BBC School Radio methods…..
…….in a digital era
Applying that radio magic using the multi-cam method and active learning area in front of the laptop.
A collection of writing now available
for education research only
at the
Middlesex University Research Repository
Three papers, three themes: BBC School Radio Producers interviews – how we worked. School Radio Creative Teaching Methods – 12 practical applications in HE teaching. Clean English for Academic Writing – core skills in both spoken and written English help make engaging teaching and creative resources.
The Papers
BBC School Radio Producers interviews
Paper: 19 pages. pdf 6-118 pages.Video: 6 – 7hrs
School Radio Creative Teaching Methods
Paper: 35 pages. 10 pdfs:-106 pages. Video: 28 – 6hrs
Clean English for Academic Writing
Paper: 38 pages. Video: 20 -1hr 46 mins
Total Video 15hrs (see video list below for details)
Short PR
BBC School Radio Producers interviews
The background and careers of 6 BBC School Radio producers, their interests and skills applied to creating distance learning resources, the selection process and training. Transcripts and videos included. A mine of information for online digital engagement. Paper: 19 pages. pdf 6-118 pages.Video: 6 – 7hrs
BBC School Radio Creative Teaching Methods
Practical creative techniques used by BBC School Radio in making teaching resources. These methods are illustrated by videos that might inform issues of ‘engagement’ experienced by students during the Covid Pandemic. The creative processes for making teaching resources are achieved by writing, and editing the same content for both radio performance and print publications and available for teachers to use. Also the create power of making Radiovision broadcasts evolved over 35 years before PowerPoint. A bag of tricks relevance to online learning. Their origins in the work of Wittgenstein and Bruner is suggested. Paper: 35 pages. 10 pdfs:-106 pages. Video: 28 – 6hrs.
Clean English for Academic Writing
A record of tutorial support for dissertation students in the School of Education from 2011-2019 demonstrating videos for students that experiment with providing visual help for their writing. An exploration of ‘clean English’ professional tricks and techniques for writing with brevity and clarity, that may inform the teaching of academic writing. As used by education producers in BBC School Radio. The chapters track ideas that evolved into online teaching technologies during the pandemic and applicable to hybrid classroom teaching today. Paper: 38 pages. Video: 20 -1hr 46 mins.
The material is for education research only
No publication in any form without permission
BBC School Radio Producer interviews
Abstract
The paper takes the form of an Introduction and six separate chapters of text transcripts of BBC School Radio producers and six video interviews filmed by Mike Howarth during 2019-2022. Each interview follows a chronology of the producer’s career. Joan Griffiths, Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor, Fiona Shore speak of the wider perspective of School Radio. These are followed by a more detailed perspective of teachers becoming producers from Peter Ward and myself. The sixth video is an appreciation of the career of Marilyn (Paddy) Bechely by Joan Griffiths. Paddy passed away in February 2023. The interview transcripts have the minimum of editing. There is little attempt to collate themes or summarise topics. The whole forms a raw resource for researchers. Subjects covered are the early background of producers, their interests and skills, the selection process and early training. The guidance provided by the BBC School Broadcasting Council, colleagues and their experience of programme creation will dispel any impression that producers had a free reign in broadcasting subjects. Producers cover many aspects of innovation, creative processes and dedication of working in open production environment. There are realistic appraisal of the relationship of BBC School Radio to the BBC as a whole. There are candid views of the demise of the Education Department from those who experienced it first-hand. The subject content are not fully representative of the output, solely due to the people willing and available to talk between lockdown conditions during Covid-19. Peter Ward past away in 2020. The paper provides references filename links in the contents section to the video interviews and their transcripts as pdf files as separate files. The videos are split into sections because of the large file sizes. Both are included as separate files within the area for this entry in the Middlesex Research Depository. The Introduction includes an explanation of the project and an overview of staff by Joan Griffiths originally for the BBC 100 Symposium (Howarth M.S., 2022).
