Psychology and education podcast spotlight #2

As EPs and allied professionals working in education, we’re always on the lookout for thought-provoking topics to prompt self-reflection and practical strategies to pass on to the children, families, and education settings we work with.

Podcasts are an ideal medium to facilitate these forms of low commitment CPD. You can listen to podcasts during the commute between schools, as the background to your gym workout, or to accompany you on a leisurely stroll.

In this series, I spotlight three podcasts per blog (plus one more, for fun!), to illustrate the breadth and quality of information that can be accessed completely free on whichever podcast platform you choose to use. The intention is not to pick out ‘the best’ or ‘the most relevant’ podcasts, but to inspire readers to develop their practice by listening to and learning about something new.

‘Emerging Research in Educational Psychology’ hosted by Dr Jeffrey Greene

This podcast is affiliated with the American Psychological Association (APA), specifically Division 15 of the APA, known as ‘educational psychology’. In the USA, this can be differentiated from ‘school psychology’ which – confusingly – is more akin to ‘educational psychology’ in the UK. So, this podcast series is primarily academic focussed. Dr Greene is a professor of Educational Psychology and Learning Sciences at the University of North Carolina.

Each episode of the podcast focuses on an academic article of the APA journal, Educational Psychologist. The authors of the article are interviewed by the host, discussing what their work means for scholarship and practice, future directions, and other interesting topics. With episodes generally lasting between 30-50 minutes, this format is a dynamic way to pick out the key points of an article. It gives the host a chance to question the authors further on the implications of their research. Dr Greene also asks authors to explain theoretical or methodological points in greater detail, rendering the academic research more accessible to non-experts.

First released in 2018, ‘Emerging Research in Educational Psychology’ is released roughly once per month and, at the time of writing, has 63 episodes to enjoy and learn from.

‘Ed Psych Bite’ hosted by Gillian Horribine

Ed Psych Bite is a research-based interview podcast where Gillian speaks to leaders in their respective fields about a range of academic topics and draws out practice implications for EPs. Gillian is an EP based in Scotland who works on the Dundee EP training course.

To be particularly commended are the use of video elements in recent episodes, as it is possible to watch the podcast interviews as well as listen to them. Not only can you watch the participants talk, but Gillian’s fantastic editing skills mean you can see key elements of the theories that participants are discussing presented in diagrams, with relevant parts of the diagrams being highlighted in real-time. This makes things really engaging and helps the listener / viewer to understand, especially if they are unfamiliar with the research topic. The most recent episode, on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), shows off these features well.

Gillian makes a point of fully explaining theories herself, if her conversation with the guests did not quite clarify the key points. There are three episodes consisting of keynote speeches from researchers at a conference, which move away from the interview format but nonetheless consist of cutting-edge research information.

First released in January 2024, ‘Ed Psych Bite’ is released once every few months and, at the time of writing, has 9 episodes to enjoy and learn from.

‘Psycholoy in the Classroom’ hosted by Lucinda Powell

Psychology in the Classroom is aimed specifically at teachers, aiming to translate psychological research to make it accessible to those who are working in classrooms on a daily basis. Lucinda holds interviews with psychologists, teachers, and other experts; makes deep dives into educational theory; and engages in ‘neuromyth busting’. Lucinda is an experienced teacher herself with an MA in Special and Inclusive Education.

Being hosted by a teacher, and aimed at teachers, this podcast is highly practical, filled with takeaway implications for everyday teaching and classroom practice. A lot of the expertise is practice-based, rather than research-based, which may feel more accessible and engaging for teachers and allied professionals. The practice implications are at both the individual and systemic levels, so can be actioned by individual practitioners as well as those in senior leadership looking for ways to shape whole school practice.

Interestingly, there are a few short ‘Christmas Takeover’ episodes which are hosted by Lucinda’s A-level psychology students, who discuss what they’ve been learning about. This is a great way to empower young people, giving them opportunities to interrogate what they’ve learned and make it accessible to a listener – an interesting pedagogical tool!

With available episodes dating back to September 2022, ‘Psychology in the Classroom’ is currently being released once every couple of months but has previously been released weekly. At the time of writing, the podcast has 100 episodes to enjoy and learn from.

One for fun! ‘Pod Save the UK’

Because we all need to switch off sometimes… here’s one for fun. ‘Pod Save the UK’ is hosted by Nish Kumar (stand-up comedian) and Coco Khan (writer and journalist).

Every week, they interrogate the latest goings-on in UK and world politics from a left-wing perspective, interviewing a range of guests who work across the fields of politics, community organisations, and media more broadly.

So far… not so fun, you might think! But there is always a healthy dose of Nish’s furious but hilarious ranting against the state of the world, and Coco’s quirky and relatable observations on modern life. A great way to stay up to date with the political and societal state of play, whilst enjoying a laugh or two along the way.

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