Trauma-informed teaching has gotten a lot of attention in recent years, and my guest, Alex Shevrin Venet, is a wonderful guide to help us better understand how it works. Her book, Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education, offers a holistic, nuanced exploration of what this work looks like in practice, and it does so with equity at the center. In this episode, we talk about what trauma-informed teaching looks like in practice, how some approaches to this work miss the mark, and how teachers can start applying some basic principles of good trauma-informed teaching right away. 

Thanks to EVERFI and Giant Steps for sponsoring this episode.

Read a summary of this interview and a full transcript at cultofpedagogy.com/trauma-informed-education.

Do you ever feel like you're just marching through your content, trying to get it done? Like your students are just regurgitating it back, but not really learning it? Would you love to design deeper learning experiences in your classroom, but you're just not sure how? This episode may have some answers for you. I talk with Sarah Fine, co-author of the book In Search of Deeper Learning, about the specific elements found in classrooms that offer richer, more engaging learning experiences for students, and how you can apply those elements to your own teaching.

Thanks to EVERFI and Giant Steps for sponsoring this episode.

The core activity of this after-school program is boxing, but it offers so much more to students. In this episode, I talk with Jamyle Cannon, executive director of The Bloc Chicago, about why this program has been so wildly successful at helping students achieve personal and academic success, and how other educators can follow the same model by building engaging programs around student interests in their communities.

Thanks to EVERFI and Giant Steps for sponsoring this episode.

When we ask a broad question to a large group — students, an audience, attendees at a meeting — we often get nothing in response. Plenty of the people probably have something to say; they just haven't been asked the right question.

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

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In too many classrooms, our students aren't really thinking. What they're doing instead is more like mimicking, and my guest Peter Liljedahl is determined to change that. In this episode, we'll learn about his Thinking Classroom approach to instruction, where students are up on their feet, actively and collaboratively problem-solving, in a format that has taken the math world (and beyond) by storm. 

Thanks to Listenwise and Wipebook for sponsoring this episode.

Anticipatory sets — quick preludes to your lessons — are a creative way to get students interested in what's to come. They are not an absolute necessity, but if you can work them in, they make a lesson just a little more special.

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

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To learn any concept well, students need to experience multiple, varied examples of that concept, and coming up with those examples can be a time-consuming task for teachers. ChatGPT can help you get it done in a fraction of the time. In this episode, Stanford's Chris Mah and Sarah Levine show us how it works.

Thanks to Listenwise and Wipebook for sponsoring this episode.

Many teachers give out copies of their slides as a supplement to a lecture or presentation, but this practice leads to terrible slides and ultimately, ineffective teaching. In this EduTip I'll share a better alternative.

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

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After years of listening to shallow, perfunctory student discussions, ELA teacher Jessica Cannata found a way to make those conversations more natural, more interesting, and more real. In this episode, Jessica explains how her Real Talk strategy works, and how you can use it in lots of other courses outside of the English classroom.

Thanks to EVERFI and Parlay for sponsoring this episode.

You can learn more from Jessica Cannata at EB Academics.

In episode 178, we learned about an approach to school change called Street Data. I believed so strongly in this methodology that I asked the two authors of Street Data, Jamila Dugan and Shane Safir, if they would allow me to produce a video series documenting teachers in two schools as they worked their way through the Street Data process, so that other teachers could learn from it.

In today's episode, I talk with Jamila and Shane about the project, and we hear from teachers Amanda Liebel and Araceli Leon about their experiences.

The video series is now available at cultofpedagogy.com/streetdataseries.

The time students spend in your classroom may be the only opportunity they have all day to engage with other humans in any meaningful way. And it's such a shame to waste that by letting them stay in some sort of Matrix-like environment where they're only plugged into devices and rarely even look to the left or to the right. So take deliberate steps to help them get to know each other.

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

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A messaging platform that translates messages into any language, a daily curation of current events, the one everyone's talking about that writes essays for you, and more: Here are six tools we think are worth a look this year. And while you're listening, you can grab a brand-new copy of the 2023 Teacher's Guide to Tech here.

Thanks to JumpStart and Hapara for sponsoring this episode.

Learning requires us to be vulnerable, and in order to do that, we need to feel safe. In this episode, I talk with Elena Aguilar, author of The PD Book, about how professional development facilitators can make that happen for teachers.

Thanks to JumpStart and Hapara for sponsoring this episode.

