About the Book
When tiny voices talk, three amazing things happen: they share surprising ideas and insights; they realise they are not so tiny; and they empower other tiny voices to talk too.Drawing on the winning formula of her Tiny Voice Talks podcasts, Toria Bono has compiled a great resource full of top tips and actionable advice from a range of tiny voices across the educational spectrum. The assembled voices speak on a broad range of topics relating to education and learner development - from mentoring, metacognitive skills and period education, to trauma-informed practice, nurturing curious learners and finding flow in the classroom.But above all, this book is a call to action for all those in our schools who have yet to find their voice to find it - and use it. There are big people with big voices (and big egos) in education, yet they are the minority. The majority consists of great people just getting on with doing great things - more often than not with people, not data, at the heart of their practice. This book inspires such people to find and use their voice; and when tiny voices talk to tiny voices, everyone wins. Suitable for teachers, teaching assistants and school leaders in all phases.
About the Author :
Toria Bono is a classroom teacher who has worked in a variety of educational roles over the past 20 years. Toria is passionate about helping those involved in education to find their voice. She believes that when educators listen to and learn from one another, the young people in our nurseries, schools and colleges benefit from the collective knowledge and wisdom shared.
Review :
Anyone who knows Toria Bono will know how significant butterflies are to her. Toria references the butterfly effect in the opening sentence of this inspired collection of essays from a range of tiny voices. #TinyVoiceTalks began life as a Twitter hashtag; the voices are tiny not in their Twitter following, but in their volume. Toria's innovative hashtag has amplified and emboldened these voices through their Tuesday morning engagements and by means of the Tiny Voice Talks podcast. This book reaches beyond the world of Twitter and passes the pen to 36 experienced, authentic and passionate practitioners.Toria talks about being 'that teacher' and reading through these pages, one realises 'that teacher' has a multitude of guises, quirks and styles, but a commonality of belief to put children and colleagues first. Here is a whole year's worth of staff-meeting reading with pieces short but detailed enough to generate debate around the role of the SENCO, the 'why' in EYFS, mentoring, challenging issues around diversity and how we can all grow as leaders. There are stories to cause the reader to reflect, to laugh, to cry and to realise what they have been saying for years has been right all along.Social media doesn't run our schools but these tiny voices may just enable yours to function differently. As Toria Husband eloquently says in the final contribution to this piece, 'The loudest voice is sometimes just the biggest ego.' The tiny voices movement is about enabling those who are not the most confident to have their contribution heard. For this reason, Toria Bono's collection needs to be in every staff library.If the beat of one single butterfly's wings might be felt on the other side of the globe, just imagine the impact and the power of the wings of these tiny voices beating in unison.Andrew Cowley
This book is a game-changer. It is a must for anyone working in education; the stories of the people Toria has interviewed are incredible. The book has a vast array of life-transforming stories from leaders in education to everyday educators that all have a passion for sharing their tiny voice and making a massive impact. If you are looking for a book that will inspire and motivate you and one that you can't put down, this book is for you; it will grab you from the first to the last page.John Magee
The #TinyVoiceTalks concept is about connecting, engaging and empowering educators. Tiny Voice Talks is full of wisdom and practical support that informs and challenges thinking. Whether you are starting your teaching journey, leading a large setting or have decades of experience, this book should be part of every school's professional development library. With topics ranging from transition to schemata, this is a book I will revisit again and again.Toria Bono has expertly curated a diverse and informed range of voices and I highly recommend this book.Simon Kidwell
Lots of tiny voices can often make a powerful collective roar. In this book, Toria Bono does just that. The opinion, expertise, experience and insight of committed professionals come together from all corners of education. The tiny voices that are often not heard are both compelling and authoritative. Some you may find fascinating, others inspiring. You won't be disappointed, and you will certainly be absorbed in a cross-section of the views and stories of real-life educators - the ones doing the hard work every day.Bono has empowered the voices of people who may otherwise be quiet and for that she must be commended. Read the book and hear the voices.David Whitaker
Tiny voices can convey huge messages as the outstanding Toria Bono has proven time and time again on Twitter. Indeed, her Twitter success has shown the great relevance of listening to and sharing these new voices.Bono has created inspiring, readable and relatable chapters - the voices are diverse and the messages run deep. Each pacey, quick read digs into an aspect of education which encourages you, the reader, to question, empathise and reflect. The importance of the messages is unequivocal - the power of the messages is extraordinary. This is an inspiring, unputdownable read!Chris Dyson
I absolutely loved this book. The teacher voice that shines through every story is one of dedication, compassion, gentle self-deprecating humour and authenticity. Tired of the predictable positioning of so-called 'edu-celebrities', this group of colleagues write honestly and they write from the heart. Our profession is full of teachers who care and who have so much wisdom to offer. I am so proud to be a teacher; reading this book made my heart sing. Thank you to everyone who reads this and allows their tiny voice to become a little louder. I applaud you.Alison Peacock
There is nothing tiny about this book, which provides a platform for educators with 'quieter voices' - those we would not usually know about. We all have educational experiences and insights to share, given half a chance. And there are powerful points within this book that deserve to be shared with a wider audience. Bravo, Toria, for making this possible.Bukky Yusuf