Paper: 19 pages. Video: 6. pdf 6: 118 pages.
Dr Mike Howarth
BBC School Radio Creative Teaching Methods
Abstract
A methodology of 12 practical creative methods used by BBC School Radio, the relevance to online learning and their possible origins in Wittgenstein and Bruner. These methods might inform the lack of ‘engagement’ experienced by students in the rush of online eLearning technologies during the Covid Pandemic. The creative processes for making teaching resources are achieved by writing and editing the same content for both radio and publications. Processes used everyday by the author as a teacher and producer of hundreds of BBC Education broadcasts over 20 years. The paper is a personal exploration. It is a reflection on the experience of a classroom teaching, becoming a radio producer, then returning to the classroom. The paper is a series of 12 practical exercises for the educationalist. They now have the technologies that only 20 or so producers like myself had at the end of the last century. The content is process not a subject oriented approach to manufacturing creativity. Beginning with self-editing text: the creative techniques can be seen in the examples: the process of edited ideas into a tightly explicit script. Each example follows a sequence. First, the method in the form of ‘working up’, that begins with talking into transcription software. Students then follow the editing process with added annotation by the author until the script is finalised. Second, the video of the script illustrates an aspect of making a teaching resource. The methods help students to present themselves clearly, experience professional writing and understand simple structures to frame how to inform, educate and entertain. Working through the processes of creating BBC education teaching resources is how trainee teachers can quickly become confident in oracy: not just for structuring of text for formal writing teacher training in the university, but in the school classroom. It is not a theoretical analysis. However, the dual approach of speaking & writing clean English in learning is suggested to have resonance with the teachings of Wittgenstein and Bruner. Originally designed for web based learning, the paper forms the web page structure but supporting components of are pdf and videos. Both are included as separate files within the area for this entry in the Middlesex University Research Depository. The contents section of the paper provides references to the interview transcripts as pdf files and videos. The videos are split into sections because of the large file sizes. Both are included as separate files within the area for this entry in the research depository. Paper: 35 pages. Video: 28. 10 pdfs: 106 pages.
Dr Mike Howarth
Clean English for Academic Writing
Abstract
The paper might best be called Clean English the BBC School Radio Way. The context is tutorial support for early years and education dissertation module studies students in the School of Education. The paper is in the form of short text introductions to videos that demonstrate writing methods. The paper follows all the requirements of the course. They begin with a guide to filling in the proposal form required as the student plans their study. Further videos cover all the usual academic elements of completing the course, literature research, research methods, primary research, results, discussion and conclusion. However, these Show and Tell videos focus on tricks and techniques for writing with brevity and clarity prior to academic sentence construction. This form of writing I recall was known informally as clean English: simple sentence construction that once learnt may make the complexities of academic argument understandable. The ideas are based on praxis: first-hand, painful, but memorable experiences as a young teacher in BBC School Radio, receiving from colleagues and staff, sharp but kindly corrective lessons in professional writing for education. The process of creation of a set of video Clean English guidelines for students in this paper is in itself, a method for lecturers to reflect on their practice through the making of teaching materials, structuring teaching ideas and visualising the message. To achieve this aim, the paper includes scripts for each video. Part 1 of the paper asks readers to focus on the use of script mark up to illustrate how clean English is written for the spoken word. In Part 2 the sensitivity to Clean Engish is hightened with integrating images into writing as reuired by making of School Radiovision filmstrip and broadcasts. The paper hopes to be even more relevant today with the availability of Zoom for all teaching staff. The content of the paper was created over several years using cheap software called iShowU. Now the process of making videos is easy and quickly for lecturers to record their own material in a Zoom session without inviting students. The paper may serve to stimulate creative ideas that give life and engagement to eLearning technology. The videos accompany the paper originated as web pages accessed the by password protected area on the author’s website MHMVR. But now, each web page becomes a chapter with a script for each video added for anlaysis by the reader. Videos are accessed separately, afforded by the digital facilities in the Middlesex University Research Repository.