Two factors have given lectures a bad name: overuse and poor execution. In this episode we'll deal with both of these issues, considering when a lecture might be the best choice, then looking at ten things you can do to make sure the lectures you do give are outstanding. 

Thanks to EVERFI and Hapara for sponsoring this episode.

Offering small group mini-lessons that students only sign up for if they are interested is another great way to offer personalized instruction. Author and writing instructor Melanie Meehan returns to share how she has used this strategy in her classroom.

Thanks to EVERFI and Today by Studyo for sponsoring this episode.

We are living in a time where a segment of the population is working as hard as it can to keep our students ignorant of history. Dozens of states are attempting to erase history from textbooks and curriculum if it paints certain populations in an unflattering light, and teachers' jobs are under threat in many places if they teach certain concepts. If you are a student or parent living in a place where history is under attack, and you want to give yourself or your child the education that your legislators are trying to take from you, the nine outstanding resources in this episode are for you. 

Thanks to EVERFI and Today by Studyo for sponsoring this episode.

While it's true that student choice has a lot of value, it's possible to give so much choice in an assignment that it kind of backfires. When a task has little to no structure at all, students often respond with confusion, not creativity.

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to CommonLit for sponsoring this episode.

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Our sensory systems have a HUGE influence on how we learn, serving as building blocks for regulation, engagement, exploration, safety, movement, social interaction, and brain integration. In this episode, pediatric occupational therapist and author Jamie Chaves shows us how applying some basic principles of sensory processing in the classroom can remove unnecessary barriers and boost learning in significant ways. 

Thanks to EVERFI and Today by Studyo for sponsoring this episode.

Check out Jamie's books, The "Why" Behind Classroom Behaviors and  Sensory Smart Classrooms (affiliate links).

When a student or audience member has a question, repeating it before you answer allows everyone else to hear it and gives you a chance to clarify the questioner's intent.

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to CommonLit for sponsoring this episode.

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Even though many of us are back in physical classrooms this year, blended learning offers a way to weave together online and offline learning to position students at the center of the learning process. Instead of reverting back to a teacher-led, whole-group instructional model, blended learning can free us from the front of the room and allow us to work directly with individual and small groups of learners. In this episode, Catlin Tucker shares four specific models teachers can follow for structuring blended learning lessons and units to suit different purposes.

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Thanks to CoderZ and Today by Studyo for sponsoring this episode.

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Check out Catlin's book, The Complete Guide to Blended Learning (affiliate link).

Collaboration is great as long as you have high-quality projects for students to work on. In this episode, we'll explore five unique ideas for collaborative projects that can be adapted for any subject area, along with suggestions for adding criticality and opportunities for student agency to each one. 

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Thanks to CoderZ and Hapara for sponsoring this episode.

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Stopping while you read a text out loud might be necessary in order to explain, dissect, or analyze something, but those interruptions can really mess up a listener's experience of the text. Next time, start with a smooth first read, then start over and get into the instruction.

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Edulastic for sponsoring this episode.

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Critical thinking is something usually reserved only for advanced classes, but if we want our students to receive an equitable education, they all need regular practice in thinking critically.

In this episode, Tangible Equity author Colin Seale shares three easy strategies for infusing critical thinking into any lesson.

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Thanks to CoderZ and Pear Deck for sponsoring this episode.

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If too many of your classroom plans go off the rails, you might need to add more norm-setting, where you clarify expectations in detail before starting an activity. It's a step some of us skip, but the time you spend on it will pay off later. 

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You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Edulastic for sponsoring this episode.

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Language shapes so much of who we are, but not all students feel they can bring their whole selves into the classroom. Even the most well-meaning teachers can unwittingly do more harm than good. In this episode, educator Andrea Castellano answers some common questions about students who code-switch between languages and dialects and shares research-based practices that will help multilingual students flourish.

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Thanks to CoderZ and Edulastic for sponsoring this episode.

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We spend a LOT of time with students, and quite a bit of that time is not used for direct instruction. This "downtime" offers plenty of tiny opportunities for teaching, assessment, and relationship building—we just have to recognize them.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Pear Deck for sponsoring this episode.

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We've covered a lot of differentiation strategies over the years, and here's one you may not have heard of: backward chaining. It allows students to start a task a few steps ahead, allowing them to experience a sense of completion that might otherwise be out of reach. My guest Melanie Meehan explains how it works. 

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Thanks to Pear Deck and Spinndle for sponsoring this episode.

