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Diary of a Teacher

Diary of a Teacher

Sarah Durack

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.

74 - 4: Do later start times actually make a difference to student outcomes?
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  • 74 - 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

    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.

    Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

    Tue, 27 Jan 2026 - 12min
  • 73 - 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.

    Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

    Sat, 23 Aug 2025 - 17min
  • 72 - 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

    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

    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

    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

    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.

    Thu, 17 Jul 2025 - 21min
  • 71 - 1: School to Uni Transition, and How to Make it Smooth

    Curious about what happens to your students when they leave the classroom and start uni life? This episode covers some of the factors that impact on smoothness of school to university transition.

    If you have a topic you would like covered, write to me: hello@spongeeducation.com.

    Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

    Mon, 11 Jul 2022 - 16min
  • 70 - 20: Listener Questions Answered & Season 5 Sneak Peak

    In the last episode of season 4, I answer three listener questions and discuss the plan for season 5 of the podcast.

    Enjoy, and happy new year!

    Write to me: hello@spongeeducation.com.

    Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

    Wed, 29 Dec 2021 - 13min
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