Why Teachers Resist your Great Ideas
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Ever wonder why brilliant educational ideas don't always translate into classroom reality? In this conversation, Shane Leaning sits down with author Chris Youles to explore the messy truth about implementing change in schools and why sometimes it's easier to influence other people's schools than your own.
Chris, Assistant Head Teacher and author of the brilliant Teaching Story Writing in Primary (Bloomsbury), shares his honest reflections on the gap between writing about best practice and actually making it happen. With characteristic candour, he admits that despite literally writing the book on teaching writing, he still struggles with implementation challenges in his own school. We dive into the psychology of professional development, explore why past CPD trauma affects how teachers receive new ideas, and discover Chris's brilliant concept of "death by a thousand blows" for sustainable change.
This episode will resonate with anyone who's ever wondered why that amazing training session didn't quite stick, or why resistance to change persists even when everyone agrees the ideas are good. Chris offers practical insights into reframing change around student outcomes, the importance of consistency over perfection, and how small, frequent adjustments can create lasting transformation.
Links:
Chris Youles' Books:
Teaching Story Writing in Primary: Curriculum-aligned, classroom-ready resources and strategies (Bloomsbury, 2024)
Sentence Models for Creative Writing: A practical resource for teaching writing (John Catt Educational, 2023)
Writing Systems and Approaches:
Jane Considine's "The Write Stuff" system - Transforming the teaching of writing
The Write Stuff book by Jane Considine
Reading Resources:
Christopher Such's work on reading fluency and deep discussion
Primary Reading Simplified: A Practical Guide to Classroom Teaching and Whole-School Implementation by Christopher Such
The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading by Christopher Such
Thank you for tuning in, and as always, if you found this episode useful, please share your experience. You can find me online on LinkedIn and Bluesky. My email address is shane@shaneleaning.com.
