Millions of schoolchildren walked into their classrooms at the start of the academic year missing one crucial element that should have set them up for success: the prior knowledge they needed to take on a new grade level. In search of answers, we asked education psychologists, technologists, and teachers how artificial intelligence help make learning recovery more effective and less stressful. Follow on Twitter: @estclairsmith @mrzphd @jonharper70bd @bamradionetwork Dr. Michelle...

We're hearing more about ChatGPT every day stoking a wide spectrum of emotions.  Educators have many questions and principals have a pivotal role to play in helping faculty find answers and manage the impacts. Follow on Twitter: @JamesBrauer @Eklundteaches @AllysonApsey @DrRachaelGeorge @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Dr. James Brauer is currently the Director of Graduate Studies and Instructor at Avila University’s School of Education. Previously, he was the founding school leader of Iowa...

Innovative educators are embracing ChatGPT as a transformative tool that can improve teaching and learning, make creating interactive lesson plans more accessible, and unleash a whole new level of student, parent, and community engagement. In this discussion, teachers, tech coaches, and a school superintendent share specific ways they use ChatGPT. Follow our PLN on Twitter: @KtBkr4,@bryanrbeal,@Mrnavas @Handsoncoding @Latinosincoding @ideasforteacher @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd Kate...

From elementary classrooms to high schools, getting students back to learning after the winter break requires additional attention, intention, and skill. In this discussion, I asked educators to share the most effective strategies they’ve found to reenergize their classrooms and get students back on task after the holidays. Follow on Twitter: @JYooBrannon @5Silber @thezenteacher @mattwachel , @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Jennifer Yoo-Brannon is a teacher and instructional coach in El...

We can help students surpass the barriers to unfinished learning if we acknowledge the challenges and think differently about how we approach teaching and learning. Follow our PLN on Twitter: @SarahDSparks @playyay @d4griffin3 @ideasforteacher @poweroficu @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd BreAnn Fennell is a 1st, 2nd, 3rd-grade looping teacher in Ashland, Ohio. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. She is a Training and...

Our guests agree there are better ways to think about and help our students accelerate learning in the wake of the COVID Pandemic.  They share their stories about using the one percent better principle, combined with celebrating small wins to reduce stress and increase learning. Follow our PLN on Twitter: @FerraroOnAir @GaskellMGaskell @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Erin Geary teaches high school English in New York. She researches the power of non-carceral classrooms and has an upcoming...

It’s that time of the school year when we have to balance the excitement of the holiday season, the various traditions of all our students, and the schoolwork we still need to get done. Follow on Twitter: @LAMBradley @ideasforteacher @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd. Laura Bradley: After 30 years teaching middle school English, Design Lab and Broadcast Media, Lauara is now an Educational Technology Teacher on Special Assignment, supporting K-12 students and teachers in...

This week millions of teachers and school leaders will turn our attention to gratitude. In the spirit of the season, I’ve invited a group of educators to talk with me about what silver linings they see in education today that make them feel grateful. Follow on Twitter: @LainieRowell @sgthomas1973 @5Silber @ideasforteacher @kylehamstra @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Lainie Rowell is an educator, international consultant, writer, podcaster, and TEDx speaker. She is the lead author of...

Twitter chats sparked the connected educator movement and gave many educators support and a voice. But Twitter gave a megaphone to all voices and movements raising questions about free speech and the limits of what we should be able to say on social media. It turns out that free speech is not as free as many of us believe, and though we have the right to speak, we don’t have a right to be heard. These are two of several discoveries we found among our misunderstandings about our freedom to say...

Though student engagement has always been essential to teaching and learning, the pandemic has impacted students in ways that raise questions about what it takes to engage students this term. In this episode, we invited a panel of educators to share their updated thinking on student engagement in a post-pandemic classroom. Resources: Flipped Learning Global Initiative (FLGI) Follow our PLN on Twitter - @AngelaMaiers @jaymctighe @curriculumblog @MsRandazzo @ideasforteacher @bamradionetwork...

A calm classroom with students on task is what we all want. In this discussion, two teachers, two psychologists, and a school superintendent unanimously agree that current events outside of the classroom are impacting our ability to reach and teach our students.  What follows is a  refreshingly honest and insightful discussion about what it takes to create a calm climate for learning during exceptionally stressful times.  The result is a practical guide for every educator and school...

Illinois’s largest elementary school district has an exceptionally positive school culture and the receipts to prove it. In this episode, we talk with the superintendent about the step-by-step process they used to build theirs, based on the Happiness Advantage. Stanford University researchers placed this school district in the top two percent of all schools in America in student growth. Follow on Twitter: @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd @drf4331...

The emerging emotional science is clear, we often oversimplify how we discuss the emotional experience of teaching and the emotional inner life of teachers. In this episode, we explore two models that reframe what we often simplistically label as burnout and offer a new lens for discussing what those of us who teach are experiencing right now and what we need as we look to the school year ahead. Follow on Twitter: @JYooBrannon @kevinleichtman @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Dr. James L....

