On this final episode in this series on More Than Mentoring, we welcome Arizona K12 Center Executive Director Daniela Robles and Assistant Director of Induction and Mentoring Kathleen Paulsen back to the podcast.

They reflect on themes through this season and discuss the role of mentors and what formal mentorship means for the enhanced practice and sustainability of educators across Arizona. 

Daniela recognizes how there is both an art, that includes the relationship component of mentoring, and a science, that leans into data collection and student learning, to mentoring. Balancing these appropriately requires intellectual preparation, she notes. Daniela and Kathleen then unpack what intellectual preparation is and what that looks like for both mentors and the teachers they mentor.

Daniela and Kathleen close this episode by sharing their encouragement and thoughts as we close one school year and look ahead to the next.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

On this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, we continue our conversation with mentor Inez Ramirez, NBCT, from Maricopa Unified School District — this time, with one of her teacher mentees, Anthony Gonzalez. 

Through the episode, Inez and Anthony share with host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, and discuss with each other how they worked together through the past year and the ways Inez’ instructional mentoring support has had a deep impact on Anthony and his students.

Inez and Anthony’s conversation centers on some specific ways that they have been working to strengthen Anthony’s instructional practices. This dynamic mentor-mentee duo guides us through their year-long learning journey together and touches on specific elements of Anthony’s practice that they have focused on to create a more engaging environment for students and strengthen the impact of Anthony’s teaching on his students.

The podcast closes with Anthony reflecting on the past school year and the ways he has built his “toolbox.” He shares with us how others are helping him to reflect and continue to grow as he learns how to apply new skills in his instructional practice. Anthony reminds us of the importance of reflection as we continue to grow and evolve as professionals and calls us to be open to learning and talking about our practice.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

On this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, you will meet Inez Ramirez, NBCT, a mentor with the Maricopa Unified School District. Inez walks us through her role as an instructional mentor for beginning teachers and the ways mentoring supports teachers in her district. She shares how she not only differentiates the support she provides but the various ways that she meets the needs of her mentees and maximizes their time spent connecting. Host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, and Inez reinforce that the mentor-mentee support structures are built on trusting relationships. 

As a mentor through the Arizona K12 Center's Arizona New Teacher Support Program, Inez worked on a case study about her mentorship of one teacher in particular this past year. She shares a bit about how she worked with that teacher, Anthony Gonzalez. Inez also provides advice on how to avoid stressors that are inevitable for teachers. Anthony's growth demonstrates the ways instructional mentoring can help strengthen the impact of early career educators. 

Be sure to tune in to the next episode when we will hear from both Inez and her mentee Anthony about their work together through the past year.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to further explore and apply the power of mentoring. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about Joellen Killion's work Are You Coaching Heavy or Light? and Coaching heavy, coaching light: How to deepen professional practice. 

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center's professional learning opportunities and mentoring and induction support at azk12.org.

So far in this series on More Than Mentoring, we’ve been talking about mentoring you receive as a classroom teacher. On today’s episode, we step inside Northern Arizona University’s College of Education and talk with two faculty about how they mentor student teachers.

 Bobby Macias and Ashley Esparza are both teach and support pre-service educators at NAU. They share with host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, about the current realities of supporting pre-service educators and the conversations they are having with those they support. As we explore the mentoring components of pre-service support, Bobby talks about reflective practice and the ways educators strive to meet the needs of every student. Ashley discusses how to model authentic reflection in practice as a way of making this practice more authentic for pre-service students. 

Ashley and Bobby also provide a deep dive into how they support pre-service educators and the incredibly rich experience that students in NAU’s education programs have an opportunity to experience. They detail the collaborative supports available to pre-service educators in order to help them be fully prepared for a successful entry into their career. Juliana also explores what Ashley and Bobby have had the opportunity to learn as they mentor future educators and the ways in which we are learning to sustain educators and teachers in classrooms. Bobby and Ashley wrap up this episode with how they feel that mentorship supports educators in the field and the impact that this has on students.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about the NAU education program at nau.edu/college-education.

Learn more about mentoring and educator support offered by the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Emmett Burnton and Ryan Donovan are two teachers both working in the social studies department at Boulder Creek High School in Deer Valley Unified School District. Not only colleagues, Emmett and Ryan have become mentors and coaches for each other. In today’s episode, 3Ps in a Pod hosts Kathleen Paulsen, NBCT, and Marlys Weaver talk with these outstanding educators about how they mentor each other to be their professional best and continue to evolve their practice.

Both teachers were also recognized for their teaching practice by the Arizona Educational Foundation. Emmett is the 2025 AEF Teacher of the Year, while Ryan is a 2025 AEF Ambassador for Excellence.

Emmett and Ryan share with Kathleen and Marlys how they connected at Boulder Creek and how their strengths differ and compliment each other. They also reflect on other educators and moments that guided their teacher development.

