When a student behaves in a way that disrupts their own learning or someone else's, our response is often limited to a reprimand or a punishment. While this usually stops the undesirable behavior for a while, it doesn't often solve the problem long-term. What has longer-lasting impact is viewing the misbehavior as a sign that a student is missing an important skill, and if they are taught that skill, the behavior should naturally improve. In this episode, we learn more about what this approach looks like in practice from Nathan Maynard, educator and author of the new book, The Science of Discipline.

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Thanks to Listenwise and Erikson Institute for sponsoring the episode. To read Maynard's article about replacement skills, visit cultofpedagogy.com/replacement-skills.

To find Nathan Maynard online, visit HighFive.school.

To learn more about The Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.

Students are coming to school with more needs than ever, and a lot of those needs aren't strictly academic: anxiety, withdrawal, behavior issues, and learning differences that don't always have quick or obvious solutions. These are problems that often send us to the internet in search of answers, but the nuances of each individual situation can make it hard to find exactly what we need. Ideally, we'd have a colleague with a lot of knowledge and experience who would listen carefully to our problem, ask us questions to make sure they understood it, and offer solutions. Now there's a new platform called Ellis that may be the next best thing. This free, chat-based tool created by the Children's Health Council is designed to give educators practical guidance in those moments when something isn't working and you're not sure what to try next. In this episode, I talk to Cindy Lopez from the CHC about how Ellis works. All educators are invited to give Ellis a try now at askellis.org and see how it works for you! 

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This episode was sponsored by Ellis. To read a full transcript of this interview or watch a video of how Ellis works, visit cultofpedagogy.com/ellis.

 

If your teaching requires students to read or work with texts, and things have gotten a little stale in the engagement department, this episode will give you some great new strategies to try. High school English teachers Susan Barber and Brian Sztabnik once felt the same way, so they curated tons of fun, interactive, interesting text-based activities in their new book, 100% Engagement: 33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom. In this episode, they'll share three of their favorites.

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Thanks to Solution Tree and Listenwise for sponsoring the episode. For links to the book 100% Engagement and a full transcript of our conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/text-engagement-strategies.

To learn more about Grammar Gap Fillers, visit cultofpedagogy.com/grammar.

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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Whether or not you're involved in athletics, all teachers will have transgender students in their classrooms, and understanding the issues that impact them will make you a better teacher for these vulnerable students. In this episode, I talk with former college athlete and sports policy scholar Katie Lever about the reasons trans athletes should be included in women's sports. 

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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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An essential first step toward becoming an anti-racist educator is uncovering your own implicit biases—attitudes and beliefs about certain groups of people you may not even realize you have. In this episode, Hedreich Nichols walks us through an 8-question exercise to help us start to do this work on ourselves.

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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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Concept maps are graphic organizers or visual representations of knowledge. They're simple, they're low-tech, and they're incredibly powerful tools for learning. In this episode, cognitive scientist Dr. Kripa Sundar explains why concept maps are so impactful, then shares a handful of specific practices that will help you make the best use of them. Also joining us is Dr. Pooja Agarwal, editor of the book Smart Teaching Stronger Learning, which includes a chapter on concept mapping along with nine other high-impact teaching strategies.

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Thanks to Solution Tree and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. For links to the book and a full transcript of this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/concept-maps.

To learn more about the Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.

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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Even when they appear to be navigating school successfully, Arab-American students aren't thriving like they could. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Sawsan Jabar about how teachers can change that. -------------------

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 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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At a time when test-driven reform has quieted student voices and marginalized perspectives are being pushed aside, we need student voice and agency more than ever. In this episode, I'm joined by Shane Safir, Marlo Bagsik, Sawsan Jaber, and Crystal Watson, authors of the new book, Pedagogies of Voice: Street Data and the Path to Student Agency. The book offers a "seed store" of small, replicable classroom practices that help students reflect, speak, and act with purpose. Each of the four authors shares one or two of their favorite practices that teachers can use right away to help students grow into thoughtful, empowered participants in their learning.

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Thanks to Solution Tree and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. For links to the book and a full transcript of this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 260.

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 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 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 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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Project-based learning can be a powerful instructional framework, but it is often structured in ways that exclude students who need a different approach. Too often, PBL becomes a space where accommodations and differentiation fall by the wayside. The good news is that we don't have to abandon PBL or dramatically overhaul it to make it work for diverse learners. In this episode, author and educator John Spencer shares five small but thoughtful structural changes we can make that will allow every student to thrive in a project-based environment.

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Thanks to EVERFI and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. To read John's post, visit cultofpedagogy.com/accessible-pbl.

To learn more about the PBL Master Course bundle, click HERE and use the code pedagogy at checkout to take an extra $20 off!

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.

Answering student questions is faster in the moment, but redirecting is better in the long run. The next time a student asks you a question, pause before answering and see if you can point them toward finding the answer themselves. 

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Thanks to Brisk Teaching for sponsoring this tip. You can find written and video versions of these at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.

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 Kialo Edu and Kiddom.