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Adding an unexpected ingredient to a lesson makes students more likely to remember the thing they were supposed to learn.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Pear Deck for sponsoring this episode.

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Thanks to Pear Deck and Spinndle for sponsoring this episode.

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Teachers are leaving the classroom in larger numbers than ever, and many are breaking contracts mid-year just to get out. What can school leaders do to stop this? What makes one school lose teachers in the double digits, while others manage to hold on to almost everyone? In this episode, we'll hear the stories of four teachers who left their jobs in the past year. Then we'll hear the words of hundreds of teachers who stayed, and what administrators in those schools did differently.

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Thanks to Listenwise and Spinndle for sponsoring this episode.

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There are so many things we ask our students to do in school that they would do so much better if we just modeled it for them. While modeling is already probably a strategy you're using to teach some concepts, you probably could be using it a whole lot more, and getting more from your students as a result.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Stash101 for sponsoring this episode.

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Many teachers don't know enough to effectively meet the needs of students with ADHD. In this episode, we'll take a look at 8 principles you can apply to your teaching that can help these students thrive.

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Thanks to Listenwise and Read&Write by Texthelp for sponsoring this episode.

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When we say something generic like "good job," it might make a student feel good, but that's about it. What has a lot more impact is specific praise given to individual people.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Stash101 for sponsoring this episode.

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Thanks to Listenwise and Read&Write by Texthelp for sponsoring this episode.

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True silence is almost impossible to achieve in the classroom, and extraneous noises can be distracting. Adding background music creates a sanctuary where sustained concentration is more likely to happen.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Stash101 for sponsoring this episode.

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This activity can be plugged into any lesson when you want students to go beyond surface traits and consider deeper connecting principles. My guest Sarah Levine shows us how it works.  -------------------

Thanks to Listenwise and Read&Write by Texthelp for sponsoring this episode.

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When you see early signs of off-task behavior, you might think your only choices are to ignore it or address it directly. The antiseptic bounce gives you a third option.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Stash101 for sponsoring this episode.

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Peer feedback can be an incredible tool for student growth IF students are trained in how to do it well. In this episode, English teacher Marcus Luther shares how he prepares students for gallery walks, where they give insightful, affirming feedback to each other's writing. With a heavy emphasis on modeling and seting clear norms, Luther's approach is one teachers can follow to help students give higher quality feedback in any class. 

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Thanks to Fearless Schools and Read&Write by Texthelp or sponsoring this episode.

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Thanks to Fearless Schools and Google's Applied Digital Skills for sponsoring this episode.

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Our students can access information on any topic in seconds, so we need to build their media and news literacy. In this episode, I talk with Common Sense Education's Kelly Mendoza about their Digital Citizenship curriculum, with a special focus on the media and news literacy component, walking through three sample lessons you can try in your own classroom.

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Thanks to Fearless Schools and Google's Applied Digital Skills for sponsoring this episode.

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So many things don't go our way throughout the school day, and if we can learn how to take a step back, to depersonalize these situations, we'll be able to respond rather than react.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Floop for sponsoring this episode.

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This year's picks include a video conferencing platform that feels more like a physical space, a database of books where the main characters are black girls, a career exploration platform, math lessons that students will actually care about, a device that combines tech with hands-on play, and a collection of art experiments. 

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Learn more about the Teacher's Guide to Tech at teachersguidetotech.com.

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Thanks to Fearless Schools and Google's Applied Digital Skills for sponsoring this episode.

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Popcorn or "round-robin" reading has been around forever, even though it's not supported by research and can actually slow down students' reading progress. Learn more about why you should stop doing it and what strategies to put in its place.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Floop for sponsoring this episode.

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Building a robust vocabulary is an essential part of any education. Students will learn new words in our classes no matter what, but if we're deliberate about giving them regular instructional opportunities to learn them, they'll learn so many more. In this episode, Dr. Angela Peery shares eight specific strategies you can use to build your students' vocabulary in any subject area and at any grade level. 

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Thanks to power.com/cultofpedagogy/">fastIEP and Google's Applied Digital Skills for sponsoring this episode.

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If you want to do more differentiation, but you feel overwhelmed by the idea of creating lots of individual lessons, try creating a tiered activity. This simple differentiation strategy gives students an appropriate level of challenge without a lot of prep on your part.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Floop for sponsoring this episode.

