Classroom Q and A

Join us as we ask our guests to clarify the meaning of culturally responsive instruction and provide their best strategies for making culturally responsive instruction work in your classroom.

Follow on Twitter:@ ValentinaESL @jAPMcDizzle @EngageReaders @rpdelcastillo

@larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork

Lisa Stringfellow has taught middle school English for over 24 years. In her work, she focuses on culturally responsive literacy and issues of equity and social justice in the classroom. She currently teaches 5th and 6th grade English at The Winsor School in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Rocio del Castillo began her career as a school psychologist in Peru and has dedicated her professional career to being an advocate for educational equity and social justice. She currently serves as Assistant Superintendent for Special Services in Huntley Community School District 158 and as an adjunct professor. Maurice McDavid is serving as assistant principal at Cortland Elementary School, one of the bilingual schools in the DeKalb, IL school district. As a former middle school Spanish and social studies teacher, he worked with diverse groups of students on diverse curriculum. 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.

Reading and writing are synergistic when taught in tandem. Join us as we discuss instructional strategies for pairing the two.

Follow on Twitter: @irina_mcgrath @michelleshory @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork

Author and Teacher, Laura Robb has written more than 25 books on literacy. She returns to the classroom for 3 to 4 months each year and has been awarded the 2016 Richard W. Halle Award by NCTE-- for outstanding Middle Level Educator. Irina V. McGrath, Ph.D. is a District Instructional Coach and Google Certified Trainer in Jefferson County Public School (JCPS), KY. She is also a co-director of the Louisville Writing Project (LWP) and the University of Louisville adjunct who teaches Literacy and ESL methods courses. Michelle Shory, Ed.S. is a District Instructional Coach and Google Certified Trainer in Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville, KY. She is passionate about literacy and helped establish Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Louisville.

For years we were encouraged to be colorblind. As it turns out if we don’t see race we miss a whole constellation of things that are vital to teaching students.

Follow on Twitter: @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork @CindyGarciaTX @ashlm_12

Ashley McCall serves as a 3rd grade bilingual English/Language Arts teacher at César Chávez Multicultural Arts Center on the south west side of Chicago and serves as a teacher representative on the Chávez Local School Council. She works to incorporate social justice/civic engagement experiences and elevate student voice throughout the year as evidenced by her students’ recent culminating activism unit project “Say it Loud/Dilo Fuerte” which seeks to rewrite students’ neighborhood narrative. Cindy Garcia is a bilingual educator & Bil/ESL Math PK-6 District Instructional Specialist. Makeda Brome is an Assistant Principal at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy in Fort Pierce, Florida. This year is her first year as an Assistant Principal. Previously she was an Instructional Coach for Mathematics for two years and a classroom teacher for 7 years.

Our guests say that connecting our classroom lessons to current events makes learning more relevant, engaging, and meaningful to students. Join us as we look at the dos and don’t s for effectively teaching with current events.

Follow on Twitter: @Mrs_Koppers @suzieboss @bamradionetwork

Kristen Koppers, NBCT, MA is a blogger, presenter, author, self-published author, and high school educator as well as an adjunct professor at a local junior college. She has been teaching for more than seventeen years and is currently teaching high school English in Illinois. She is a National Board Certified Teacher with a Master’s degree in English and a second Master’s degree in Education Administration. Kristen wrote the book Differentiated Instruction in the Teacher Profession. Suzie Boss, education writer and consultant, is the author of several books, including Reinventing Project-Based Learning and Bringing Innovation to School. She is a regular contributor to Edutopia and the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and a member of the Buck Institute for Education National Faculty.

Who are long term English language learners?  What contributes to their extend classification as ELLs? What unique needs do these students have and what strategies can we use to support them? Antoinette Perez has more than ten years of experience working with English Language Learners of all levels, including extensive experience with international and adult learners. She has worked in California and Georgia at schools with high percentages of ELs, which motivated her to obtain TEFL certification. Aubrey Yeh is the Coordinator of Language Arts & Humanities in the East Network, overseeing art, music, theatre, dance, PE, health, world languages, social studies, and language arts for K-12 students in the Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colorado. Prior to this, she served as an Education Technology Specialist, Tabitha Pacheco is a National Board Certified Teacher in Exceptional Needs. She has ten years of classroom experience in public, charter, and digital education settings as a Teacher, Instructional Coach, Mentor, Special Education Director, and Educational Consultant. In 2013, she was awarded the Utah State Office of Education “Significant Disabilities Teacher of the Year” for outstanding leadership and commitment to students with disabilities.

