Instruction Episodes

In this episode, I am joined by Erik Francis, author of the new book Inquiring Minds Want to Learn. In our conversation, we discuss not only how to use questioning as a form of assessment but, perhaps more importantly, as a tool for maximizing student interest and engagement in learning. We also discuss what is wrong in how we are using Depth of Knowledge Questioning tools as well as a more research based and sound approach to using the Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix than how most of us currentl...

Assessment of student learning is critical if we are to get a true sense of what students know and can do before, during, and after teaching. Join me and my next guest, Nicole Dimich, as we discuss her book - Design in Five. We discuss five steps for creating more effective assessments that are both more engaging to students and involve student self reflection. We also discuss "better" homework practices than we often see as well as the effect of standardized and high stakes assessment on ...

Join me and my guest Gretchen Bridgers and I as we discuss her latest book - Always a Lesson. In it, and in our conversation, Gretchen discusses the four building blocks of teaching that must be considered, in order, for teaching to be successful. These blocks, or'bricks", include lesson design, class management/systems, student engagement, and, ultimately, student ownership. This episode is not just for new educators, mind you. As Gretchen says in our conversation, it is important for every ...

Increasingly, financial literacy standards are being adopted across school districts and states. Join me and my guest Tevan Asaturi, Founder and CEO of Money Mastery University, as we discuss the need to teach financial literacy across K-16 - particularly in middle school, high school, and beyond - both as a necessary life skill and as a way to engage students through relevant real-world learning. Tevan also shares his tips on becoming a self-funded entrepreneur as well as strategies for attract...

In this episoode of the Have a Life Teaching podcast, Adam Andre - museum participation facilitator at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool - and I discuss how and why we should not shy away from teaching students about historical slavery nor its ongoing impact on our world today. We discuss: - Liverpool's connection to the transatlantic slave trade and the impact of slavery on the city's growth - How to center the voices of those victimized by slavery - Focusing on resistance, for ...

In this episode, we speak with Maria Nielsen - former school principal, current education consultant, and author of the new Solution Tree book - 15 Day Challenge: Simplify and Energize Your PLC at Work. We discuss how to write 15 day curriculum units, efficaciously and efficiently, through a seven step PLC process that is strategically aligned to academic goals, anticipates student needs, assesses impact on student growth and achievement and is collaborative in nature. Learn how such...

In an earlier episode, we spoke with Alice Vigors about her work in creating cross-content thinking classrooms. In this episiode, we speak with Professor Peter Liljedahl, of Simon Fraser University, about how to create thinking classrooms in Mathematics - primarily K-6 - where students are doing the heavy cognitive lift as opposed to teachers. Join me and my guest co-host Norman Eng, student teaching supervisor at Brooklyn College/CUNY, as we chat with Peter about: - The 14 pra...

Earlier this week, we chatted with Ryan Steuer and Andrew Larson about the mechanics of embedding PBL within our teaching practice. This week, we speak with Carolyn Brown, Acting VP of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, and Rose Reiken, middle school teacher at High Tech High in San Diego, about their PBL unit collaboration. Learn more in this episode about how Carolyn and Rose partnered on a project that benefited both the museum, in improving the youth engagement factor of their p...

In this episode, join me and my guests Ryan Steuer and Andrew Larson - authors of PBL Simplified and Life's a Project - as we discuss the ins/outs of teaching through a project based learning model. In this episode, we discuss the what and why of PBL - student engagement in learning - as well as practical ways to implement PBL in the classroom. We chat about how to align PBL learning to standards, the typical length of a PBL unit, sample units, the role of community parthers and student public ...

New teachers coming into the profession often struggle in knowing what to do/learn first. Indeed, as my next guests say, for most new teachers, the goal is simply surviving day to day and to make it into their second yearof teaching. Join me and my guests, Tom Hierck and Alex Kajitani – book authors and Solution Tree education consultants – as we discuss their new book – You’rea Teacher Now! What’s Next? We discussthe importance of forming relationships with both students and colleagues, as t...

As Darlene Prott - Founder and CEO of NJ Teacher 2 Teacher says, we may think students should be able to read once they pass third grade but we may want to think again especially if we are supporting multi-lingual learners. Students may be able to decode words by 3rd grade but do they truly understand and can they make meaning of and draw connections from what they are reading? In this episode, Prott and I discuss how teachers - particularly cross content teachers grades 4 and up - c...

In this episode, Jose Bowen - DEI education consultant and former President of Goucher College - and I discuss his new book Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning. Indeed, in his book and in our chat, Professor Bowen asserts that AI will not replace jobs but rather require students today to use AI to develop both their metacognition and creativity if they are to be marketable for the jobs that AI will actually create. We also discuss practical ways through...

