S2 E35 | Guest Ross McGill on The Science of Learning: What Teachers Need to Know

I am so excited for this episode.

Today, I am joined by Ross McGill, founder of Teacher Toolkit, whose work has reached over 21 million teachers worldwide.

If you have ever felt overwhelmed by lesson planning, buried in marking, or unsure whether your feedback is actually making an impact… this episode is going to completely shift how you think about teaching.

Ross shares practical, evidence-informed strategies that help you reduce workload while improving teaching and learning. There are so many moments in this conversation where I was thinking… every teacher needs to hear this.

in this episode, we cover

• Why planning should be a thought process, not a document
• The 5 minute lesson plan and how to use it effectively
• The difference between feedback, feed up and feed forward
• Why marking every book is not the answer
• The power of the pause and improving questioning
• How metacognition actually works in the classroom
• What brain research tells us about attention, stress and learning
• Practical strategies you can implement immediately

Links and resources mentioned

5-minute lesson plan template
https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-5-Minute-Lesson-Plan-2021-by-@TeacherToolkit.pdf 

Ross McGill books (including his upcoming science of learning release)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Ross-Morrison-McGill/author/B00G33GTEO?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true 

Ross McGill bio and website
https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/ross-morrison-mcgill/?ad=20190130learnaboutrossmpu