In Episode 135, Chey and Pav discuss the ever-growing challenge of large and complex classrooms. They talk about how difficult it is to teach with a large class, the benefits of having a smaller, more intimate classroom setting and how classroom complexities can add to the challenge. Fewer supports and resources for teachers also continue to make this an evolving issue. Chey and Pav share with listeners their upcoming book launch, for "Amplifying our Practice: Teachers Talking Teaching." If...

In Episode 134, Chey and Pav explore the timely topic of Cell Phones in the classroom. With the conversation of cell phone bans always looming over the educational setting, the Dynamic Duo contemplates whether we, as teachers, can actually cut out cell phones from the classroom environment. They discuss the pros and cons of cell phone use in schools, as well as bring up the systemic issues that exist alongside their usage. Oh, and there are many interesting twists and turns in the...

In Episode 133, Chey and Pav talk about how they have set up a unique student council this school year at the school where they teach. Leveraging student leadership and initiative, the council space is more than an avenue for fundraising and expressing school joy - it's also a space allow students to lead the way in creating a school culture that goes beyond what student council has done in years past. From Reading Buddies to Minecraft Camp to Coding Club - the vibrant groups is running it...

In Episode 132, Chey and Pav discuss the many ways they use photographs to create meaningful content in their learning spaces. From minds-on activities, to providing very deep and thoughtful insights about social justice topics, Chey and Pav use photographs and pictures in many different ways with a variety of content and context in the classroom. Give the episode a listen to see how you can utilize photos in your classroom space as well! Chey and Pav are always open and willing to engage...

In Episode 131, Chey and Pav reflect on how they've been implementing "Thinking Classrooms" in their respective learning spaces. The "Thinking Classroom" model has been coined by mathematician Dr. Peter Liljedahl and his work of creating math learning spaces that encourage students to think more with their math tasks. This problems based approach has several best practices attached to it (outlined by this edutopia post by Peter, himself) and Chey and Pav talk about a few of the first chapters...

In Episode 130, Chey and Pav speak with Salima Kassam, elementary school principal and anti-racist, anti-oppression educator from Ontario, Canada. Chey and Pav talk to Salima about her journey in education, in particular about her experiences with anti-racism and anti-oppression education, and the toll that it can take on well-being for educators. Salima tells us about the different ways that she has looked to take care of herself when this work becomes overwhelming, and how the way we...

In Episode 129, Chey and Pav reflect on their summer and discuss some of the ways they are getting ready for the new school year, as well as the goals they have for themselves professionally. Chey and Pav's return to the classroom this year means they are putting some of their new learning from being Learning Coaches into practice as they are with students this year. Listen to hear some of the ways they hope to be inspired by students and some of the new ideas they have to implement into...

In Episode 128, Chey and Pav speak with Paul Bloomberg, Vivett Dukes, Kara Vandas and Rachel Carrillo-Fairchild - a few of the incredible authors of the book "Amplify Learner Voice through Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Assessment." The guest quad along with the Dynamic Duo leave no stone unturned in this deep and insightful conversation, from discussing some of the discrepancies they have been seeing in educational spaces they were teaching in, to the vast amount of resources they have...

In Episode 127, Chey and Pav speak with Judy McKeown - anti-racist educator, consultant and professional learning facilitator. Chey and Pav talk to Judy about her experience with anti-racist, anti-oppressive, anti-colonial, and culturally responsive and relevant pedagogies, as well as her work in dismantling anti-Black racism, combatting white supremacy culture, and leading with an equitable stance in the educational space. Judy brings a wealth of knowledge to this conversation through her...

In Episode 126, Chey and Pav recap their past year as centrally assigned teachers, as well as some of the great work they've had the opportunity to engage in before their roles ended a few weeks ago. They discuss the many ways learning coaches impact the learning environments that they serve, and the incredible ways they support school communities. Chey and Pav are always open and willing to engage in meaningful chatter about educational topics, just like how to use OpenAI in the educational...

In Episode 125, Chey and Pav speak with Angela Stockman, teacher, instructional designer and author of the recent book, "Teacher's Guide to Multimodal Composition." The Dynamic Duo speaks with Angela about how she developed this Multimodal Writing design, and how it as evolved since its inception. They talk about Language Arts pedagogy, the benefits of honouring the process of writing and how it can look in its many modes. Angela talks about her work in instructional design and writers...

In Episode 124, Chey and Pav talk about their experience with open artificial intelligence - in this case, how they have been using ChatGPT as teachers. The AI chatbot has allowed for them to explore a number of ways to make planning, lesson-building and even feedback and assessment much more streamlined and efficient. The Dynamic Duo also discusses some of the ways they wish to use it going forward, as well as the potential pitfalls and negative consequences as well. Chey and Pav are always...

