From exposure to vitamin D and its positive effects on our well-being, to the cognitive benefits that come with fresh air, to the innate joy and freedom of being outdoors, outdoor learning is beneficial for both students—and teachers. In this episode I share some ideas for how any teacher can get outside more with their students.

Read the article: https://www.trevormuir.com/blog/outdoor-learning

Check out my new book: https://www.amazon.com/New-Teacher-Mindset-Innovative-Strategies/dp/1394210086?crid=ETFBNFNCOW6W&keywords=new+teacher+mindset+muir&qid=1706209905&sprefix=new+teacher+mindset+muir,aps,108&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=trevormuirsit-20&linkId=636126ddad3f89f665303211c450af22&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Some of our most impact childhood memories happen in school. Teachers and other educators have a massive influence on their students' identities, memories, and future. Let's dive into that and explore the brain science of why that happens and how we can leave our students with a positive impression of school. 

We've all been there. You pour your heart and soul into your work, only to have a student declare dislike- maybe even hate- for you as their teacher. That's what we talk about in this episode. 

I graduated from college with a 2.75 GPA. Not great. Then I received a 4.0 in my masters program. Did I all of a sudden become smarter in those two years? Did my brain grow exponentially after I earned my bachelor's degree? Or is GPA actually reflective of something else. Let's get into it.

PBL ChatGPT Prompt Guide

You might see the word 'epic' and think BIG, EXCITING, or, FUN. But that's not what I mean when I use that word as it relates to the classroom. It means something much more powerful and significant than just creating enjoyable experiences for students. This is what dive into in episode 38. You're going to like this one. 

Let's talk about creating a classroom climate that helps make students feel safe, secure, and ready to engage in this year.

You don’t have to be perfect to get to know your students and build relationships with them. Perfection isn't required to make your class memorable and even fun. Heck, sometimes it won’t be memorable and fun, and that’s okay.

Students still learn and grow and fail and succeed in my imperfect classes.

In this episode, we explore the critical role of educators in building meaningful connections with parents and community members to support student learning. We discuss the many benefits that come from establishing strong partnerships between schools and families, including increased student engagement, improved academic performance, and greater support for student well-being.

I share some insights and stories on the topic, highlighting strategies and best practices for building and maintaining strong relationships with parents and community members.

Kids like to have fun. Grown-ups like to have fun. We all like to have fun. 

And it turns out, we often learn better when we're having fun. In the episode, we talk about the impact of adding elements of fun to learning units and the impact it can have on student engagement. 

I tried everything under the sun to connect with this student. I gave up my lunch hours to work with him on assignments. I let him come in before school and hang out with me, hoping the relationship would build some rapport. I tried calling home a number of times, but always the calls went to voicemail. Heck even for spirit week I wore one of his sweaters to match him in a desperate attempt to build a connection. And yet seemingly, none of it worked. A sample of my thoughts during that time: “What’s wrong with this kid?” “What’s wrong with his parents?” “What’s wrong with me?” In March of that year, Mason moved away, and I have not seen nor heard from him since. I have absolutely no idea whether any of my efforts paid off. I don’t know if he learned any discipline, if he passed high school, or even remembers that English teacher. This is one of the hardest parts about teaching.

Coming up with engaging project and unit ideas takes a little creativity, but it's worth it to give students authentic and purposeful learning experiences. Here are my favorite ways to come up with engaging and meaningful project ideas.

Giving critical feedback can be a very difficult task for anyone, especially students who are working with their peers. It is the job of the teacher to model this process, and show how being critical can be different than being negative.

We all—educators and students— worker harder and smarter when we can identify the bigger picture of our work. That's what we dive into in this episode.

Are grades meant to reflect how much a student has learned; a snapshot of their knowledge and skills at a specific moment in time? Or are they a measure of work ethic and integrity? Is it possible to do both? Let's dive into it.

What if the primary motivation for learning wasn't grades or pressure from parents or teachers?