Both teachers explore in depth how they work to develop intentional and thoughtful lessons and assessments. They discuss their reflective practice and how it has positively impacted students. 

Emmett calls us to think about mentorship in a way that creates deep relationships. These relationships help us really see our students and our peers in meaningful ways. Ryan shares about the value of protected time for collegial support and mentoring and the professional growth that results. He asks us to think about a mentor relationship as an opportunity for open dialogue and not about spending time focusing on deficits.  

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Here are a couple additional resources mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Carol Dweck's on growth mindsets

• About Parker J. Palmer

• The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life by Parker J. Palmer

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Join Kathleen Paulsen, assistant director of induction and mentoring at the Arizona K12 Center, as she connects with long-time educator and author Joellen Killion. They take a deep look at mentoring and induction and talk about what continues to inspire and drive Joellen’s work.

Joellen is a renowned leader in education with 30 years of experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of professional learning. Joellen has served as a senior advisor to Learning Forward and is also the author of several books. On the podcast, Kathleen specifically discusses Joellen’s article “Coaching Light Coaching Heavy” and how it informed and changed the way in which she views mentoring, induction, and her own professional learning.

Joellen starts the podcast by talking about the magic that results from high-quality professional learning and the impact that this has on students. She also talks about her “why” and what pushes her to continue to support the field.

Joellen and Kathleen discuss the feedback element in the professional growth process and the impact that this can have both on teachers and students. Joellen calls us to start by asking the person we are in community with what they would like to learn? This can be an entry point that leads to greater results and deeper understanding.

Joellen also pushes us to think past not only using teacher retention as a measure of success, but to look at measuring the success of a mentoring program through the student's success. She explains to Kathleen what this could look like in practice and how making students the primary goal of mentoring might play out in school buildings. Kathleen also emphasizes the delicate balance of building mentor-mentee relationships as well as supporting students in the classroom through mentees. 

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about Joellen’s work through some of these links:

• Original Article: Are You Coaching Heavy or Light? by Joellen Killion

• Updated Article: Coaching heavy, coaching light: How to deepen professional practice by Joellen Killion

• Assessing Impact: Evaluating Professional Learning by Joellen Killion

• The Feedback Process: Transforming Feedback for Professional Learning by Joellen Killion

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Dr. Andy Kahn of Understood.org returns to 3Ps in a Pod to talk about what to know about students with learning and thinking differences and also how mentors can help teachers in supporting these students, all on this third episode of our series on More Than Mentoring.

Dr. Kahn asks both teachers and mentors to have a working knowledge of our classroom and students in a holistic and meaningful way. Mentoring cannot only help teachers prepare for the content and logistical elements of what needs to be delivered in the classroom but also for the emotional aspect as well. Mentoring is a way to support a growth mindset, set teachers on a path for success, and set students on a successful path of learning and growing as well, he shares.

3Ps Host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, and Dr. Kahn also explore Universal Design of Learning and how this approach can support early career teachers as well. Dr. Kahn provides realistic examples of how UDL can be applied to our practice to support learners and mentees and create environments that help to remove the stigma some students experience and lower demands teachers may experience.

Dr. Kahn reinforces the idea of modeling what we expect from our learners. He asks us to stay mindful of modeling how we navigate through moments of need or dysregulation and navigate executive functions; we are establishing the environment that we hope our learners and mentees will feel comfortable demonstrating back. Dr. Kahn asks us to evaluate our practice: if we are asking mentees or learners to do more than we are willing to do ourselves, then we need to reassess and determine what we are asking and why.

Dr. Kahn leaves us with thoughts around flexibility that unlock learning opportunities that will serve our students in ways that help them feel safe, engaged and support lifelong learning. 

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use this reflection guide to further explore how you can connect this episode to your work.

Learn more about the resources mentioned in this podcast at understood.org.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Join host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, on this episode of 3Ps in a Pod as she connects with Sarah Brown Wessling, NBCT, an Iowa-grown educator who is as passionate as ever about what she does and finding ways to make deep connections. In this second episode of our series “More Than Mentoring,” Sarah explains how she collapses the space between mentor and teacher in order to be in a collaborative relationship with her mentees. 

Sarah Brown Wessling is a high school English teacher and the director of the National Teacher of the Year program, which gives her the opportunity to work with the state teachers of the year. She is a fierce advocate for the profession and a mentor who embodies curiosity and kindness.

Sarah pushes us to explore our teaching identity and to examine how we mentor teachers to ensure we aren’t telling teachers how to establish a teaching identity but supporting them in discovering their own teaching identity through reflection. She also explains why and how she crafts invitations for learning and how that impacts trust, autonomy, respect, and community. 

