Out-of-Field Teaching Toolkit Podcast

#99 Jack Pennoyer IWSI America Career Pathways Mentor on Teaching Beyond the Classroom

Out-of-field teaching isn’t just about subjects — it’s about stepping into learning spaces where you don’t have all the answers yet. Career pathways mentor (and qualified teacher) Jack Pennoyer has spent more than a decadedoing exactly that, working across special education, transition programs and employment pathways. In this conversation, he reflects on what actually makes someone effective at teaching or mentoring when the credential or subject expertise isn’t the whole story. For teachers feeling out of field around career readiness, inclusion or soft skills, there are some powerful takeaways here. Jack Pennoyer's LInkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-pennoyer681/

#98 Research for Educational Impact | Margaret Jakovac

If you’re new to this podcast — or just want an update on my PhD research into out-of-field teaching — this episode’s probably a good place to jump in. I share a profile piece I recently wrote for Deakin University’s Centre for Research for Educational Impact (REDI) about the research, the questions driving it, and some of the tensions around teacher identity and teaching beyond your formal area of expertise. Jakovac is my legal surname, although I write professionally and record this podcast under the Paton moniker. Links: Official information page for would-be participants to my PhD project https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/success-stories-ooft-maths-science/phd-research-project-a-netnographic-exploration-of-self-perceptions-of-success-of-out-of-field-teachers-of-mathematics-and-science/

#97 Trust, mentoring and pedagogy: Dr David Bryan on what out-of-field teachers really need

Dr David Bryan brings more than four decades of classroom, leadership and governance experience to a candid conversation about out-of-field teaching. A school founder and veteran educator, he argues that teaching is “messy and complex” — and that success depends less on credentials and more on strong pedagogy, trust, mentoring and leadership that walks the corridors. Drawing on real school stories, Bryan reframes out-of-field teaching as a system and design challenge, not a teacher failing. Links: Curiosity Invited podcast (David Bryan’s podcast) https://curiosityinvitedpodcast.com/ [https://curiosityinvitedpodcast.com/] David Bryan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bryan-b2868b25 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bryan-b2868b25] Canvas Rebel profile: Meet David Bryan https://canvasrebel.com/meet-david-bryan/ [https://canvasrebel.com/meet-david-bryan/] University at Buffalo feature on David Bryan https://careerdesignstudio.buffalo.edu/blog/2024/10/31/how-i-used-my-phd-in-communication-to-start-a-school-and-a-podcast/ [https://careerdesignstudio.buffalo.edu/blog/2024/10/31/how-i-used-my-phd-in-communication-to-start-a-school-and-a-podcast/] New Roads School (theschool he co-founded) https://www.newroads.org/ [https://www.newroads.org/]

#96 Margaret Paton aka Jakovac on Expertise, Identity, and the Out-of-Field Teacher

My original career was in journalism—and it’s still part of what I do today. In that world, you’re judged by what you produce; expertise follows the work. In teaching, recognition is more tightly tied to qualifications and formal roles, which creates a different reality for out-of-field teachers. This episode explores what happens when experience, identity, and recognition don’t line up. Links: How liberals monetized trauma | Catherine Liu on Marx, Trump, and identity politics — Institute of Art and Ideas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1Ng3CcAOs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1Ng3CcAOs] Associate Professor Brendan Hyde https://experts.deakin.edu.au/51379-brendan-hyde [https://experts.deakin.edu.au/51379-brendan-hyde]

#95 ASTA President Margaret Shepherd on inquiry, explicit teaching and science pedagogy

Margaret Shepherd, the immediate-past president of the Australian Science Teachers’ Association unpacks what science teaching actually looks like in real classrooms. Drawing on decades of experience as a science teacher, school leader and national advocate, she explains why inquiry remains science’s signature pedagogy — and why it has never been separate from explicit teaching. Margaret speaks candidly about the risks of reducing science to scripts and PowerPoints, the growing problem of syllabus creep, and how misrepresentations of “explicit teaching” are shaping policy and practice. She also reflects on whatout-of-field science teachers need most: professional trust, mentoring, and the space to exercise judgement in complex classrooms. Links: https://asta.edu.au/ [https://asta.edu.au/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] — Thenational body supporting science educators across Australia. AustralianScience Teachers Association [https://asta.edu.au/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://asta.edu.au/asta-position-paper-inquiry-vs-explicit-teaching-misrepresentation/ [https://asta.edu.au/asta-position-paper-inquiry-vs-explicit-teaching-misrepresentation/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] — https://asta.edu.au/courses/ [https://asta.edu.au/courses/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] ASTA’sNational ProfessionalStandards for Highly Accomplished Teachers of Science https://www.stawa.net/public/29/files/Resources/Teachers%20Toolkit/ASTA%20national%20professional%20standards%20for%20highly%20accomplishedteachers%20of%20science%20%282002%20document%29.pdf [https://www.stawa.net/public/29/files/Resources/Teachers%20Toolkit/ASTA%20national%20professional%20standards%20for%20highly%20accomplishedteachers%20of%20science%20%282002%20document%29.pdf]   AustralianScience Teachers Association official websitepositionpaper on inquiry vs explicit teachingASTAprofessional learning & resources