Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works

Dr. Olivia Mullins returns to the podcast to discuss her work teaching science with primary grade students. We discuss how she is using research in improving students' reading comprehension in the science lessons.

LInks: 

Website: https://www.science-delivered.org/

X: Olivia Mullins (@oliviajune82) / X

Substack: Olivia Mullins | Substack

LinkedIn: (1) Olivia Mullins | LinkedIn
Books: Amazon.com: Experimenting With Science: Think, Test, and Learn! (Dummies Junior): 9781119291336: Mullins, Olivia J., Ph.D: Books

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

AJ Crabill explains that school boards should represent community values and set student outcome goals—not micromanage operations. Effective boards match words with actions by consistently monitoring learning data, while most fail by getting distracted from their core mission: ensuring children actually learn.

AJ Crabill serves as National Director of Governance at Council of the Great City Schools. He recently served as the Conservator at DeSoto (TX) ISD, as Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency, and as board chair of Kansas City (MO) Public Schools. The 3rd edition of his bestselling book, "Great On Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Become Effective” was released last month.

Links:
YouTube: Bing Videos

Website: Airick Journey Crabill | AJ Crabill | aj-crabill.com

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

In this episode, a friend of the podcast Bart Hoffman, interviews Frank Rodriguez and Gene Tavernetti about their new book and the importance of being more intentional about how technology is used in schools. They discuss the challenges educators face in balancing digital tools with meaningful human interaction in learning environments.

Digital Captives: Helping Schools Strike a Balance Between Humans and Hardware, written by Frank Rodriguez, Donna Smith, and Gene Tavernetti, explores how schools can thoughtfully integrate technology while keeping teaching, learning, and relationships at the center.

See bios for the authors at the Schools Next website.

www.schoolsnext.org

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

In this episode, I’m joined by Anjanette McNeely, an award-winning kindergarten teacher in Davis County, Utah, who is deeply committed to research-informed classroom practice. Anjanette focuses on translating educational research into practical strategies that help every student build strong foundations in literacy and mathematics.

She is LETRS-certified (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) and holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Instructional Design. In addition to her classroom work, Anjanette has served as a literacy coach and curriculum writer. She is currently a Goyen Literacy Foundation Fellow, where she continues to deepen her work advancing evidence-based literacy instruction.

Links:
Substack:  https://substack.com/@anjanettemcneely

X: Anjanette McNeely (@anjanettemcnee2) / X

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

In this episode, veteran school leader Joey Davis pulls back the curtain on the path to the principalship — and the reality of serving as “middle management” in today’s schools. We talk candidly about the highs, the hard days, and the constant balancing act between district expectations and supporting teachers and students.

Links:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram: mrwjdavis

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Oberle and Mitch Weathers join the conversation to explore the critical role of executive functions in early learning — and why they matter so much for young students. We discuss how skills like self-regulation, organization, and cognitive flexibility lay the foundation for long-term academic success.

We also dive into their new book, Executive Functions for Every K–3 Classroom: Promoting Self-Regulation for a Strong Start and unpack practical strategies teachers can use immediately to support students in developing these essential skills.

X/Twitter: 
Sarah: Sarah Oberle, Ed.D. (@s_oberle) / X

LinkedIn:
Sarah:  www.linkedin.com/in/drsarahoberle
Mitch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchweathers/

Facebook:
Mitch: https://www.facebook.com/organizedbinder

Instagram:
Mitch: https://www.instagram.com/organizedbinder/

Website:

Sarah: http://sarahoberle.com

Mitch: http://organizedbinder.com

Books:
Executive Functions for Every K-3 Classroom: Promoting Self-Regulation for a Strong Start
Executive Functions for Every Classroom, Grades 3-12: Creating Safe and Predictable Learning Environments

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

In this episode, Gene interviews Blake Harvard, Blake discussed his new book: Do I Have Your Attention: Understanding Memory Constraints and Maximizing Learning and what he teaches his students about learning.

01:36 Festival of Education and Presentation Highlights

06:25 Understanding Memory Constraints

07:45 Strategies for Effective Teaching

09:46 Application of Cognitive Psychology in the Classroom

13:57 High Expectations and Student Motivation

17:57 Practical Techniques: Brain Book Buddy Model

27:49 Pre-Service Teacher Advice

Rod made the move back to the classroom after years as a leadership and instructional coach. In this episode, he reflects on the surprises of returning to teaching—and how his experiences beyond the classroom shaped his transition. We talk specifically about how he has changed his writing instruction and his emphasis on student dialogue.

Resources:

The Literacy Cookbook (Sarah Tantillo)

literacycookbook.com/about-us.php

Inside Teaching: How Classroom Life Undermines Reform (Mary Kennedy)

Follow Rod on:

X/Twitter:  Rod (@rodjnaquin) / X

LinkedIn: (1) Rod Naquin | LinkedIn

Facebook: (2) Facebook

Substack: Rod J. Naquin | Substack

Podcast: Why I'm giving students the claims - Pocket Casts

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

Weston Kieschnick and I discuss teaching, coaching, leadership, relationship building, parenting, and the heavy burden of being funniest person in his family. This was a fun conversation with a great educator and a great guy.

X: Weston Kieschnick (@wes_kieschnick) / X

LinkedIn:  (1) Weston Kieschnick | LinkedIn

Facebook:  (3) weston kieschnick

Website:  https://westonkieschnick.com/

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here. 

Dave McAlinden is an instructional designer at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. In this episode, we start by clarifying a question many educators have: What does an instructional designer actually do? If you’ve ever taken an online course, you’ve already experienced the impact of instructional design—whether you realized it or not.

You can connect with Dave on LinkedIn: (2) Dave McAlinden | LinkedIn
Feel free to reach out—Dave enjoys engaging with educators and talking through ideas about teaching, learning, and instructional design.

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.