Tiny Voices Talk: how this is needed in the current educational landscape. Education discourse played out on social media and in books is dominated by behemoth voices often detached from the realities and joys of the classroom. The lethal mutations of once prescient, powerful pedagogies and practices have been debased and reduced to tribute band status, repeated ad infinitum in talks, books and magazines. Toria Bono and her quiet army of tiny voices have begun to redress the balance in this seminal book. Each contributor speaks with authenticity about the power of the tiny voice and the joy of teaching. The book is divided into sections covering topics that are universally applicable to any teacher in any classroom. The empathy engendered by the tiny voices stirs the reader, takes them on a journey of discovery of the real voices of teachers and brings to the fore issues hitherto hidden in plain sight. There are also real and actionable tips and advice for teachers at whatever stage of their journey. This book will inspire, invigorate and identify the tiny voice in all who read it.Phil Naylor
A positively uplifting book showcasing the tiny voices in education. This book is a celebration of being different, accepting difference and learning from a variety of quieter voices in the profession. A page turner, Tiny Voice Talks is engaging, empowering and educational - a book which will be returned to time and time again.Professionals from across the educational sector have contributed towards this compelling book, empowering others to use their voices - their passion being the golden thread running throughout. It is a fantastic resource, full of practical ideas and little wins with the irresistible voice of Toria Bono bringing the book together. It is divided into six sections with the final section containing advice and tips on finding your own voice, each voice being refreshing and unique.Not only will you experience the wonderfully individual voices of all of the contributors, but Toria's passion and vulnerability shines through, allowing us an insight into the professional experiences and life of the author herself.Tiny Voice Talks is truly gripping, full to the brim with inspiring experiences and stories to learn from. Whether you're looking for a fresh approach to teaching, leadership or life, there is something for everyone in this incredible book!Anoara Mughal
#TinyVoiceTalks is an extraordinary movement that started on Twitter. It hinges around giving confidence and opportunity to the many unheard voices in education to find their voice, to have their say and pass on what they have learned. It hinges around the importance of active listening so that we learn from other people's viewpoints and experience; the importance of being tentative about what we know, recognising and respecting other ideas. What is obvious from this collection of essays is that we have more than enough experience in the profession to raise everyone's game. If only we were better at sharing, listening and learning from each other.Twitter can be a scary place. Strident voices and bragging egos boom with certainty and we have all seen what can happen if someone puts out a view that is unpopular. This sort of aggressive posturing is destructive and Twitter is too often like a corrosive virus. Toria Bono set out with #TinyVoiceTalks to provide a respectful, safe space for professionals to share their experiences and ideas, to listen with generosity to different viewpoints - and, perhaps, to learn from each other. The book is a collection of essays from tiny voices and covers a range of topics. The insights are often surprising. Again and again, I found myself thinking 'Ooh, that's interesting.' The longest essay is 10 minutes but most are a 3-minute read; a smorgasbord of teaching nuggets. I found myself digging into subjects that I know little about and many that are perhaps just not relevant to my role in education but nonetheless fascinating. The book is as much about kindness as it is about education. I suspect that many of the teachers in the book would agree that the main aim of education is to develop kindness - towards others and ourselves. We work in a profession where the job is never finished and is often unsatisfactory. We have to be sufficiently resilient to care for ourselves, our colleagues and the children. I found the experience of reading the book rather like opening up a little treasure box, packed with intriguing stories of teachers' lives and what they have learned. There are gems to be found in sharing the reality of our professional lives.The book is broken into sections, starting with being 'that teacher' - the special teacher who saw something in the child and changed their life. Sections include inclusion, teaching, professional and personal development, the importance of telling our story and finding our voice to quietly and confidently contributing to the general movement in education. Again and again, the golden thread of kindness runs its rich seam through the articles, exploring the importance of being professional; this means learning to ask for help when you need it, lending an ear to colleagues when they need it, being generous with sharing your ideas and thinking, complimenting others, learning that it can be OK to say no so that you do not become swamped, being compassionate and a good listener - and most of all, learning to look after and love yourself. You do deserve a treat! It is OK to have a night off! It is OK to have a home policy of 'no work on Saturdays'! I've no doubt that there will be other volumes in which so many more tiny voices find their voice and share their practice. There is no doubt too that between us we can make schools wonderful places, if only we were better at valuing what everyone brings to the table, the different views and approaches, opening up our classrooms and sharing our experience without fear that we will be knocked down by the biggest ego in the room. The voices may be tiny but their messages are potent with possibility. How lucky we are to be part of this generous movement.Pie Corbett
This is a brilliant set of anecdotes and advice from such a range of people and places that you won't fail to recognise yourself in some of the chapters or gain some new knowledge or information that will help you in your role, whatever that may be! What's so good about this is that these aren't all 'superstar' or 'celebrity' voices either - they're tiny voices that have been brave enough to speak to Toria to tell their tale and to show, in doing so, that you could do the same! It's inspirational.Rich Simpson
I 'met' Toria at the start of the pandemic as part of a virtual network of like-minded educators who became firm friends. It was obvious from the start that we shared the same values, dedication to education and passion for equality. Moreover, we are both committed in empowering educators to use and share their knowledge with others so that all our children are served well. Every voice matters, even if it starts out tiny. This book should be on an essential reading list for anyone who is trying to find their feet in, and out of, the classroom. A treasure trove of wisdom from a myriad of voices in education, every single contribution has at least one thing that you can take away to ponder, reflect, use and share with others.Sharifah Lee
