106 ¦ Connections and competence: The third week of the year and beyond

About this episode

This episode discusses starting the first unit of the year, introducing serious themes, and using various teaching techniques for a motivated classroom.

The third and final part in the three part mini series on how I start the year and work towards a motivated classroom: This episode focuses on how we start the first unit and particularly, how to introduce themes or topics that are potentially a little more serious. I also discuss a variety of comprehensible input techniques and how I try to weave these into the core unit, as well as some strategies for using mini whiteboards for retrieval practice and recall. Please let me know what you think! Keep in touch and share widely! Full programme notes are available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.liamprinter.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Follow The Motivated Classroom on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@themotivatedclassroom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@motclasspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@themotivatedclassroom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . I'd love to know what you think, please get in touch! Join the conversation with the hashtag #MotivatedClassroom. Enjoying the podcast? Leave a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Become a Patron of The Motivated Classroom podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com.

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Liam Printer

Topics covered

• motivated classroom
• comprehensible input techniques
• retrieval practice
• unit introduction
• serious themes
• student engagement

Keywords

• motivated classroom
• comprehensible input
• retrieval practice
• mini whiteboards
• teaching strategies
• student engagement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Motivated Classroom, Apple Podcasts, Facebook, patreon.com, Instagram, Twitter, www.liamprinter.com/podcast

More episodes of The Motivated Classroom

• 133 ¦ Principle 4: Effective pairs to boost engagement · June 12, 2026 · 26 min
• 132 ¦ Principle 3: Five-minute input blocks · June 11, 2026 · 27 min
• 131 ¦ Principle 2: Getting the Motivation-Acquisition balance right · June 10, 2026 · 18 min
• 130 ¦ Principle 1: Embedding and assessing a CI approach within the curriculum · June 9, 2026 · 23 min
• 129 | Back to School: Six principles for a motivated classroom · June 9, 2026 · 23 min
• 128 ¦ Part 2 with Jonathan McBride: What I learned from watching six weeks of CI classes in three different countries · June 8, 2026 · 45 min