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. ------------------- You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips. ------------------- Thanks to The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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...

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

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...

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. ------------------- You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips. ------------------- Thanks to CommonLit for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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...

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. ---------- You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips. ------------------- Thanks to CommonLit for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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...

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.  ------------------- Thanks to CoderZ and Hapara for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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. ---------- You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips. ------------------- Thanks to Edulastic for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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. ------------------- Thanks to CoderZ and Pear Deck for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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.  ---------- You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips. ------------------- Thanks to Edulastic for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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. ------------------- Thanks to CoderZ and Edulastic for sponsoring this episode. ...

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. ------------------- Thanks to Pear Deck for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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.  ------------------- Thanks to Pear Deck and Spinndle for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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. ------------------- Thanks to Pear Deck for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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.  ------------------- Thanks to Pear Deck and Spinndle for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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. ...

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. ------------------- Thanks to Stash101 for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

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