Research shows that when students are engaged in service learning, they experience measurable growth in social, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive development. And I think we could all use more student engagement right now. Let's dig into it.

Most teachers have been through this exact scenario: You try to start class with a line like, “Okay everyone, we’re going to get started.” And a couple students might glance up at you, indignant that this adult is bothering them. So a little louder you say, “Everyone! Time to start class!” This gets the attention of a few more students, but still the majority of kids keep talking to each other, ignoring the fact that their teacher is in the front of the room with a face that is becoming redder and redder. Finally, you lose your temper, RAISE YOUR VOICE, the room goes quiet, and you are left feeling a little embarrassed, and even more, frustrated that it takes yelling to get your class’ attention. Struggling to start off class or return from a group activity is a challenge every teacher faces. However, as important as it is to get your students’ attention and be as efficient with time as possible, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are 10 ways to get the attention of even the noisiest group of students without raising your voice or losing your cool.

When we see young people struggling in the workforce, or data that shows that the top reason people are fired from their jobs is because they don’t have soft skills, I think we have to ask if these skills are being emphasized enough. When standardized tests are primarily focused on one piece of the ideal graduate, or college admissions just look at GPA and test scores, it has a ripple effect on the rest of k-12 experience. And yet the k-12 experience is supposed to be about helping grow students into people ready to take on the world, and thrive in their workplaces, and be pillars in their communities, and know how to solve real problems, and work hard, and have passion, and never want to stop learning. 

So let's talk about how we can frame our student's time in the classroom to help develop them into the Ideal Graduate.

Last week some Artificial Intelligence technology called ChatGPT was introduced, and it’s got a lot of people freaking out.

The Atlantic had a headline that asks, “Is the College Essay Dead?” A Forbes headline says, “Teachers Fear ChatGPT Will Make Cheating Easier Than Ever.” The website asks, “Could an AI bot be writing students’ homework?”

The reason there’s a bit of alarm right now is that this technology can write for you. You can put in a prompt or ask a question and within seconds the AI will give you a response with sometimes startling accuracy. A professor at Amherst College graded an essay this program wrote, and even gave it an A. And it’s not plagiarizing other people’s work, it’s synthesizing writing from all over the internet and composing it in an original way. You can see why this raises the hackles on this English teacher's neck.

Writing can be hard work, and if you can bypass that hard work by using artificial intelligence why would you? Why wouldn’t students just cheat by using this?

This is going to cause a shakeup in education, but isn’t that kind of the nature of education?

Did you know in the 1970’s when calculators started to become widespread, they were banned in most schools?

And yet, in 1975, they were in 1 of 9 American homes. Meaning you can ban them all you want at school, but they were still being used at home to solve math problems. And within a decade, the College Board was mandating their use on the AP exam, and by 1990 they were being used in every school in the country. And I don’t think this was just educators throwing up their hands and saying, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. No, if you look at this history, you’ll see it’s because educators realized students can do more complex math with the use of a calculator. But educators first had to figure out how to take advantage of that technology.

So a lot of the worry is that ChatGPT is just going to do all the thinking instead of students having to do it. Instead of doing the research and writing a thoughtful essay comparing the themes of Shakespeare and modern politics, students will just write that prompt into ChatGPT and it’ll kick out a completely original essay on that topic.

That is a legitimate fear. I know when I was in high school, and some of college, that’s what I would have done. But since artificial intelligence didn’t exist when I was in high school, I often BS’d essays like that. I learned quickly in my adolescent years that these types of papers were pretty formulaic. If I could just plug-in surface-level information into the 5 paragraph structure, I could get the grade I needed and move on.

Now, did writing that 5 paragraph, surface-level essay make me a strong writer? Or did it confirm my ability to BS an essay? Because that’s what artificial intelligence largely does. It finds the information and strings it together in a passable way. And if that’s what we’re asking students to do with prompts like that, what’s the point? Why are we wasting their time and ours with something we know isn’t producing better writers or even demonstrating understanding of the material? Because some test says we have to?