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How is the anti-CRT movement harming and silencing teachers, what damage will it ultimately do to students, and what can be done to fight it? 

For a more complete overview of this topic, be sure to check out EdTrust's podcast series EdTrusted: The Critical Race Theory Craze That’s Sweeping the Nation.

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Thanks to CommonLit and power.com/cultofpedagogy/">Brain Power Academy for sponsoring this episode.

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When students are working in groups, and we need to get their attention, shouting over the noise certainly gets the job done, but huddles work so much better.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Floop for sponsoring this episode.

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Planning instructional units can be less than exciting when all you have to deal with is words and more words. Creating a vision board at the beginning of a unit can generate fresh enthusiasm and help you focus on what truly matters. In this episode, teachers Amanda Cardenas and Marie Morris share how vision boards work in their classrooms.

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Thanks to CommonLit and power.com/cultofpedagogy/">fastIEP for sponsoring this episode.

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When we see students making a mistake, we may be tempted to stop them and offer a correction. It might be best to resist that temptation, at least for a little while.

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Microsoft Reading Progress in Teams for sponsoring this episode.

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Teachers are saying this is the worst school year ever. In this episode, I'll explore the reasons why, offer some solutions, and also share a few other loosely related thoughts that may or may not help. 

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Thanks to CommonLit and power.com/cultofpedagogy/">Brain Power Academy for sponsoring this episode.

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This subtle little teaching move stops off-task behavior in a class session and gets things back on track without drama! 

You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Reading Progress in Teams for sponsoring this episode.

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Many well-intended efforts to make schools more equitable often fail because we're trying to make them work inside a system that's a terrible fit for them. What's been missing is a whole-school approach that creates a path forward that is radically different from what we've done before. In this episode, I talk with the authors of the book Street Data—Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan—about their ground-up approach to school transformation, one that lets go of the fixation on text scores and centers marginalized voices instead.

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Thanks to CommonLit and ISTE for sponsoring this episode.

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Find Shane and Jamila online at shanesafir.com and jamiladugan.com.

When you come in and rescue another teacher from a misbehaving class, you think you're being helpful, when really, you're just disempowering them. Try another approach! You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Reading Progress in Teams for sponsoring this episode.

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You want to know that your instructional decisions are supported by research, but you're not exactly sure where to find that research or how to read it correctly. In this episode, educational psychologist Kripa Sundar gives me a mini-course in how to dig up high-quality research, how to read and interpret it, and what we need to keep in mind about how academic research works.

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Thanks to simpleshow and ISTE for sponsoring this episode.

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Welcome to EduTips, a side project of the Cult of Pedagogy podcast where I share one quick tidbit of educational research, teaching ideas, classroom management strategies, or sometimes just a quick story. This first EduTip is DON'T MAKE THEM READ AND LISTEN AT THE SAME TIME. This is a mistake I see so many teachers, speakers, and other presenters make, and it's so easy to fix! You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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Thanks to Reading Progress in Teams for sponsoring this episode.

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What factors are most likely to contribute to suicide in young people, and how can teachers recognize the signs? In this episode I talk with Anne Moss Rogers, mental health and suicide prevention speaker, about how teachers can help to prevent suicide in adolescents and children.

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Thanks to Listenwise and ISTE for sponsoring this episode.

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Most rubrics only tell students where they are right now, but a HyperRubric marks their progress as they go, then points them to tools that can help them improve. In this episode, I talk with ELA teachers Tyler Rablin and Jeff Frieden about how they developed this new format and how it works.

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Thanks to Listenwise and ISTE for sponsoring this episode.

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There's a good chance you're already sold on the value of podcasts. But have you brought this incredible medium into your classroom in a substantial or consistent way? The goal of this episode is to convince you to do just that. My guests—Lindsay Patterson, Marshall Escamilla, and Monica Brady-Myerov—are three major figures in the educational podcast world. We'll be talking about the research behind listening as a learning modality, why podcasts make outstanding curricular resources, and the top four places you can find podcasts that are ideal for classroom use.

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Thanks to Listenwise and Scholastic Scope for sponsoring this episode.

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Looking for high-impact PD that won't take a lot of time? Check out my mini-course, 4 Laws of Learning, and use the code LISTENER at checkout to take $5 off the course tuition.

Writing is one of the most challenging academic tasks we ask of our students, and it can be especially difficult for students with learning differences. In this episode, special educator Sarah Riggs Johnson shares 11 key ingredients for optimizing the partnership between ELA teachers and learning specialists so that students with learning differences can become excellent writers.

