AI tools are showing up everywhere in education, but most teachers don’t have the time to experiment with every new platform that promises transformation.

In this episode, I talk with Ken Rafanan about his work co-hosting TERC Tech Talks, a video podcast series that tests AI tools so educators don’t have to. We explore what happens when you move from reacting to AI hype to actually putting tools through their paces. Ken shares what he’s learned about discernment, practical implementation, and how hosting these conversations has shaped his own thinking about teaching and learning.

If you’re trying to make wise decisions about technology without chasing every new trend, this conversation offers clarity, perspective, and grounded insight. Plus, the Physical Media of the Episode, the movie, Swingers.

Show notes for the episode can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode138.

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Learning to teach better means rethinking some of the practices we’ve inherited - including grammar instruction. For many of us, grammar carries a reputation for red ink, rigid rules, and student shutdown. But what if grammar could actually strengthen voice and clarity instead of suppressing it?

In this conversation, I talk with Patty McGee about her book, Not Your Granny’s Grammar: An Innovative Approach to Meaningful Grammar Instruction, and how teachers can reimagine grammar instruction as something empowering, practical, and connected to authentic writing. We explore how grammar fits into writing instruction, how feedback can build confidence rather than compliance, and what it looks like to treat grammar as a tool for meaning-making.

If you’re trying to balance rigor with encouragement—and want students to see grammar as something that serves their ideas—this conversation offers both clarity and concrete strategies. Plus, the Physical Media of the Episode, the book, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.

Show notes can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode137

Learning to teach better with the ProgressED Pathways Team—Sarah DiMaria, Carlee Madis, and Sheila Orr. These math educators and Knowles Senior Fellows share how their collaboration fuels progressive STEM instruction and they share the supports they’ve created to help teachers grow. This is a lively conversation full of insight, practical ideas, and inspiration for any educator. Plus the Album of the Episode, Made by these Moments, by The Red Clay Strays.

Show notes can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode136

Learning to teach better with Dr. Zandra De Araujo (University of Florida), Sam Otten (University of Missouri), and Amber Candela (University of Missouri - St. Louis) as they share their work around incremental change in the mathematics classroom through Instructional Nudges in Practice-Driven Professional Development. Plus the Movie of the Episode, Hoosiers.

Show notes can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode135/

Learning to teach better with Dr. JJ Peterson in his return to Amidon Planet to talk about the power of love, joy, and clear communication in leadership and life. In this wide-ranging conversation, JJ reflects on lessons from C.S. Lewis, the importance of leading with heart, and how clarity in messaging can transform the way we connect, serve, and teach others. We also dive into his new podcast, Badass Softie, where he explores what it means to be strong and tender in a world that often values one over the other.

Join us for a thoughtful and joy-filled episode about the courage to lead, love, and live with authenticity. Plus the Movie of the Episode, Rad.

Show notes can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode134

Learning to teach better as I consider book, Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise by Horst Shulze, cofounder and former president of the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company. Plus, some mailbag responses and the Album of the Episode, Guns and Roses’s Appetite for Destruction.

Show notes can be found at https://amidonplanet.com/episode133/

Learning to teach better as Joel shares an extended, uncut version of his University of Wisconsin Rugby Club Hall of Fame reflections. From rucks and scrums to the classroom, Joel explores how the lessons from great coaches and a great game continue to shape the way he teaches and learns.

Show notes for the episode can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode132

Learning to teach better with Dr. Leah Tiisler as she shares her dissertation research on how board and card games can help kindergarten students build math confidence and prevent early struggles with learning. Plus the Album of the Episode, Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen.

Show notes for the episode can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode131

Learning to teach better with Dr. Nicole Roberson, Instructor in Secondary Science Education and Director of the AP STEM Access Program at the University of Mississippi, as we discuss her journey from research to real-world impact. Nicole’s dissertation, Exploring the Relationship Between Mentoring by Subject Matter Experts and Teacher Self-Efficacy, grew out of her desire to solve a real problem—how to bring Advanced Placement courses to students in rural schools who often don’t have access. In this conversation, she shares what she learned, the difference content mentoring can make for teachers, and how her work is opening doors for students who deserve more opportunities.

Plus the Album of the Episode, Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer.

Show notes can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode130/

Learning to teach better with Dr. Eva Thanheiser, Professor and Chair of the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Portland State University, and Dr. Courtney Koestler, Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Ohio University, as we discuss the book they edited, Building Community to Center Equity and Justice in Mathematics Teacher Education, the newest volume in the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) Professional Book Series.

This is part two of a two-part series. In the first episode, Dr. Jen Wolfe and I discussed our two chapters in the book. In this episode, we have the opportunity to speak with the editors themselves about the vision behind the text and how it all came together.

Plus, the Album of the Episode, Hey Jude by The Beatles.

Show notes for the episode can be found at amidonplanet.com/episode129/.