We need to adjust what writing in school looks like.

What AI cannot do is mimic a writer’s unique voice. It can’t use personal stories and anecdotes to connect with what students are learning. ChatGPT may be a good writer, but it’s not a great one. Because great writers are original and do something only they can do, which is create from their unique perspective. That’s what we have to teach students to do. That’s what standardized testing, if we’re going to keep that around, needs to be about.

ChatGPT is not going to end English class, but I think it will change it. I think it will force us to examine the work we give to students. We all know that writing 5 paragraph essays is not part of the daily routine for most adults. So maybe it’s time that ship sails off into the sunset. But there’s lots of practical writing we do do in our lives. We write emails. We send memos. We write in journals. Some of us try to write thoughtful social media posts. And if we learn to love expressing our thoughts and ideas in written form, we write poetry, and stories, and blog posts, podcasts, and videos. So maybe writing instruction needs a practicality update, and maybe love of writing needs to be amplified more than formulaic writing.

Easier said than done, but I think that’s our challenge. That’s our pivot.

As an English teacher, I’ve seen many students write an essay or short answer response on a test, but not actually grow as writers or develop a love of the practice. But I’ve also seen students discover their voice through writing. It’s beautiful. We need more writing assignments that do that.

We can use Artificial Intelligence to enhance student writing.

So instead of rejecting this new technology, or trying in vain to block it on school servers or hide it from students, what if we used it to inspire better writing? Check this out. Let’s say you want your students to examine the impact Covid had on student learning. They could type this prompt into ChatGPT, What impact did covid have on student learning in America?
and receive this response: The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on student learning in America. Many schools were closed for extended periods of time, and many students had to switch to remote learning. This disrupted the educational process for many students, and some may have fallen behind in their studies as a result. Additionally, the pandemic may have had a negative impact on students' mental health and well-being, which can also affect their ability to learn.

So two things: first, this response is not very meaty, but it’s got some strong key points. Which is a starting point for writers. From here, they could take the line, “Negative impact on mental health,” and type that back into the software and maybe receive a more detailed response, but if not, which I didn’t when I tried it, it was lacking data and evidence, they could plug it into Google and find those details they’re looking for. It’s like the AI is helping them skip a step, which is true, but don’t we all want to find the best route to where we’re going? If this tool eliminates some time spent researching, doesn’t that provide more time to dig deeper, work on craft, and enhance the writing?

Second thing: if I add to this prompt What impact did covid have on student learning in America and how does this compare or contrast to your experience? All of a sudden students need to write something that artificial intelligence cannot. This personal element forces students to think critically and express their thoughts in the written form. It also might be more inspiring for students to write because it's personal and they can connect with it. And, it might be more pleasant for their teachers to read and grade because they’re not reading the same paper and same responses over and over again.

It doesn’t abolish English class, and it actually might enhance it. But that requires some shifting of the paradigm. And there are always roadbumps when we do that. We might have to change the assignments we give to reflect this new reality. Oral exams where students have to verbally articulate their learning might need to replace some of those writing assignments, and educators will need to develop better rubrics for that. Maybe we need to emphasize class discussion and teach students how to talk to each other about what they think and what they’re learning.

Instead of blocking this tool from students, maybe we need to teach students how to use it. How can it be a research tool? How can it assist in sparking ideas? How can AI be used to save time in some aspects of writing so you can give more to others?

Some students will still use it to cheat or BS papers, but from a former school-cheater, they were probably going to do that anyway.

When the printing press was invented in 1440, educators had to pivot. When calculators started solving math problems by simply pressing buttons, educators had to pivot. When the internet was introduced, we had to pivot. I remember in high school having to use a manual to create in-text citations. Now you can go on EasyBib and it’ll do it for you. You know what that meant, we probably don’t need those manuals anymore.

We’ve pivoted.

There’ll be some road bumps and changes that come from all of this, but educators are used to those. It’s in the nature of the work. But what doesn’t change in education is its primary mission, which is to help students find success. Success as writers, thinkers, problem solvers- people. So let’s keep our eyes on that prize and use the tools and resources at our disposal to do so.