List of videos and timings
BBC School Radio Producers interviews | Duration | |
chpt1JG video 1.mp4 | BBC setting standards PART 1 Joan Griffiths in conversation with Dr Mike Howarth July 28th 2021 | 31.49 |
chpt1JG video 2.mp4 | BBC setting standards Joan Griffiths PART 2 | 34.36 |
chpt2GMT video 1.mp4 | Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor BBC School Radio 1970-1999 Part 1 Talking to Dr Mike Howarth 4th November 2020Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor | 18.14 |
chpt2GMT video 2.mp4 | Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor Part 2 | 32.27 |
chpt2GMT video 3.mp4 | Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor Part 3 | 22.29 |
chpt3FS video 1.mp4 | Fiona Shore Part 1 BBC School Radio 1981 10th September Talking to Peter Ward | 32.55 |
chpt3FS video 2.mp4 | Fiona Shore Part 2 | 39.53 |
chpt4PW video 1.mp4 | Peter L Ward. Kilndown Kent 24th August 2020 Part 1 | 47.20 |
chpt4PW video 2.mp4 | Peter L Ward | 38.16 |
chpt5MH video 1.mp4 | Interview with Mike Howarth Part 1 by Steven Barclay for PhD 7th June 2019 | 1.21.13 |
chpt5MH video 2.mp4 | Mike Howarth Part 2 | 47.10 |
chpt6PBDraft video.mov | Joan Griffiths onPaddy Bechley July 28th 2021 Draft | 18.08 |
Total | 7 hrs 22 mins | |
BBC School Radio Creative Teaching Methods | ||
chpt1 Video 2 Laptop3101.mov | Hair Cutting Stool Laptop organisation: Set up your home lecture studio | 4.58 |
chpt2 Video 1 Performance.mp4 | Practice sharing Mike Howarth Presentation for Bloomsbury Learing Exchange 16th July 2020 Prep video sent to participants | 1.17 |
chpt2 Video 2 Performance.mp4 | Bloomsbury Learing Exchange Event Example of conversation style | 6.01 |
chpt2 Video 3 Performance.mp4 | Bloomsbury Learing Exchange Event Full session | 1.05.03 |
chpt2 Video 4 Performance.mp4 | Using dictation on iPad to edit a narrative event script for class presentations and video scripts Part 1 | 10.31 |
chpt2 Video 5 Performance.mp4 | Editing spoken English for impact continued Part 2 | 7.46 |
chpt2 Video 6 Performance.mp4 | Editing spoken English for impact continued Part 3 Including markup of script | 6.30 |
chpt3 Video 1 Radiovision.mov | RADIOVISION at the UCL Institute of Education | 4.21 |
chpt3 Video 2 UCISA session | UCISA Spotlight: Webinar Design to Promote Quality Engagement: Toward Mike Howarth Skip Basiel presentation | 1.41.18 |
chpt3 Video 3 Powerpoint Edit 1.mp4 | How to edit PowerPoint screen text and layout for greater impact using Skip’s presentation | 13.10 |
chpt3 Video 4 Powerpoint Edit 2.mov | How to restructure a PowerPoint for greater impact using Skip’s presentation | 6.09 |
chpt4 Video 1 Session.mp4 | Amity video production teaching event using the classroom as a theatre. Mike Howarth presenting while filming. | 2.03 |
chpt4 Video 2 Session Edit.mp4 | How Amity teaching event was edited. | 7.33 |
chpt4 Video 3 Presentation Edit.mp4 | Amity video making project presentation | 7.07 |
chpt5 Video Weave with words.mp4 | The script work up for Perormance Weaving with Words. Actors visceral legacy to online learning | 7.03 |
chpt6 Video 1 360 Introduction.mp4 | Introduction to the 360 degree classroom. Visceral teaching with embodied metaphors | 13.35 |
