Rethinking Education Teaching that grips: Hywel Roberts on the Pedagogy of Botheredness
50:12
Story Gives Abstract Knowledge Purpose
- Stories create context and relevance so abstract knowledge becomes meaningful.
- Hywel Roberts argues narrative frames turn decontextualised curriculum content into gripping problems that invite knowledge as a solution.
Use 'Let's Say' To Invite Not Command Imagination
- Use a short narrative called a 'let's say' to invite pupils into a context rather than asking them to 'pretend' or 'imagine'.
- 'Let's say' positions teacher and class together in a person/place/problem vignette, protecting pupils into the learning.
Always Include People Place Problem
- Structure stories around people, place and problem so tension drives the need for knowledge.
- Example: make pupils Roman soldiers stranded on a Kent beach and use gestures and scene-painting to anchor detail and stakes.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Why lessons feel decontextualised
01:42 • 2min
Story as a vehicle for relevance
03:50 • 3min
Sequencing: when to deploy stories
06:50 • 2min
What 'let's say' means in practice
08:25 • 3min
People, place, problem: the story structure
10:56 • 2min
Protecting children into learning
12:48 • 5min
Why protection matters for engagement
17:53 • 1min
Positioning teacher as guide, pupils as heroes
19:05 • 2min
Teacher-in-role and witness perspectives
21:08 • 5min
Practical drama techniques for lessons
26:22 • 2min
Barriers: leadership and teacher buy-in
28:10 • 5min
Embedding botheredness sustainably
33:37 • 1min
How teachers start: practical steps
35:00 • 3min
From one-off insets to sustained practice
37:56 • 2min
Reflections on craft, science and implementation
40:07 • 4min
Special settings and transferability
44:26 • 3min
Outro
47:00 • 3min
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Why do so many lessons feel disconnected to students – even when the content is genuinely fascinating?
In this episode, Dr James Mannion is joined by teacher and author Hywel Roberts to explore 'botheredness' – a way of teaching that draws students into learning through narrative, curiosity and shared imagination.
They discuss why pupils often struggle to see the relevance of what they are learning, and how small shifts in pedagogy can transform a lesson from something students comply with into something they actively care about. As Hywel explains, the key is not entertainment or gimmicks, but creating context, tension and meaning around knowledge.
The conversation explores practical techniques such as ‘let’s say’ narratives, teacher-in-role, and the use of story structures built around people, place and problem. These approaches help teachers bring abstract knowledge to life and ‘protect students into learning’ by making them feel safe, curious and invested in the lesson.
James also reflects on the challenge many teachers face: delivering a knowledge-rich curriculum that can sometimes feel like a sequence of disconnected topics. Together they explore how storytelling and implementation thinking can help embed this approach into everyday classroom practice.
They also introduce a new professional learning programme combining the pedagogy of botheredness with implementation science, designed to help teachers move from one-off inspiration to sustained classroom change.
In this episode:
- Why students often ask ‘Why are we learning this?’
- The difference between engagement and investment in learning
- How stories create curiosity, tension and motivation
- The power of ‘let’s say…’ as an invitation into learning
- What it means to ‘protect children into learning’
- Using narrative as retrieval and assessment
- The barriers that stop imaginative pedagogy becoming routine practice
- How implementation thinking can help make botheredness stick
Links and resources
Hywel's website: https://botheredness.co.uk
Implementing Botheredness 2026: https://www.makingchangestick.co/implementing-botheredness-2026
Book a free 20-minute call: https://calendly.com/rethinkingjames/implementing-botheredness-chat-with-james-hywel