So I’m going to keep exploring this idea because I think there’s a lot to it. If you want to follow along with these discussions about AI in school, but more importantly, how we can evolve as educators to help students engage and learn more, you can go to my website at trevormuir.com/newsletter and receive my weekly emails, where I am going to keep this conversation going. You can also explore my latest videos by going to trevormuir.com/videos and of course make sure you are subscribed to the podcast.
Whatever you teach or however you serve in schools, I hope you have a wonderful holiday, that you get some space to reflect and rest, and that you can be reminded why the work you do as an educator is so valuable for students and the society they live in. Take care friends and thanks for listening to this week’s podcast. See you next time.

This might be my favorite episode yet. I sat down with Dr. Sheri Steelman, a teacher of 50 years, published author, inspiring human, AND my mentor teacher during student-teaching. Sheri shares wisdom from her many years in the classroom and how she's adapted to the many changes in the world of education.

Sheri's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Shakespeares-Shoes-Connecting-Primary/dp/0814144527

http://www.shakespearedocuments.info

Asking questions is an essential skill. It's how we express our curiosity, solve problems, engage in public discourse, and gain deeper understanding of what we are learning. In this episode, I share some concrete ways to helps students generate deeper, more productive, and effective questions.

Get the Question Formulation Technique Poster FREE here: https://www.trevormuir.com/blog/question-formulation-technique

Educators are so often given new ideas and strategies to get better at what we do, but we don’t have space for them. There’s got to be room to grow, and sometimes that means making room by discarding practices that aren’t working like they use to, or never worked and you are finally realizing that.

What might come across as chaos might actually be a carefully planned and executed project, one that is fun on purpose. When learning is fun, it is likely engaging. And more engaging learning usually means deeper learning. 

Our culture has a problem with boredom, and yet boredom is the birthplace of creativity. It's where the best ideas come from, solutions to problems, and the satisfaction of gritting through boredom to find the payoff. This is one of the reasons cell phones in classrooms might not be the best idea. In this podcast, I give my hot-take on why cell phone bans might be the best idea.

Let's talk about the importance of holding high expectations for students and some strategies to do it well.

Pre-order the New Teacher Mindset: https://www.amazon.com/New-Teacher-Mindset-Innovative-Strategies/dp/1394210086/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ETFBNFNCOW6W&keywords=new+teacher+mindset+muir&qid=1706209905&sprefix=new+teacher+mindset+muir%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-1

Has a student ever said something AWFUL to you and you took it personally?

Me too.

This is what we talk about in the latest episode of the podcast. 

It's easier said than done to not take it personal when students say hurtful things. But what if it's not actually personal? 

Let's talk about how to respond to a student when they are deliberately trying to get under your skin, and how we can approach our work despite not being loved by every student.

Because of all the disruption caused during the pandemic, many teachers have seen students struggle to socialize and interact with one-another. In this episode, we talk about concrete ways to get students talking, interacting, and socializing with each other again in the classroom.

There's a lot of noise about "what's happening in schools" right now. So let's talk about what's really happening in classrooms across the country.

No one likes being uncomfortable, yet brain science shows that the most growth happens outside of the comfort zone. When we are exposed to new scenarios, new challenges, and new adventures, our brains literally grow and we become more capable of solving problems and thriving in our work. 

It's neuroplasticity, and it is fascinating. 

In the latest episode of the podcast, we talk about how this applies to teaching and ways we can thrive outside of the comfort zone so we can help students do the same. 

Whatever you are doing this week, whether it is laying on a beach or backyard, walking down sidewalks or school hallways, I hope you have a little time to listen to this episode and feel inspired to step out of your comfort zone in some way. As I talk about in the podcast, doing so is guaranteed to bring you life and growth.

For a lot of educators, this year has delivered a beating, and the passion for teaching is waning. Here are strategies to reignite your passion for teaching after an abnormally challenging year.