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Thanks to Listenwise and Scholastic Scope for sponsoring this episode.

What we call "attention-seeking behavior" is a sign of a deficit need. In this episode, my guest Connie Hamilton shares specific strategies we can use to help students meet their esteem needs—the fourth tier of Maslow's Hierarchy—in healthy, productive ways.

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Thanks to Today by Studyo and Scholastic Scope for sponsoring this episode.

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Learn more about my mini-course, Four Laws of Learning, at cultofpedagogy.com/laws. Remember to use the code LISTENER at checkout to get $5 off course tuition!

Literacy is arguably the most valuable asset we develop in our students, but many classrooms are missing some of the most effective literacy practices. In this episode, author and educator Angela Peery shares a set of tools any PK-12 teacher can use to evaluate what you're doing right, what you're missing, and how you can fill the gaps.

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Thanks to Today by Studyo and Scholastic Scope for sponsoring this episode.

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The check-up tools we discuss in this episode come from Peery's book (co-authored with Tracy Shiel), What to Look for in Literacy: A Leader's Guide to High Quality Instruction*.

*affiliate link

Now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel of Covid-19, we have an opportunity for a fresh start in schools, and we can't waste it. Let’s take the wisdom we've gained over the last year and use it. Let's not go back to the way things used to be.

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Thanks to Today by Studyo and Parlay for sponsoring this episode.

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Revolution School is a fantastic new high school in Philadelphia where students co-create their education around experiential learning, community partnerships, and personal development. In this episode I learn about how Revolution works from Henry Fairfax, Head of School, Jane Shore, Head of Research and Innovation, and Master Educator Mike Pardee.

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Thanks to Today by Studyo and Parlay for sponsoring this episode.

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Learn more about Revolution School at revolutionschool.org

Wrong answers can be an incredible tool for learning and critical thinking. In this episode, Thinking Like a Lawyer author Colin Seale teaches us four easy ways to add mistake analysis into our regular teaching practices. This is a strategy that works in any content area and at any grade level!

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Thanks to Hāpara and TGR EDU: Explore for sponsoring this episode.

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Mistake Analysis is just one of the many strategies in Seale's book, Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students*.

*affiliate link

When we include students in the process of defining quality work, they are more likely to rise to those standards. In this episode, educator Starr Sackstein explains how she co-constructs success criteria with her students.

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Thanks to Hāpara and TGR EDU: Explore for sponsoring this episode!

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Looking for high-impact PD that won't take a lot of time? Check out my mini-course, 4 Laws of Learning, and use the code LISTENER at checkout to take $5 off the course tuition.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that rejects one-size-fits-all teaching by offering students options for how to engage, what materials to use, and how to demonstrate learning, and it's a solid way to offer a more equitable education to all of our students. My guests Katie Novak and Mirko Chardin help us understand how it works and walk us through a sample lesson that's gotten the full UDL treatment.

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Thanks so much to Hāpara and Kiddom for sponsoring this episode!

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Get your copy of the 2021 Teacher's Guide to Tech at teachersguidetotech.com, and remember to use the code LISTENER at checkout for 10 percent off.

It's a terrible feeling when you know some of your students didn't really learn the content, but you move them on anyway. Mastery-based grading solves that problem by requiring students to actually master key concepts before progressing to the next stage. In this episode, Kareem Farah of the Modern Classrooms Project shows us how it's done. 

This is the third and final episode of a three-part series that has taught us how to run a blended, self-paced, mastery-based model that works beautifully for remote, hybrid, or in-person learning. The first two episodes are 144, Making Great Screencast Videos, and 158, How to Create a Self-Paced Classroom. 

Join tens of thousands of other teachers who are learning how to implement the Modern Classrooms model by signing up for their free course (affiliate link).

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Thanks so much to Hāpara and Kiddom for sponsoring this episode!

An argument for spending more time practicing subtlety and nuance and complication in our thinking.

This episode is sponsored by edu.com/">Kialo Edu and Kiddom. 

These fresh ideas for student jobs will invigorate your classroom and get you and your students excited about school again—even if you teach remotely. My guest Thom Gibson shows us how he does it.

This episode is sponsored by edu.com/">Kialo Edu and Kiddom.

Check out the 2021 edition of the Teacher's Guide to Tech at teachersguidetotech.com and use the code LISTENER to get 10 percent off the new guide!

