Classroom Q and A

We've all taught good lessons and we've all taught bad lessons. What Makes a Good Social Studies Lesson? In this episode, we look at how to create a compelling and effective social studies lesson and offer some tips and strategies.

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Deborah Gatrell is National Board Certified Teacher and Utah Teacher Fellow alumni in Granite School District. She serves as the Social Studies department chair and a Mentor for new teachers in her building. Deborah teaches 9th grade World Geography and 10th grade AP European History. Denise Fawcett Facey was a classroom teacher for more than two decades and now writes on education issues. Among her books, The Social Studies Helper offers activities and projects that make social studies more vibrant and engaging for secondary-level students. Throughout his 35 years as an educator in the Bloomfield Hills School District, Carina Whiteside is an educator that is passionate about teaching social studies for civic engagement and social justice. She is a member of the Hope Street Group Utah Teacher Fellows which works to build connections between classroom teachers and policymakers who will benefit all students. Mark Honeyman devoted himself to encouraging his students to embrace their voices and their power as change agents in the world around them. 450 of his students gained recognition for their writing, winning nearly $60,000 in scholarships and awards.

Join us as we try to better understand the difference between treating students fairly and treating students equally through practical examples of each.

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Dr. Julia Cloat is President of Via Educational Consulting and an Adjunct Professor at Northern Illinois University. Julia spent over 25 years serving in Public School Districts in roles including Literacy Specialist, Instructional Coach, RtI/MTSS Coordinator, and Curriculum Director. 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. Her teaching is centered in anti-racist, anti-bias, and anti-oppression facilitation.

Education technology can be both an asset and a liability in the same classroom. In this segment, we ask teachers how they determine when to use education technology and when to pass.

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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. Anne Jenks is the principal of a TK - 5 elementary school in Oxnard, California. She is a Leading Edge Certified teacher and the 2015 CUE Site Leader of the Year.

How can we refine the way we think about grading and implement grading with our students? Our guest offers a strategy that aligns the grading with the way students naturally learn.

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Al Gonzalez is a 6th grade Science Teacher working at Chimacum Middle School. He is an Early Adolescent Generalist National Board Certified Teacher who has been teaching kids in grades 4 through 8 for the past 25 years.

What are the indicators and markers of authentic effective student engagement? Join us as we go down the list. How many are present in your classroom?

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Cathy Beck is currently the Superintendent of Cheatham County Schools in Middle Tennessee. She is the author of Easy and Effective Professional Development, and Leading Learning for ELL Students. Kathy Dyer is Manager of Innovation and Learning for the Professional Learning team at NWEA. She has more than 25 years of experience in education, many spent designing and facilitating learning opportunities for educators. Coaching teachers and school leadership on getting better at what they do is her passion. Sarah Said is the Director of English Learning at Chicago Ridge School District. Sarah manages three different bilingual programs in Arabic, Spanish, and Polish and she has been a teacher, Dean of Curriculum and EL Director. Sarah Said has spent years overseeing ELL programming in schools in Illinois. She is a Director of Language and Equity programs, she is also a contributor for ELL Confianza is also a course writer for English Learner portal. Samantha Cortez is a bilingual mathematics teacher from Pasadena ISD (TX) where she has five years of experience teaching young mathematicians in Grades 1 and 3. Samantha is a contributing author to one of Dr. Nicki Newton’s books, Mathematizing Your School.

Why does student agency matter anyway? In this episode, we'll explore the importance of student agency and why it matters more than ever in today's classroom. We'll close with useful tips that can provide a jumpstart for educators.

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Keisha Rembert is a passionate learner who is social justice and equity-focused always.  She has taught middle school ELA and United States History and now teaches preservice teachers. Laurie Manville is an ELD teacher and Instructional Coach at Brookhurst Junior High in Anaheim Union High School District. She enjoys helping her students figure out what they are meant to do in life and guiding teachers in lesson design creation. Sarah Ottow is the founder and CEO of Confianza. In the US, she has served as a classroom teacher to inner-city students, ESL teacher to marginalized neighborhood communities and bilingual reading specialist. She is the author of The Language Lens for Content Classrooms: A Guide for K-12 Educators of English and Multilingual Learners.

Writing just for a grade and achieving excellent grammar and context may not be the only benefit to writing for our classrooms. In this episode, we’ll find new ways that students can truly benefit from writing for an audience beyond the classroom.

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Katherine Schulten was editor-in-chief of The New York Times Learning Network from 2006-2018. (She is still a contributing editor there part-time, but is also working on a book based on student writing from the site.) Before coming to The Times, Katherine was a high school English teacher in Brooklyn for 10 years, then spent another nine years as a literacy consultant in public schools all over New York City. Born and raised Miami girl, who is passionate about world cultures, tasty food and inspiring others, Titiana Esteban is a lifelong learner (currently weighing options for a doctoral degree) and has been teaching for 15 years. In 2007 earned a BS Ed in Elementary Education K-6 with an endorsement in ESOL from Florida International University and in 2010 completed a MS Ed from Nova Southeastern University in Curriculum and Instruction. Kelly Love came to teaching as a second career, and has taught middle school for 13 years, and is moving to an alternative high school for her 14th year. She is an artist, writer, and teacher. Usually all three at the same time. She and her thoughts on education can be found at https://blog0rama.com/, where she is a curious curator of creative content.

Classroom management can be a challenge, especially if you are just starting out and uncertain of the power struggles that can emerge. Today’s guests share their mistakes of dos and definite don’ts.

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Gabriella Corales obtained her Bachelors in English and Communication Studies from Texas State University and her Masters in Education from Stanford University and is a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Teaching Fellowship. She's taught in California and Florida, working with first-generation college students, hailing from low-income backgrounds. Rita Platt is the author of Working Hard, Working Happy: Cultivating a Climate of Effort and Joy in the Classroom and is a principal in the St. Croix Falls, SD in Wisconsin. Heather Wolpert-Gawron is an award-winning middle school teacher and district 21st Century Instructional coach. She is the author of Just Ask Us: Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement (Corwin/AMLE) which shares the results of her nationwide survey of 6th-12th graders and their responses to the question, "What engages you as a learner?" She has written books on Project Based Learning, cross-curricular writing, and middle school teaching strategies. She has been a staff blogger for Edutopia since 2008 and shares all things middle school at tweenteacher.com.

English Language Learners must master multiple competencies concurrently. Join us as we explore the best strategies to support and assist them.

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Elizabeth Iwaszewicz, M.Ed, NBCT Teacher Coach, C & I - Office of Professional Learning and Leadership. Dr. Heidi Pace recently retired after 33 years in education, with the last five years spent as superintendent of a rural mountain school district in Colorado. Cathy Beck is the Assistant Superintendent in Summit County, CO (Breckenridge). She is the author of Easy and Effective Professional Development. Kevin Jepson is a professional development specialist and ELL specialist for EL Education. He is supporting development of the organization's Language Arts Curriculum for Grades 6-8 and was a lead curriculum designer for the second edition of the Grades K–5 Language Arts Curriculum.

Differentiating instruction is always a challenge. In this segment, we look at a few effective and less effective ways to use technology to differentiate.

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Ge-Anne Bolhuis has been an educator for 23 years and is currently serves a district in NW Georgia as an instructional technology specialist and media specialist liaison. Anne Jenks is the principal of a TK - 5 elementary school in Oxnard, California. She is a Leading Edge Certified teacher and the 2015 CUE Site Leader of the Year. Dr. Nancy Sulla is the creator of the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom and author of the Students Taking Charge. President and founder of IDE Corp. (Innovative Designs for Education) a consultative professional development provider.