Remember at the beginning of the school year when there was this great hope that school would finally get back to normal? "Covid is over, things have settled, we can finally have the great year we've been waiting for!"

Most educators would agree that didn't happen.

So is there any point in holding out hope for a better year next year? Let's talk about it.

Are desks in rows a bad thing? Are rows outdated and therefore should have no place in the modern classroom?

Good question. 

This is what explore as well as other aspects of classroom design to maximize learning and engage students.

There are many parts of teaching that can only be learned from experience, OR from those who are experienced.

Here's why it is so crucial new and young teachers learn best practices from veteran teachers.

Summer Break may be close, but it also feels a long way off. You may be running on empty right now as you search for inspiration and energy to make it through the rest of the school. So let's talk about some ways to find energy in your work as an educator and help students finish strong as well.

The bad news: As social media and cell phones become more prevalent, it seems strong discussion skills are become more scarce. The good news: People can learn how to discuss! Discussion skills can be re-strengthened and taught. This is why discussion should be one of the key pillars in the classroom. In this episode, we talk about ways to teach student how to discuss and share strategies to get them to speak up in class more.

Why caregivers can be an invaluable resource to your classroom.

The Spring can be one of the most difficult times of the year to be a teacher. The energy and excitement from the beginning of the school year may be waining, testing looms, behavior problems are high, and Summer Break is still a ways off. Many teachers hit the Spring Wall this time of year. 

In this episode, we talk about concrete ways to make it past the Spring Wall and have a successful season in the classroom.

True personalized learning is often unconventional. One-size-fits-all doesn't work for every student, and so teachers sometimes have to adapt their practices to meet their needs, and this often means breaking the norm.

In this episode, we talk about the need to be unconventional to meet student-needs, what this can look like on teacher evaluations, and why my high school English teacher let me take a month off of school.

Of course I think parents can be overbearing sometimes. I’ve seen my fair share of helicopter and lawnmower parents, and have even seen an uptick in this behavior the last 10 years. However, I think dismissing them with a label misses out on a huge opportunity. The fact is, parents can be overbearing because they want what’s best for their kids and don’t always believe teachers share this same sentiment.

When parents can see that teachers have the best intentions for their kids, they can become allies like no one else.

According to a survey conducted by entrepreneur.com, lacking confidence is one of the key reasons young people get fired from their jobs. Not having the courage to make firm decisions and take concrete action leads to a lack of productivity.

Building confidence and assurance in oneself starts at a young age, and there is something every educator can do to help their students grow this vital characteristic. That's what we talk about in this week's episode.

trevormuir.com

There's a common proverb that says a teacher "Should not smile until Christmas." Essentially, if a teacher is too friendly or fun with their students, students will take advantage and walk all over them. 

Is this true? Is it possible to have fun with your students but also have a well-managed and respectful classroom?

This is what we talk about in episode 6 of The Epic Classroom Podcast: how to set firm expectations, being consistent, and still finding joy with students.

trevormuir.com/speaking

Scripted or boxed curriculum might be convenient and maybe even safer sometimes, but it can restrain teacher creativity and limit student engagement. Not to mention, what message does it send to teachers that they cannot be trusted to have a say in what and how they teach?

However, it's also a reality for many educators, so let's talk about how to still be creative and work within the constraints of a scripted curriculum.

trevormuir.com/speaking

Ask anyone why they hate group projects and you'll likely hear the same response: either hogs or logs.

Hogs are those group members who take over the bulk of an assignment or project, not allowing other group members to participate. They hog the projects.

Logs are the opposite, one's who ride on coattails, doing nothing and yet reaping the benefits. They just sit there, still and stagnant, like logs.

Let's talk about how to teach students to hold each other accountable and actually thrive during classroom collaboration.

trevormuir.com/speaking

I once had a guest speaker share his success story with my class. A student afterwards asked where he went to college, and the speaker said he didn't go to college.

That student, who struggle academically up to that point, was inspired that there might actually be a career path for him.