Educators can't do well by their students if they are not whole themselves. Sometimes, the best course of action is to know when enough is enough and change course to new jobs in the education field or outside of it. In this episode, Casey Jakubowski - co-author of Crush It From the Start: 50 Tips for New Teachers and school principal - and I discuss the signs to look for to determine if moving on is the right decision. In his book, see Tip #50 - Knowing When to Retreat. We als...

In this episode, Megan Conklin - founder of Conklin Educational Perspectives and Trainer at the Washington Education Association - discusses her work in designing and facilitating substitute teacher team training programs and how her model could and should be replicated across the country. Data suggests that K12 students in the USA can spend up to a year in classes managed by substitutes who are often unsupported and unprepared to meet student needs. Yet, programs like Megan's are providing s...

In this episode of the Have a Life Teaching Podcast, Jo Boaler, Stanford Math education professor and author of ther new book "Math- ish", and I discuss how to make Math instruction more accessible to students in K12 schools. Math learning can cause unnecessary anxiety if it is taught only abstractly rather than in a way that connects it to the world in which we live and helps to explain it. We chat about the value that comes from K12 students discussing what they think Math represented pi...

When we teach students how to write, we often do so by teaching certain writing "moves" - introducing a topic, expanding on it, and summation, etc. We also should be teaching the communication moves that go along with public speaking and presentation. So says my guest Robyn Brinks Lockwood, speech professor at Stanford University, on this episode. So that students can meet the rigor of college teaching and learning, Professor Brinks-Lockwood and I discuss what K12 educators, particularly h...

In this episode, the authors of the Formative Assessment Handbook, Marine Freiburn and Sandy Brunet, and I discuss how to craft learning intentions that then allow teachers to align assessment and student engagement to those learning goals. In our chat, we discuss how to unpack standards into child friendly learning intentions, how to embed success criteria in learning, and strategies for engaging students in understanding and measuring their own growth towards mastery of learning intentions. ...

Maker spaces are anywhere and everywhere where students are taking knowledge and creating something physical that adds on to that knowledge in new ways. Students' cognitive skills are developed in the process. Yes, schools can create labs with 3D printers but teachers can also turn a closet into a maker space. Join my next guest Matt Zigler, maker space cordinator at the Bullis School and professional artist, and I as we discuss ways through which he helps classroom teachers design a maker space...

No one needs to be told that many teachers are leaving the profession these days for a variety of reasons. However, there are ways to make teaching more sustainable. Join my guest Paul Emerich France and I as we discuss how to grade less but still assess learning, how to lesson plan for impact rather than compliance, and on how to develop less toxic/more welcoming school communities that will embrace LGBTQ+ and other diverse educators. Paul Emerich France (LinkedIn) Make Teaching Sustainab...

The rigor of any lesson begins with the learning objective and what we are asking students to know and be able to do. However, far too often, we do not ask our students to engage in heavy cognitive lift. Join me and my guest, Alice Vigors, as we discuss how to get students to think about their thinking in visible ways/through the use of simple thinking protocols (see, think, and wonder). Alice Vigors LinkedIn The Thinking Classroom Teacher Takaway Podcast Music: Aylex

Are you preparing your students for your past or their future? If you are banning the use of technology in the classroom then it is your past that you are prioritizing. Listen in to Jeff Utecht and I as we discuss how to use technology in K12 classrooms responsibly. Jeff Utecht LinkedIn Jeff Utecht Homepage Shifting Schools Music: Aylex

Having guest speakers can really make learning come alive for students. However, to maximize the benefits that can come from these living community resources, guest speaker engagements need to be well planned. Join Samantha Shane, ELA teacher in Northern New Jersey, and I as we discuss ways to maximize the impact of guest speakers on this episode of the Have a Life Teaching podcast. Samantha Shane Edutopia Page Samantha Shane LinkedIn Samantha Shane X SpeakerHub Skype a Scientist Music:...

Inclusive Classrooms are places of joy and creativity. Join me and my guest Mariah Rankine-Landers, author of the new book "How to Create Lessons that Love Your Students", as we discuss how to create culturally responsive classrooms that could easily be mistaken for artistic studios. Want to learn how to turn your middle school classroom into a jungle when studying biomes? How to use zombies to teach exponential equations? Listen in here! LinkedIn Page (Mariah Rankine-Landers) Do Your Less...

In this episode, join Melissa Morrison of Teaching to Tranform and I as we discuss why it is more important than ever, in the age of AI, to help our students develop critical thinking skills through their writing. We also discuss strategies that teachers can use for engaging students across K-12 in the process of writing. It begins with allowing children choice in how and what they write about. Teaching to Transform Melissa Morrison LinkedIn Music: Wanderer by Aylex (Uppbeat)