What are restorative practices? How do they differ from traditional school discipline? What is required to do restorative practices effectively?

Follow on Twitter: @larryferlazzo @Wilson1Sheila @TimothyHiltonCG @jAPMcDizzle

Dr. Sheila Wilson is a passionate educator who has been privileged to work with every level of learner: elementary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate during her three decades in education. A native of New Orleans, she has served in private and public education settings in Louisiana and Virginia. Maurice McDavid is serving as assistant principal at Cortland Elementary School, one of the bilingual schools in the DeKalb, IL school district. As a former middle school Spanish and social studies teacher, he worked with diverse groups of students on diverse curriculum. Timothy Hilton is a Climate and Culture Specialist with Fresno Unified School District where he coaches teachers on classroom management and class climate. Timothy has over 10 years of classroom teaching experience at every level of social studies ranging from Advanced Placement to English Language Development.  Timothy is currently a doctoral candidate at Claremont Graduate University in the field of Educational Policy, Evaluation, and Reform.

Writing and reading are interconnected.  In this episode, we explore teaching strategies that mutually support reading and writing instruction.

Follow on Twitter: @MBethNicklaus @SLC_Literacy @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork

Mary K. Tedrow, an award-winning high school English teacher, now serves as the Director of the Shenandoah Valley Writing Project. Her book, Write, Think, Learn: Tapping the Power of Daily Student Writing Across the Content Area is available through Routledge. Tony Zani is a literacy coach in the Salt Lake City School District.  He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership. Tony is a National Board Certified Teacher with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. Mary Beth Nicklaus is a language arts teacher and reading specialist for Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School in Wisconsin.

What makes a math lesson exceptional? What are the inputs and markers of a good outcome? In the episode, we ask teachers to share their best math lessons and unpack what made them so good.

Follow on Twitter: @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork  @bkobett @AveryZachery1

Avery M. Zachery graduated from Georgia State University with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education in 2009.  In 2015, she graduated from Georgia State University with an M.Ed. in Reading Language and Literacy and holds endorsements in Mathematics, Reading, ESOL (English Speakers of other Languages) and Gifted. Beth McCord Kobett, EdD, is an associate professor in the School of Education at Stevenson University, where she works with preservice teachers and leads professional learning efforts in mathematics education both regionally and nationally. Jill Henry teaches Problem-Based Algebra II and is the head coach of the Girls Cross Country Program at Flintridge Preparatory School in the Los Angeles area.

How does teaching and learning change when we shift our attention from student deficits to student assets?  What are the challenges? How do we surmount them?

Follow on Twitter @larryferlazzo @cjnguyen10 @DrYemiS @LarryWalker2 @bamradionetwork 

Carmen Nguyen is currently a Professional Development Specialist for ELs. Her passion for advocating for English learners and their families stems from my own experience as an immigrant and language learner. She supports educators by providing professional development that is founded on research-based instructional strategies to help ensure educational equity for all students. Adeyemi Stembridge, Ph.D. is an educational consultant specializing in equity-focused school-improvement. He is a coach and thought-partner to teachers and administrators with an interest in the design of culturally responsive systems and learning experiences for students. Dr. Larry J. Walker is an Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education, University of Central Florida. He has an extensive teaching, research and policy background. He served as the Legislative Director for former Congressman Major R. Owens. Dr. Walker has authored/co-authored several journal articles and book chapters.

Instructional coaching can be a big asset or a stressful experience for teachers and coaches.  In this episode we look at how to make instructional coaching work  for teachers and coaches

Follow on Twitter: @larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork @MathCarrie @SydneyChaffee @CindyGarciaTX

Carrie Johnson is a mathematics coach at Rose Park Elementary in Salt Lake City School District.  She began teaching in Salt Lake City School District in 2008 with a passion to support high levels of learning in urban Title One schools.  Carrie has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Utah. Go Utes! Sydney Chaffee teaches 9th grade Humanities at Codman Academy in Boston, MA, and is the 2017 National Teacher of the Year.