This episode is sponsored by edu.com/">Kialo Edu and National Geographic Education.

And check out the Teacher's Guide to Tech 2021 at teachersguidetotech.com, and use the code LISTENER at checkout to get 10 percent off!

The yearly roundup of tools includes an audio feedback tool, sites to combat racism and media bias, and an app that lets you Google things in mid-air.

This episode is sponsored by edu.com">Kialo Edu and National Geographic Education.

Whether it's real or fictional, putting students to work on a campaign for a cause is a powerful way to get them writing persuasively. In this episode, U.K.-based teacher Jane Currell walks us through the process.

Follow Jane Currell on Twitter at @JaneCurrell and read more of her work at passion4pedadogy.com.

This episode is sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education.

Learn more about my mini-course, 4 Laws of Learning and How to Obey Them, at cultofpedagogy.com/laws. 

Breakout rooms, collaborative projects, games—whatever we do, it's crucial that we do something to get our students talking to each other. In this episode, I'm giving you a huge list of ideas teachers have shared with me for getting students to interact better, both in-person and remotely.

This episode is sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education.

Check out my new mini-course, Four Laws of Learning, and use the code LISTENER at checkout to take $5 off course tuition.

In a self-paced classroom, each student is met where they are, is given an appropriate level of challenge, and grows at a steady pace throughout the school year. In this episode, Kareem Farah of the Modern Classrooms Project teaches us how to get started.

Learn about Modern Classrooms' free course on creating a self-paced classroom at cultofpedagogy.com/modern *

*affiliate link

Green screen technology allows students to create videos where they travel just about anywhere, virtually. This simple, affordable method offers so many possibilities for deep learning and creativity across all grade levels and subject areas, even in remote learning situations. I was never all that enthusiastic about green screens, but now I'm a believer! In this episode, I talk with teacher educator Justine Bruyère about the why and the how of doing green screen projects with your students.

Sometimes, to do right by their students, good teachers have to break the rules. In this episode, I talk with Melinda Anderson, author of Becoming a Teacher, about the times when doing the right thing means bucking the system.

Get the book, Becoming a Teacher (Amazon Affiliate link)

Follow Melinda Anderson on Twitter: @mdawriter

Some of your students are in school. Others are at home. Some days they might switch. Your students are all over the place, and you're supposed to be teaching them all. Welcome to 2020, baby. In this episode, I'll share six principles for making this situation work as best as you can, curated from teachers who are also figuring it out.

If you've been looking for a fresh approach for getting students to think outside the box and collaborate with each other, this may be just what you need. Hexagonal Thinking is a simple discussion strategy that can be used in lots of different subjects, in most grade levels, and it can be done in person or online. In this episode, Betsy Potash teaches us how to do it. 

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Find more from Betsy Potash at Spark Creativity.

hexagonal-thinking-digital-toolkit.html">Get your free hexagonal thinking digital toolkit here.

Teaching is complex. It's dynamic. Every day we learn about new tools, strategies, and programs, and it's easy to lose our way. When you start to feel like you're in a teaching tailspin, these four research-based laws of learning will put you back on track.

Want to learn more? Check out my new mini-course, Four Laws of Learning, which goes more in-depth on these laws and includes supplementary materials to help you really dig in and apply these laws in your own teaching. Use the code LISTENER at checkout to take $5 off your tuition!

One of the most important things we need to accomplish as we move forward into the school year is building relationships with our students. But if you're teaching online, that task will be more challenging than ever. In this episode I talk with Dave Stuart Jr. about his strategy of creating Moments of Genuine Connection and how we can do that while teaching remotely.

Get Dave's free mini-course: 10 Tips for Staying Motivated When Teaching in Times of Uncertainty 

See all of Dave's online courses** at cultofpedagogy.com/dave

**I am an affiliate for Dave Stuart Jr.'s online courses. This means I receive a commission for any purchases made through my links.

Despite many attempts at improvement, school is still not working for many of our students, especially students of color. My guest, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, believes the answer could be in rethinking our curriculum. In this episode we discuss her Historically Responsive Literacy framework, which is based on the work of 19th century Black Literary Societies and focuses equally on four areas: identity, skills, intellect, and criticality.

Learn more about the framework in Gholdy's book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy (affiliate link)

Find Gholdy Muhammad on Twitter at @GholdyM

Since blogs first showed up on the internet, they have really evolved as a genre, and they're a smart choice for a robust, long-term assignment. In this episode I'll share six different kinds of blogs students can write, along with advice on assessment, technology, and ways students can take their blogs beyond school.

