as well as the Director of Research School at Huntington School. He is the author of ‘The Confident Teacher’ and ‘Teach Now! English’, both published by Routledge, which led to him writing columns for TES and Teach Secondary magazines. Alex is also the National Content Manager at the Educational Endowment Foundation - an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

Alex Quigley on Closing the Reading and Vocabulary Gabs

Educational author and blogger, Alex Quigley outlines the reasons behind and challenges posed by reading and vocabulary gaps and outlines various strategies teachers and educational policy-makers can employ to close these gaps.

Listen to Alex's episode now

Tim Connell

Tim Connell is an Australian special education consultant who has worked with hundreds of students and schools in a variety of executive and special education consultancy roles. He spent 9 years as a specialist behaviour consultant with the Department of Education and Training (DET) and 6 years as a special education consultant with the Association of Independent Schools NSW (AISNSW). He has presented extensively at schools and conferences on a range of special education related topics including school based mental health support, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Positive Classroom Management, Tourette’s Disorder and more.

Tim’s work is underpinned by a depth of knowledge and clarity of communication that empowers students, schools and parents alike.

Tim Connell on Special Education

Special education consultant and expert Tim Connell shares his 20-year expertise of working in special education and breaks down some of the best strategies for teachers to provide support for students with disabilities in the modern classroom.

Listen to Tim's episode now

Karl C. Pupé

Karl C. Pupé is a qualified classroom teacher with a decade's experience across the Primary, Secondary and Further Education sectors. Specialising in Behaviour Management, he worked as a Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) Coordinator teaching students with severe Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. Karl has designed and facilitated rehabilitation classes for Year 8 to 11 students who have been excluded from Mainstream Education and were at risk of becoming NEETs themselves. He has also earned a Level 4 ILM Diploma in Leadership and Management in Further Education. Karl has worked with a number of organisations including the prestigious National Education Union which is the largest education association in Europe.

​The 'Action Hero Teacher Blog' was ranked by the influential PR and marketing software company Vuelio as one of the 'The Top 10 Education blogs' in the United Kingdom in September 2020.

Karl C. Pupé on Behaviour Management

Author, blogger and teacher Karl Pupé joins us to share his extensive history of working with at-risk children, and break down his wisdom and strategies with regards to best practice behaviour management for teachers.

Listen to Karl's episode now

Brian Crosby

Brain Crosby is a well-known facilitator in STEM education for students, teachers and administrators across America. Coming from a background in outdoor education and education technology, the upper elementary teacher fused his students' use of technology with a number of hands-on activities and a problem-based approach, which enabled them to create a deeper connection to the world they live in. With over 30 years of teaching experience, Brian has shared his learnings about innovative teaching and learning on NBC News, in the New York Times and has co-authored a book about connected learning called Making Connections With Blogging.

Brian Crosby on STEM Learning

STEM Learning expert Brian Crosby breaks down exactly what STEM Learning is and why it is so important in the modern educational landscape, before diving into different strategies and techniques to bring STEM Learning to your classroom.

Listen to Brian Crosby's episode now

Steve Isaacs

Steve Isaacs is internationally recognised for his secondary game development program. During his 25 years of teaching, Steve pioneered using VR and AR in the classroom and championed student choice, providing a choice-based environment to help students develop their passion for learning. He is an edtech influencer and leader in game-based learning, being honoured as the 2016 ISTE Outstanding Teacher and the PBS Digital Innovator in the New Jersey, USA.

Steve Isaacs on Game-Based Learning

Steve Isaacs joins us to discuss game-based learning – its place in the classroom, different games and gaming strategies to pair with education, and how teachers can put the best gaming resources to use.

Listen to Steve's episode now