Classroom Q and A

In this episode, we talk about the small ways we can adapt the way we teach that can have a big impact on students and their learning. We close by looking at the barriers to making these minute changes.

Follow on Twitter: @ValentinaESL @fromrooma212 @HolSpinny @larryferlazzo @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork

Holly Spinelli is a students’ rights activist with specific focuses in alternative, strengths-based pedagogical approaches where students’ voices serve as the catalyst for their education. She is a New York public high school teacher, an adjunct instructor at SUNY Orange County Community College, and an active member of the NCTE’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English.

Valentina Gonzalez is a Professional Development Specialist for ELLs in Katy, Texas and taught multiple grades as well as serving K-5 as an ESL specialty teacher and district program facilitator.

Ann Stiltner is a high school special education teacher. She received a master’s degree in special education from the University of Hartford and a certificate of advanced studies in literacy from Sacred Heart University. She writes the blog from Room A212 (annstiltner.com/blog).

It’s hard to believe that we’re still talking about pandemic learning, but here we are. So how much of what we learned are we actually applying as we head back to school this year?

Follow on Twitter: @helnvass @Dr_Kreisberg @therobsharvey @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork@Jonharper70bd

Dr. Robert S. Harvey is an educator and writer, faith leader, community connector, child advocate, and public scholar. Drawing upon lived experiences, ethical thought, and a bold vision for the future of human wellbeing, his leadership and writing has a threefold focus—love, justice, and hope—with young people at the heart. He is the Superintendent of East Harlem Scholars Academies, a community-based network of public charter schools (PreK-12th) in New York City; and Chief Academic Officer of East Harlem Tutorial Program, managing a multisite out-of-school time and postsecondary access and success program, public engagement, and a teaching residency. He is also a Visiting Professor in the Practice of Public Leadership at Memphis Theological Seminary.

Dr. Hilary Kreisberg is currently the director of the Center for Mathematics Achievement at Lesley University and the co-author of the books Partnering with Parents in Elementary Math: A Guide for Teachers and Leaders (2021) and Adding Parents to the Equation: Understanding Your Child’s Elementary School Math (2019), as well as the brand new K-5 curricular resource Let’s Talk Math: Engaging Students as Mathematical Thinkers (2021). Hilary has been featured on NPR Boston (WBUR) Radio, CBS Boston (WBZ) news, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Education Weekly, Boston Magazine, and the Lowell Sun. She is a frequent national, regional, and local speaker and has won over $2 million dollars in federal and private funding for mathematics education research.

Helen Vassiliou is a teacher at Adena Elementary in the Lakota Loca School district in West Chester, Ohio serving English language learners.

Most of us have never faced a pandemic on this scale, so there was much to learn and we did.  Of course, there were mistakes made and some that seem so obvious in the rearview mirror. In this episode, we take a candid look at what we missed and why?

Follow on Twitter: @delgadong94 @MCUSDSupe  @SelenaCarrion @mharvey607 @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork@Jonharper70bd

Altagracia (Grace) H. Delgado has been in field education for 26 years. She has worked as a bilingual teacher, literacy coach, and school administrator. In addition, she has written curriculum for Spanish Language Arts and English Language Development and is currently the Executive Director of Multilingual Services at Aldine ISD.

Selena A. Carrión (@SelenaCarrion) is an experienced classroom teacher, educator, writer, and activist working in NYC. She has worked with Teachers College, NYSED, NewSchools, and PBS. Her writing has been published in NCTE, Chalkbeat, and ACSD among other publications. Her work is grounded in critical pedagogies, anti-racist teaching, and the equitable transformation of our schools.

PJ Caposey is a speaker, leader and educator. PJ began his career as an award-winning teacher in the inner-city of Chicago and has subsequently led significant change in every administrative post he has held. PJ became a principal at the age of 28 and within three years was able to lead a small-town/rural school historically achieving near the bottom of its county to multiple national recognitions. After four years, PJ became a superintendent at Meridian CUSD 223. He is a best-selling author and has written 8 books for various publishers. His work and commentary has been featured on sites such as the Washington Post, NPR, CBS This Morning, ASCD, Edutopia, and the Huffington Post.

Marci Harvey teaches Integrated Science to 9th grade and Physics to upperclassmen at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School program in Winston Salem, NC.  She joined the faculty at UNCSA in 2017 after teaching at West Forsyth High School in the Winston Salem/Forsyth County district for 20 years. She currently chairs the faculty welfare committee at UNCSA and is a member of the NC Association of Educators and the NC Science Teachers Association.

As we gear up for another round of pandemic teaching and learning, we zero in on what will be needed to support students who learn differently.

Follow on Twitter: @fromrooma212 @amygdalayo @ElizabethLStein @TStudentsupport @SHSUHIED @larryferlazzo @jonHarper70bd@bamradionetwork

Dr. Ann H. Lê is a published author in a variety of educational journals and textbook chapters, as well as a guest speaker at statewide conferences, university forums, and radio show at Stanford University. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience at Baylor University, Masters of Education in Special Education and Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University. She currently serves as the Behavioral & Mental Health Program Specialist at Tomball ISD, an External Evaluator for teacher candidates in Texas, and a consultant to Texas-wide school districts in the special education assessment of Vietnamese students.

Amy Gaines is a Program Specialist with the William S. Hart Union High School District in sunny Santa Clarita, California. Amy has over 20 years of K-8 classroom teaching experience, primarily with students with special needs. She recently co-authored two book chapters, a supplemental chapter in What Really Works with Exceptional Learners (2017) by Corwin Press, and a chapter on HLP 1: Collaboration, in High-Leverage Practices in Special Education by Slack Publishing (slated for publication in 2022).