In Episode 123, Chey and Pav speak with Frank Bouchard, co-founder at Wipebook. The Dynamic Duo first became aware of Wipebook Flipcharts through professional development they were offered for math - Building Thinking Classrooms. Through the work of Peter Liljedahl, Chey and Pav learned about vertical classrooms and these dry-erase anchor charts that you can't help but be completely enamoured with! Speaking with Frank, Chey and Pav learned about the origins of the Wipebook brand as well as...

In Episode 122, Chey and Pav talk to Beth Lyons, teacher and one of the hosts of the podcast, "Read Into This." This conversation with Beth is the 2nd of a two part crossover episode - the first episode was featured on "Read Into This." Chey and Pav continue to talk with Beth about their new roles this year and what the transition was like, and continues to be like, now that they have made it past the half-way point of the school year. They tackle lots of current systemic and personal...

In Episode 121, Chey and Pav speak with Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad, author of "Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy" as well as her newest release, "Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction." Dr. Muhammad talks to Chey and Pav about the origins of the framework, the importance of Black literary societies on present and future education, and the connections between Joy and Hope....

In Episode 120, Chey and Pav talk about their "One Word" for 2023! Chey and Pav welcome a new year, and with that, comes a new WORD that is meaningful to to them and also guides their practice in the many aspects of their lives. For this year, that word is "Focus." The Dynamic Duo discuss the many reasons why this has been chosen to be their word, and they chat about how to manifest success through Focus this year.  Chey and Pav also go back and reflect on their word from 2022 - Responsive -...

In Episode 119, Chey and Pav talk about performative social justice work. Can our performative actions be a positive gateway to doing “THE WORK?” Chey and Pav discuss the many ways in which performative social justice work can be negative and potentially traumatizing for students and peers, but they also talk about how the performance can actually sometimes instil some positive change in educators.  Chey and Pav are always open and willing to engage in meaningful chatter about educational...

In Episode 118, Chey and Pav talk with Andrew Canle, an assistant principal, published author, doctoral student and small business owner from the New York Metropolitan area. Andrew talks about his newest venture - the Conversations with Charisma tabletop card games - aiming to help students build and participate in authentic conversations. This gamified way of building conversational skills has been shown to improve social and emotional learning as well as ways that students can engage with...

In Episode 117, Chey and Pav talk about the value of the Read-Aloud in the middle school classroom, and building engaging and meaningful tasks that can be done in conjunction with texts. The dynamic duo offers a few ideas on how to structure reading around chapter books and novels as shared readings, as well as picture books, and how they can be adapted to older grades as well as younger ones. The pair wraps up their thoughts by reinforcing the importance of reading aloud to children of all...

In Episode 116, Chey and Pav talk about relationship building and what it really looks like in classroom settings. Inspired by constant conversations on social media surrounding ideas such as "connections before content" or "relationships first," the Dynamic Duo felt compelled to share their ideas on the importance of establishing relationships through the meaningful content and curriculum they teach, and continuously working on building relationships over the course of the entire year. The...

In Episode 115, Chey and Pav talk about the concept of Quiet Quitting and how it impacts educational spaces. This idea of setting boundaries within a job setting has been getting lots of attention on social media lately, so Chey and Pav thought they would explore the topic a little bit further, providing their own personal insights on what this can look like for teachers and other educational professionals. Dive in to hear their thoughts, and as always, feel free to share yours with them on...

In Episode 114, Chey and Pav speak to Kristin Phillips, educator and retired elementary school principal from Toronto, Ontario. Kristin talks to the Dynamic Duo about her new book "For the Love of Learning: A Year in the Life of a School Principal" in which she chronicles a full school year through storytelling.  Kristin has worked closely with teachers and administrators at the school and board levels to bring about pedagogical reforms based on current research and practices.   "For the...

In Episode 113, Chey and Pav chat about how they are settling in for the summer, reflecting on the previous school year and talking about How to Start A Student-led podcast. Both Chey and Pav had experience with starting student-led podcasting in their respective schools this year, with different formats and for different purposes, but they utilized the same process and methodology to do so, and they share their successes and failures with each other in this episode. Chey and Pav walk us...

In Episode 112, Chey and Pav discuss an important community building practice, known as "Restorative Circles." They talk about an experience in the classroom that led them to explore their understanding of this relationship and trust reliant practice, and what some of the possible outcomes are of this endeavour. Chey and Pav discuss the importance as well as the necessary scaffolding that is necessary in order to engage in Restorative Practices, and humbly share their own vulnerabilities with...