My principal on the other-hand, was not happy that there was any kind of messaging in my class that was not college-focused.

But that student's fire was already lit, and he now had a concrete goal to aim for. This episode is about that, and the power of teaching students how to set goals and how having goals can inspire unbelievable effort in the classroom. 

We also talk about what setting goals can do for us in our own lives as well.

trevormuir.com/speaking

A boring classroom does not inherently mean a disengaging one.

When I was a young teacher, I did everything in my power to NOT let my class be boring. Boredom was the enemy. But what if boredom does not mean lack of engagement? What if we could rethink what student engagement actually means?

What if boredom isn't the enemy?

trevormuir.com

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-gift-of-boredom

There's a common misconception (mostly from outside of education) that teachers are merely 'deliverers of content,' and even worse, 'babysitters.'

This episode takes those notions apart, and explores why teachers and all educators are actually creatives.

The work of a successful teacher takes immense creativity. Designing engaging work for students, having the ability to constantly improvise, overcoming obstacles and barriers, and crafting a space or setting for others to flourish are among the many daily tasks of a teacher.

In the first episode ever of The Epic Classroom podcast, we define the creativity of teachers and explore how to adopt that mindset in your work.

trevormuir.com

"Good Things" is a calculated way for students to get the most out of every class period. Like many teaching approaches, while not always obvious, there is a method to the madness. It is a routine to help establish classroom culture, a shared set of values that unify the group and create a sense of cohesion. These collective values form the foundation for all of the learning that happens in the classroom.

Link to New Teacher Mindset

Contact Trevor: trevor@trevormui.com

I live here in Michigan, And we've had a whole string of snow days lately. And for my kids it's been like an endless recess. sledding and snow forts and snowball fights, and getting together with the neighbor kids and playing for hours and hours outside. It’s felt like the good old days, before video games and tablets. It's been cold, but for an eight and a 9-year-old, there's nothing quite like a snow day.

And it reminds me how much children need to play. they need to move. I see this seemingly endless energy they have out here in the snow, and I think about how so much of their days at school are spent sitting inside. Now my kids have amazing teachers who get them up and moving, but the typical structure of a school day just doesn't require this type of physical activity, this expenditure of energy, and it's energy they clearly have to expend. Sometimes I'm not so sure two 15 minute recesses is enough. Sometimes I wonder if behavioral problems in the classroom are largely a result of making children with this much energy, sit at a desk for hours on end.

This is why I'm a fan of Outdoor Learning, class gardens, outdoor classrooms. It's why I'm a huge fan of PE, and think it's a travesty when programs like that get cut. kids need to move at school. It’s developmental; it’s human. And I'll tell you, after days of moving and playing for hours, they sleep a lot better at night.

When I was a new teacher, I cared so much about earning the label of "Highly Effective" following my teacher evaluation. I've since learned the joy of labels wears off quickly, and the real joy comes from recognizing my own growth. 

In this episode, we talk about this and how to spot growth in the new year.

Is the school week before the Holiday Break a big waste of time? Holiday parties, watching Christmas movies, not doing a lot of academic work—well, from the outside looking in, it might look like that, but I don't think it is. Celebrations, relaxing, having fun—these are some of the best parts of being human. I know I need fun in my work life, and so do kids. This is culture-building. When we take the time to play, laugh, and eat, we create cohesion within our classrooms. This cohesion leads to easier classroom management, better student behavior, more engagement, higher attendance—students who want to be in school more. It’s about having fun with intention. Plus, you get to eat candy.

For many students, the holidays are a time of joy and anticipation. However, that often isn't the case for every student. The reality is, for some students, no school for 2 weeks means no regular meals for 2 weeks, no daily contact with teachers who love and care about them, and if you live where I live, often no warm air for 2 weeks. This is why you may notice certain kids act-out as a reaction to the anxiety they are experiencing right now, or seem to shrink when the class is asked what they're excited about during the Holiday Break. Let's talk about it.