The four-day school week is not new, but the speed at which schools are adopting the model is breathtaking. Largely driven by the difficulty in attracting and retaining teachers, school districts are making the leap at increasingly rapid rates. In this episode we ask, what do teachers and school leaders need to consider ahead of time to be prepared? Follow on Twitter: @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd @DocSig @askpang Dr. Robert Sigrist currently serves as the Assistant...

We invited the authors of three books written to teach us how to talk with people we disagree with on just about everything. Each shared with us their framework for navigating difficult discussions with difficult people in school, at work, and in life. This episode is the first in a series aimed and learning how to talk about those sensitive social, cultural, and civic issues we simply can’t ignore. This informed and candid discussion left us with a roadmap for the episodes ahead on...

Across the nation, at all levels, educators are reporting a rise in troublesome student behaviors. The list of causes is wide and deep, but the first professionals expected to manage student behavior are classroom teachers. This episode takes an unvarnished look at the new genre of student behavior challenges and how some educators are handling them. Follow on Twitter: @jaimedonally@JorgeDoesPBL @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd @msdarasavage Dara Laws Savage is a 26-year educator from the...

In this episode, we pause to examine the seemingly endless minor and high-stakes decisions that we need to make in our classrooms every day. Listen in as we identify ways to manage the decision fatigue that some feel. Follow on Twitter: @katyfarber @Non_Toxic_Kids @dubioseducator @drchriscip @Jonharper70bd @bamradionetwork Dr. Katy Farber is a classroom educator and writer from Vermont. She has written and co-authored several books about education, including Why Great Teachers Quit and How...

There’s so much we urgently need to talk about, mask mandates, transgender issues, race relations, growing incivility, threats to our democracy, but so little we can safely discuss in mixed company. Increasingly, what starts out as a cordial and benign conversation can get weird quickly. In this second episode, we talk about why the way we often manage difficult conversations is no longer sustainable and how to identify the right people with whom we can talk through the difficult cultural,...

As we all push through another exceptionally challenging school year, we pause to talk about proven ways to sustain our emotional energy and resilience. Join us as we separate what works from what doesn’t. Follow on Twitter: @brightmorningtm @a_rebora @ascd @ILascd @MASCD @iowaASCD @TXASCD @ASCDConf @scASCD @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd Elena Aguilar, a widely known expert on instructional coaching, is the president of Bright Morning Consulting, a speaker and presenter, and the...

Many, maybe even most, students see school as a grade game. "What do I have to do to get an A?" Many of us have been driven to see teaching as a compliance game. "What do I have to do to get my students to meet the course requirements?"  In this episode, we talk about practical strategies we can use to change the game of school (at the classroom level) to cultivate more students who are passionate about learning in your class. Follow on Twitter: @DonWettrick  @Rdene915...

Remember when we were consumed with teaching the skills that would be needed in the future?  Well, the future is here and it’s not what we expected. Which begs the question, what 21st-Century skill is more valuable than the ability to talk constructively about the things that are tearing us apart? Join us as we travel the globe looking for people who can teach us how to discuss the things that matter most, in ways that don’t end with a black eye, a 911 call, or being unfollowed. Tony...

We are still searching for an acceptable phrase to define what teachers around the world are doing this school term. Many are avoiding the term "learning recovery" like a carton of milk past the expiration date.  In this episode, we found out why ignoring, dismissing, or simply overlooking learning recovery is a privilege that many students and teachers simply don't have. Follow on Twitter: @RobertG_Jenkins@ISTE  @mrhooker @curriculumblog @sgthomas1973...

In this premier episode, we consider the riveting story of a teacher who is committed to doing the right thing, teaching the right things, and serving his students’ best interests. So why is he out of work, and why should his story matter to you? Follow our PLN on Twitter: @RitaWirtz @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork @JorgeDoesPBL @ideasforteacher @mrhooker Read the blog post Rita Wirtz holds a BA in English and Speech, a master’s degree in reading from Arizona State University (ASU), and...

Eavesdrop on a delightfully down-to-earth, insightful, and inspiring discussion with the head of ISTE about the exciting opportunities we have sitting in our laps and what we can do to make the most of the moment. Follow on Twitter: @ISTE @mrhooker @RCulatta @cmurcray @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Get the Book: Digital for Good Richard E. Culatta is the CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Prior to holding this position, he was the chief innovation...

We don’t like the term “learning loss,” and we see learning recovery as a pig with lipstick. But we know learning recovery mandates are coming our way. In this premiere episode of We Just Want to Teach, we begin our search for practical strategies for teaching a classroom full of students with widely different subject knowledge and unique emotional needs. Follow on Twitter: @heymrsbond @RitaWirtz @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Chanea Bond is a North Texas English and literacy...