Diary of a Teacher

About Diary of a Teacher

Diary of a Teacher is a spoken diary of my experiences in education to date. I record short eps about everything from report writing to reflective practice. I share honest reflections from the classroom, lessons I've learned the hard way, and insights from educational research that shape how I teach.

Publisher

Sarah Durack

Category

education · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 May 2019

Latest episode

27 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

74 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Jan 2026

   4: Do later start times actually make a difference to student outcomes?

   After finishing a fascintating book called Why We Sleep by Prof. Matt Walker, I found myself trying to help a student get started on her exam revision in a visual arts cover lesson. She tells me she's had 4 hours sleep because she went to bed at midnight but had to set an alarm for 4am to finish an English task due that day. She isn't very hopeful that the revision will stick, and neither am I. In this episode, I provide no final answers but enjoy having a good chat about the science of sleep, and how good sleep does seem to improve student outcomes. Literature etc. I consulted for this episode includes: Wahlstrom, K., Dretzke, B., Gordon, M., Peterson, K., Edwards, K., & Gdula, J. (2014). Examining the impact of later school start times on the health and academic performance of high school students: A multi-site study. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, University of Minnesota. Owens, J. A., Belon, K., & Moss, P. (2010). Impact of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep, mood, and behavior. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(7), 608–614. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2820578 Minges, K. E., & Redeker, N. S. (2016). Delayed school start times and adolescent sleep: A systematic review of the experimental evidence. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 28, 82–91. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3878844 University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry. (2018). Department faculty highlight the role of adolescent sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions in risk. https://psychiatry.pitt.edu/news/department-faculty-highlight-role-adolescent-sleep-and-circadian-rhythm-disruptions-risk Sleep Foundation. (2023). Later school start times. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/school-and-sleep/later-school-start-times Bowers, J. M., & Moyer, C. A. (2020). Effects of school start time on students' sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and attendance: A meta-analysis. Sleep Health, 6(3), 303–311. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451965020301009 Owens, J. A., & Weiss, M. R. (2025). Behavioral sleep problems in children. UpToDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/behavioral-sleep-problems-in-children (https://www.uptodate.com/contents/behavioral-sleep-problems-in-children) Edutopia. (2023). School start time changes benefit sleep. https://www.edutopia.org/article/school-start-time-changes-benefit-sleep If you have a topic you would like covered, write to me: hello@spongeeducation.com (mailto:hello@spongeeducation.com). Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

2. 

   23 Aug 2025

   3: Managing Cognitive Load in the Classroom

   It has been a six-lesson day and there are still lots of jobs to do, but it's time for an afternoon of professional development. This time you'll be learning about managing student cognitive load. You hope to high heaven that the facilitator doesn't fall victim to the ultimate irony... cognitively overloading you! In this episode, I talk about cognitive load theory, and how I went about addressing it in professional development. Literature etc. I consulted for this episode includes: Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4 Ward, M. & Sweller, J. (1990). Structuring effective worked examples. Cognition and Instruction, 7(1), 1-39. Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. G. W. C. (1998). Cognitive architecture and instructional design. Educational Psychology Review, 10(3), 251–296. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022193728205 Paas, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J. (2003). Cognitive load theory and instructional design: Recent developments. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_1 Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_1 Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2007). Interactive multimodal learning environments. Educational Psychology Review, 19(3), 309–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-007-9047-2 If you have a topic you would like covered, write to me: hello@spongeeducation.com (mailto:hello@spongeeducation.com). Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

3. 

   17 Jul 2025

   2: Does Peer Instruction Actually Work?

   Harvard physics Professor Eric Mazur developed Peer Instruction in the early 90s, after noticing that many of his students weren't deeply understanding concepts despite performing well on traditional exams. He wanted to explore the nuts and bolts of that discrepancy. In this episode, I talk about my dealings with Peer Instruction to date, what the research says, and some potential pitfalls. Literature etc. I consulted for this episode includes: Mazur, E. (1997). Peer instruction: A user’s manual. Prentice Hall. Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2001). Peer instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics, 69(9), 970–977. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1374249 (https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1374249) Fagen, A. P., Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2002). The effects of Peer Instruction on student learning gains: Evidence from a range of classrooms. The Physics Teacher, 40(4), 206–209. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1474140 (https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1474140) Lasry, N., Mazur, E., & Watkins, J. (2008). Peer instruction: From Harvard to the two-year college. American Journal of Physics, 76(11), 1066–1069. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2978182 (https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2978182) Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B., Adams, W. K., Wieman, C., Knight, J. K., Guild, N., & Su, T. T. (2009). Why peer discussion improves student performance on in-class concept questions. Science, 323(5910), 122–124. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1165919 Crouch, C. H., Watkins, J., Fagen, A. P., & Mazur, E. (2007). Peer instruction: Engaging students one-on-one, all at once. Research-Based Reform of University Physics, 1(1), 40–95. https://per.colorado.edu/articles/Crouch-2007-PRSTPER.pdf (https://per.colorado.edu/articles/Crouch-2007-PRSTPER.pdf) Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111 Zhang, P., Ding, L., & Mazur, E. (2017). Peer instruction in introductory physics: A method to bring about positive changes in students’ attitudes and beliefs. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 13(1), 010104. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.13.010104 If you have a topic you would like covered, write to me: hello@spongeeducation.com. Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

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