One of my favourite aspects of teaching is those informal moments as the class arrives or leaves. The quick conversations about life, the universe and school. They reveal so much about a student's wellbeing and the mood of the cohort as a whole.

I've made an effort to continue these check-ins through text and audio lessons on Microsoft Teams – and have learnt a lot from doing so. Some of my students are chugging through the work just fine; others are struggling. Some are concerned about predicted grades; others are relieved not to have the burden of terminal exams in the present context. And more than one has told me that they're feeling the effects of too much screen time. While some work from some departments has been set from textbooks, or even as task sheets to print out and follow with the computer switched off, there's been no let-up from reading at close quarters.

Always keen to try new things, I resolved to come up with a lesson that would give my students a break from the screen and the page.

I made a podcast.

It's an introduction to work, energy and power. Probably a little on the gentle side for IB students (I made it for 15-year-olds) but hopefully something that you and your classes can enjoy.

I'd recommend sharing the podcast directly with students, plugging in some headphones or speakers, shutting off the screen and allowing the eyes to drift to a faraway distance out the window.

And the best bit? No need to fret about missing a beat or losing concentration. The summary notes on StudyIB have it all.