Chances are you're going to be doing at least some online teaching in the upcoming school year. What shifts do we need to make in our face-to-face teaching practices to make the most of online learning? In this episode I talk to instructional technology coach Melanie Kitchen about nine ways online teaching should be different from in-person teaching, plus a few ways it should be exactly the same.

Find Melanie on Twitter at @MelKitchenEDU or on her website, creativecuriosity.org.

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Are we planning with clear, measurable, meaningful learning goals to guide us, or are we just keeping students busy? Backward design helps us make sure we're doing the first thing. In this episode, I'm giving you an overview of how this approach to lesson planning works.

Some educators wonder if multicultural and social justice education are relevant if most of your students are white. The answer is yes. In fact, they may be even more relevant for white students. In this episode, Dr. Sheldon Eakins talks with me about the reasons white students need this kind of education and what, specifically, we can teach them.

Follow Dr. Eakins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheldoneakins

Find Dr. Eakins' podcast, the Leading Equity Podcast, here: https://www.leadingequitycenter.com/podcast 

More resources available at the Leading Equity Center.

Some thoughts on what post-COVID instruction might look like when schools reopen. (Spoiler alert: None are as good as face-to-face, a few aren't too bad.) Plus my attempt at a pep talk. 

We all want to give more high-quality feedback to students, but there's never enough time. In this episode I talk to Matthew Johnson, author of the book Flash Feedback, about three strategies he uses to get high-impact feedback to students much, much faster.

If you are moving some of your direct instruction to video, whether it's by necessity or by choice, knowing how to create a good screencast is essential. In this episode, blended learning mentor Kareem Farah gives us advice on how to make screencasts that students will actually watch.

While most teachers recognize the value of social-emotional learning, many struggle to fit it into their curriculum. But one of the most powerful ways to teach SEL is through modeling the competencies ourselves every day, which doesn't require any extra time or materials. In this episode, second-grade teacher Wendy Turner shares her process for modeling her own social-emotional growth and weaving that seamlessly into regular instruction.

A general overview of the nuts and bolts of distance learning, including general tips, advice on tech, and troubleshooting some common problems.

How often do you hear "I don't know" in your classroom? For some students, this phrase becomes a crutch that stops them from learning. In this episode, I talk with author Connie Hamilton about how we can teach students to use more specific phrases that will keep them engaged instead of taking a pass.

Although well-intended, some of our efforts to include students from diverse backgrounds can make them feel anything but welcome. In this episode, my guest Hedreich Nichols shares nine tips that will help you improve your practice and avoid some of the faux pas that come with teaching students who look, think, or opine differently than you.

If you've been wanting to try Project Based Learning but have been unsure about exactly how to do it, this is the episode for you. PBL expert Jenny Pieratt takes us step-by-step through the planning of an 8-week PBL unit. 

If cooperative learning hasn't really worked for you in the past, don't lose hope. In this episode we'll explore tons of solutions to four of the most common problems with cooperative learning.

How connected are you to the afterschool staff in your school? If you're like a lot of teachers, it's probably not much. In this episode I talk with educator Eva Jo Meyers about her work in afterschool programs, and she shares seven ways school-day teachers can build more powerful partnerships with afterschool teachers.

It's a new year and it's a great time to try out a few new tech tools. Here's my annual round-up of apps and sites I think are worth a look, plus two more extra just for the heck of it. The 2020 Teacher's Guide to Tech is now available at https://teachersguidetotech.com/guide/

Just a little story for you; the title says it all. 

Detentions and suspensions don't really change behavior. What's much more effective is having students work to repair the harm done by their actions. In this episode, I talk with Brad Weinstein and Nathan Maynard, authors of Hacking School Discipline, about this restorative justice practice that is a powerful alternative to traditional punishment.

Our students need more social-emotional support than ever before, and schools are coming up with creative ways to meet that need. In this episode, I interview Dan Ryder, whose high school makerspace serves as a stigma-free space for students to solve problems they have inside or outside the classroom.

Students with special needs are spending more and more time in mainstream classrooms, so all teachers need to learn how to support them well. In this episode, special educator Lisa Brooks helps us learn to identify students who may have dyslexia. She then shares ways we can do a better job of supporting students with this learning difference that's far more common than you might think.