Ann Stiltner is a high school special education teacher. She received a master's degree in special education from the University of Hartford and a certificate of advanced studies in literacy from Sacred Heart University. She writes the blog from Room A212 (annstiltner.com/blog).

Elizabeth Stein is a special education and Universal Design for Learning instructional coach and consultant. She is the author of Two Teachers in the Room: Strategies for Co-Teaching Success (Routledge) and Elevating Co-Teaching through UDL (CAST).

In this episode, I check in with four teachers on their expectations and plans for the new school year. What developments, challenges, and silver linings do you see ahead? What do you now feel is more important and what matters less?

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Keisha Rembert is a passionate learner and fierce equity advocate. She is an award-winning educator who taught middle school ELA and United States History teacher for many years and now instructs future educators. She hopes to change our world one student at a time.

Sheila Wilson is a dynamic educator with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. She has over 3 decades of experience teaching elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education as an Adjunct Professor in the Teacher Leader program. Dr. Wilson earned her B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of New Orleans in Drama and Communications and Curriculum and Instruction. She earned her doctorate in K-12 School Leadership from Regent University. Her passion for working with students is evidenced in her selection as Teacher of the Year in 2015 and 2019 and most recently as Reading Teacher of the year in 2021. Dr. Wilson is leading change in education through her company AmplifyEd Educational Consulting as the Learning Architect by designing targeted content for adults as a mentor, presenter, dissertation coach, and online course facilitator.

Sarah Cooper teaches eighth-grade U.S. history and civics and is Associate Head of School at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada. She is the author of Making History Mine and Creating Citizens.

Questioning is an essential part of any classroom. Often, teachers are the ones asking the questions and student questions are simple and basic. In this episode, we talk about strategies to encourage students to ask deeper more higher-order questions.

@MBethNicklaus @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork, @Jonharper70bd @mrkevinparr

Mary Beth Nicklaus is a language arts teacher and reading specialist for Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School in Wisconsin. Kevin Parr is a first-grade teacher in Wenatchee, Washington and a 2014 ASCD Emerging Leader.

We’ve become more effective teachers by leaving isolation behind. Support when we’re struggling, professional development, improved well-being, and inspiration to do better are among the benefits of reaching out to other teachers for help. In this episode, we discuss specific ways to find and reach out to other educators.

Follow on Twitter: @ESL_fairy @2WardEquity @mharvey607 @ValentinaESL @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork@Jonharper70bd

Kimiko Shibata is an ESL/ELD Resource Teacher for the Waterloo Region District School Board, serving culturally and linguistically diverse students and their educators in 104 in-person elementary schools and 6 virtual elementary schools. Valentina Gonzalez is a Professional Development Specialist for ELLs in Katy, Texas and taught multiple grades as well as serving K-5 as an ESL specialty teacher and district program facilitator. Dr. Angela M. Ward is a public-school administrator with over 20 years of experience. She is focused on creating identity-safe schools and workplaces and strives daily to nurture equity-centered schooling. http://2wardequity.com/blog/. Marci Harvey teaches Integrated Science to 9th grade and Physics to upperclassmen at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School program in Winston Salem, NC. She joined the faculty at UNCSA in 2017 after teaching at West Forsyth High School in the Winston Salem/Forsyth County district for 20 years. She currently chairs the faculty welfare committee at UNCSA and is a member of the NC Association of Educators and the NC Science Teachers Association.

There is no shortage of opinions, suggestions, and advice on how to teach. What sources do you most and least trust for teaching advice?

Follow on Twitter: @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork, @readysetcoteach @Cris_galvaom @AndrewSharosAP

For those teachers struggling with gender-neutral terms and wondering how to appropriately support LGBTQ students, this episode provides some much-needed insight and guidance.

Follow on Twitter: @LatinaComm @leatherj14 @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork, @Jonharper70bd

Silvina Jover is an English-Spanish Social Studies educator at the secondary school level. Born in Argentina and raised in Uruguay, Silvina arrived in the U.S. in her adult years, started her career in the field of education in the state of Mississippi, and has now been teaching in Las Vegas, NV for the past five years, focusing on bringing Bilingual Education into her district and her state. She is currently in the last stages of her Ph. D. in Multicultural Education at UNLV. Jennica Leather is in her 16th year of teaching English, eleventh year of teaching ELD, and her eighth year as EL Coordinator at El Toro High School in Orange County, California.

We all know the many shortcomings of one-size-fits-all approaches to assessing student learning. In this episode, we focus on effective strategies for assessing English language learners. What works, what doesn’t?

Follow on Twitter: @CindyGarciaTX@margogottlieb @VMSimmons10 @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork, @Jonharper70bd

Cindy Garcia serves as the district-wide instructional specialist for Bilingual/ESL Mathematics PK-6 in Pasadena ISD. Cindy previously served as campus mathematics coach and bilingual third-grade teachers in PISD. Cindy writes a monthly blog about ways to support English Learners at www.teachingelementaryels.weebly.com. Vivian Micolta Simmons was born in Cali, Colombia, but relocated to the United States in 2013. She has been a teacher for 15 years (EFL, ESL, and Dual Immersion) and currently working as an ESL/DLI Lead Teacher for Iredell-Statesville Schools in NC. She holds a Masters in TESOL from Greensboro College and currently working on my Masters in School Administration with UNC Charlotte. Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D., is co-founder and lead developer for WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin- Madison. She has devoted her professional career to the education of multilingual learners, having published extensively and presented worldwide; her latest books include Assessing English language learners: Bridges to equity, Assessing multilingual learners: A month-by-month guide (2017, ASCD), and Language power: Key uses for accessing content.