Sarah and Juliana talk deeply about developing relationships and how limiting our idea of mentoring to specifically timed meetings can limit those relationships. Mentors, whether working with students or adults, should consider establishing connection points that allow for rolling and continuous conversations. Sarah coaches us to be the most interested person in the room and ask questions that will support growth. She shares that questions are like “pulleys” and, when we are genuinely curious, questions pull us closer. 

Don’t forget that Sarah reminds us that listening is leadership and a gift. Often those we are listening to have the answer in themselves and just need the encouraging nudge of hearing their words back to them to know they are seen and that they are moving in the right direction.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore your approach to mentoring. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org. 

Welcome to this new 3Ps in a Pod series on More Than Mentoring!

In this first episode, host Marlys Weaver welcomes Arizona K12 Center Executive Director Daniela Robles and Assistant Director of Induction and Mentoring Kathleen Paulsen to explore instructional mentoring, how it’s different than coaching, and what this work can do for teachers, mentors, and school communities.

Kathleen and Daniela both share how they came to instructional mentoring before actually having the title of a mentor or coach, either by reaching out to help new teachers in their school or to support National Board Certification candidates. They also share about what they see as the differences between instructional mentoring and coaching and how expanding and enhancing habits of mind through mentoring allows us to better serve all students.  

As Kathleen and Daniela unpack what it means to be a successful mentor, they walk through the role of the mentor, the support they provide, and why mentoring training is a critical element in ensuring mentors are prepared to support other adults in their building. Being a successful mentor is not about the mentor's success in the classroom but about helping other teachers realize their classroom rhythm and finding success in their classroom. 

Daniela asks listeners to reflect on our life's work as education professionals. She asks us to reflect on who we are, how teacher leadership transfers inside and outside the walls of our classrooms, and to be mindful of staying assets-focused. Kathleen shares about how consistency is mentoring support across a system is what can have exponential impact on teachers and systems and encourages listeners to examine their systems.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use this episode-specific reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location.

Here are links to resources mentioned in this episode and additional resources to expand your learning.

• Arizona Beginning Teacher Induction Standards

• Jim Knight

• Elena Aguilar

• Article: The Arizona K12 Center’s Approach to “Robust Mentoring” in Induction 

• Podcast: What’s All the Hype about Cognitive Coaching?

• Original Article: Are You Coaching Heavy or Light? by Joellen Killion

• Updated Article: Coaching heavy, coaching light: How to deepen professional practice by Joellen Killion

• Arizona K12 Center's Approach to Induction and Mentoring
• Arizona K12 Center Customized Support for Induction and Mentoring

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

We’ll have a full season of 3Ps in a Pod starting soon. In the meantime, here’s a special episode of 3Ps in a Pod with Ken Shelton, an expert on artificial intelligence (AI) in education and author of The Promises and Perils of AI in Education: Ethics and Equity Have Entered the Chat.

Marlys Weaver of the Arizona K12 Center and Dr. LeeAnn Lindsey of the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy, co-host this episode. Dr. Lindsey also co-hosted the four-part AI in Education podcast series last spring and was part of the team that created the guide Generative Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education: Guidance for Arizona Schools and School Systems.

Ken has worked in education for more than 20 years and holds a Master of Arts in education with a specialization in educational technology as well as new media design and production. Generative AI, he explains, does have both benefits and significant challenges. He explores several of the issues with AI. Many of these grow out of AI being built by humans, who bring their own perspectives and biases. This not only can include AI programs being built by teams with a lack of diversity in general but also education AI programs being build by teams that include few or no classroom practitioners. For educators to use generative AI programs responsibly to support students, those programs must be designed for our learners’ reality.

When people use AI without understanding the biases that can come with a particular program, that AI tool can cause more harm than good, Ken explains. He shares newsworthy examples of chatbots that have shared incorrect and troublesome information with students. This leads into a conversation about how educators select AI tools. Often, educators may select AI tools because students may seem more engaged with technology, but Ken offers several questions educators can use when deciding when and how to use AI. These include asking why you’re using a tool or program in a particular way, “What is the learning, experiential or educational goal or purpose of using an AI tool?” and “What problem does this solve that you can’t address with other available resources?”

Ken and Dr. Lindsey also discuss how “performatively engaging” technology can be for students. Ken recommends that educators do not confuse activity with engagement. AI tools can appear “fun,” as Dr. Lindsey notes, but to be used responsibly and effectively, Ken states that educators must frame AI use around educational goals and the experiences educators want students to have to reach those goals. 

Ken closes the episode talking about the things that AI can do better than humans and what humans will always be able to do better than AI. He then shares the positives that can come from AI use in schools. 

At an upcoming series on AI in Education, Ken Shelton will work with teachers in going beyond the tips and tricks of AI use and building an ethical approach that serves all students. Learn more and register at azk12.org/AIinEd.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.