chpt6 Video 2 360 Classroom.mp4 | 360 degree classroom multi-cam video for trainee teaching (Covid Lockdown version) | 9.50 |
chpt7 Video ManageEventsOnline.mp4 | Improving Zoom and Teams events using UCISA as an example | 17.59 |
chpt8 Video 1 Lecturer talks.mp4 | A University lecturer interviews Mike Howarth about what practical knowledge from BBC School Radio might be relvant to a HE lecturer | 1.11.6 |
chpt8 Video 2 videotopaper.mov | How to start the transciption process of previous video in to an academic paper | 2.54 |
chpt9 Video 1 ABC storyboard.mov | Example of storyboarding being used by University College London | 2.11 |
chpt9 Video 1 ABC storyboard.mov | Show and tell video to university colleagues in preparation for Covid teaching | 13.59 |
chpt11 Video 1 OnlineWittgenstein.mp4 | Wittgenstein: Sketching out Wittgenstein’s self-correction enviornment for student engagement online | 2.04 |
chpt11 Video 2 Online Bruner.mp4 | Brubner The actual studio for Bruner’s active learning | 3.08 |
chpt12 Video 1 Tutorial potential.mp4 | The Zoom Potential Student’s read aloud in Tutorials | 6.04 |
chpt12 Video 2 Backstory.mov | My personal experience of Readiing then writing Writing then read Aloud | 11.06 |
chpt12 Video 3 Mike Student MultiCam Briefing Video.mov | Briefing for Solent University Research poject on assessing online tutoring studio design. | 41.44 |
Total | 6 hrs 10 mins | |
Clean English for Academic Writing | ||
chpt0 Intro iSHowU Demo.mp4 | Early example of an overview video explaining to students my website for learning resources | 3.06 |
chpt1 Video 1 Welcome 1.mp4 | Welcome video for students | 1.40 |
chpt1 Video 2 Welcome 2.mp4 | Invitation to first face to face tutorial ( Pre Covid) | 1.49 |
chpt1 Video 3 Welcome 3.mp4 | Later Welcome version( Covid) | 4.36 |
chpt2 Video 1 Forwarding.mp4 | Forwarding Early resolution for studentemail problems | 1.04 |
chpt3 Video 1 FileNaming.mp4 | Filenaming resolving issues with text filenames sent to tutor for feedback | 2.14 |
chpt4 Video 1 VidFeedback.mp4 | Feedback Explasnation of how feedback videos for students work | 1.34 |
chpt5 Video 1 Propform.mp4 | Pproposal Form writing advice (Late version) demonstration | 6.45 |
chpt5 Video 2 HowToTitle.mp4 | How to organise title text demonstration | 2.38 |
chpt6 Video 1 StartResearch.mp4 | How to start your research demonstration | 3.24 |
chpt7 Video 1 Reading.mp4 | Reading a book demonstration | 3.15 |
chpt8 Video 1 1st Review.mp4 | Literature Review for whole group | 8.15 |
chpt9 Video 1 Cohesion.mp4 | Cohesion Introduction of academic argument | 1.52 |
chpt10 Video 1 Methodology 1.mp4 | Methodology 1 Basics | 3.12 |
chpt10 Video 2 Methodology 2.mp4 | Methodology 1 Detail | 21.22 |
chpt11 Video 1 QuestionnaireIntro.mp4 | Questionnaire Intro | 11.28 |
chpt11 Video 2 QuestionnaireExtra.mp4 | Questionnaire Extra | 3.40 |
chpt13 Video 1 FinalWriteUp 1.mp4 | Final Write Up Ideas | 11.54 |
chpt13 Video 2 FinalWriteup 2.mov | More Final Write Up Ideas | 11.10 |
DGDRAFT2.mp4 | An early text editing example for students of how their weekly video feedback on sample paragraphs will look like ( Before use of the Multi-cam set up for live rewriting an feedback of the process) | 5.25 |
1hr 46 mins | ||
Accumulated total @ 15 hours | 14 hrs 47 mins |